[Cheat]

Hai guiz! I never really post in visual arts - it's a shame, really - but here I am.

Anyways, I'm on 9th grade and I've taken extra classes in visual arts and I've got a diploma work - given that that's the appropriate term - to do, the deadline, I believe, is somewhere circa May. The instructions are pretty simple - 50 works. Materials used and painted on are all volitional.

Thing is, I'm feeling rather uninspired - I do know the topics and such I wish to express but I'm not exactly drawing on a sea of experience with visual art, and therefore coming up with ideas of precise works is rather difficult, so I'd like some advice from you guys.

The topics I'd like to depict, express and portray include a lot of ideologies, causes, doctrines and such I support and am fascinated by, f.e anti-authoritarianism, anarchism, nihilism, leftism, existentialism and such. Just like in music, I wish to critique greed, poverty and hypocrisy and generally analyze humanity and convey my outlook on life, morale and ethics. Other topics I'd like to portray include the general meaning of art and especially music to me personally, people who inspire me - from musical and visual artists like Kanye or Andy Warhol to political figures and philosophers such as Nietzsche. You should probably know that I am, or at least do not consider myself at all talented in visual arts, f.e I'm honestly a horrible drawer, but anyways, style-wise I've always loved and wish to take influence from Shepard Fairey, Banksy and Andy Warhol. So as you can see I'm pretty aware of what I want to express but coming up with ideas for works is difficult, so all help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

[Narcis_speed6]

You can check Graphics Designer Resources, there you will find allot of useful links, I am pretty sure you will get some great ideas just by looking over them.

[Mockage]

You're a freshman? Jesus, I thought you were like 21 or something..

[Pico]

While your post was well written, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what you'd like from us. It appears you're looking for inspiration, but you listed off plenty of topics that have boundless opportunities to be expressed in the form of visual art.

Is it that you're not sure what medium you should choose? Keep in mind, art doesn't mean painting. I'm not sure what these 50 pieces require, some may be in various forms including certain kinds such as pencil, charcoal, pastel, paint, photography, digital, etc. If it's completely up to you, experiment a little and see what feels natural or even just the easiest to you.

Personally, I always loved drawing in pencil. Up until high school that is, when doodles with pen became common and not I hate drawing in pencil unless it's for coloring. It's all about what feels good to you first.

After that you can learn how to use that medium to convey what you're looking to achieve, that's what creates your own style.

As for your topics, they all seem anti-establishment at heart. Images depicting the struggle of the small against the large can be found everywhere. It's something that can be extended from human social events and everyday activities, to natural events. From the famous picture of the Tank Man at Tienanmen square that clearly depicts the oppressed standing up against the giant oppressors, to something less specific like an image a lone tree in a barren desert waste land. To gain inspiration for meaningful pictures you need to understand the subject and understand as many factors as possible. It's impact on humans, individual humans, our minds, perspectives, emotions towards it. Let those items be invoked by composition, space, color, orientation, brightness. The best art seems to be the pieces that requires the viewer to think about it and draw their own conclusions as to what it means or is meant to portray by the author, at times conflicting with the opinions of others. You're creating an experience for the viewer, and the more they are required to look at it to understand, the more they can appreciate it.

Keep in mind to have a balance in your piece. Don't be completely random. There are some "rules" to art. Not in that if you break it, your work is garbage. But they are elements in art that are successful in drawing the viewer in, keeping them intrigued. Use of positive and negative space, proper use of colors (or lack of colors), proportions, composition, light/shadow, all of those things can make or break how well your work is perceived.

To jump back to what medium you may use, I recommend studying techniques commonly used for it. For exactly, with pencil cross-hatching is something often used in shading, or with paint you can blot areas of the canvas with the brush to create stuff resembling leaves on a tree or bush. HOW you use your medium is just as important as to what you use.

[Cheat]

@Pico great answer, man. Your first chapter pretty much made me laugh - reading my post, I realized I wasn't exactly being thematic. However, you managed to understand my point - I don't really have a clue on what I want my work to look like and I'm not aware of what materials I want to use - actually, I love drawing with pencils but it seems to lack originality and I'm afraid the teacher wouldn't appreciate too many pencil works. I'm thinking charcoal, pencils and stencils atm. Anyways you guys helped me clear my thoughts a bit, thanks!

[Typhus]

Well, as you love Anarchism so much, here's an idea. Find a picture of a war hero. An old, tired man who gave everything for his country. Show the medals on his chest and the firm toughness in the lines of his face. Show in this old, broken fellow all the good things about history, national pride and courage.
And then put the picture on the floor, drop your trousers and take a massive, prolonged dump on it.
Put it in a frame, call it Anyone who disagrees with me is a Nazi and claim that it's a critique of Western imperialism.
Instant pass.

[Cheat]

It's always a big shame to see an intelligent man like yourself, Typhus, lapse into making such gratuitous and irrelevant accusations. If you choose to blindly follow patriotism and imperialism, fine by me, I'll let you disagree with me as long as you let me disagree with you.

[Typhus]

QUOTE (Cheat @ Monday, Jan 16 2012, 17:55)

It's always a big shame to see an intelligent man like yourself, Typhus, lapse into making such gratuitous and irrelevant accusations. If you choose to blindly follow patriotism and imperialism, fine by me, I'll let you disagree with me as long as you let me disagree with you.

Accusations are usually statements made without proof. But I've seen what your beloved Anarchists do, how they gleefully desecrate war memorials and act as if everyone who holds a divergent opinion is a fascist or a brainwashed lemming. Even you do it, 'blindly', blind, blind, blind.
You know, I'm glad I never took art because I would hate to deal with people who can only express beauty by trying to destroy things I hold dear.
I won't say I hate you, but - f*cking Hell - I get so angry when I realise just how many people are like you.
Consider it, your art is going to be trite, uninspired and boring. And why? Because you are expressing the opinion of every stoner, alcoholic, serial fornicator and dullard in your entire class. A young man who hates authority. Hardly original, is it?
Why do you think that way? Why do you see it as normal? How can you stand it?

I think you should take my suggestion. At least you'd honestly be expressing how you feel about patriotism, selflessness and duty. Imagine their faces, imagine. A giant turd behind a sheet of glass. Little bits of corn and this churning, rancid stench.
True art is born from true hatred. And I really mean that.

Don't pontificate about your ideas, state what you're against, tell the world why it's evil, disgusting and wrong.
Trust me, those 'gratuitous and irrelevant accusations' will be more striking than any little John Lennon tribute you've got cooking.