The document summarizes Mason Hilligenn's summer assignment exploring portraiture at the National Gallery and influences for their final portrait. It discusses analyzing portraits by Maria Caisley and others. Mason created facial studies and a final portrait in Caisley's style, though was disappointed it was too small and left-facing. The document also outlines Mason's plans to improve time management, achieve required A-Level grades for their desired animation program, and eventually pursue a career in graphic design or animation after a gap year.

1. Summer Assignment and
Plan for the year
Mason Hilligenn

2. Initial Sources
Mason Hilligenn
Here are some examples of the portraits
that can be found at the national gallery.
The way in which the building works is in
chronological order starting from the top
with portraits from the Tudor times all the
way through to modern day. The
techniques range from things such as
infrared photography to modern day
printing techniques. The top left portrait of
Sir Francis Walsingham and the bottom
right of Anne Bayne were both created
using oil on canvas – a technique
commonly used in that era. The
composition of the two are very similar
being that they both have their bodies
turned to one side with their heads facing
towards what was most likely the artist
painting them. Perhaps this was to show
authority or healthiness as only those that
were important would have been able to
have their picture painted. Once again the
majority of portraits found in this era will
have a similar style, you will very rarely find
a portrait from the tutor times where the
subject is facing completely head on.
Not only did I look around the museum but I also
chose to look online to see what I could find. Here
I stumbled across this portrait created by Maria
Caisley which of all portraits I have seen so far has
been my favourite.

3. Maria Caisley
Mason Hilligenn
The painting to the left is a portrait by a recent British artist: Maria Caisley titled ‘Hugh’. The composition of the piece is very
straight forward as the mans face appears to be near enough in the centre of the canvas. He looks into the distance, which
lets us see more of the right side of his face. As he does so, the light seems to be reflecting of the right side of his cheek
allowing the other half of his face to be that little bit darker, here we can see the difference in tone that Caisley has used. The
mans eyes which I believe to be one of the primary focuses of the piece, are situated within the top quarter of the canvas.
This means that the top of the head is cut slightly off and the chin as well as the shoulders are made visible.
Although I struggled to find a date for this piece of work, I believe it to be fairly recent because of the way that the man is
dressed. He is wearing what looks like a suit jacket and a t shirt underneath which is something that I would associate with
the 21st century. You will also see a small “12” in the bottom right which leads me to believe that it was painted in 2012.
Its not made obvious what the subject is thinking about/looking at but it is clear he is in deep thought. From my
interpretation he looks like some kind of business man with a lot on his mind perhaps to do with family or troubles at home. I
am able to tell this by the facial expression he is using along with his eyes that seem to be wondering or possibly staring at
someone or something. You could also say that he maybe in some kind of talk/meeting and hes focusing on what the
speaker has to say. What I like about the piece itself is that it leaves you wondering and what the subject of the painting is
thinking about is left a mystery.
On the topic of business, perhaps this is the message the artist maybe trying to pursue. With todays world being heavily run
by industry Caisley may possibly be trying to communicate through the expression on the mans face that she believes its bad
for society and businessmen and women should spend more time at home with loved ones. Once again this is another
interpretation of mine and could be totally wrong.
I believe Maria Caisley to be an independent artist who works for herself painting in her own time or perhaps for a living. I imagine this piece in particular was not painted for anyone
except for possibly the man in the photo.
This painting in particular reminds me of Picassos portrait work as it has the same division between colours. Each segment holds a separate colour and in a way creates an
abstract/cubist effect. Caisley has given her work this feel but has also given it a touch of realism making it look ever so slightly realistic. In my opinion this is a really unique style of
working and that’s why Maria Caisley and this artwork in particular will be my influence for my final portrait.

4. Facial Studies
Mason Hilligenn
Here I did a few studies of my face whist looking in a mirror.
Here no style needed to be adapted and therefore I was free
to draw however I wanted. It also gave me some time to
think about which artist I wanted to choose.

5. Final
Mason Hilligenn
After some more experimenting I decided
to go with the style of Maria Caisley. I
decided upon this because I like the way
she has painted in blocks of colour and
although hasn’t focused on realism she
has somehow managed to make it look
ever so slightly realistic. The way in which
she has painted reminds me of a
animated cartoon/game and I thought
creating my own one maybe would
represent me appropriately since
animation is a career choice of mine.
Unfortunately I am slightly disappointed
with my interpretation as I felt I painted
myself too small and too far to the left. If I
had made my head bigger and centred it
more, there would be more to look at and
a clearer connection between the two
paintings. If I was to redo it again I would
have also made sure that my face was as
accurate as possible to give the same
effect that Maria gave.

6. Reflecting on Year 1
Mason Hilligenn
• Last year I feel the Equivalents assignment was the most important for
me as it allowed me to express what I enjoy doing most in Art & Design.
I got to do a lot of my work on Photoshop which is where I feel one of
my strongest points are. This allowed me to produce some outcomes
that were not only to a good standard but also I was happy with.
I also felt the first assignment that involved still life drawings was
extremely beneficial for me as it taught me new ways of drawing using
different medias. These skills are something that I perhaps will go on to
use in later life.
• From previous assignments in year 1 I have gained various skills, some
that have been built on and some that I have learnt from scratch. For
example, for the Summative project I used a screen printing technique
on fabric that I hadn’t previously done before. These processes helped
me to improve my understanding of not only working with new
materials but it also gave me a taste of what working in other industries
would be like.
• In the second year I need to focus on my time management. Time
management is my biggest weakness not only when it comes to Art and
Design but my other subjects too. Often my work can suffer if I don’t
give myself enough time to do something and allowing myself to have
more time will boost my quality of work and also my final grade.

7. Plans for the future
Mason Hilligenn
• My plans for the future have changed numerous times throughout
the year. First of all I was sceptical about university and whether it was
for me or not but I later decided that if I wanted to go into the
animation industry that uni would be the right option for me. I then
later decided that taking a gap year before university would be
extremely important for me as I’d use it to travel the world and
experience new things.
• My current progression aim is to achieve the grades in my A-levels
that I need to be able to get into my desired university. I then plan to
go travelling for a year and return to university once done. After this I
then hope to pursue a career in graphic design/animation.
• The requirements for the animation course at Bournemouth are:
Required subjects:
One creative subject such as Fine Art or Graphic Design, Media Design or
Photography.
Entry requirements:
For 2017 entry (we will use the new UCAS tariff): 120 to 128 tariff points from
3 A-Levels or equivalent qualifications including 40 points from one required
subject. BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM. For more information check out
our 2017 entry requirements page.
To get these qulifications I will have to produce my work at A-Level to
an extremely high standard in order to get the right grades and be able
to apply for the course.