Fundamentals of Studio Art Emily

October Update

This month I developed several new skills. I had never before done a realistic self- portrait of myself, and so the idea was intimidating. Instead of freaking out about it, I focused hard on the emphasized techniques and tried taking things step-by- step. The grid method helped me visualize my photo, stay organized, and NOT get so overwhelmed. I got to build off of some other techniques from September in this project, such as contour lines, shading, and use of graphite pen. I am proud of how the hair, lips, and shading came out yet the overall appearance of the face could definitely be improved. Despite this, it was my first ever attempt at drawing myself realistically, and so I am happy I took the risk.

The Pumpkin Zentangle project was relaxing and fun for me. I’ve always enjoyed doodling in patterns, which is exactly what zentangle is. I love the dark colors contrasting the bright pumpkin. I used various volumes of Sharpie line; some lines are thin while others have deeper thickness. This was good practice in terms of choosing where to place the necessary definition. I used some graphite pen and pencil so as to shade some aspects of the drawing, bringing certain areas to life. I’m happy with how this project came out. Lastly, I experimented with water color skills. The crayon resist and blot techniques especially are fun. This reference sheet put our observational abilities to the test, as first we observed the technique, then we practiced it.

November Update

This month consisted of various artistic methods such as watercolor, pottery, and colored pencils. The Watercolor piece did not turn out the way I was hoping, maybe for a lack of planning out what exactly I intended to do. I sort of wanted to incorporate different objects that made me think of midnight. The formatting is random and the paint strangely incorporated. Next time, I’ll focus on how to implement watercolor to its fullest rather than hyperfocus on a theme. Also, I feel as if limited Sharpie use is best for watercolor as too much seems to interrupt the paint. However, this project does exemplify Creating Original Art as I thought of and put together different entities on my own accord, not attempting to copy another existing work of art.

It was fun working with clay, as I haven’t worked with it since elementary school. Before undertaking anything, I assumed I’d be fine. I made a pinch pot in kindergarten, how hard could it be? Turns out it was more difficult than I thought; I practiced Communication through reaching out to the teacher, seeking advice on how to improve my techniques. I love the purple color of my pinch pot; it holds a lavender sack at home. The texture is not even and although unintentional, it appears the bumpy surface was intentional.

I think my colored pencil piece is my best work this year so far. I Took a Risk drawing a complex cat eye, yet this time it paid off. I felt comfortable with colored pencils and so decided on something difficult. I think part of the success came from implementing shading/ line techniques, yet part of it came simply from patience. I took things slowly, repeating shading over and over, darkening lines, continually adding more. I like the contrast between the solid- colored, blended eye and the strokes of lines representing fur. I did use the color blender pencil as well, which was helpful for finishing touches.

December/ January Update

I both Created Original Art and Solved Problems while making my burgundy- colored, handleless mug. I was originally aiming for incorporating a handle, and while I did create one, it didn’t end up staying put. It broke off and so at first I was frustrated, but then realized the lopsided, bumpy surface left looked pretty neat. I smoothed over this surface several times, and glazed. I definitely felt more comfortable working with clay the second time around. I did not look at any reference, thus this work of art was entirely original.

I Took a Risk with my soft- pastels project, and am pretty happy with the result. I was constantly referencing another image, observing the colors, technique, size, and shapes. Pastels are honestly messy, and so that aspect was slightly annoying. Besides that, I really enjoyed blending and mixing colors- the goal was aurora borealis. Further, I’m happy with the defined, dark silhouette of the bear contrasted with the light, complex colors of the sky. The stars were a fun touch.

The disco ball project seemed overwhelming at the beginning. The amount of detail, time, and effort required in projects overwhelms me at times. But once I got started, I had a lot of fun. I wanted the colors of my disco ball to be bright, light, and fun. I experimented with larger square- sizes on my first take, adding touches of various colors within each. It turned out decent, yet if I were to redo it, I would have definitely made the square- sizes smaller. On the other side of my disco ball, I used darker colors with contrasting bright highlights. I feel like this disco ball project is something that could always be redone and refined with more practice.

January/ February Update

Calligraphy was challenging; I spent a lot of time practicing, trying to get the hang of it. It’s very complicated as the amount of ink needs to be appropriate along with the pressure applied and angle(s). Finally, I started to get the hang of it, although I could definitely still use more practice. I developed entirely new skills in this unit, then applied them in a final piece of artwork. This final piece consisted of a song lyric quote from one of my favorite artists’ (Taylor Swift’s) song, You’re on your Own Kid. I chose to do the calligraphy part first, which took a few tries, then I applied light shades of watercolor which I thought corresponded with the songs’ aesthetic. I also drew a jar, accompanied by smaller lyrics from the same song. I created original artwork after getting comfortable enough with these (at first intimidating) lettering techniques.

