Visionary: A Junior Conceptual Project by Paige Newman (2015)

I explored love through following your instincts. I used watercolor paint to create the background, using a lot of water and spreading paint around with a paper towel to create the texture of the leaves and going back with a darker, less watery brown to create the tree trunks. To create the spirit animal and little girl, I used photoshop to paint them in and change their transparency, I also put a filter over the tree background to darken it and make the subjects stand out more. To create a slightly more fur-like texture for the deer, I used a soft brush and a few short, quick strokes in a darker coloring.

The spirit animal, or the giant blue deer, was meant to symbolize guidance and instincts showing the way for love, which is often young, innocent, and blinded by the idea of itself. The blindfolded child represents this concept of a blind and foolish love, following the only thing it has, it’s instincts.