Advanced Drawing and Painting

1.) Artist Statement- Who are you as an artist?  What inspires you?  What motivates you to create art work?  From where to your get your ideas?

I have always been interested in art.  Ever since I was in Kindergarden, I have always had a knack for drawing.  Since I was in fifth grade and my school’s art teacher suggested that I take extra art lessons, my parents have continually enrolled me in many art related activities.  I went to lessons with full-time artists who helped me improve my skills.  Almost every summer, my parents had me go to some sort of art related camp.  Even though back then I hated them for it, and did everything I could to resist their actions, I feel as though art has become a very important part of my life.  Over the last couple of years, I delve deeper and deeper into the world of showing objects in my own personal way.  I find art as a way of expressing myself and relaxing.  Its always interesting learning a new form of art or a new way of showing life.  I enjoy art that has to do with nature.  I have always been fascinated with the simple, yet complex shapes that you can find in a simple piece of fruit.  However, even in these complex shapes, simplicity and beauty can be found that makes my art so fun to make.  This drawing of the garlic was fun and challenging to make.  I enjoyed the challenge of drawing the irregular shapes of the plant.

2.) Learning- What are four of the most important things you learn throughout this year?  How have these things helped you to grow as an artist?

I learned more about the process of creating a piece of art.  I have become better at all the different stages, from a quick sketch to actually starting to make the artwork.  I also improved on creating a composition and finding a good perspective.  We did a lot of work this year on different compositions.  I have tried many new ones, for example the three-quarters view in my charcoal eraser drawing.  Furthermore, I have pushed by boundaries as an artist by trying a variety of new medias.  During the black/ white unit, I used a large variety of medias that I had never tried before, such as water charcoal or ink pen.  Finally, I believe that I have a better understanding of how color interacts with each other.  All of these learnings have pushed my boundaries as an artist and have learned a lot of new skills.

3.) Art work of which the most proud- What work of art (in-class work) are you the most proud?  Please explain and be specific?  What impact did this work have on your learning?

I am the most proud of my personal-space painting.  I think that this painting helped bring everything that I learned this year together.  I am proud how I used a large variety of colors to create a distinct mood and feel.  I think that I did a great job in creating a distinct color scheme.  I also did a good job in keeping my perspective and shapes well defined.   Overall, I am proud of my good work in this painting.  I have expanded and changed my style of art to fit into the project while incorporating my previous knowledge of paint and color into the piece.

1. How would you describe the style of your painting? (Loose? Painterly? Hard-edged? Types of brushstrokes?) How do you think that style contributes to the mood of your Personal Space?
I would describe my painting as painterly.  I used a variety of colors in all surfaces of my painting.  I found that I used a technique of going over the surfaces little by little in a “curly” pattern.  This allowed to me to mix a large variety of colors into a single surface and to balance out the warm and cool colors so that one part did not stand out more than another.  This style also gave a great sense of movement and energy into my painting.
2. Where do you think you fall on the rubric for Creative Problem Solving? Why? (3-5 sentences only)
I think that I fall under the 3 for Creative problem solving.  I used a variety of colors and techniques to create a definite mood and balance out the colors.  Furthermore, I mixed a lot of my colors directly on the painting creating a even bigger range of colors.  I also think that I did a good job of balancing my painting by using the cool blues in the window throughout my painting.  I also took some of the reds and warmer colors into to the window which helped dull the intensity of the blue against the reds.
3. Please analyze your composition. Is it effective as a space that invites the viewer in? Why or why not?
I think that my composition is effective as a space that invites the viewer in.  I think that direction of my paintbrush strokes on the floor helps create a sense of depth.  Furthermore, the diagonals of the chair also help pull the viewer in and create a sense of perspective.  Also, with the use of warm colors, I was able to show the light shining through the window onto the chair an the floor.  The great contrast between the warm yellow and the cool blues of the chair help pull the eye around the painting while portraying the lights shining through the window.
4. Compare the experience of the Magic Squares painting to this one. How are they similar? How are they different? Which did you prefer and why?
This Magic Squares and this painting are pretty similar.  In both you have to look at the composition and how things interact with others.  However, in the painting, you are dealing with mixing and value as well as shape and size.  In the Magic Squares, you need to look more at the size of the squares and the colors.  I personally prefer the painting.  In the painting, you have a choice of what objects you are making and what style you can use.  While this is still relevant in the Magic Squares, it is not as big of an issue.  I just think that your can “personalize” the personal space painting better and it can mean more to you.
If you were to do this painting project again, what would you do differently?
If I were to do this painting differently, I would probably add more value to the floor.  The floor looks a little flat to me and does not have a lot of value change.  his, in turn, makes the window look flat.  Furthermore, I would probably add more to the walls.  I think that the walls look rather bear with only a chair.  This would also help fill out the painting which would also help the painting have a better sense of perspective.  However, I do think that the painting style which I chose did a very good job in showing mood and movement.  I would not change this style, however I would experiment with different colors.

