Push/Push Part 1: Objects

Elise Delgado

Process:

I focused on how I could evoke emotion with my pieces because I was interested in incorporating psychology into my work. I began with basic shapes and wanted to see how I could transform them into huggable monsters without drastically changing their shape nor adding a face (eyes and mouth). My goal was to have a person recognize the shape but then experience the colors and textures as a way to invite them into the space and excite them into wanting to touch/play with/hug the monster. Therefore, color and texture was a driving factor in creating these pieces and expanding them past their “usual” forms. I used bows as the connecting factor between all three monsters and purposefully chose different ways of placing them on the monsters heads.

Discoveries and Successes:

I discovered that I loved people’s reactions to these monsters because it was exactly what I had wished for and made me feel good for others to enjoy the work. Furthermore, I enjoyed seeing how the different ways to add things onto an object affects the look of it whether I hand sew it on or put it through a machine. This relates to the bows that are sewn on and constricted by the ribbon and the legs/tail that have been sewn into the objects as well. I also discovered how the poly-fill can expand the fabric even more and further shape what I have created.

Challenges:

I tend to like to make things very structured and do not often branch out into the abstract, so I had trouble making objects that could have had more changes to them or making it out of my comfort zone without feeling like it looked messy. I also had the challenge of feeling like my constructions were too simple although I was focused on the feelings they evoke and how to capture a feeling without having to put a literal face on something. I tried to mediate this with added details and refining areas that needed more texture (ie. tail, legs, cinching).

Monster 1

This monster began as a more simple rendition as I focused on having a precise body (square). I added pulls on the top to make a “bumpy” head to add more character but the fabric hides that a lot once it got stuffed (the last picture shows it best). I chose the colors because I was having a very rough week and gravitated towards the colors and textures that are my favorite –pink, teal, and fluffy. I used the fabric to inspire the object as I wanted to create a cute object that I could hug to make myself happy. Although it is more simple and more of a “warm-up” piece for me, it is my favorite and will be in my room very soon! The contrasting fabric textures and the imagery of Monsters Inc. was what I really focused on for this piece. Lastly, the ribbon for the bow was matched to the rosey texture of the pink fabric. As the monster developed, I kept laughing and figured that I wanted all three of my objects to be little monsters without faces.

Monster 2

This monster was created for my twin in mind. I chose the deep purple based on what their (non-binary pronouns) favorite color is and created the monster with them in mind. For this piece, I was thinking about a big piece that has a funny and cute factor to it. I decided on a furry belly and tail because my twin is very into soft and fluffy and I could imagine them playing with the fur and and squeezing the tail as ways to interact with the monster. Because I wanted all three pieces to be monsters, I wanted to add the bow as the connecting item for all three. Sticking with cool colors, I chose blue and added the triangle ribbon to hint at the cone shape that the monster is expanded from. Lastly, I found that the fleece was way too simple/stretchy for my liking and the filling was not coming out the way I wanted, so I added little cinches all around the back as a way to hint at hugging the monster but also for adding texture to the fleece.

Monster 3

This last monster was my most technically complicated piece. I chose two different shades of orange as a way to provide depth and character to the sphere. This piece has the least amount of texture as I only used fur for the legs but the bright colors provide the invitation to play with this monster. The legs were not as sturdy as I hoped because the monster could not really stand up with them, but I realized that it provides a silly quirk to it because the monster looks like its plopped down and sort of tilting its head at you (hence why I made the bow tilted).

I definitely appreciated this assignment as it pushed me to think past the shape and figure out ways to construct the emotions that I wanted to evoke within a little monster plush. I actually looked at one of my own stuffed animals, thinking about the shapes used to construct it and it was a great learning experience!