Samantha-Jo Carter - Dragonflies

Chalk and Charcoal.

For my Research Methodology Project, i chose to research into Dragonflies because of the many miscommunicated ideas about them. Through my research i found that depending on where in the world you are, and what culture you lean towards, Dragonflies can be seen as either an evil creature or on the other hand a creature of peace and tranquility.

Wire Sculpture.

For the first half of this project i experimented into different ways in which i can portray the dragonfly with numerous materials. When it came to experimenting with different materials i wanted to keep the out come of the image somewhat relative to the research into culture i was working on at the time. For example the image below was made rather dark, with thick colours to show how in European culture the Dragonfly was considered to be the Devils insect, and as a rather evil creature.

Acrylic paints.

This image is of my final image, a piece of wallpaper sample that i decided to create after researching about Japanese cultures and their relations with the tranquility of Dragonflies. After researching into how the Dragonfly is often used within him Decor, i thought i would try and incorporate both decor and Japanese culture into one image in order to create my final piece.

My final piece was created with a mixture of drawing inks, charcoal and chalks.

The Rabbit

I looked at rabbits, first focusing on how they live in the wild,

but then moving on to examine how they are kept as pets.

Through my research, I found that many rabbit-owners are not aware of basic

rabbit needs and rabbits are frequently abandoned when they are more work than the

owner anticipated. I wanted to show that rabbits are not 'easy option' pets and in

particular communicate the fact that they can live for 10 years. I also experimented

with how I could visualise the inquisitive nature of this creature.

Domestic Cat

I chose to base my project on the domestic cat. I focused mainly on the textures found on cats for example, their rough tongues and their soft fur. I also looked in to their sensitivity to their surroundings and also their sensitivity and fragility in general. I tried to use different mediums, techniques and materials to reflect these qualities such as using thin paper and origami techniques, paper cutting, and using stick and ink to create looseness in my images.

Research sketchbooks

A few examples of sketchbook pages from the recently completed work of our current first year students.