MOAR GOALS! Nu Priorities!

In terms of my artwork I think it's a NECESSITY that I work on these things

1 + 2. Anatomy and proper reference
I know I have the skills and capacity to have figures with a wonderful sense of structure and flow. But the problem I faced (mainly with my comics assignments) was that I was really struggling with other areas (like story-telling, figuring out the flow of the story, finding a comfortable way to work, etc) so I let other areas fall to the wayside.  Basically I would speed over using proper+SPECIFIC reference, and would rely on my ~weak~ imaginative figure painting "skills" at 6 in the morning. There are so many panels I look back at and cringe. I think...did I REALLY paint that horrid gestural pose?....did I really just forget that humanoids have rib cages?.....is that an arm or a cape?
It's funny because I LOVE painting the figure, but I have alot more facility with the face. So it'd become very apparent in the moment when I'd fudge facial structures, and I'd take the time to redo it and use proper reference.
Basically: USE PROPER REFERENCE ALL THE TIME. I NEED TO OVER REFERENCE IF I HAVE TO.


3 + 4. Story-telling and composition:
As far as I'm concerned, I should ALWAYS try to improve my compositions haha. With Story-telling, I have trouble formulating stories that intrigue me, and that are simple enough for me to visualize.  I need to pick the right stories/moments to illustrate, and really think of how compositions will propel the story of the image.
Recently I've been looking at alot of Tarsem, Disney Pre-production art (tangled), and I bought Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers

5. Hierarchy of Light

When I paint, I tend to see in terms of hue and temperature. Subtle value changes aren't as apparent to me. So I need to start identifying those value changes, and then how those values create hierarchies of light throughout the image. I also need to copy the masters of light, study light sources, create dramatic lighting, and see how it leads the viewers eyes throughout the picture plane. This all goes hand in hand with point 6.









6: Systems of color and how they affect composition:
I'm very comfortable with mixing colors accurately, but now it's time to step it up, and think more and more about how to create systems and rhythms of color and how this effects composition. I think this will come naturally (since I'm always concerned with hue), but I need to state it to make sure that I'm aware. My work will improve by lightyears if I managed to really think of systems of COLOR and VALUE in terms of COMPOSITION. But that would just mean that I was REALLY AWESOME. haha.

7. This is less of a visual thing, and more of my intent as an artist:
NO CULTURAL APPROPRIATION.
I've started to inject alot of ideas and concepts from different cultures in my work, and I really need to make sure that I respect the traditions of that culture, or make it very clear that my work is a departure from what they actual cultural idea is.
For instance my final for WYS was focused on nigerian mythology, prophets, griots, the alusi, etc.
And I was walking a very fine line throughout that project.
On one level I was trying to present the richness of nigerian mythology in my work, but I had to make it very clear that the mythology was fuel, rather than what I was exactly presenting.
But there's still problem, because I may not be respecting the tradition and meaning of the mythology.
For alot of people, this was their first exposure to nigerian mythology. But I was using some of the original myths, names, traditions, etc...while inventing my own storylines for these myths, and tieing them with other cultural ideas. And honestly it's not like I'm this scholar who fully understands the mythology and context of the mythology in nigeria.

Hell my representation of them alone is very western, but I am western...so it's just difficult to know if I'm doing the "right thing". At this point, all I can do is be aware and continue to question what I'm doing with this Nigerian/African/etc influence, and then make my intentions clear.

8. Create a range of emotion with my work
I think alot of my work has this sense of mystery and drama. But I've yet to explore my light-hearted or humorous side in my artwork. I would say I'm an optimistic and goofy guy, but I don't think alot of that comes through in my work. It's mostly MYSTERY CELESTIAL DIVA, and there are definitely opportunities to be ~foolish~.
haha but my "humor" is also about ridiculous Beyonce gifs, and things that make me go ~ding dong~.
So I guess I really need to explore my sense of humor and how it functions in the big picture, and then implement that into my work. I think I really need to explore and question my identity and interests to further my work at some point.
For example why divas?
Why was I drawn to certain imagery as a child?
etc.

