Artists and artworks as influence
Milo begins Unit 3 by exploring and connecting three artistic influences, including established artist Rachel Hodgson. He evaluates selected artists and reflects on how expressive styles influence and inspire his own developing ideas.
This page demonstrates how Milo documented his investigation of artistic influences to inform his development of subject matter, visual language and personal ideas.
Artists and artworks as influence
Milo analyses two selected artworks by the three influential artists selected. He evaluates materials, techniques and processes, subject matter, style, art elements and principles, and aesthetic qualities. Milo uses appropriate art terminology to analyse and evaluate the artist’s use of visual language. This investigation documents the analysis and evaluation of artistic influences to support Milo’s developing ideas and art making.
Sources of inspiration and idea development
Milo selects expressive figurative images to generate personal ideas. The annotations evaluate Milo’s use of visual language and how the subject matter of figure and portraiture, connects with the ideas of distortion and mood to inform Milo’s own art making.
On this page Milo documents his inspiration and early idea development. He has experimented with materials and techniques to establish his interest in distortion.
Artform – concept development and planning
Milo creates a detailed mind map organising his ideas around the artform of drawing. He brainstorms key terms linked to art styles, drawing materials and techniques, expressive colour schemes and distorted forms.
On this page Milo documents early conceptual planning relating to materials, techniques and subject matter, and how his initial research was used to inform his art making throughout Unit 3.
Exploration of drawing and development of visual language
Milo experiments with pastels through portrait and still life studies. His annotations evaluate the effectiveness of colour, texture and expressive impasto, and identify experiments, such as using personal photographic references to improve proportion while maintaining intentional distortion. Milo compares soft and oil pastel trialling to inform his selection of materials as his work develops. On this page Milo documents and evaluates drawing materials, techniques and processes to develop visual language throughout his art making.
Development of personal subject matter and ideas
Building on his successful trials, Milo begins applying distortion to his own image as a reference for subject matter. A series of self-portrait graphite drawings explore proportional distortion of facial features. Annotations explain how images were manipulated prior to drawing and how graphite was used to develop tone and form.
On this page Milo documents the transition from material experimentation to focused self-portrait studies thus developing his personal subject matter and ideas.
Develop and make artworks
Milo develops two artworks in oil and soft pastel – ‘Warped’ and ‘Study of a Boy in Plastic’. These artworks demonstrate how his earlier experimentation with drawing, self-portraiture, distortion, colour and expressive pastel texture have been developed into his personal ideas and style.
On this page Milo documents a key point in his s art making, where he selects artworks for critique that he deems as successful.
Present a critique
Milo prepares a critique explaining ideas, inspiration, artist influences, subject matter, and materials, techniques and processes. Through this presentation, Milo evaluates the development of both selected artworks and identifies areas for refinement to receive constructive peer feedback. This is then used to reflect and plan towards resolved Unit 4 artwork/s.
On this page Milo documents the presentation of his critique. This demonstrates the importance of the how the critique, presented in the Visual Arts Journal, forms part of the art making process.
Reflection Statement
Milo reflects on his Unit 3 art making, describing ideas, artist influences and subject matter. He compares oil and soft pastel, discussing how material and technique choices have developed an expressive, personal drawing style. Milo evaluates the challenges and successes in his art making and uses feedback from the critique to inform the further development of his art making in Unit 4.
The reflection uses appropriate art terminology and visual language to evaluate experimentation in Unit 3 and to inform resolved art making in Unit 4.
Extend and resolve ideas
Milo commences Unit 4 with a mind map to synthesise his ideas, personal style and use of visual language. Milo then extends his research of artistic influences by selecting and analysing works by Jenny Saville and Lucian Freud. He describes how the distortion of form communicates an intense mood. Milo’s annotations describe how these artistic influences connect to his personal ideas about selfhood the body and distortion.
On these pages, Milo documents how he uses planning and further artist research to inform the resolution of ideas and refinement of the finished work in Unit 4.
Refine and resolve subject matter
Milo develops conceptual figure studies to explore exaggerated perspective, distorted proportion and emotional emphasis. His annotations evaluate how uses scale, viewpoints and placement of the figure in the composition to communicate ideas about identity and self-image.
On this page Milo documents how he will extend his subject matter before beginning the making of his finished artwork.
Refine and resolve visual language
Milo resolves his conceptual studies of self-portraiture using varied perspectives, scale and distortion. His annotations evaluate how observational drawing and exaggeration affect emotional impact on the subject matter.
On this page Milo documents and analyses how his personal visual language communicates ideas about identity and self-image.
Refine and resolve a finished artwork
Milo resolves a final design for his finished artwork, refining subject matter and composition. His oil pastel studies explore expressive colour schemes to resolve aesthetic qualities.
On this page Milo documents the resolution of his artwork and supports his planning by completing some compositional studies, prior to commencing his finished artwork.
Materials, techniques and processes
On this page Milo documents the materials he used to begin his resolved artwork, including the process of priming canvas with acrylic to prepare for oil pastel. He explains blending techniques and reflects on the challenges he has when drawing on canvas.
Refine, resolve and document
Milo begins his finished artwork using a self-portrait photograph as reference. He manipulates the photograph considering aesthetic qualities and how they would convey emotions. This first canvas establishes Milo’s use of visual language to convey personal subject matter. Working in oil pastel with an expressive impasto technique, Milo documents the refinement of materials and techniques in his first resolved canvas.
Refine, resolve and document
Milo progressively refines his finished artwork across multiple canvases that, together, form a fragmented figure. Each canvas is developed separately, allowing for a focused refinement of individual body sections while maintaining a unified visual rhythm across the composition.
On this page Milo documents the application of materials, techniques and processes used to progressively refine and resolve the finished artwork.
Display and exhibition planning
Milo plans the display of his resolved artwork Obduktion in a specific exhibition context, presenting the finished work with a didactic wall label. He evaluates exhibition decisions by considering the spacing between canvases, wall colour, lighting and how the presentation of the artwork will engage the viewer. He explains how these choices support the communication of subject matter and ideas.
On this page Milo documents his research into the characteristics of the display of artworks, and how he plans that the presentation of his finished artwork will communicate meaning to an audience.
Conservation and care
Milo documents the methods for safely storing, transporting, handling and displaying his finished artwork, including the consideration of lighting, temperature, and humidity. Using appropriate terminology, Milo explains preventative conservation measures that protect the artwork before, during and after an exhibition.
Critique and reflection
To conclude, Milo reflects on his Unit 4 art making following a critique, evaluating how subject matter, ideas and visual language were resolved in his final artwork. Milo draws on peer feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of his finished artwork.
On this page Milo documents how, through feedback and personal reflection, evaluated his art making to resolve ideas and visual language in a finished artwork.