Character Description

 

Name: Jax Stone

He is from Los Angels California. He grew up close to the strip and is very familiar with the music scene. He is a male and his age is 25 although from drug and alcohol abuse he is a little rough around the edges. In his youth his parents pushed him to become a lawyer but he was never interested in school. He attended class very little and barely graduated. He was interested in the arts from a young age although his parents were never acceptant of his artistic interests. He loved to draw from a young age but his parents forbid him to draw or express himself creatively. When he began skipping class he hooked up with some friends that turned him on to L.A.’s growing music scene. They could usually be found in a record store or in his friend Slatter’s basement listening to the growing rock n’ roll scene. When he came home with a rock record his parents were furious. They where hardcore Catholics and believed rock and roll was the devils music. Jax became rebellious and seemed to never come home. He would stay out late then eventually not even show up. His parents had given up hope on him and focused their energy on his little brother. One day Jax and Slatter decided to go out to the clubs on the strip. They saw many bands that night but one really stood out to them. After seeing Curbside Prophet perform Jax knew he was destined to be a rock star. The next day him and Slatter rounded up Shooter Seven and Rikki Rocc and explained they were going to from a band and rise to the top. Jax would be the guitarist, Rikki Rocc- the singer Slatter- bass and Shooter Seven- drums. Together they would form Loud. They began gigging around town and soon hit the strip scene. One night after playing an aggressive set they were approached by a man from the record company and were offered a deal. They recorded their first album and were an instant success. After beginning the first world tour Jax realized he had accomplished his dream of coming to the top. Unfortunately being on top also included the “glamorous” rock star lifestyle consisting of women, drugs, alcohol and Leather pants.

Digital Painting

"Plugged In"

Charater research

 

For my character research I chose to do Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Shaggy is Scooby’s owner and shares many characteristics with Scooby. Both are pretty mellow and love to eat. Shaggy’s appearance greatly reflects his name; he has a shaggy beard along with his haircut, which is referred to many as a shag. His hair never was combed perfectly, there was always a piece in the back sticking out. When it comes to solving mysteries both are frightened most of the time. Throughout the series, besides Scooby Shaggy is one of the most memorable characters. Even today kids in high school sometimes refer to a facial hair style as the Shaggy (a few wimpy strands of hair on the chin) Shaggy’s background is kind of unclear at times. He originated from a place called Coolville and has two parents. I think his popularity is somewhat do to his sense of style in the time period. He was portrayed as kind of a laid back surfer, which was popular around that time. He is also memorable due to his voice. Almost every statement he makes either starts or ends with the word “like”.The colors used on his clothing where never changed which added to a “whatever” type vibe compared to Fred who always had a different colored scarf and was extremely well dressed. The colors of a red-brown and green added to the mellow vibe. His popularity is proved due to the fact he is the only character besides Scooby to appear in every stage of the series including the movies. From his voice to his overall relaxed appearance Shaggy was able to captivate his audiences and become a memorable character.

Social Issue Responce

Paul Kuczynski is a modern contemporary artist. He is an American who has clearly kept up to date on social issues. The social issues that most of us see on the news but just look past or don’t grasp the severity of the issue influence his artwork. His artwork is created by the use of digital illustration and maybe a little use of watercolor. His works remind me of political cartoons with much more detail and instead of focusing on politics he focuses on larger issues. My favorite piece depicts men cleaning black smoke as if it were a window. The issue depicted is clearly pollution and how we try to cover it up to seem okay. A lot of his works have to do with destroying our environment and also how the government and wars are ridiculous. In some of his pieces he used greed to show motivation. The images are very dramatic to stress the issue and each one combines two everyday things that contrast each other. Window washers and smoke stacks are things we have grown used to seeing everyday but when you put them together the contrast creates drama and does a good job of getting the issue across. Paul’s works are very inspiring to me and some of them have given me good ideas that might reflect in my own composition.

Logo Design!

Guernica Responce

 

            Pablo Picasso’s piece entitled Guernia was based on the bombing that occurred in the small village in 1937.  The bombings were fueled by the Spanish civil war and is believed to be the work of Spanish nationals in alliance with Germany. There were over 1,500 deaths reported on a devastating bombing run that lasted 3 and a half hours. Picasso saw this event as mass chaos. He combined abstract forms of humans and animals in what looks like a shelter, scared for their lives. I read up on the history of the event and one man who was resided in the village during the bombings recalls hiding in a small cramped shelter wondering if he was going to live or die. When I put the history with the painting it made a lot of sense. It was a time of fear and survival. The overall feel of the piece suggests  Picasso was sickened over the bombings and tried to show the devastation caused by them. To me it seems this is very much an anti war piece with strong messages.

Concept Map