Our next unit was Linear Perspective, which was less about creativity and more about precision. First, I practiced with one- point perspective (one vanishing point). I drew a bedroom, city street, etc., utilizing a ruler and attempting to be precise/ trust in the process. After these, I created a one- point perspective piece on black construction paper which turned out nice. I think it’s neat how the colored pencils create a bright, vibrant effect in contrast to the dark background. For my WOW piece, I took a risk, attempting a two- point perspective (two vanishing points). I am pretty happy with how it came out, though it is different from the artwork I am used to creating. To me, it almost looks too distracting and disorienting. Although, I tried something new by incorporating several practices- zentangle, linear perspective, watercolor, and pencil/ shading work- into one piece.

Artist Research Project: Hilma af Klint

March/ April Update

The metal repousse (metal tooling) project was fun, yet difficult to begin with. I initially had trouble shaping the bronze in the way I wanted to- the popping in and out was hard and not as straightforward as it seemed. There were so many details that I didn’t want to mess up and so held back on adding dimension to my design. Yet, at some point, I just went for it, taking a risk and refining new skills throughout the process. If I were to do this again, I’d be much more comfortable. Once the tooling/ shaping part was over with, I went on to coloring a surrounding border with colored pencils, something that was more fun/ familiar to me. The end result was a busy, detailed original work of art.

Embroidery is not something I was knowledgeable about, and so beginning the WOW piece so quickly without developing many skills was a bit overwhelming. I was only able to do cross- stitch & back- stitch, the most basic patterns. I thought lettering would be somewhat simple, so I started my WOW piece trying that (a TS lyric quote). It didn’t work out as the string bunched & knotted, the spacing was off, and overall it just wasn’t coming together. So, I scratched that and decided on something simple and pretty. Reflecting on what didn’t work, I decided to create a flower that took up most of the area and didn’t rely too heavily on spacing/ precision. I’m happy with this piece given the limited practice I had. I'm definitely interested in experimenting more with embroidery in the future.

I picked a few of my favorite pieces of artwork so far this year to exhibit at the school-wide art show. I only selected those I felt showcased my abilities the best. It was a neat means of reflection, as I could chose from 8 months of content. I thought this exhibition was a really cool event as people of all ages were able to appreciate artwork of all types. From kindergarten works to AP pieces, there was quite a variety. As an artist, seeing other types/ styles of art was inspiring, too.

April Update

The food sculpture project was honestly challenging. Forming the food was tedious, requiring layering, moisture, and shaping. I'm happy with how the chicken tenders came out, including their color scheme. The waffles, on the other hand, weren't working out. On a time crunch, I decided to scrap that idea and form an omelet instead, with remnant pieces. The ketchup consisted of hardened hot glue, painted red. Decorating the plate was fun. Overall, this project, while frustrating, made me practice problem- solving and communication.

The oil pastel succulent project panned out OK, yet not great. I had fun blending several colors together with Q- tips, attempting to match hues to my reference picture. Their (the pastels') lack of precision was annoying. I had trouble distinguishing edges, then decided to blur the edges. I was sort of undecided in this regard, then added some black highlighting to the middle; I don't know if I regret that or not. I would like to fine- tune/ fix this piece if I could, yet given limited practice/ time, I'm OK with how it turned out.

Final Reflection and Retrospective

I do understand Artistic Behaviors. I feel as though I had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate the Artistic Behaviors. Since this is an Art I class, there was not much freedom in terms of mediums/ materials/ objectives of projects. Within these constraints, though, I was able to express myself and pick out pockets of opportunity.

My favorite unit was by far that of colored pencils. I had liked working with colored pencils previously, but never realized how much more I could do with them. Learning and implementing new shading/ blending techniques was fun & translated into a project I was proud of.

I learned the most from the toilet- paper food project. It was frustrating for me because I didn’t have much control and lacked precise execution. I felt rushed, and the waffles were not coming together well. I had to scratch the waffles entirely, and instead formed a sort- of- omelet. Although this project was the one in which my final product matched least with what I expected in my imagination, it taught me that flexibility, adaptability, & communication are necessary components to being an artist.

The piece of artwork that I’m most proud of is the cat- eye, drawn exclusively with colored pencils. As mentioned before, I realized that I hadn’t explored advanced ways of implementing this medium, and this project gave me the opportunity to experiment. This project was the first in which I truly poured my emotions into this year. I trusted in the process, paid attention to detail, & let it unfold the way it did. In the end, it turned out well & left me satisfied.

I thought this course was great. There is truly not much feedback to give. I’d say allowing some time at the end of the year for students to implement their learned skills into a project of their choice might be neat. That way, students get a taste of the self- directed freedom offered in further courses.

An aspect of this class that I would keep is the exposure to a variety of projects utilizing a variety of materials/ mediums. Although not everyone will enjoy all projects equally (and will inevitably find some projects harder than others), I think this exposure contributes to a well- rounded artist who is able to distinguish their preferences.

If something were to be changed about this class, I’d say it would be more time spent on introducing techniques to be implemented in WOW pieces. I felt at the beginning of the year we spent more time on practice, yet that aspect was more rushed towards the end of the year.