Ah anyway it's time for some sleep.
But I'll quickly say some immediate goals/ideas/things I want to do during Wintersession (just so i remember later):

- Color Keys/sketchbook mania
- Tangled Fanart (yes I went there)
- an original piece inspired by the fall and Twin Seven Seven
- revisit old artwork; and I mean old like...4th grade old
- Lizard gods
- bjork/beyonce/willow smith medley: search for the diva dust hahahaaaa
- explore my inspirations, and go to their parent inspirations
- new year? new look?
- dance dance dance + record dances
- INTERNSHIPSSS

More comics from this semester

The Masquerade

The Garden

I find that my comics this semester honestly weren't that successful in terms of story-telling. If I had a solution for telling the story, it wasn't visually compelling. Or I would figure out the imagery and some of the compositions, but I'd try to fit in way too much/resolve plots in a short-short page number.

If I wanted to create comics professionally, I would REALLY have to learn how to paint faster, more efficiently...and manage to have the viewer understand the story.

Text definitely could have provided clarity, but I would like to get to the point that my visuals alone can tell the story. Not to mention dealing with text/typography is a challenge (hehe I should git sum typography skillzz soon)

However...I feel like I learned SO much from the class. It really pushed me, and forced me to get better/faster (if I actually wanted to finish the assignment) haha. The skills and knowledge that I gained in the class can really be applied to all of mi work.

hurrr durrrrrrrr.

i'm rambling.

What about my body-body?

I learned alot in Artistic Anatomy.
Although I kept using myself as reference (haha probably a lack of time and effort on my part) so alot of the times I just kept singing: "What about my body-body?/You wanna paint my body-body?!"
But I was an excellent resource, and I've learned alot about how to build figures and how to get asense of interconnectivity. Now it's just time to get some of that into my own personal work (lol, it definitely wasn't there when I was painting as quickly as possible for comics and such)


Anyway onto some of the work

Sadly, I haven't scanned/photographed much of the work.
But I feel like figure drawing/painting makes so much more sense now.
Currently I'm revisiting Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Figure Drawing.

I remember buying this book when I was 14? 15?
At that point I could barely focus on the what the book was actually teaching. I could just try and copy all the images. But there are some good lessons in here, which makes inventing figures and manipulating resources/reference images alot easier.

When I get back to RISD I'll be sure to scan some sketchbook pages/some more of my anatomy work from this past semester.

ALSO, can we talk about how wonderful Burne Hogarth's name is?
It's nice a collection of two great illustrators in one (William Hogarth and Edward Burne-Jones.)
Or it's subconsciouslly telling us to burn Hogarth.
Hehe :]

Sketchesssssssss

I had a wonderful sketchbook party with Emily Walus where we drew these wonderful folk costumes from around the world. And I have to say Faber Castell pitt/brush pens are so wonderful! They free me up and allow for quickkkkk sketches.














Here are some pages from my watercolor/acrylic sketchbook. I was just experimenting with different ways of working and building up the paint. But I find that the most effective way of working is: a faber castell quick marker drawing + an acrylic glaze or two just to break up the white space and then going straight into acrylic.






Water color study, for the character in one of my comicssssss~

THE Comic Book Storytelling

First Assignment for "The" Comic Book Storytelling
Prompt: Do something fantabulous that'll grant you a favorable professional portfolio review (fully resolved story+ one page + no text).

The Cycle of the Ankh

Gouache + Digital

Heh, so much can be said about this...but I'll edit it later!

What's Your Story: The Phantom Tollbooth

Our second assignment was to create three narrative images based on a novel, mythological tale, poem, etc. And then we had to integrate words/layouts into the narrative images.
I chose The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It's one of my childhood favorites, and I think the book gives alot of freedom to go crazy/have fun with the imagery.



With this assignment, I really wanted to gain some experience with watercolor. However, I find that watercolor doesn't naturally fit with the way I work (it's not very forgiving either). But I definitely had better control of it by the second piece. In the end, the piece is Watercolor + Acrylic + hints of gouache + Digital.

