Photograms

Sexual Motions, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photogram

I tried to create a sense of motion by moving the dolls around between exposures to create different levels of light and shadow, I feel this was quite successful but could be taken further by moving the dolls more dramatically.

Clusterfuck, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photogram

I then used this idea of motion to create a more abstract image by moving doll parts around so their shadows overlap.

Photograms

The Dress, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photogram

Zombiegram, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photogram

I cancelled my photography workshop and instead had an induction to the darkroom so that I could create a series of photograms.  I felt that the use of black and white in extreme contrast would emphasise the sinister feel of the dark subject matter.  I think these two images in particular are quite striking due to their simplistic nature and composition.

Death Of Childhood Continued

Childhood Torn Apart, Chaz Howkins, 2015, assemblage on board

I went on from creating the silhouette paintings on collaged backgrounds by taking this idea further and painting on material collaged on board.  I planned to leave the piece at the painted stage but felt it was rather uninteresting, so I decided to collage further by adding doll limbs, clothing and chunks of doll hair.  This turned the piece into more of an assemblage piece as it was now three dimensional.  The scattered limbs and hair give the piece a broken, disconnected feel, as if to represent a childhood which has been torn apart.

Manipulated Barbie Dolls For Sale

Red Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Black Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Zombie Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie in doll's packaging

I decided to place some of my modified Barbies inside a doll's original packaging to make it seem as if they are being sold to children in this state.  They are all quite sinister and inappropriate for children making them stand out in the packaging.  The zombie dolls could realistically be sold as toys for older children, however the doll juxtaposes the labels of the packaging which brands it a 'fashion doll' in its tattered clothing.

Screen Printing Workshop

Screen Print Series, Chaz Howkins, 2015, screen prints

Minimal Zombie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, screen print

I found the screen printing process to be quite time consuming and frustrating at times, though I feel my outcomes were quite successful.  The image I used of a zombie Barbie works well as the ink adds a dark, gritty feel to it, which when juxtaposed against bright backgrounds creates quite a bold image.

Reverting The Mind To A Childlike State

I Love Painting, Chaz Howkins, 2015, acrylic on board

I decided to dedicate a day to having a childlike mindset and filled an entire sketchbook with drawings and documentations of my thoughts, which led to the realisation that children don't try to create wonderful outcomes, but rather they enjoy the experience of painting.  I realised this while mesmerised by the colours and patterns of my painting - ignoring the fact that I hadn't primed the board and the outcome really isn't anything special, I just really enjoyed creating this painting. 

Reverting The Mind To A Childlike State

Selfie Of Colours, Chaz Howkins, 2015, oil pastel

Calming My Imagination Snake, Chaz Howkins, 2015, oil pastel

I decided that I spent too long on the first of these two self portraits so tried to be more spontaneous with the second.  The drawing resulted in mainly scribbling as I was focusing on enjoying the act of drawing rather than creating an accurate self portrait of just my face.

Reverting The Mind To A Childlike State

Shroom Selfie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, oil pastel

Abdul, Chaz Howkins, 2015, oil pastel

I wanted to expand on my quick sketches while still in a childlike mindset, so created these A3 portraits of myself and a friend in oil pastels.  I find these portraits interesting as I usually struggle with the use of colour in my work, but decided to use colour to represent movement and depth.  I stopped trying to be completely representational and decided to focus more on the experience of drawing.  I used oil pastels as they allowed me to change colours more easily than when using paint and the resulting outcome looked like a child using crayons.

Drunk Painting

Drunken Demons, Chaz Howkins, 2015, acrylic and poster paint on board

I wanted to further explore the concept of reverting my mind to a childlike state, so I created a larger (A1) paintings whilst drunk.  The colours ended up quite muddy due to how I mixed them together with my hands.  The figure appears demonic due to its simplicity and large, dark eyes.  I scratched away some of the paint with my nails to create and sense of anger and violence in a childish way.  I also scratched vague figures into the background which appear ghost-like and give the piece a greater sense of depth.

Colouring Book Corruptions

Dangle, Chaz Howkins, 2015, sharpie on page from colouring book

Clown Boobs, Chaz Howkins, 2015, sharpie on page from colouring book

I think this simplistic idea of altering drawings in colouring books to make them more inappropriate for children has a lot of potential but is quite a basic concept.  The resulting images are amusing but lack any real depth.

Red Silhouettes

Red Silhouettes, Chaz Howkins, 2015, spray paint and charcoal on paper

I experimented with creating silhouettes on patterned backgrounds to make them busier and more interesting, however it appears quite cluttered and distracting.

