CAPSTONE 2021
- Harshita Sood
- Apr 6, 2021
- 11 min read
Updated: May 23, 2021
SUBJECT OF STUDY
"LIPS"
Lips gives meaning to our expressions. It is interesting how one part can depict so many different emotions.
The way we talk , smile and all the pronunciations depicts so many different kinds of movement.
Their is even difference between the way each person talks , not only this, the shape of lips of men, babies, women, varies from person to person.
“HOW FACIAL EXPRESSION CHANGES IN RELATION TO LIP MOVEMENT?”
My expectations-
As said by seniors, this projects bring tons of expectations with us. I think we will bring together all the techniques we have learnt so far. Majorly, it will be a combination of all the projects I guess . This will help us to have a bigger view of what discipline we would like to go forward with.
PHASE 1- EXPLORE
Pre work- MY CREATIVE SELF
So, here is the short presentation as an introduction of myself as a design-learner and an evolving design-practitioner.
We have been so busy throughout that we weren't even able to focus on these little things, this project brought this into focus and helped us to understand ourselves in a better way.
GOAL SETTING-
- Starting with listing down the goals I came up with ,
Firstly, To keep in mind to make relations and connections and do proper time management, make a schedule in order to achieve the goal. Doing this will even help me of it to be able to keep pace with submission and engage throughout the process.
- Also I would like to continue the sketching/ doodling and to make illustrations so that it gives visual look to the process.
- Lastly like said by some of the faculty during the projects that I get descriptive at times , so I would try to avoid it and be true to myself also will make connections in order to enhance the learning.
PHASE-2 EXPLORE
PLANNING
This is my process map and I'll follow this map to research over my subject of study and conclude at the end.
First, I wrote about the questions I needed to cover and tick the ones which were done.
After writing about the questions I needed to cover I started with the Primary research, like making observational drawings to understand my subject better. While I making observational drawings I noticed that there are so many distinctions in shapes, size color of lips. Even a single curve on lips makes a lot of difference.
Every lip is different because a single curve make a hell a lot of difference.
These are some of the observational drawings.
For more go to this folder- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16tSD5nM079-3HD8sOrcl_n531GjvKGdP .
Now starting with the Secondary research I dig up in the scientific first.
The surface of the lip is comprised of four zones that is - hairy skin, vermilion border, vermilion and oral mucosa. Also, they are the most sensitive part of the body that could quickly sense the cold and warmth.
To understand the functioning of lips more clearly I drew structure of lips and labelled it and wrote the process .
Moving from anatomy I looked into it's emotional and the cultural attributes -
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE EMOTIONAL AND CULTURAL ATTRIBUTES-
After this research I got appointment with my mentors and they told to focus and look closely and go deeper.
I looked into every part of it like socio- economic , its relation to beauty and all.
Moving into I looked at the social aspects.
Takeaway from the social aspect-
- each lip is as unique as finger prints.
- even their is difference between the shape size color of the lips varies from gender and the age groups.
Later in the end I looked at its socio economic aspect.
Moving on and looking into it more I asked Khushi Gurdatta to help and send me the research map of their subject " lipstick" from the project " Journey of an Object"
Today after having a chat with the mentors they told me about the areas I could go deeper and analyze the form where all it is used.
So , I started looking at the comics , animations , and everything related to that area. We have been using emojis for so long now , if look at that closely we can actually see difference between the lips they make in order to bring an expression out of it, and the kind of lips we have.
take away from the research-
- emoticons were developed in 1997, since then they have played the major role in expressing emotion, Before this people used expressions like " :) " to express their feelings and emotions.
- even in syncing animations their is movement of lips depicting the whole story.
I took some myths that we have been listening, since our childhood, about lip , lip balms and what not. I looked why is it said so and if it is even true?.
At last I looked at the form and studied about it again in order to get a clearer view about the same.
This form study helped me to bring into notice how the texture of lips resembles from that of dried RESIN.
Takeaways from the Form study -
- lips could be represented as 2 triangles and 1 semicircle.
- It looks like an archer's bow
- has the texture of Resin.
- Is in the shape of diamond.
link to Miro map- https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lLtOr0U=/
REFERENCE LIST-
SYNOPSIS-
Lips are as unique as the finger prints, even a single curve of the lip defines its uniqueness and makes the whole difference. It is what gives voice to our emotions and meaning to our feelings, Also considered as the symbol of sensuality and sexuality. Talking about the anatomy, the surface of the lip is comprised of four zones that is - hairy skin, vermilion border, vermilion and oral mucosa. Also, they are the most sensitive part of the body that could quickly sense the cold and warmth. Even they are the one part that do not sweat or doesn’t get pimples. There is also difference in shape size of lips and related to thinner they get as we grow old after certain period.