In this painting you worked with gridding a board, then determining colors based not only on personal preference, but also on the relationship formed between the colors: pushing and pulling, warm versus cool, loud versus soft. You were to find an area or areas of emphasis and create movement with your color choices.

Reasoning/Thinking Skills
Please reflect on your painting through the following questions. Using specific examples from your work not only reinforces what you are writing, but also tells me you are really looking at your work.

1. Where do you think you fall on the rubric for Technical Skills? Why? (3-5 sentences only)
I believe that I fall in the meets for the Technical Skills rubric.  I tried to fallow my planned grid that I drew out on the “pre-drawing” stage and I feel that the overall shapes are the same.  I tried to keep my edges clean by using the white charcoal pencil or a small brush to go over edges.  I have also successfully pulled the front colors to the side of the painting.

2. Where do you think you fall on the rubric for Creative Problem Solving? Why? (3-5 sentences only)
I believe that I fall in the meets for the Creative Problem Solving Section rubric.  I drew a number of plans before I actually started in order to decide what my final product will look like.  I feel that I was successful in showing emphasis in the middle to the uper-right side using warmer colors.  I constantly was changing a couple squares because they didn’t look right; I repainted, and mixed new colors to draw the eye around the painting.

You were asked to consider the following as your painting developed. Please give good thought to your answers and as usual, use only 3-5 sentences to respond (if at all possible):

1. Composition and Chromatic considerations: How does your use of different color intensities, different color values, and/or contrasting “temperatures” (warm/cool) contribute to the movement in your painting? How do you think your color choices direct the viewer’s eye around your canvas?
I used the warmer colors to move the eye up and to the left, in a diagonal path starting at the central yellow square.  I also used warmer colors at the bottom and top-right to draw the eye around the painting.  I used a contrast of warms and cools to achieve this.  I used the warms as almost a background and the warms as a tool to move the eye around.  Finally, The two smaller squares, in the bottom-left, and top-right, also help the move the viewers eyes by contrasting the blues surrounding them.

2. Space: How do changes in the sizes of squares alter the rhythm of your painting? Please address your thought process as you determined, and possibly re-determined, the shapes and sizes of your squares.
The changes in the squares effect the painting a lot.  As I look at the rhythm of my painting, I notice that it moves in almost a diagonal pattern.  The smaller squares in the center of the painting move up and to the right while the squares surrounding them get larger.  I feel that the color also impacted this.  If I had used a cooler color in the smaller squares, it would have had a much different effect then if I used warm colors.

3. Color and Mood: What is the connection and what do you think the mood of your painting is (please refer to specifics in your painting)?
There is a definite connection between the mood and color.  Whether you use warm or cool colors can make a huge impact on the mood of your painting.  Cool colors can give a feeling of sorrow, sadness, or calmness, while warm colors can do the complete opposite.  However, the moods of warms and cools can vary greatly, depending on the painting.  I feel that my painting portrays a mood of calmness due to the great amount of contrast between the warms and cools.  They almost seem to cancel each other out.

4. The application of paint and where and how you mix your colors: What are some of the conscious choices that one can make and how does one’s application of paint affect the overall style of the painting?
One must consider how they want their painting to come out.  If they want their painting to come out very exact and solid, they must use a single almost flat color and stick to it.  However, if you want a “hazy” or almost “unclear” painting, you should try to mix colors more on the painting.  This will also cause a greater variety of colors to show up in the painting.

5. Why is the act of painting like putting together an “ever-changing” jig-saw puzzle? When did you experience this in your painting?
Painting is like an “ever-changing” jig-saw puzzle because your thoughts and ideas are always changing.  Sometimes you think that one thing looks good one day, but the next you really do not like it.  When you are painting, you start to see more and more detail and your ideas at what to do with the details.  During this painting, I feel that this happened a few times.  When I looked back at my painting after a day, there were a few that I felt did not belong and I needed to change them.  When this happened, it caused a chain-reaction causing me to change other squares.

6. Why is it or why is it not important to address the edges of the shapes you paint? How did you address this in your painting?
It is very important to address the edges.  It is a lot easier to keep your edges how you want them to be while you are using that color rather than later.  If you do it later, you will have to recreate the color, often coming up with something that you do not like. Even after I carefully went back over the edges, I still used white charcoal to make the edges even shaper.  This made the contrast between the warms and cools even greater.

Technical Skills Justification, specifically, what led you to do this level of work? (you will first need to identify and state your level):
I think my level of work meets the standard.  I have done my best to line up each layer so that is is correctly placed on the layer before.  The last layer on some are placed off by a small amount, however, it does not take away from the quality of the print.  It was difficult to have a smooth or flawless print as the ink sometimes stuck, or took up the last layer.  For this reason, there are some areas that look “wispy” or the ink did not apply well.  Sometimes this caused the print to become of-centered, moving over lighter spots.  However, overall the prints look very neat, with very few crinkled edges or smudges.

