To start the class off, I drew something that reflected me figuratively and also reflected literally. I drew this in Prismacolor, and it was my first final Prismacolor project. I enjoyed the vibrant colors that I achieved through this medium, but I didn't like how long it took to complete the project. Next, I painted an acrylic self-portrait, which felt more natural to me; this is something that's more in my wheelhouse.
One of my favorite projects of the year was my lungs that incorporated embroidered veins. I love mixed media pieces and I have a lot of fun adding elements of embroidery to my art. This is something that I love experimenting with and I intend to do it more throughout the year. Next I drew a gallery full of statues wearing modern casual clothing. I had fun using pen and marker for this project but I didn't feel like I was able to execute that medium in a very professional way. Finally, I painted a textured landscape with palette knife, which was originally a technique that I did not have a lot of control over, but through this project I learned to enjoy it. I grew a lot over the course of this semester. From Prismacolor to palette knife, I improved on a variety of techniques and media. I learned a lot about the importance of planning and having both compositional and color sketches. This improved planning helped me to come up with concepts that otherwise I never would have been able to come up with. Having these great fundamental skills in a variety of media, techniques, and project planning has equipped me to tackle my AP concentration!
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Knowing that I was going to use a palette knife to paint a landscape, I chose a picture that featured lots of big spaces, as I figured that would allow me to focus on my color and texture choices. Prior to painting this, I was apprehensive when it came to using palette knives. However, this project sparked my love for the technique! I ended up loving the loose feel that the palette knife gave my work. I especially loved painting the rushing water in this style; I feel that the movement translated well. I look forward to experimenting more with this style in the future. The only thing that concerns me about this painting is the intensity of the orange rocks; if I were to redo this project, I might choose a more muted color. Overall, though, I'm happy with how it turned out!
In preparation for my palette knife landscape, I did two small practices: a butterfly done with brushes and an octopus done in palette knife. I like the looseness and emphasis on color that the palette knife technique has.
For my ordinary to extraordinary project, I was inspired by my recent trip to the museum to draw a sculpture gallery with a twist. As most of my pieces are paintings, I wanted to challenge myself to use pens and markers on illustration board for this project. I loved using pens, but the markers were challenging. I wanted to use simple Crayola markers, which incidentally made my piece look streaky in some places. In the future, I will use different markers; I didn't get the smooth effect I desired here. Overall, I don't love this piece, but I would like to improve on my drawing skills and try more projects like this in the future. One thing I improved on through this piece was my perspective drawing, as I had to make the scene look like the viewer was in a gallery. I'm happy with the placement and sizes of the sculptures. Additionally, I improved on my shadows, specifically where the windows cast light. The lighting on the floor adds a lot to the drawing.
These progress pictures show the layers that are in my piece. I started with an acrylic sketch of the ribs and then layered paint colors; reds for the lungs and white and gray for the bones. I began to sew, using thin red and blue thread to embroider veins throughout the lungs. Finally, I used white and gray thread to embroider the bones surrounding the lungs. The thickness of the yarn used for the bones contrasts with the thinness of the thread used for the veins, creating texture and interest. I love embroidering on canvas and I hope to keep doing that and maybe even use it in my AP art concentration.
For my interior spaces project, I began by brainstorming both concrete and abstract interiors. I decided that I liked the idea of painting something inside the human body and ultimately chose lungs inside a ribcage as my subject. I wanted to sew a ribcage over the lungs and sew veins into them in order to show depth and texture in my piece. After experimenting with ways that I could layer the lungs and ribs, I also did some work on deciding which colors I should use for the veins. I went with the classic red and blue that you often see in medical drawings in order to keep my color scheme simple.
I decided that my final project would be based upon an image of me lying in the grass, as it conveys a contemplative mood. The colors and brush strokes that I used aim to heighten the mood and create a sense of introspection, as the overall piece is warm, rosy, and almost whimsical. The setting of this painting, a grass field, reminds the viewer of the innocence of childhood, but this innocence is juxtaposed with a mature face and contemplative expression, lending a coming-of-age feel to this painting. A major challenge that I encountered throughout this project was the proportional placement of my features. Originally, my lips were closer to my nose, which I ultimately overcame by painting over them completely and repainting them lower. I was unsure of how successful this complete repainting would be, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I made in this project, as I was much happier with the placement of my lips after this. Another difficulty I encountered was creating depth within my skin tones. Originally, my face looked flat, and I had to use many layers to combat this. While this was a frustrating process, I feel that I grew immensely as an artist throughout this experience. Now I will be able to apply my knowledge of skin tones in future projects, which is something very valuable to me, as I am interested in creating a concentration based on portrait painting.
I started this process with the idea that I would make a self portrait that commented on society's beauty standards that it holds for women. I then took multiple pictures of myself where I took no measures to hide my flaws, including my body hair, acne, and imperfect body. Most of these ended up lending themselves more to figure drawings, however, and the assignment required me to focus more on my face. After some consideration, I ended up taking some different pictures in the courtyard, and I ultimately fell in love with a picture of myself lying in the grass with a contemplative look on my face. Even though this project focused more on my face, I am currently using some of my full-body reference photos to practice figure painting on my own time. After finally choosing my reference photo, I practiced mixing skin tones with acrylic paint by copying various skin tones that I cut out of magazines. I did a quick painting of myself in my sketchbook in order to practice both mixing skin tones and measuring my specific facial proportions.
This representational reflection piece was my first time using Prismacolors for a final project and I am very happy with how it turned out. I started out with yellow paper, as my overall color scheme was cool and I wanted to warm it up by using a warm, bright background. Although the process of layering Prismacolors was somewhat long and tedious, it was also meditative, which is fitting, as this project is representative of inner peace for me. When I initially began brainstorming ideas, I fell in love with the idea of including crystals and plants in my project, as I have always been fascinated by the idea that they can provide positive energy and in doing so help you better yourself in a spiritual way. I have been collecting crystals for years, and not only are they physically reflective, I feel that they reflect my ongoing journey towards self improvement. The plants included in this piece represent my growth as a person over time. I especially see my soul in the taller plant- its growth is slow, but it has been a constant in my life for as long as I have had it.
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