White on Black Silhouettes

Drowning, Chaz Howkins, 2015, snow spray on paper

Figures, Chaz Howkins, 2015, snow spray on paper

I feel these pieces are not as strong as the black on white silhouettes but were a useful experiment.

The Death of Childhood

The Death of Childhood, Chaz Howkins, 2015, doll attached to canvas

This piece visually communicates a sudden ending of childhood as the doll represents the innocence of childhood, with the stabbing through the canvas representing an incident that suddenly forces childhood to end.  I decided to use a real doll instead of painting one, as I felt it would have more of an intimidating presence, giving the piece a greater sense of reality and making it more hard hitting.

Larger Zombie Barbies

Zombie Barbie Head, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll bust

Zombie Barbie Bust, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

I decided to revisit my creating of zombie Barbies, however this time I used larger doll busts so I could pay full attention to the facial features.  The harder plastic was more difficult to melt and manipulate, however the larger surface area meant I could incorporate more detail.  The size of the heads makes them seem more lifelike, creating a greater sense of unease for the viewer.

Body Casting Workshop

Cracking Under Pressure, Chaz Howkins, 2015, plaster body cast

This piece comments on society's constructs of beauty and the concept of the ideal body - how an 'ideal' body is simply unachievable for most.  I cracked the cast intentionally to represent a woman cracking under the pressure of fitting in and discoloured it to highlight the sense of imperfection.

Face Casting Workshop Outcome

Painted Face Cast, Chaz Howkins, 2015, painted plaster

I decided to spray paint my face cast black as I felt it appeared too clean and pure; I wanted it to resemble my spray painted Barbies and appear sinister and lifeless.

Face Casting Workshop

Alginate being applied to face

Face covered in plaster and scrim

Face Cast, Chaz Howkins, 2015, plaster cast

I found the face casting process very uncomfortable as it felt like being buried alive, but I am happy with the outcome because I found it very interesting being able to view my own face from another person's perspective.

Red Barbies

Red Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

I wanted to experiment with spray painting the dolls in other colours, I chose red so that they appeared bold and eye catching.

Further Manipulated Barbies

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

Red-ish Barbies, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie dolls

I used poster paint to colour these dolls instead of spray paint, which gave a more uneven, flakey coverage.  This made them appear less perfect and therefore further from their original form.

Bloody Face Barbie

Bloody Faced Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

I wanted to created a piece in which Barbie appears to be forcing a smile through her pain, so I represented her pain quite literally by smearing my own blood on the doll's face.

White Barbie

White Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this doll, I used snow-spray instead of spray paint, which created a more textured effect.  I think the effect is interesting as it makes the doll completely impractical as it feels wet and the 'snow' comes off when touched, rendering the doll useless as it cannot be played with without making a mess.

Faceless Barbie

Faceless Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this piece, I used white spirit to remove the facial features of the doll.  I left her clothes and earrings on to make her seem more lifelike, enhancing the eerie effect created by the completely empty eyes.

Postcard Series

Demon Card, Chaz Howkins, 2015, paint on party invitation

Bloody Eye Card, Chaz Howkins, 2015, paint on party invitation

Blood Card, Chaz Howkins, 2015, paint on party invitation

I created this series of images from birthday party invitations, manipulating the face so that it would appear more sinister or demonic.  I chose to paint on these cards as it meant I could quickly create a series of images without having to paint the original Barbie itself every time.  I think the glasses being able to be lifted and reveal the demon eyes underneath is quite successful as it makes the piece more interactive.

Further Clay Experimentations

Doll (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body 

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

I then went on to create further clay pieces, focusing on creating new heads for the Barbie dolls.  I experimented with comical, oversized heads and felt that this idea had a great deal of potential as using clay meant I could create any shape and then paint it in any pattern.  I experimented with cartoon-like heads and then went on to create sharper, more abstract, coloured forms which strongly juxtaposed the doll's smooth body.

Clay experimentations

Drown, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay and doll parts

Clay Body, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay and doll parts

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay and doll parts

As most of my work is usually two dimensional, I decided to expand my work by experimenting with 3D by using clay.  I felt that exploring the possibilities of three dimensional work would mean that my pieces would have more of an intimidating presence.  I decided to create some rather abstract pieces which combined clay and doll parts, I feel the resulting outcomes are quite unusual and unexpected, making them somewhat humorous.