Summer Assignment and Plan for the year

Mason Hilligenn

Initial SourcesMason Hilligenn

Here are some examples of the portraits that can be found at the national gallery. The way in which the building works is in chronological order starting from the top with portraits from the Tudor times all the way through to modern day. The techniques range from things such as infrared photography to modern day printing techniques. The top left portrait of Sir Francis Walsingham and the bottom right of Anne Bayne were both created using oil on canvas – a technique commonly used in that era. The composition of the two are very similar being that they both have their bodies turned to one side with their heads facing towards what was most likely the artist painting them. Perhaps this was to show authority or healthiness as only those that were important would have been able to have their picture painted. Once again the majority of portraits found in this era will have a similar style, you will very rarely find a portrait from the tutor times where the subject is facing completely head on.

Not only did I look around the museum but I also chose to look online to see what I could find. Here I stumbled across this

portrait created by Maria Caisley which of all portraits I have seen so far has been my

favourite.

Maria CaisleyMason Hilligenn

The painting to the left is a portrait by a recent British artist: Maria Caisley titled ‘Hugh’. The composition of the piece is very straight forward as the mans face appears to be near enough in the centre of the canvas. He looks into the distance, which lets us see more of the right side of his face. As he does so, the light seems to be reflecting of the right side of his cheek allowing the other half of his face to be that little bit darker, here we can see the difference in tone that Caisley has used. The mans eyes which I believe to be one of the primary focuses of the piece, are situated within the top quarter of the canvas. This means that the top of the head is cut slightly off and the chin as well as the shoulders are made visible.

Although I struggled to find a date for this piece of work, I believe it to be fairly recent because of the way that the man is dressed. He is wearing what looks like a suit jacket and a t shirt underneath which is something that I would associate with the 21st century. You will also see a small “12” in the bottom right which leads me to believe that it was painted in 2012.

Its not made obvious what the subject is thinking about/looking at but it is clear he is in deep thought. From my interpretation he looks like some kind of business man with a lot on his mind perhaps to do with family or troubles at home. I am able to tell this by the facial expression he is using along with his eyes that seem to be wondering or possibly staring at someone or something. You could also say that he maybe in some kind of talk/meeting and hes focusing on what the speaker has to say. What I like about the piece itself is that it leaves you wondering and what the subject of the painting is thinking about is left a mystery.

On the topic of business, perhaps this is the message the artist maybe trying to pursue. With todays world being heavily run by industry Caisley may possibly be trying to communicate through the expression on the mans face that she believes its bad for society and businessmen and women should spend more time at home with loved ones. Once again this is another interpretation of mine and could be totally wrong.

I believe Maria Caisley to be an independent artist who works for herself painting in her own time or perhaps for a living. I imagine this piece in particular was not painted for anyone except for possibly the man in the photo.

This painting in particular reminds me of Picassos portrait work as it has the same division between colours. Each segment holds a separate colour and in a way creates an abstract/cubist effect. Caisley has given her work this feel but has also given it a touch of realism making it look ever so slightly realistic. In my opinion this is a really unique style of working and that’s why Maria Caisley and this artwork in particular will be my influence for my final portrait.

Facial StudiesMason Hilligenn

Here I did a few studies of my face whist looking in a mirror. Here no style needed to be adapted and

therefore I was free to draw however I wanted. It also gave me some time to think about which artist I

wanted to choose.

FinalMason Hilligenn

After some more experimenting I decided to go with the style of Maria Caisley. I decided upon this because

I like the way she has painted in blocks of colour and although hasn’t

focused on realism she has somehow managed to make it look ever so slightly realistic. The way in which she has painted reminds me of a animated cartoon/game and I

thought creating my own one maybe would represent me appropriately

since animation is a career choice of mine.

Unfortunately I am slightly disappointed with my interpretation as I felt I painted myself too small

and too far to the left. If I had made my head bigger and centred it more, there would be more to look at and a clearer connection between the two paintings. If I was to redo it again I would have also made sure that my face was as accurate as possible to

give the same effect that Maria gave.

Reflecting on Year 1Mason Hilligenn

• Last year I feel the Equivalents assignment was the most important for me as it allowed me to express what I enjoy doing most in Art & Design. I got to do a lot of my work on Photoshop which is where I feel one of my strongest points are. This allowed me to produce some outcomes that were not only to a good standard but also I was happy with.

I also felt the first assignment that involved still life drawings was extremely beneficial for me as it taught me new ways of drawing using different medias. These skills are something that I perhaps will go on to use in later life.

• From previous assignments in year 1 I have gained various skills, some that have been built on and some that I have learnt from scratch. For example, for the Summative project I used a screen printing technique on fabric that I hadn’t previously done before. These processes helped me to improve my understanding of not only working with new materials but it also gave me a taste of what working in other industries would be like.

• In the second year I need to focus on my time management. Time management is my biggest weakness not only when it comes to Art and Design but my other subjects too. Often my work can suffer if I don’t give myself enough time to do something and allowing myself to have more time will boost my quality of work and also my final grade.

Plans for the futureMason Hilligenn

• My plans for the future have changed numerous times throughout the year. First of all I was sceptical about university and whether it was for me or not but I later decided that if I wanted to go into the animation industry that uni would be the right option for me. I then later decided that taking a gap year before university would be extremely important for me as I’d use it to travel the world and experience new things.

• My current progression aim is to achieve the grades in my A-levels that I need to be able to get into my desired university. I then plan to go travelling for a year and return to university once done. After this I then hope to pursue a career in graphic design/animation.

• The requirements for the animation course at Bournemouth are:Required subjects:One creative subject such as Fine Art or Graphic Design, Media Design or Photography.Entry requirements:For 2017 entry (we will use the new UCAS tariff): 120 to 128 tariff points from 3 A-Levels or equivalent qualifications including 40 points from one required subject. BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM. For more information check out our 2017 entry requirements page.

To get these qulifications I will have to produce my work at A-Level to an extremely high standard in order to get the right grades and be able to apply for the course.