Basically, lips are the only parts of the body where the inside extends to the outside. like, you could see how interestingly it is embossed i.e., raised to the surface of the skin.
If we look at the lips closely you could actually see the geometrical shape it has, like the types of shapes come together in this. If you see, it is made up of 2 triangles and 1 semi- circle, it could also be seen in the shape of diamond, or the upper lip can be seen as the archer’s bow.
Also the movement of the lips is directly connected to that of eyes. Like for example, when we smile our eyes shrink or when we stay still our eyes are get widened.
Even so , change in color of lips can actually portray if we are ill or not . Like when we are sick our lips turn bluish rather when we die they turn bluish grey , and so and so. Since ancient times not only did lips helped in showcasing emotions but also lead to portray different beauty standards over the times. Even after doing the research, I noticed that the beauty standards had made people question their own beauty. Like nowadays , people asks the major questions like " Do they fit in the box" , “What beauty means along the ages?"
Even it is interesting how the Blacks tends to have more fuller lips than the whites. - mainly Africans.
Lips had even played a major role in the field of art like in graphics, comics, the emoticons we use ,and what not. Like we have seen many animations of lip syncing and how important role it plays in the animated movies , and what not.
REFLECTION-
I chose this subject without thinking and how I would go with it . First, when I started the research I thought I know almost everything about lips l but as soon as I started researching, I got to know many new things about my subject which made me more curious about it. I would say research could go on and on from one part to another to next and so on but we need to know how to separate the relevant and non- relevant part. From this exploration phase, I understood one thing that primary research is what is important. First, I did around 50 pages in which it had around 200+ observational. I saw the movement of people while doing this and that , hw they move their lips in every situations. No doubt only primary research won't help us but secondary research is also important to understand subject more deeply and combining both researches led to good understanding. It wasn’t about just the anatomy but much more than that even I would say I got to the perception of people in it.
PHASE 3-
IDEATE.
Moving onto the phase 3, we were asked to list out the threads and the major takeaways from the project .
So, I looked at my research again and listed out the same-
I took 8 threads - movement, voice, symbolism of sensuality and sexuality , flexibility, perception of beauty , expression/emotion and embossed.
Movement-
movement of lips are indirectly related to that of with eyes. For example when we smile our eyes shrink.
Voice-
Lips is what that gives voice to our emotion and meaning to our expression.
Symbolism of sensuality and sexuality -
Lips is considered as one of the most sensual organ of our body . It represents sensuality and sexuality.
Flexibility-
Lips are one of the most flexible part of the body. It's flexibility is what allows us to express our emotions.
Perception of beauty-
lips have been portraying different beauty standards since ages. Like nowadays people prefer fuller lips than the narrow one and for than people use lip injections, lip plumper , etc.
Expression/ Emotion-
lips are the major act of expressing emotions/expressions.
Embossed
Lips are basically embossed to the skin i.e. raised on the surface of skin.
After listing these threads out helped me to realize that I was able to make much more connections than I thought I would be able to. This helped me to bring all my learnings of my subject together also helped me to look at it all from one perspective.
Making ideation-
Miro link to all the ideations- https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lLtOr0U=/
IDD-1-
ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT-1
I got inspired by the movement of lips and tried to bring the same out on the paper-
ITERATION-
"PLEASE PRESS THE ARROW TO LOOK THROUGH THE GLIMPSE OF ITERATION."
During this I played with material , colors and lines - going into abstraction. For example-
In here, I played with material in order to to portray the interlock of lips - sensuality and sexuality , using sun board sticks
Here, I tried play with colors to depict the emotions while we speak or the expressions we make.
In here, I played with several lines in order to depict the Flexibility of the lips.
Later, I divided all the iterations into different categories by looking at the kind of techniques I used. Categories are-
- Geometry
- Texture/ Color
- Lines
- Feelings
- Movement.
REFLECTION-
After Ideation I was satisfied the the quantity and the quality both but wasn't motivated to go forward now. I was all stressed up took a break for 2-3 days still didn't feel motivated rather felt disconnected with what I was doing. But the day I started working again , I finally got into that pace and could work with the flow . The beginning of the phase went well but by coming towards the end I got a bit lost and off the track.
