RISD Drawings

I also applied to The Rhode Island School of Design, which required three drawings in addition to the portfolio. I have about a month until I’ll know if I’m accepted or not (I kind of think of RISD as a long shot anyway), so in the mean time, and while riding the high of getting into Parsons, here are my three RISD drawings.

From the school website:

Three drawing samples are required of all candidates. The first drawing must represent a bicycle. The second drawing must utilize both sides of the sheet of drawing paper. For the third sample, your visualization must combine image and text.

 

RISD Bicycle: “Creature in the Snow”

Graphite on paper; 16 x 20 in.

I don’t think I have ever spent as long on a graphite drawing as I did on this one. This bike is locked onto a parking meter a couple of blocks from my apartment. The tire is based off a European adder, which is often found in snowy climates. I liked the idea that in the Venn diagram of things not expected to be found in deep snow and things with a textured black surface, the bike and the snake are sort of buddies.

RISD Both Sides of a Piece of Paper: “New Friend”

Graphite on paper; 16 x 20 in.

There’s a little kid on one side, and an imaginary creature on the other. I got the completed image by holding the paper up to the light and taking advantage of the paper’s transparency.

RISD Text: “Bai Ren Kan Bu Dong”

Acrylic on paper; 16 x 20 in.

I used a photo a friend took of me in college popping out of a giant box of packing peanuts (trufax) and the text from a parody T-shirt that translates to “white people can’t read this” or “white people can’t understand this.” I have some racial identity issues, and my self-therapy includes liberal use of Hello Kitty. I don’t know how RISD will receive this one, but it felt like a big risk for me to leave most of the paper blank and trust in the balance between the image and the negative space.