Thesis books by Jia

THESIS PROJECT 2017

SPOTTED BANANA Jia Gao

SPOTTED BANANA

THESIS PROJECT IN ILLUSTRATION PRACTICE MFA MICA 2017 Jia Gao

PERSONAL STATEMENT

Jia Gao is an illustrator, an visual artist, who loves life greatly and focuses on emotional expression as well as recording her life. Miga is inspired from provocative stories, artist books and the nature. Her art work is about sensitive emotions, observations in daily life, imaginations and her dreams.

She loves though observations, thinkings and reflections to gain better understanding of cutting-edge concepts and art itself. Miga usually tries different and mixed media to express her idea. She is enthusiastic about exploring the stories and spirits behind everything. Before carrying out any illustration or design projects, she loves to research and dig out much info.

Then just have fun with it without any intention or motivation. The most important thing for her to start a project is to enrich her own experiences to conceive creative ideas and new concepts.

Homepage: migagao.co Instagram: miga_gao

INTRODUCTION OF ARTIST

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MFA, US, 2015-2017 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Exchange, HK, China, 2013-2014 Shanghai Jiao Tong University, BA, Shanghai, China, 2011-2015

CONTENTS

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION OF THESIS INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK THE EXHIBITION/ GRAD SHOW

INTRODUCTION OF THESIS

THESIS STATEMENT The Spotted Banana

“

What can a banana mean?

It depends on the meaning that you give it.

Yet meanings can change.

Spotted Banana is a project that examines how social stratification, resource distribution and information transfer is influenced by greed and prejudice. Spotted Banana explores the ultimate worth of the individual and their personal pursuits. This story begins in a world where apes live in social castes where resources are unfairly distributed—the most significant of them being Golden Bananas.

Golden Bananas are widely advertised products that represent a materialistic path to virtue, status, and perfection. A Golden Banana is a symbol of an ideal state that all apes seek while a Spotted Banana represents a mundane and imperfect status. Social beliefs in banana status influence all castes: higher castes loathe and fear the lower castes, while middle and lower caste apes are envious of what they do not have.

As the story unfolds we see that although stratified, everything in the ape’s world can be redefined through experience and perspective.

Because perception is personal, the story asks the reader to draw their own conclusions, to make distinctions and uncover their own personal philosophy.

Book Cover

“

INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING

A photo of Time Square

An image about Ayahuasca

A painting about Heaven

A IWW poster critiquing Capitalism by showing the class system

INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING

VISUAL INSPIRATIONS

Storyline draft 1(original idea) Storyline draft 2 (revised)

PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY

PROCESS OF MAKING THE STORY The change of idea and storyline

Story 1(original idea)

The Spotted Banana is a series of illustrated books that raises philosophical questions through the eyes of an ape. Each book encompasses a different world – reality, hyperspace, consciousness, surrealism, and heaven. The resulting illustrations will be bound as an artist’s book, constructed in a circular fashion without a beginning or an end.

Story 2 (revised)

The Spotted Banana is an illustrated picture book that raises philosophical questions through the eyes of an ape. This picture book talks about an ape lived in a society which is class based. A story about his relationship with the food bananas, his dream, experiences and his thinkings. This picture book wanna let people to think about the world he lives independently, think about and do sth good for other people.

PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY

PROCESS OF MAKING THE STORY The change of idea and storyline

The finished book

Photos of apes

PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY Sketches

CHARACTER DESIGN Process of sketches

PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY

CHARACTER DESIGN Process of sketches

While design the images of characters in my picture book, I put my own understanding of how the apes in different class would look like in this story. Apes in different class will have different poses, different clothes and so on. Those apes reflect the living appearance and conditions of people in society.

High class apes

Middle class apes

Lower class apes

Sketches

Final Piece An illustration of the book

PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY

STORYBOARD

Sketches of Illustrations

To make my story book, the first thing I need to do was to make a storyboard. After finished the whole story, I stared to draft all the illustrations with color pencils. Then to write the descrpition of each illustration. When I got a clear line and illustrations of the story, the next step for me is writing the formal texts and invent the apes' languages.

The sketches of illustrations

Materials

Arylic gouache

Process

Color pencils

Oil pastels

Collage

PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION

ILLUSTRATION

Working on Illustrations

Process

Size: 31''x 24'' Media:Mixed media, gouche, acrylic, color pencil, collage

Part

PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION

“The elitist manager became mad.”

PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION

“The elitist manager decided to commit suicide by eating a lot of spotted bananas.”

“The craft merchant puts many spotted bananas into golden pigment so that he can fool many apes and make money.�

PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION

“The fake golden bananas are labelled and sold around the city.”

“The elitist manager see a world differently. All apes stand up right, even the elitist manager. Every ape is equal and empathetic. The elitist manager feels at peace.�

PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION

“The elitist manager experiencing a new world.”

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

THE INVENTION OF APES' LANGUAGES I put my own understaning to each ape's word. Every world is also a symbol of the world's meanings. Designing the new languages is the most difficult part of this project.

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

THE INVENTION OF APES' LANGUAGES Thinking process and design drafts

Design process

Screenprint Studio

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

SCREENPRINTING Process of making

Process

Process of making posters

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

SCREENPRINTING Posters

Process of making posters

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

SCREENPRINTING Propaganda Posters

Process of making posters

Posters in the illustration

PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK

SCREENPRINTING

Finshed Propaganda Posters

THESIS SHOW

INSTALL THE SHOW

Process of install

THESIS SHOW

THESIS SHOW

INSTALL THE SHOW

The finished book

Screenprint prints

Screenprint posters

THESIS SHOW

THESIS SHOW

VISIT AND FEEDBACK

MANY MANY THANKS!