Internal Decay

This was a project for my CE Drawing class, a symbolic self-portrait.

The message of this piece was an emotion I was feeling. A feeling of getting worse, with no way to help yourself. So to portray that, I drew myself in a state of decay, a representation of the felling. I used several things to show the decay, most predominantly having my chest organs exposed. I added mushrooms, worms, centipedes, and rats -decomposers- to make it even more unsettling. The piece was meant to make you feel disgusted, make you feel as I did.

to create this, I started with reference photos. I took many of them myself but I pulled the organs and ribcage from websites that had copyright-free images. I edited them all together to create a final reference image, then started my sketch. I used a grid to keep things straight and consistent, then transferred my sketch onto a wood panel. I had my dad cut the board into jagged pieces to make it seem even more unsettling.

after the board was ready, I started drawing using Prismacolor pencils. I worked in sections, starting with the rib cage and moving to the hair. after the drawing was finished, I added 3D elements using clay. I sculpted worms and mushrooms, then painted them and added them to the board.

In total the piece took a little over 17 hours, most being done at home rather than in class.