After this we were asked to look into design opportunities to take this journey forward.
I listed out several design opportunities like
- Photo Essay- showcasing the history of lips through narration and picture . I thought of doing so by taking Instagram format but wasn't really satisfied with the same.
- Illustrated Book -In here I had thought of depicting different expression and emotions through abstraction but wasn't sure if I should go with this or not.
- Animation- thought of making lip sync animation depicting movement of lips but it would take a lot of time for me to first understand how to use it and then make so n.
- Expressive book - I finalized this in the end as it was already made up in my mind like what I can do with it and how I can make it.
I thought of going with the making of video that is EXPRESSIVE MOVIE where I would put together all the expression in order to show how each expression makes a difference.
IDD-2
ITERAVTIVE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT -2
Statement of purpose- I want to depict the movement of lips through expressions and showcase how each expression is one of a kind.
Starting with making the video I listed out several emotions that I would like to convey through the video. The several emotions that I would like to depict were sad, happy , nostalgia, sleepy, confused, angry, anxious, annoyed, disgust, confused , confident, etc.
Then I made 5-6 drawings of each emotion by keeping I mind the kind of emotion I would like to depict.
Then I took forward this approach and started working on different materials or mediums to explore the way I can bring the best out of it.
At first, I was confused like how to go and what to do but after having the talk with mentors , they told me to go and use material , making abstractions, etc.
By the end I made these explorations and took some of them to carry them forward.
Later , I was asked to go forward with these .
REFLECTION
After IDD-2,Ideas which I wanted to show was EMOTIONS , and MOVEMENT of lips through expressions using various lines, shapes, material. I wanted to demonstrate how each expression is distinct and one-of-a-kind. In addition, how each curve of the lip affects the expression. Thus, I considered using abstraction to express various emotions. I listed out several emotions like sad, happy , fear , nostalgia, peaceful, angry, etc . and made some hand drawings based on how they would look. As my design direction I chose making ILLUSTRATED BOOK .
DESIGN PARAMETRERS
The parameters that I did set for myself are given below. While doing this I understood sometimes I need someone to explain me things and sometimes I don't understand them in one go.
- Use of lines, shape, material, color
- Combining material and digital work.
- Less text, more illustrations.
- Each page depicting different emotion.
- Change in shapes of lips .
PHASE 4
REALIZE
In the end I realized after making all the explorations that these will go better off with the illustrated book than the video as readers will be able to glance it more and connect with the emotions.
So I started working on the book format , color , size , etc.
At first I listed out what I would like to make and what will be the format.
After this I brainstormed the ideas for the cover page.
I chose one out of these and tried to recreate it digitally.
Then looked into how the accordion book will look like and finalized this -
After this I took the color scheme i.e.
but later changed it to this.
FINAL OUTCOME
COVER PAGE
FORMAT
20 TEMPLATES-
FRONT
BACK
BACK OF THE FLASHCARD ( DETACHED)
YOUTUBE LINK TO THE FINAL OUTCOME- https://youtu.be/LvFSZ6GqNNU
YOUTUBE LINK TO THE PROCESS VIDEO- https://youtu.be/I4qNIX1bDlY
Reflection
While making the final outcome I got stuck many times and couldn't understand which color I could go with , what background would look better with what . I took many pauses in between this but got back and tried . During this time I almost lost the track of what to do.
But the only thing that helped me going was because I knew in the end something good would come out of it.
REJECTED OUTCOMES-
CONCLUDING REFLECTION
Now, writing this last reflection of the year feels like standing stiff after a thunderstorm and being on the other side of the shore. During this whole journey, we have faced so many struggles, gone through many ups and down yet made so many memories during this period. Looking back at this whole thing made, me realize, this project didn’t only help me grow my learnings but also as an individual. Now I look at things differently. In the starting I was all tensed up and confused how it will go but now looking at it all, It has summed up better than my expectations. This project has brought together all the learnings from the previous projects all together. Like working with material, doing ideation, research but this time learning and understand was different than what we had. I am much more focused and confident about choosing my discipline than before. Thanks to my mentors for helping me out in every step. It has even helped me to look at my strength and limitations much more closely and work according to that. By the end, Today when I look at my final outcome I am happy and satisfied but I am more satisfied with the journey I had all along . All the ups and downs I had gone through is what make this journey amazing.
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