Formline Folly (with 100% more velociraptor!)

Started by: axcho | Replies: 7 | Views: 1,733

axcho

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May 11, 2009 5:28 AM #416628
Some arts.

I've just posted four drawings to my deviantART gallery, my four best pieces from a class I took about a year ago, taught by artist Marvin Oliver. No, I didn't get his autograph, but I should have. :p

They are done in the formline style, developed by many native groups along the Northwest Coast of North America, such as the Tlingit and the Haida. A formline is a line that changes in width whenever it changes direction, and when you put a bunch of formlines together in certain ways, you get art that looks kind of like this:

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Leaping Velociraptor, a naturalistic design. The silhouette more or less matches that of the actual animal. Not traditional at all, perhaps to the point of being offensive to some.

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Baby Turtle, a configurative design. The silhouette is recognizable as that of the animal, but the parts are distorted stylistically. Fairly traditional.

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Future of Frog, an expansive design. The parts of the animal are distorted to fill a geometric shape, but remain recognizable. Inspired by the current amphibian extinction crisis.

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Salmon Box, a distributed design, where the parts of the animal are rearranged to fill a geometric shape, ignoring anatomical relationships. This is a common approach in traditional art.

If you like this artwork, and you want to learn moreabout the cultural context in which the style was developed, please see the excellent book A Story as Sharp as Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World by Robert Bringhurst. I guarantee that it will get you excited about Haida culture and myth, especially if you're into games or art. Be sure to check out the review I wrote for it if you need further convincing! ;)
Tawnik
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May 12, 2009 7:41 PM #417541
Wow, thats awesome =D really well done !
axcho

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May 13, 2009 4:38 AM #417727
Thanks. Nice av, by the way. Ingenious! :)
Sebixxx

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May 13, 2009 9:51 AM #417773
oh,pretty nice.
Scarecrow
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May 13, 2009 9:54 AM #417775
The frog really makes me think of THE HYPNOTOAD




ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD
Kitsune
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May 15, 2009 8:41 PM #418813
Holy shit....

Nice.
BluGil
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May 23, 2009 4:29 PM #423183
Quote from Scarecrow
The frog really makes me think of THE HYPNOTOAD




ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD


That made me laugh.

Anyways, yeah the arts really sweet! I love that style
Vacuum
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May 23, 2009 7:33 PM #423432
Woah.


axcho, you're really amazing.


AND smart :D