OBSCUTOBER
(Hover Here)
This project lasted the whole month of October 2019. It follows a trend called 'Inktober' that was founded by Jake Parker (@jakeparker on Instagram) but the prompt list I followed was by Nikolas Tower (@nikolas_tower on Instagram). The prompt consisted of obscure words that have abstract or intangible concepts. There is a different word as a prompt for every day of October but on some days I decided to combine prompts (with other lists as well) or not do the prompt at all.
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For the first half of October, I did mainly semi-realistic portraits as a way to practice facial structures. Afterwards, I started to use watercolours to draw the prompts to better convey my thoughts or concepts for each prompt.
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I decided to follow the prompt list with obscure words instead of the original list as the words challenged me creatively with its meanings, allowing more artistic freedom.
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The gallery below consists of the prompt list as well as the artworks for the respective prompts. Do click on individual pictures for a clearer look.
Day 1 - Constellations >a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure.
Day 2 - Oneirataxia >The inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Day 3 - Phosphenes >a sensation of a ring or spot of light produced by pressure on the eyeball or direct stimulation of the visual system other than by light.
Day 5 - Nautilus >The word nautilus is derived from the Greek ναυτίλος nautÃlos and originally referred to the paper nautiluses of the genus Argonauta, which are actually octopuses. The word nautÃlos literally means "sailor"
Day 6 - Tacenda >things not to be mentioned or made public—things better left unsaid
Day 4 - Lacuna > an unfilled space; a gap.
Day 7 - Kalopsia X Enchanted > state or delusion in which things appear more beautiful than they really are
Day 9 - Spiral X Breath >winding in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve, either round a central point on a flat plane or about an axis so as to form a cone.
Day 8 - Paroxysm >a sudden attack or outburst of a particular emotion or activity.
Day 10 - Psithurism >The sound of wind in the trees and rustling of leaves.
Day 11 - Waves
Day 12 - Nephelibata X Dragon >A cloud walker. An individual who lives in the clouds of her own imagination or dreams. A person who doesn't abide by the rules of society, literature, or art.
Day 14 - Dormiveglia X Overgrown >half-asleep, semi-conscious.
Day 15 - Petrichor >a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.
Day 16 & 17 - Ephemeral X Eternal Ephemeral > lasting for a very short time. Eternal > lasting or existing forever; without end.
Day 18 - Monachopsis >The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach—lumbering, clumsy, easily distracted, huddled in the company of other misfits, unable to recognize the ambient roar of your intended habitat, in which you’d be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home.
Day 20 - Eccedentesiast >One who fakes a smile.
Day 21 - Solivagant X River >marked by solitary wandering.
Day 22 - Disenthrall > set free
Day 24 - Ataraxia >a state of serene calmness.
Day 25 - Seahorse
Day 26 - Boketto >the act of gazing out into the distance with no thoughts
Day 30 - Crown
Thought process
As it may be too long to talk about my thought process behind all the artworks, I had picked out my personal favourites to elaborate more about it.
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The first one is 'Constellations'. The base inspiration for this prompt was a quote by Nikita Gill stating that we are made of 93% stardust. Each constellation is unique on its own and has its own meaning, so I thought it can be a way to represent the 'flaws' of each of our bodies. Everyone has different scars or marks and each 'flaw' may have a story behind it, however big or small. Thus, in a way, those 'flaws' are like constellations on our bodies, making every one of us unique.
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While the golden constellations drawn on her back represents that, I didn't want it to seem like it is easy accepting the marks or scars. Hence, she has a somewhat insecure or worried expression and is in a vulnerable state (naked).
I wanted this artwork to, perhaps, help someone feel less insecure about their bodies and embrace their own little constellations.
Next would be 'Kalopsia X Enchanted'. While 'Kalopsia' is from the Obscutober prompt list, 'Enchanted' was from another prompt list. Both were given on the same day and I felt it was fitting to mix the two prompts up.
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Enchantment can sometimes be a bad thing, it can lead to a state of delusion and blind you (hence, Kalopsia and the blindfold). I also associated Kalopsia with roses as roses are beautiful until you get pricked by their thorns; it was a fitting way to show that it can be harmful to be in the state of Kalopsia.
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The roses grow around her and even from the blindfold, suggesting that she could have been pricked from the thorns of the roses and is now blinded. It could also be that she is under a spell that causes her to see things more beautiful than it is.
