Taking the term "typeface" literally - that is, writing on faces
So, for this project we got to bring face paint to UIC because we were going to paint words on our friend's faces.
Not really.
But we did get to illustrate our friend's faces with words... on paper, of course. I partnered up with Gia and did a few preparatory sketches of her face from different angles, focusing on contours.
I also made a list of things she likes and dislikes.
LIKES
- tunamelt pizza
- cheesy quotes
- music, mainly pop and R&B (Shawn Mendez, Maroon 5, Blake Shelton, etc.)
- loves monochromatic colours
- Angst (the book)
- Innisfree
- smelly candles
- DOGS
- the arts
DISLIKES
- paprika and radishes
- arometherapy (I was like WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T LIKE EXPENSIVE SMELLY OILS)
- dangdut and campursari (the music genres)
- maths
- Chinese (despite speaking Chinese)
- racism and corruption (don't we all)
I was originally going to warp the text using Adobe Illustrator, but turns out we have to do this purely manually. Sucks, but the result is alright:
I was inspired by David Carson and his Ray Gun magazine covers. They're always exaggerating words and using "taboo" terms such as "Porno for Pyros". So instead of writing "she hates Math", you say "she's the Antichrist of Math." Gia is a Taxi Veteran and a Victim of Commuting Wars because she can spend up to four hours at a time in a taxi, just getting to and from campus. Since she's of Chinese descendant, but hates the Chinese language, she is part of The Chinese Revolution. As for Mango Addict? That one's literal. She can't stop eating mangoes.
If I could improve some things, I would reduce the space between "Mango" and "Addict", as well as rearrange "Pop Culture". I'm using Bauhaus Bold and Argentica here, since they fit the contours well, are flexible and playful yet solid enough to convey meaning even when warped.
Overall, it was a great exercise. I enjoyed doing the preparatory sketches and trying out my brush pens for the first time (I lost them later in the week and had to replace everything).
Finally, a shoutout to all mangoes in the world! Because it's Friday, so why the crap not.