2. Creative Problem-Solving Skills Justification, specifically, what did you do well and what could you have done better?:
I believe that my problem-solving skills deserve a meets.  Overall, I feel that the prints came out pretty good.  The color scheme works very well.  However, I could have pushed the light green and the dark green.  This would make the middle value stand out more.  Overall, I feel that I fallowed the picture pretty well.  I used a variety of techniques to make my print feel 3D and realistic.  I feel that the background texture worked very well.  Also, the texture of the face gave the print a more realistic feel while showing the shape of the face. I had the most difficulty keeping the pattern the same throughout the three layers.  However, in the final product, the texture worked very well in the print.

3. Why is it important to really think in the initial stages of a reduction print process? Why do you need to not stop thinking?
It is very important to really think hard and plan what you are going to do for each layer of color.  If you chose the wrong texture, or made a mistake on the first layer, you will be forced to live with it.  Any mistake you make will be very hard to fix.  Therefore, I had to plan each layer before I actually carved it.  I also took a couple of risks, especially in the background.  I had no idea if the pattern would overpower the composition.  Furthermore, I had to be careful not to cut into a different layer.  I solved this buy shading in the parts that I needed to carve and to make a cut on the edge that I should carve to.  On my final layer of color, I had to be careful to keep the pattern the same even while carving such a large area.

4. What were you most inspired by in this project? Visuals? Other students? Past experiences with prints? The media?????????
I felt most inspired by other student and the examples show to me in class.  I was able to see what worked, and what didn’t work.  I partially based the color scheme on what I saw with other people’s prints.  I didn’t like how bright the orange or yellow color schemes are, but I felt that the blue color schemes were too dark, and you can not see the shape of the print very well with them.  All of the green color schemes looked like they were very successful.  I also looked at what types of patterns worked in the face or which background pattern complimented the rest of the print.  The texture of the face was based on the texture of the human finger.  I tried to make the lines seem to be going somewhere, in a certain pattern, kind of like the lines of your thumb.  The background, again, was based on the lines of your hand, except larger and shorter.

What other subject matter do you think would be interesting to do in this method of printmaking?
I feel that faces would work the best.  The shapes and shades come out very well with printing.  However, there is some other subject matter that would also be interesting.  For example, such object like flowers or other, rather complicated object would work very well.  Printing does a great job lowering the complexity of an object.  Therefore, something with a lot of different values and shapes, such as a flower, would work very well.  I think it would also be interesting to make a print of a landscape with a large contrast between darks and lights.  I think that the contrast and the may different shapes would come out very well with a print.

Reasoning/Thinking Skills
In the space below, please justify your placement on the above rubric for BOTH the technical and creative problem-solving standards. Each justification should be at least 3 to 4 complete sentences. Use the back of the sheet as necessary to complete your answers.

1. Technical Skills Justification:
I believe that I deserve a meets for this project.  Overall, I think the quality of the drawing is pretty good.  I feel that I have eliminated almost all of the finger marks that were previously present before the final product.  I feel that I have successfully shows my face using the eraser to erase the charcoal and show value.   You can definitely see the volume in my face.

2. Creative Problem-Solving Skills Justification:
I feel that I deserve a meets for this project.  I can see the likeness to me in the drawing.  I definitely had a challenge placing the facial features in the right place and making the size just right.  However, in the end, I feel that different features were drawn pretty well.  Lastly, I feel that I was able to use my own personal style in the drawing.

3. Why did we first cover the paper in charcoal? What did doing that force you to have to do? What was that experience like?
We covered the paper in charcoal to make us look at the darks and to “draw” lines that we knew that we wanted.  It was very difficult to correct mistakes that we made due to the nature of the charcoal.  Furthermore, charcoal, being black, forced us to look at the lights instead of the darks.  It was very interesting and challenged me.

How did you choose the way you handled your eraser and charcoal? How does that complement your portrait, emotionally and stylistically?
I tried to use pretty light strokes when dealing with the eraser.  I then pushed the lights and left the darks.  Sometimes, I had to add darks in order to push the values even more.  I feel that this helped my style because it was easy to make short, almost choppy strokes.   I feel this gave my drawing a very unique feeling.

Why might this show be called Supply and Demand?
The title “Supply and Demand” may be referring to ideas behind the marketing techniques used by large corporations.  These corporations use propaganda and advertising that is directed at a certain group of people.  For example, the add may utilize a certain popular band that all the teenagers love, in order to sell t-shirts meant for teens.  This fact then leads to the issue of how much corparate marketing is involve in our lives.  this is the issue that Shepard Fairey is trying to convey to us.

