Copic Study, 3D model (2020)

Material: Copic Marker

Surface: Illustration Board

2020 was the year where I started transitioning into animation mediums and techniques. I started off with trying to understand Cel Shading. For my entire time as a practicing artist I saw shading purely as tone. I wanted to instead create a series of works that saw light and shadow as separate cells and areas. Taken from a series, The theme was “Things I wanted but could never get”. At the time I couldn't afford digital drawing material, and with the way the curriculum was structured and the small duration of time, I would not have been able to create substantial academic work especially while trying to grasp the fundamental principles of animation. Therefore I made it my prerogative to try to segment many aspects that I enjoyed about traditional animation that were compatible with my current drawing practice and create works with those aspects in mind.

The subject in question was a virtual item that at the time was impossible to obtain. With an interest in the virtual world and self expression. In most mainstream modern videogames, resides a business model that takes advantage of people's desire of self expression. Generally people spend real money in order to obtain virtual items that allow their player avatar to look a certain way. Like how fashion trends work in the real world, there are some styles that more people are directed to. While others strive for individuality and uniqueness and base their purchasing decisions based on how they view themselves. I became interested in the items specifically, how do people attribute value to non tangible objects within a virtual space.

In this case the item was a trinket that was considered iconic, but was later removed. It's non-existence made it move valuable and more sought after. People would tell stories about when the first got the item, and how badly they wanted them back. There were always stories and emotions associated with the item. It really showed how man made creations even if they do not exist in 3D space has significant power over people.

I had to consider how the copics interacted with the paper, the thickness of the line and how the ink bled into the paper. The duality of retaining the silhouette of the object while reducing it's visual fidelity under the constraints of the material was vital to this process.

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