Week 12: Purpose

There is a lot of symbolism of power and evilness around the dragon in some cultures but I have chosen to look into the history of dragons in Chinese culture which sees it as a symbol of good and protection. This will represent light in me, as I am a person who is very protective of the people around me and wants to be there for everyone in the best of ways. I am always there when someone needs me and I make it my priority if someone needs me there.

The animal my dragon will have features of is the scorpion, representing my dark side. The scorpion is seen to be an aggressive, angry self-protector with built-up emotions. I am not a person who likes to talk about emotions and feelings unless it is someone else’s. I don’t like to show them either so when I am upset I get more angry than sad, angry at myself. So, I usually stop the conversation, leave it alone, and try to look intimidating. This is why the main feature that I am adding is the stinger, the hard exoskeleton as armor, and the pinchers, all representing the armor and pieces of self-defense that I put up when upset to look more mean than sad.

Week 13:

This week I made the sketch for my dragon/scorpion and laid out how I was going to make it. I also started making the neck and head paper eggs shaped armature and putting the first layer of paper mache on before letting it dry for the next day.

Week 14:

This week I added a few more layers to the armature and started constructing the stinger out of wire and tape. I finished making the stinger but for next week I want to have the front pinchers and the armature constructed together to finish the project’s base.

Week 15:

This week I finished all my goals but I need to recut open the mouth to finish the inside, everything is attached but I need a few more layers to stiffen the base and finish the inside of the mouth but then I want to have it all back together next week and start on the armor of the scorpion.

Week 16:

This week I taped it all back together and painted the dragon black just in case you could see through what I was going to put on top. Then I started working with paper to build the scales of the scorpion. I worked on how I wanted the shape of the dragon to look and the paper really helped with creating that scaley look I wanted so far.  Next week I hope to finish the paper.

 

Week 17:

This week I finished working on the paper and had it all taped down. Now, I started working with cellu clay to build thickness to the paper and give that textured feature to the armor, along with thickening the stinger and pinchers. My goal for next week is to finish at least half of the cellu clay as it takes a day to dry each layer.

Week 18:

This week I started working with the cellu clay and it was going well until I had to recorrect some of the paper which set me back a little bit this week. Next week I hope to have the cellu clay layer finished and tried.

Week 19:

This week I finished the cellu clay to how I like it. Then I started to paint it and play with some colours but ended up coming up with some ideas rather than finishing the painting. So, now that I am able to finish it up with paint, that is what my goal is for next week; to have it all painted and finished.

Week 20:

I finished the project! I started by painting it black and then because it was textured, I would slowly lighten the black and lightly brush to show more of the texture, though it is harder to see in the photos. After that, I started to add more colours like shiny reds and pinks to create highlights and interesting looks to it. I ended up loving the undertones of pink and red which are very subtle but noticeable. But, throughout the painting, I felt like something was missing, especially around the eyes where there were no scales. So, though the green eyes really made it pop I thought I would try some liquid gold to the top around the eyes to make it more interesting. Before it was sharp, almost like eyeliner but then I took my finger and smeared it farther back and I liked that better. This is the end of the project process and now the goal to finish up after typing this is to write out the artist statement.

Week 20: artist statement

The Scorpion

January 18, 2023

Paper Mache & Acrylic

Paige Douma

“The Scorpion” is a crossbreed creature between a dragon and a scorpion. Stemming from the representation of dark and light within.

The dragon, the symbolism of light coming from Chinese culture as the creature of good and protection demonstrates the protection I have over the people around me and the loyalty I bring. The scorpion, with its side of darkness, is the symbol of aggression and self-protection. Quite the opposite of the dragon. With this, my lack of emotional acceptance brings an aggressive demeanor when emotions come to the surface, affecting the dragon.