Fine Cartoonary

Having looked at the traditional cartoon, I wanted to do a big swing in the opposite direction. The drawing of political cartoons imposes a certain context on the figures drawn. Consumers are typically able to get something out of one of these pieces without much reflection or knowledge of the subject. Within this series I removed all context, depicting floating heads without any indication of role, country or policy.

In planning, I spent a long time debating colour. I initially decided to work without colour in order to maintain a uniform appearance that would unify the very different world leaders. Upon starting this I felt quickly uninspired as the lack of colour made the art feel redundant. While I do not find that this is typically the case, I realised that all one would get from the art is what they think of the leader. The drawings may as well have been images of the floating faces. Upon introducing colour I continued internally debating whether or not to make the colours significant of anything. Would this remove too much of the consumers autonomy? Eventually I decided on choosing colours wholly at random.

This use of colour became interesting in terms of the reception of the series. Upon looking at the cold colour palette of Putin, one of my peers asked whether it was reflective of the Cold War between Russia and the US and the rumoured resurgence of this tension. Within cartoon, colour is typically used to elicit a certain response from an audience. Whether it be a method of highlighting contrast or a means of evoking a certain mood, colour is difficult tool and for it to not be used as such allows viewers to draw their own conclusions. Interpretations of world leaders are not spelled out, but the introduction of (futile) colour offers consumers a means of projecting their own interpretation.

Reflections and Sketchbook

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