Final Exam
Required Question:
The project I feel was challenging but yet successful and was the most creative/original is the Opacity/Transparency project.
The project I feel was challenging but yet successful and was the most creative/original is the Opacity/Transparency project.
The process on making my final piece:
1. The first thing I did was brainstorm a lot of different ideas to make my drawing be creative and original. I had brainstorm a total of eighteen ideas but at the end I decided to put my items together to make it more interesting. I decided to draw a bowl of glass with cereal, a cinnamon bun in a clear wrapper, and a bag of bread.
2. The second thing I did was I went home and took a lot of different pictures from different angles and with different compositions to see which one would look the best. I decided to have the cereal bowl and the cinnamon bun in the front and leave the bag of bread on the back going off the page to make the composition more interesting.
3. The third thing I did was I practiced drawing my picture because I did not want to mess up in my final piece. I also choose the color of paper I wanted to draw on and I choose a brown construction paper. I decided to practice drawing the cinnamon bun in the clear wrapper. I first drew the shape of the bun and the shape of the clear bag on my paper with a pencil. After that I started to add color with my prismacolors until I thought my drawing looked the best and most realistic.
4. Lastly since I had already practiced a little I started on my final drawing and repeated the same steps as before for drawing the cinnamon bun. Then, I continued to do the same thing but now with the cereal bowl and the bag of bread. At the end when I had drawn all of the items I was thinking about what to do on the background because on my picture it was white tile and I did not want it to blend with the highlights and the plastic bag. I decided to draw a wood background to make my items pop out more and to make my piece even more interesting and creative.
I generated innovative/original/creative ideas for my project by thinking outside of the box, brainstorming a lot, and practicing to make sure my final piece turns out neat and organized. Overall I think I did a good job on my drawing because it turned out better than I expected and I really like the composition and details I added. Also because I feel like all the items I choose to add look really realistic and detailed. I thought outside of the box and challenged myself because most of my classmates decided to just draw a single item that demonstrated opacity while I challenged myself to draw three. For my background I also thought outside of the box because I did not want to do it plan white instead I challenged myself to do wood. It was a little difficult for me because I had never drawn wood with prismacolors and I think it turned out fairly well.
Four Questions:
Question #1: How do you describe your artistic style/perspective? How do you define success as an artist? What do you find most rewarding about being an artist? What are some of the most important skills you draw upon to create your work? What are some of the most significant things you've learned through art-making?
Answer: I describe my artistic style and perspective as creative, original, and most of the time I try to come up with ideas outside of the box. The two main styles I think I use the most and describe me the most are Photorealism and Whimsical. Photorealism is an extremely realistic form of painting or drawing, in which the artwork is based on a photograph. Whimsical art is a fun, light hearted artwork that stems from the imagination. I define success as an artist by making work that continually challenges me, work that pushes the boundaries of my practice and opens up ideas/possibilities. What I find the most rewarding about being an artist it that sometimes you are able to demonstrate your thoughts and feeling through an artwork. I also find really rewarding the feeling of having accomplished a drawing that you feel you worked really hand and spent a lot of time on. Some of the most important skills I draw upon in creating my work is being patient and taking my time because if I do not I just rush and my final piece does not turn out as I expected. Some of the most significant things I have learned through art-making is how a drawing can mean one thing to one person and something completely opposite to another person. Also that it is really important to think outside of the box and be creative in your artwork to make them original and unique.
Question #2: Look at your body of work over the semester and choose 2 pieces that show your growth as an artist. Discuss each piece and how you grew in the following areas: application of materials, techniques and skills, artistic vision, use of the principles and elements, creativity, intuition and subject matter.
Answer: The two drawings I choose that demonstrate my growth as an artist are the still life and scratchboard. The picture on the left is my still life drawing and the picture on the right is my wolf scratchboard. At the beginning I did not really know how to add value on my piece because it looks like I only used two different values. I also did not really add shadows on the bottom of my objects. The composition looks like it is all blended together and it does not demonstrate how things are placed on top of others. Some of my objects also just look plain, flat, and boring because I did not add enough details to make them look realistic. While compared to my wolf scratchboard I think is one of my best pieces. I think I did a really good job on my composition and making everything look realistic. I also made sure to add a lot of small details for example the leaves and grass on the background. The fur on the wolf looks so real I feel like I can pet it and touch it. On the trees I also added details and texture to make them seem rounded and realistic. I feel like I have improved a lot and learned a lot of different techniques and strategies on how to make my artwork better. I definitely think this class was worth taking it because I learned so many things that were really helpful for me.
Question #3: What medium was your favorite to work with? Explain why and how you were able to master the techniques associated with this medium.
Answer: The method that was my favorite to work with was using prismacolors. I really liked this method because I enjoyed combining colors to make new ones and to make things more realistic. I had never used prismaocolors before so the projects we worked on really helped me learn the techniques and experience with them more. A technique I learned is that you should always start with a light color and add more on top to blend together until you get the color you desire. Also that if you choose to first trace your drawing with a pencil to it really lightly. Make sure to then erase the pencil marks because if you leave them they blend with the colors and it doesn't look good. I also always went back with a blending pencil when I finished with my prismacolor drawings. I did this to make the colors pop out more and to make the transitions look smoother.
Question #4: Discuss one project where you felt you were the least successful. Explain why you felt this way. What would you do differently to change this piece?
Answer: One project that I felt was the least successful was my self portrait because even though I liked the outcome I felt like it did not really look like me and that was the point of the project.. The first thing I did was take measurements to see exactly where my features would be located. Then, I started to add value on my eyes, nose, and mouth. After that I added value on my face and added my neck at the bottom of my face. At the beginning when I was drawing my self portrait it did not look like me and it looked a little weird but when I added the hair it made it look more realistic and more like me. Something I would do different to change my piece and improve it is make my eyes smaller because they look really big compared to my other face features. I would also try to add more details on my face to make it look even more like me and realistic. Lastly, I would add more value on my face and hair and not just make it look like its a single value and the demonstrate the value changes.