Senior Year Works
Giana Montante
Development of modern storytelling and character design
People in the Neighborhood
Product 1
2048x2048px, 799x786 px, 2038x2048px
Digital from Procreate
Breath Work
This breathwork is a combination of two summer products. Over the summer I worked on adding Detail into my digital pieces and taking my time. Using different canvas sizes gave me the ability to add more lines to work on facial proportions. All the pieces are a part of the process of character design for my book, comics, and stories series. I developed an additional character in the summer. Later on, I hope to show the adults and guardians in another breath work, as well as more places in town.
A moment
Product 2
20"x24”
Acrylic on Canvas
Concentration
A moment came to me while I was working on the bigger piece I will be working on in senior year.. I realized that the acrylic works I had completed prior did not complete the requirements for the State Fair. A photo of Ariella came to me as an idea. The work was done digitally first to get colors and details. Then I got into the painting process, recording some videos of the process. Taking notes on the acrylic process of how to mix colors. I kept going back to the flowers and leaves that lead the stairs. Eventually I got the right contrast.
We laughed as the lights filled the ballroom. This building was so important to the community. It felt like a castle with the molding of the wall. Other times they used it as an art gallery for a short time. Kerigan had the idea to get some photos on the steps. He gave me a rose to take a picture with. Eventually I placed my hands down and smiled.
Birthday
Product 3
20”x14”
Creating an acrylic piece to show a birthday as the first prompt last year, this painting became one of my characters. There were some things to change such as her hair and the lighting.
Kerigans House
Product 4
20”x 16”
Acrylic on Canvas
Breath Work
For this piece, I brought the digital to canvas. Working with line, staying consistent and straight. Using flat and liner brushes. I took a picture of a house in my neighborhood to look at the shadow. The digital and canvas pieces aren’t exact as most of the pieces aren’t exact to the digital pieces. Building up yellow, the windows seem to glow. The lights are not on downstairs in either house.
Ariella's House
Product 5
20”x 16”
Acrylic on Canvas
Breath Work
Ariella and Kerigan live in the same neighborhood, so the houses are similar. Ariella's house is in front of the woods. Working again with line in this piece, on the house. Looking at trees to use for the light and shadow. Again the digital piece is not exact. Building up the window light with a linear brush. One big change was the garage, that may change in the future.
August
Product 6
24" x 30"
Acrylic on Canvas
Concentration
Sketching out a proportioned version of August the character. Picking colors and chiaroscuro to brighten and focus on the subject. Looking at photos of fire for the colors and reflection it would have on August. After the underpainting I went in with the colors I’d be using, after they dried I went in with details in the paper, fire, and dress, then adding depth into the face. The last thing I did was test and put the right gold onto her locket and into her hair.
After the break up with Ty, looking at the diaries I’d written with my feelings, I knew it was over. Was the love just a summer romance? I knew deep down it wasn’t the same as when I dated Dimitri. We were younger then, but I know it’s not the same…. I took the papers and burned them. Maybe it was a way to let go, or a way to remove the evidence.
=Development
Breath work's 7&8
Differing sizes
Creating images of people and places in the comic digitally.
Ariella childhood portraits
Product 9
Breath work
15.5" x 15.5"
The idea come to me alike when artists show different profiles, they should show the character progressing in age, so I did. With hope to show a wall of pictures in the comic.
Value study
Product 10
Breath work
7 x 9.5 Inches
Working in graphite values to understand human form, proportions, and profiles. Taking the reference myself and working with people around me.
Running
Product 11
3.3" x 7.2"
Reframing the thought to having a moving background, keeping the animation looking consistent with the movement. The model is also moving at all times from hair to hands to face. The form is seen in different ways thorough seeing the character from behind and from the side. Building my skill in 2 point or linear perspective. The lighting turns into shade and darker fading into total black.
