In art, a symbol can be an animal, plant, object that stands for something else. It carries a massage without written language. It can be an image, shape or color that has a hidden message. The symbol can offer an emotion, a meaning that is deeper than a mere symbol giving hidden meaning. A snake, for instance, can be a religious symbol of evil, of temptation, or, if drawn head tot ail, it can represent the circle of life. Consider what the shape of a heart can mean. What if that heart shape was black? There are some symbols that go even deeper and that evoke emotion or memory, almost primal. There are mythical symbols, dram symbols, personal and private symbols. It adds interest to art. It can offer a secret code that needs to be deciphered.
I heard the word ‘sigil’, and I went on a search for the meaning of sigil. It comes from the Latin term for ‘seal’. It can be a term that has religious and occult, and pagan uses. It is a symbol made to represent a desired outcome. It is with this in mind, that I use it.
You write out a word, or a phrase, of something you wish to accomplish. As you work out the sigil, you consider the intention.
1. You start a phrase in a positive “I am…” On my case, my word for the year being ‘Courage’, I wrote “I am courageous”.
2. You write it down and cross out all the vowels and repeated letters.
I AM COURAGEOUS
This leaves me with;
M C R G S
3. Use the ret of the letters to make a symbol representing the phrase…just for you. Be creative. It is abstract. Only you will understand the symbol/sigil. You can write each letter in any order, any style, have embellishments, swirls, dots, etc.
4. Throughout the year, you will see me use this symbol in different ways, in my art journal. I will most likely use more than just this one. It intrigues me.
In my art journal entry, I have combined it with symbolic color, theme. Once you begin to look for symbolic meaning, it makes you look deeper into the art. It leads to more questions for you to answer, from your own perspective.
Do you see symbols of childhood?
Why the zigzag middle of the face?
Why two parts to the portrait?
What are the symbols on the collar and what do they mean?
Why is half the portrait red?
This is a small exercise in the use of a sigil in art.
Can you come up with one for yourself? Would you share it in the group “Unleashing Your Inner Artist” on Facebook?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1841395556197634
©Carol Desjarlais 1.23.24
No comments:
Post a Comment