Assignments like these also remind me of how much I respect graphic designers. Text is difficult to work with, and I was really confused as to where to take it. Originally I had "place-holder" text. But MJ recommended that I have more exciting text, especially since the entire book is so playful with words, knowledge, and concepts involving education.
I'm still not sure how I feel about the text, but it'll be alright for now :]

Born again + Naija Zombies

I have a bad habit of starting, new blogs...and sketchbooks.
But I'm sure I can hold on to this one for a good amount of time.
It has a good name :]

Anyway, Junior Year at RISD is in full throttle.
I love everything I'm doing, but it's exhausting to say the least.
My diet consists of learning to tell stories through comics/sequential imagery, narrative images,and dance/theater/performance art (New Works/World Traditions at brown university~I love them all so much).
I'm also taking an Anatomy class and History of Illustration. They're great additions to this errr ~diet~

Time is crazy, and fleeting to say the least.
But enough of that. Onto the work!

First Assignment from What's Your Story:
We were prompted to capture an interesting/significant historical moment (and place ourselves in the scene).
I chose to depict Fela Kuti performing on stage, and contrasting the joy and energy of his performance with the "zombie-like" (hoho, Fela song reference) soldiers that would constantly raid/oppress him

My first composition was not working out too well:

So Mary Jane told me to recompose and simplify

Here's a thumbnail!

Linework

Finished piece

This piece was really fun! I learned alot about painting in photoshop (e.g. THERE'S MORE THAN ONE OPTION/CATEGORY TO PICK COLORS haha. Thanks Emily :] )

Not to mention, I NEED to see Fela! on broadway now. The choreography, staging, costuming, and story all looks fantastic. Not to mention the wonderful musical score!

I leave you with this wonderful song, Zombie by Fela Kuti


Until next posting!

Additional goals~

Also--I want to

6. Try to go to open drawing/figure drawing as often as possible.

7. Go more in depth with research for my work, and fill folders with reference images for inspiration. And just use my resources more thoroughly (like the picture collections). I've already started to do some of this, but it could be pushed much further.

8. Not leave my sketchbook in the dust :[ (it's the first thing to go during crunch time)

Additionally I've been spending alot of my free time on tumblr just posting images, and just dicking around on ze internets.
odera.tumblr.com

I'm sure there's more goals...let's see how many of these I can keep up with :P

Improvement Meme

Okay, I know I have barely touched this blog, but I HAVE been working.
Most of the work I'm doing is to build up my skills, rather than have refined pieces to put in my portfolio or online. I'm just bad at recording my work/taking pictures/scanning etc.


So I did this little fun meme instead~!





http://odyism.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2u1b8k




It's fun to see the improvement over the years, and it gives me that jolt of inspiration to keep working (and actually update ze artblog).
...I've been updating my tumblr though XD
odera.tumblr.com

Some videos from the end of the year

I have a brand new respect for animators. I LOVE watching animations, but creating them is another story. I am really drawn (ding dong.) to the illustrative elements of animation like storyboarding, concept art, and any element of the pre-production art. But when it comes to worrying about x amount of frames and timing, things get a little srhofhweoqoadsjaasdlkjsKODFJDSBAS. :D

But here are the two projects I probably enjoy most from that class.

Telephone from Odera Igbokwe on Vimeo.

Computer Girl from Odera Igbokwe on Vimeo.

Although I didn't necessarily enjoy the process, I feel like I've learned alot from these animations. And they'll definitely inform the rest of my work :D

FAV has slowly crept into my Illustration work as well (are they even separate things nao?!!?). Like this nifty ~pattern~ assignment I did for Oren's class.

Heartbeat from Odera Igbokwe on Vimeo.

Sophomore Year is Over

I can't believe that I haven't made a single post during sophomore year~durhhhh
There is so much that has happened in the past year. And I feel like this year, especially spring semester have taught me so much about myself, my limits and boundaries, and what my priorities are.

In terms of my art, I do not know exactly what I want to do anymore. I just know that I want to be a visual storyteller, and I'll be happy whether that manifests itself in traditional 2-d illustrations, character designs, storyboarding/comics, or performance. Also I should really become better friends with simplicity and concept.

Now it's the summer, and I'm ready to recharge my batteries, find an internship, stick to ONE(. . .or two :P) sketchbooks, and danceeee~

1 Year Later

Dear odyism.blogspot.com, I promise to treat you better. I want to give you the love and attention that you deserve.
Sincerely, Odera