Mary Yu

January 11, 2016

Project Proposal
Children often have a hard time trying to describe the amount of pain that they are in. In
contrast, teenagers and adults have an easier time distinguishing serious pain from something
insignificant, such as a mild stomachache. In partnership with my art concentrationextreme
emotion and expressionI devised several small portraits of a single child expressing multiple
expressions. After discussing with Dr. Rafei, director and owner of KinderMender, a plan was
devised to create a pain chart mural depicting different emotional responses as a measurement of
pain. The four portraits are placed in a row, each with a different colored background that
corresponds with the urgency of pain perception. From research, it is shown that yellow and blue
create a sense of calmness which I will be associating with the more neutral and painless
expressions while using red to show distress and discomfort. Each portrait is sketched
individually using the same face and clothes as to prevent patients from picking based on
something other than pain expression. As suggested by my art teacher Mrs. Collins, each face
will be drawn in a cartoonlike style with blocked colors and cell shading in order to further
appeal to children.
As my project is to be completed in May, I have arranged a loose schedule based on both
the pediatric center and my own availability. In January, I will be completing sketches and
getting designs approved (I have already contacted Dr. Rafei about sending in more completed
designs). In February, I hope to be able to finalize both the design, colors, and create multiple
acrylic samples. From March to May, I wish to start and finish the mural in a short amount of
time in order to minimize mess and the possibility of wet paint in a highly visible and accessible
area. If possible, I will also be create other expressive portraitures for the clinic as decoration.