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Another favourite would be 'Oneirataxia'. This piece was pretty direct: the wings and dreamcatchers represent dreams and the clock necklace represents reality. The wings cover one eye, indicating the inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. I drew the clock around her neck to suggest that reality, in the end, is what we come back to.
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For this artwork, the challenge was getting the facial anatomy right. Prior to this, I have never tried drawing semi-realistic faces. Looking back at it now, I can see that the ears are too small and low and her eyes can be a little smaller.
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'Petrichor' was the first watercolour attempt at Obscutober. It is hard to draw something intangible such as smell, so I thought of conveying the feeling of relief instead.
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The girl in the picture is glad that there's rain as it helps her grow her little plant. She is relieved and at peace that rain is here after a long period of warm, dry weather.
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Adding the details on the leaves was a challenge. An even larger one was the water dew drops on it. Preserving the white parts of the paper was tricky as I had to carefully fill up areas of colour without touching small areas of droplets.
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This pairing of prompts could not be anymore paradoxical, yet it fits each other so perfectly. I knew I had to join 'Ephemeral' and 'Eternal' together when I was glancing through the prompts. The theme 'time' immediately came to mind - it flies by so fast but also lasts forever.
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The hourglass represents time. I realised I should have made it more obvious that the girl was fading away. The girl shows the 'ephemeral' side of time. The girl's life, like ours, is only a sand grain in the hourglass. A speck of dust in the otherwise infinite timeline of the universe.
The breaking of the hourglass represents that when we fade away, that things don't last, the universe will still be present for a very long time.
For 'Monachopsis', I wanted to focus more on the "...in which you'd be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home" part of the meaning. Not only does this imply that there is, in fact, a place you belong, it also gives hope that it will be a natural and complimenting mutually.
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I chose to represent this using the moon. In its rightful place (the night sky), it will look effortlessly beautiful and at home. I don't mean it to say the moon itself isn't beautiful but in the right surroundings, its beauty will be amplified.
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We all long for that, just as the girl in the artwork is looking at the sky full of stars longingly. Hopefully, we can all achieve that one day.
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'Eccedentesiast' means "I present you teeth as a performer" when directly translated from Latin. "iast" means performer, so I used the masquerade mask to show that. "dentes" means teeth, and it is shown through the smile.
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While the performer looks happy, as you look closely behind the mask, he isn't exactly all happy even if he is smiling. Quite literally, he hides his real emotions behind a mask. The cuffs may suggest he is trapped in his performance of constantly faking a smile, that he doesn't dare show his actual feelings behind the mask.
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Many of us go through that, and I wanted this piece to somewhat show that it is okay to take off the mask.
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The inspiration for the style of this artwork came from @kelogsloops from Instagram. It challenged me as I hadn't really painted skin in that style and I learnt a thing or two.
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I took a more emotional approach to this. It shows the girl letting go of the negative emotions (this is represented by the black crows, all the insecurities, pressures, pent up emotions). The birds burst out from the girl's out, being set free (quite literally). The girl, too, is set free from the negative emotions.
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I wanted this artwork to help people be aware of the negative thoughts or emotions they have been holding in. Maybe it could help them take a step towards being the girl in the picture, to set free their inner black crows and be set free themselves.
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Last but definitely not least, 'Boketto'. When I first saw the definition and did some research, I came across a picture showing the contrast of a bright window against the window bars. The definition also made me think of a moment between a couple, staring distantly out the window while enjoying each other's company.
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It shows the couple taking a break from their work and lives to relax and have some time for themselves. Not necessarily doing anything, but just gazing out.
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Drawing this made me think of the small moments in life and how easily we forget them. It helped me treasure the small moments a little more and I wanted to convey that feeling.
Working on these pieces almost every day and constantly ​thinking about the meaning behind the artworks definitely helped me learn to not just look at the technical aspect of art but also the emotional part of it. It instilled an additional part in me to question what I want to convey in a piece as well as how to make it look appealing.
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This project also pushed me to pick up the brush and paint again instead of using digital media. The challenging parts were constantly coming up with new ideas and making time to finish this project while studying for A2 as well.
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It helped me find a new favourite traditional medium - watercolour. Thus, it is one of my proudest collection of works.
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