Pineapple Eyes
Client
Thesis Project
Description
CHANNELS – Illustration, Graphic Design, Painting, Editorial Design, Editorial Illustration, Visual Journalism
PROGRAMS/MATERIALS – Photoshop, Indesign, Procreate, Acrylic Paint, Pencil
"Pineapple Eyes” is a nonfiction story that follows two characters in Cambodia during the 1970’s - 80’s. War, starvation, violence and death are a handful of the turbluent themes that are explored in this visual essay. Through a series of acrylic paintings accompanied by descriptive essays, we’ll learn about subjects such as the Khmer Rouge, Immigration, and living as a refugee in the United States. These narratives will alternate between the eyes of Um (Oom), my mother & Men (Meaan), my father.
Project Time: August 28 2023 - December 16 2023
Sketches
After interviewing my parents during the summer, I compiled thumbnails and sketches of significant moments in their journey. Their individual narratives are lined together to form a cohesive narrative. Their stories are also fortified by additional resources about their time period.
Process
After the sketch is approved, I did a one color underpainting (grisaille) of my subject. This helped me established my values and add visual interest when I layered on my opaque pigments. After a cup of coffee, or the next day, I return to the studio to finalize the image.
Final
After the painting is completed, I scan it in and make adjustments in Photoshop. This includes playing around with the values, saturation, color, and maybe even distorting the image to present a more realized subject. Finally, I import it into Indesign and pair the image with text. I used our schools writing center to spruce up my writing and fix any grammatical issues. After that, I just needed to repeat that 19 more times!
