Week Nine

Assignment- Print 10-12 pages of our comic story on separate sheets of paper.

Craft- We had to take pictures for our comic story. The pictures had to illustrate our story and convey meaning without words.

Composition-We will be photoshopping the images soon but as of right now, all we have are digital pictures. We will be adding two to three colors to our images in Photoshop over the weekend.

Concept- We continued making our stories but had to make some adjustments in order for them to make more sense. The newest draft will be better in both composition and craft.

Special Edition: Lipstick and Dynamite

The documentary Lipstick and Dynamite by Ruth Leitman was screened at Saint Xavier on Wednesday, March 18th in the Art Gallery. The movie focused mainly on the lives of women wrestlers in the 1940's and 50's.

When I walked in to see this movie, I was not too sure what to expect. After hearing the title correctly (I thought the movie was called Lipstick and Diamonds; it was a very perplexing moment), confusion still lingered (I had no idea what the meaning was behind the title even after learning its true name). After consulting a fellow Visual Communications student, I learned a possible clue as to what the title really meant. Lipstick and Dynamite delves into the world of female brutality, sexuality and financial responsibility that society ignored back in the 40's and 50's--a world that goes largely unnoticed in today's modern culture. These wrestling women had to deal with the expectations of acting and dressing as a lady ("Lipstick") while still unleashing their aggressive and wild side in the ring ("Dynamite").

In the public eye, the wrestlers were forced to conform to standards of beauty at the time. Their hair had to be stylized at all times, their makeup sketched on, and their clothes were to be elegant. The wrestlers had to exude an image of "properness" when they wrestled and when they had down time for recreation. The sexist attitudes of the time held women to a certain physical ideal that had to be met or disparaging comments and manipulation would overtake them. These beliefs and tactics still plague our society today. Female wrestlers in the modern world have to dress and behave in ways that are believed to attract the male audience. Scantily clad female wrestlers today desperately seek attention by parading around with the intent on grabbing male viewers. Today's wrestlers (like those in the past) may feel forced by management to agree to act and dress in specific ways. Manipulation and coercion are maneuvers that management has constantly used to exploit women over the years.

This film does an excellent job of telling a story that many can relate to in modern society. Female profiteering is a problem that is still relevant today and has not gone away. By making this documentary, Leitman has brought attention to an issue that will not end unless more people are aware of it.

Week Eight

Assignment- Create a comic strip containing nine or twelve drawings/writing concepts in panel form.

Craft- Students have the option of drawing the comic strip themselves or using computer software (specifically Photoshop) to generate the images.

Composition- We took pictures for our comic strips and will be merging them together into a set of nine or twelve panels in order to relay the stories.

Concept- The stories we posted last week will be the concept for this project. We will take better pictures this week and use computer software to turn them into comic form.

Week Seven

Assignment- Write a story that will eventually become a comic.  The story has to involve one person traveling, and one person waiting.  One of these people has a package for the other.

Concept- One person waiting: Deformed face man --One person traveling: Mr. Finghand --Package: Severed hand

A man by the name of "Mr. Finghand" was riding the bus to his Chicago home one evening after a tough day at work.  Mr. Finghand works as a plastic surgeon in a very stressful environment.  He's very good at what he does and is fairly well known in the Chicagoland area.  People are not always happy with their results, however.  Mr. Finghand accepts that fate, realizing that not everybody will always be happy.

Mr Finghand catches the 7:07 bus everyday.  Although he makes good money and could afford a car, he's a people person and enjoys meeting fresh faces all the time.  Mr. Finghand always sits in the same spot.

During this particular ride home, Mr. Finghand's feet accidentally brush against a brown box underneath his seat.

What is this? He wondered to himself.  

He picked the box up.  Curious and slightly delirious from his draining day at work, Mr. Finghand decided he would take the box home and open it up there.

When Mr. Finghand arrived at his house, he immediately entered his kitchen and ran towards a knife with package in hand.  Maybe it was the mounting exhaustion--maybe it was it was a way to release his anger against the unhappy people in his life--something caused Mr. Finghand to rip open the package with tremendous force that the knife almost bent.

This better be interesting, Mr. Finghand thought.

The mutilated box eventually opened and a severed hand appeared at the bottom.  Shocked yet slightly amused, Mr. Finghand stood in awe of the bloodied hand.  

"Disgusting!" he yelled out loud.  "But strangely fascinating!"

He was used to seeing deformed body parts, but never in this context, and never in his kitchen!  However, Mr. Finghand was a curious fellow so he allowed himself to look at the hand again.  Inside the hand, a note was attached and read: DEAR MR. FINGHAND: COME TO 101 ARM STREET AT 1:00 P.M. TOMORROW!  PLEASE.  BRING THE HAND--IT MAY COME IN HANDY! -MR. FACE

"What a strange day turn of events," Mr. Finghand said aloud to himself.  He decided he would go--why?  Well, Mr. Finghand was a curious fellow after all.  What's the worst that could happen?

After arriving at the address at the alloted time the next day, Mr. Finghand knocked on the door loudly.  "Hello?"

"Come in!" a voice from the yonder croaked.  The door was unlocked.  He walked in.

Suddenly, a man with an extremely deformed face grabbed Mr. Finghand's shoulders and dragged him further inside.  Something sharp stabbed at Mr. Finghand.  Deformed Man was holding a chainsaw!

The man maniacally yelled, " You destroyed my face!  Now, I shall destroy you!  See how you like it!"

Dazed, Mr. Finghand was not able to utter any words or move.  The chainsaw revved up as Deformed Man continued his evil laugh.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Mr. Finghand screamed as the chainsaw cut through flesh.  His hand fell off.

Deformed Man said, "Don't worry--I'll fix it for you!  I'll do a better job on you then you did on me.  Now, where is that old hand I sent you?  Ah--there it is!"

Mr. Finghand was lying on the floor, passed out from pain.

Deformed Man picked up the severed hand and began the strange process of attaching the traveled hand onto Mr. Finghand's arm.

THE END

Lincoln Gallery in Pilsen

Assignment- Go see the 200 Lincolns gallery in Pilsen for extra credit at the Chicago Art Department.

I arrived at the gallery at about 7:00.  There was music being played (I think it was coming from the balcony) and the room was filled with a bunch of people.  They appeared to be having a good time.  Abraham Lincoln scattered the walls everywhere!  You couldn't escape his presence.  Lincoln artwork clung to the ceiling and the sides of walls.  I think I even saw someone dressed as Lincoln walking around.

My favorite piece was a simple one.  It was a five dollar bill that was plastered to a wall with a plain frame around Lincoln's portrait.  The piece was small (the size of a $5 bill...because it was a $5 bill) and very unfussy.  I liked it because of its uncomplicated nature and modest beauty.

All the works of art were pretty awesome.  If I had to pick one that I didn't particularly like, it would have to be the one where Lincoln's profile of the right side of his face is shown.  His face was completely covered in blackness against a whiteish background.  I guess I didn't find it very interesting because there really wasn't much going on in the piece--it didn't capture my attention.  I take that back, it did catch my attention but only for a second.  Then I walked away.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing Lincoln in so many different settings.  All of the pieces that I saw were interesting (even the profile piece)!