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| 'Aidianna' - A widely travelled lady Paper collage on card, with paper strips for 'hair' only attached around the face. |
The programme showed a photograph of her with a huge newspaper wig she wore in one of her previous tours. It looked fantastic, and it inspired me to use the idea as a basis for one of my 29 FACES.
I used pages containing city maps from an old road map book of Europe. I cut small odd-shaped pieces for the face and stuck them on a piece of card quite at random. The eyes and lips are shapes I cut from coloured paper and collaged on.
For the 'hair' I cut dozens and dozens of strips, which I stuck around the face just a little glue on a folded-back edge, so that the 'hair' would flop around and position itself as it wished. The finished piece is 17 inches high by 21 inches wide.
On Sunday, when I finished it and took the photograph, the sky was almost black and it poured with rain all day, so I was amazed when I was able to take this reasonably clear photograph. The artwork is laid out on a black towel to get a good contrast.
Here's where she started. As soon as I saw Cher's newspaper wig I knew I wanted to create something along those lines for 29 Faces. I grabbed my 'rough' sketchbook, which is always beside me and quickly made a rough sketch to remind me to do it. It's always better for me to get an idea down on paper right away, otherwise it gets lost in all the other ideas that are always spinning around in my head.
This close-up of the face shows the various pieces of map a little more clearly. I like the way the randomly placed pieces of map 'draw' lines across the face, especially the two that are a little like eyebrows above the eyes. Serendipity.
To finish off I took the image into Photoshop and applied the 'Stylize - Find Edges' filter. It produced this striking effect, and the effect of the filter on the black towel has produced interesting texture.
I think I like this version of Aidianna even more than the original.
Wow--you're really experimenting! This is a way-cool idea, and I like both the "paper" version, and the stylized one. I could see the background being black to focus all of the viewer's attention on the image. Really nice!
ReplyDeleteHehehe, I love the paper wig idea and the way you created the paper sculpture. The final digitally modified version is transformed into a flat image, accentuating everything with great result!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your visits and comments on my blog! I really appreciate, and need to take some time off the art and settle my debts :-)
I am really loving all these great faces you are a face master my dear...fabulous work.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Wonderful way to use "old" maps. I like these very much.
ReplyDeleteWow - just fabulous. So much interest and imagination. I love collage and this just takes it another step further. I have been painting ATC sized faces and use dictionary pages for the hair (but not as wild as yours). This is a unique piece and I think it's fabulous. (BTW - I have loved Cher's movies as well - Moonstruck is my favorite).
ReplyDeleteVery cool. And I'm charmed by the source of your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing face Jez. I often use maps in my collage but would have never thought of doing this!! The face is so striking. ( I love Cher too )
ReplyDeleteAmazing work Jez!
ReplyDeleteOh wow Jez, you keep taking these faces one step further. Really love this right from where the idea came from to your finished face and then her stylised alter ego.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a Cher film in ages! She used to be in them a lot at one point didn't she?
oh boy, do I ever love this one!
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously inspired, the way you have made her and your use of the map.
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