Part 3 Exercise 4: Abstract Illustration

I chose Beethoven for this exercise because I actually like and am familiar with the music, when listening in my own time not even just for this exercise I always imagined scribbling on a page to see how the music effects the shapes and colours I produce, when doing some of these pieces I closed my eyes while listening first to see if I could see anything in the dark and how it made me feel. I thought about the darkness, thickness, colours of each line and shapes in my drawing. Some parts of the songs were softer therefore my line work was softer and more playful whereas more intense parts the song I was compelled to press hard on the charcoal pieces or pastels I was using. I used pastel for most of these pictures because I feel like the pigment of the pastels really transform the piece. With pastel I could also work much quicker and more efficient then if I used watercolour or paints etc... I used both colour and non-colour depending on if imagined any in the music.

 

This drawing was done to Symphony No.5 in C minor, chalk and charcoal.

Symphony No. 7 in A minor and drawn with fine liner, brush pen and grey pastel

Drawn to Sonata No.14 Moonlight in E sharp with pastel.

This piece was drawn listening to Symphony No.7 in A major and Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major with Pastels.

 

 This drawing is the one I put the most effort in an it took a little longer to create because I used 2 songs. I worked quick in my mark making and linework and then when the song changed, I added the colours I thought the music sounded like and bold black lines to match some of the instrument’s sound with shape and quick lines heavy and light.

I picked the word Rhythmic because I feel that what I've captured, the flow of the lines and the colours surrounding them were what I envisioned in my head. The notes of the wind instruments felt to me like loops and swirls and when all the instruments kicked in the harsh lines and quick hand movements felt necessary in conveying each piece of music. Another reason it seems rhythmic is it’s like the positioning of lines and colours complement each other so well they look like they’re dancing and talking to each other, it’s all very expressive.

 

 

  It has been rotated clockwise once 90 degrees. I think this part of the drawing conveys rhythmic the most, the half loops and gentle waves reminds me of the way the music flows, the little thin and chunky lines create an almost visual version of the varies instruments in the songs mimicking the sounds they produce as well as the melody, tempo, and volume through not only lines and shapes but the pops of colour depending on the mood druing a part of a song. 

 

 This I think even though I kept the colours similar in this, It's one the of the coolest ones I edited, I used the liquify tool digitally and manipulated it in a way I moved my pen in time with what happening in the song all different directions and on the longer holds of the instrument I pressed down for the and that area would warp and expand. There is a relation to the word RYTHMIC, the waves and shapes I created represents the faster erratic parts of the music and the pops of colours are inspired by the mood of the song.

I cut chunks of this version out and moved them around the page to reveal the empty space before blurring it making it a bit strange for the eyes.

This black and white was edited to a sadder less dramatic piece, and it is calming to look at the texture of the pastel in the greys and blacks feel true to my mood at the time listening.

Inverted colours and brush were used for this one, I tried not to over complicate it.

 

As far as colours go this is the most intense edit, I did this time I added subtle textures

simply because I wanted to experiment to see what came of it. I don’t think this really captures the sound of Beethoven, but it was worth a shot and still is a wacky abstract piece.

These two I felt the songs I was listening to had cooler and calmer tones, browns peaches and pinks suggest the sound was happier relaxed in contrast to the dramatic blue and bold black or white lines. The top picture of the two I added some random marks and scribbles again as the tempo and instruments changed giving the pastel a modern spin as it was drawn on digitally.

 

 

 Do you think your image would work as an illustration for a cover of a CD for the music you listened to?

I Think after editing it and changing the colours I can imagine it being used for an either instrumental type group or a modern alternative band. I can even imagine it being used for a psychedelic type of sound too because of how random and colourful it is. 

Certainly, this one I can think of a few artists who I personally listen too who would have such a design on their CD cover:

Alt J, Metronomy, Floral, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Grizzly Bear ect... They all have the abstract and colourful covers and it kind of reflects their music similarly to mine with Beethoven’s.

Alt J

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Grizzly Bear