Waking up, I find myself running through the woods, I canot stop or slow down, I start running faster. Then the dress I am wearing gets caught. The urge to run rushes back to me. Pulling and pulling the dress I am finally free but I fall back to a sense of sleep again. Then I wake up in a sweat.
https://youtube.com/shorts/0IkZM8tkj9s?si=QHOXpIEqcEO6GpfV
August and Dimitri
Product 12
Concentration
8.7" x 6"
A piece showing August after leaving her ex and meeting an old friend. This piece matches other Prom scenes and is in the hallway adjacent to the dance floor.
Ariella at the beach
Product 13
Concentration
18” x 24”
The sun began to set as we walked along the beach. Birds flew around chirping and chiming. Every once in a while Ariella would mimic the sound. Suddenly a white belly nuthatch flew onto Ariellas hand, calling out the mimicked sound. This shocked Ariella which made the bird flew away. She thought, “That was a moment to remember.”
Dance with Kerigan
Product 14
Concentration
6” x 8”
Creating this piece as a recreation of two older digital pieces. Matching other pieces for the prom in the storyline.
Stella
Product 15
Breathwork
18” x 24”
"Put a writer in the writing" was my thought when sketching this piece of stella, each character has an intrest.
Reflection
Product 16
Breath Work
15” x 20”
A self portrait made to connect to a later piece of my character. Done digitally with reference pictures taken.
Castle Prom
Product 18
Concentration
40" x 30"
Over a year in the making my favorite piece is finished, it ties together other pieces, a few more to be made. Painted in Acrylic on canvas.
Pink and Blue dresses
Products 19 and 20
Breathwork
12” x 16”
Acrylic on canvas
Starting with blue underpainting. Working with line and linear perspective to create the room. Painting in the character. Finishing the work with the curtain.
The Pier
Product 21
Concentration
24” x 18”
Acrylic on canvas
Starting with a digital sketch and rendering it. Then casting the digital piece onto a canvas and sketching it out. Having an underpainting of brown. Painting the base colors. Going back and refining lines and adding details.
Walking down the pier the sun was setting turning from blue with white puffy clouds into a red yellow sea in the sky. Streets became empty as the pier was closing. Seagulls snacked on dropped food while the faris wheel played it’s last song of the day.
Ballroom
Product 22
Concentration
18.5” x 18.5”
Acrylic on wood, Craftsmart Arteza and Meeden paints, rigger brush, flat brush.
Starting with sanding the wood and applying an underpainting. Detailing Augusts dress. Painting in Dimitri. Adding in the background and putting in details with multiple layers. Then finalizing Augusts face and hair.
After walking out of the ballroom a familiar face caught my eye. My ex, she was so beautiful in her prom dress. I decided to go up to her. We had an exchange and I took her hand. This took me back to when we dated before.
Through the Door
Product 23
Concentration
7.2 x 5.4
Digital in Procreate, First Generation Apple Pencil and Apple iPad Generation 9, brushes: sketch round 1, soft brush grain, edge control, snow gum, clean sketch, and paper daisy, 144 pannels.
The animation is in google drive as 23.3 & 23.4. This is the second animation I have done. Using youtube to help me understand the dynamics of animation work, how layers should move. Comprehending that information starting by having a sketch of the character. Sketching each layer first finishing that form of the animation. Then sketching and coloring the background, and the character. Going in and applying the character to the panel then moving what is needed.
In the Grass
Product 24
Concentration
7.2 x 5.4
Digital in Procreate, First Generation Apple Pencil and Apple iPad Generation 9, brushes
Staring with a base color of pink then having a sketch. Each character starts with a base skin color then adding shadow and highlights on their skin. Drawing eyes, mouth and noses. Applying texture to the clothes. Small details to hands. On the grass layer beneath them starting with a green then using snowgum to have a grass like texture. On the top layer using shadow to seem as they are under a tree.
It was a warm summer day the sun was so bright Dimitri had to close his eyes and Ty covered his one unshaded eye. August didn’t mind and continued looking on. The sun felt so nice. Then a breeze came through shaking the trees leaves from above and that known summer sound floated around them. Ariella looked at Kerigan and laughed for no reason and he smiled back. All of a sudden a sound of a dog caught Stellas attention. Evangeline was at peace and looked up at the leaves. Eli thought of the book he was reading at the moment. It was a nice summer day.