Artist/Writer: Allison Gamertsfelder
Layout Designer: Emily Elliot
I’m fascinated with the concept of beautification. I love makeup, hair, and anything else that can make someone look different from their actual appearance. I get up at 6:15 nearly every day to do my makeup and make myself look beautiful, in my eyes. I’ve never gone to class without at least concealer, eyeliner, and mascara. I love putting color on my eyes, lips, and face. It’s such a unique form of art, altering your appearance through a little bit of paint and powder. Makeup is fascinating, I spend a good amount of my time and money on it. With this piece, I wanted to capture my view of beautification: not necessarily positive or negative, but otherworldly and fascinating. I have absolutely no shame in my love of makeup, it’s such an underrated art form. This piece features makeup, but it’s not the most prominent subject of the piece. I wanted to focus more on the pure fascination that I have with changing your appearance rather than what actually goes into that change. I created this piece with Copic markers; they’re pretty much my signature medium. I’ve been collecting them since 7th grade, and my life would be over if I ever lost them. They’re a tricky medium to master, but I have 6 years under my belt. I love the range of colors they provide and their versatility. They blend together so nicely, it’s like watercolors and oil paints with none of the mess. I colored the piece with my markers, then scanned it and touched it up in Photoshop. My markers embody me as an artist, their bright colors and painted texture allow me to express my colorful thoughts and ideas. I’ve used them for my entire career as an artist, so I’m well acquainted with how they behave and the potential they hold. With my markers, I tried to capture the essence of beautification and materialism. The colors purple, pink, and teal encompass a feminine, ethereal mood that I felt the piece needed. The piece encompasses me as an artist because it features a prominent, regal subject, bright colors, detailed shading, and dynamic lines. I project many images of myself into my art, and the characters featured in this piece are all of those images at once. It’s beautiful chaos and order. This piece is how I see myself, and I hope others can see me in it too.
You can find more of Allison's work on her Instagram @Bloodyusher