How would you compare the Fairey OBEY stickers to guerilla marketing done by large corporations?
Both of these are very “in your face,” and target people using “their own language.”  People often like things to be simple, and big.  That is what guerilla marketing and Fairey OBEY stickers both do.  Furthermore, both are all over the place.  With Fairey’s campaign, you probably could not walk down a street in Boston without seeing a sticker.  It is the same with guerilla marketing.  You see it everywhere.

What is the point of the OBEY GIANT campaign?
To make people think about how much marketing has influenced and is apart of their lives.

If you had 5 OBEY stickers to place here in Yarmouth, where would you put them?
I would probably place them all in one place.  I would place them around Handy Andy’s because that is where it would probably make the most impact.  It is right in the center of town and a lot of people either hang out there or pass by there often.  Also, since all the stickers are together, it would be more “in your face” and the point would be made better.

5. Is your art influenced by music? If so, or if it were to be, what might be on your iPod playlist?
I don’t think that my art is really influenced by music.  However, I like the punky, solid style of Shepard Fairey.  I think that I would punky music or loud, “out there” music on my iPod.  Either that or I would have the complete opposite and have laid back, “changing,” or not solid music like my current style of art.

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, (German, 1884-1976), Madchen mit Zopfen / Young woman with pigtails

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, (German, 1884-1976), Fraukopf / Head of a Woman

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880-1938), Man with parrot

Reflection:

All of these prints are all portraits and use similar techniques to show the values and shape of the face.  All three prints use lines that contrast greatly with the surrounding lines to show the different parts of the face.  For example, in the nose of all three pieces, the lines are going in the opposite direction than those that surround them.  In Young Women with Pigtails, the lines are thicker and are going horizontal while the surrounding lines are going vertical.  This technique is repeated in numerous places to show value and shape.  In Man with Parrot, the artist also uses different lines to show shape of the head.  However, the artist does not use the thickness to show value.  Lastly, all three artists’ pieces show a lot of movement and rythm.  The acomplish this with the lines and composition.  The compositions are almost abstract and add to the feel of the print.
The composition of all three prints are very different.  Although all three are abstract, they show three faces in three different perspectives.  In Man with Parrot, the artist goes into much more detail with the facial features.  He shows a face looking downward with a parrot on his shoulder.  The artist is very successful in that he is able to show the hair and feathers of the bird and man very well.  In Young Women with Pigtails, the print is much less detailed.  What is lacks in detail, it makes up in simplicity.  This simplicity enhanses the feeling or surprise.  Finally, in Head of a Women, the artist uses a similar style to the artist of the Young Women with Pigtails, however, the artist uses the concept of contrasting lines to show value in more places.  The composition shows a lot more shadows and the background is more complex.  I feel that this helps enhance the feeling of moodiness and almost sadness.

Technical Skills Justification:
Overall, I think that my drawings are of pretty good quality.  There are few smudge marks and the paper is not crinkled.  Furthermore, I feel that I was able to use each media in a way that exemplified my own, personal drawing style.  I feel that I have improved in using a couple of new media.

Creative Problem-Solving Skills Justification:
Overall, I think that my drawings are interesting and believable.  The compositions are interesting and dynamic.  Furthermore, I feel as though I was able to stretch my boundaries with this project.  I drew different types of object, like the ginger, and used a new medias, like the stamps and ink.  Overall, I feel that I was able to use these different medias to suit my personal drawing style.

Please give a brief commentary/summary of your experience with each of your drawings.  Include a thumbnail sketch (adjust box proportions) and list the media used:
a.  Bag drawing

media used:  Black and White charcoal on white paper
This was an interesting drawing.  I feel that I was   able to use the media to demonstrate good     knowledge of shadows and shape.  It was     interesting having to draw both the whites and     the darks of the object.  The many different     shadows of the bag also made for an interesting     experience.

b. White Still-Life

media used: White Charcoal on black paper
This was a new experience for me.  Instead of     drawing in the darks, like with black charcoal, I     had to draw in the lights.  I feel that the     composition was interesting and I was able to     successfully use the white charcoal in my own     original way.

c. Garlic drawing

media used: Black ink stamp on white paper

This was a fun and new type of drawing for me.  I like how I was able to show the many different darks of the garlic.  Overall, I feel that this drawing helped me look more at the darks and shapes of the shadows in an object.  I also had to improvise when drawing the background.  I feel that overall, this drawing is very successful and interesting.

d.  Ginger drawing

media used: Ebony Pencil on brown paper
This was a faster and pretty difficult drawing.  I found that the ginger had no straight lines and that it had no “natural pattern” as an orange or peach may have.  Therefore, I used “searching” lines to draw the ginger.  This drawing helped me draw the different shapes of an object more convincingly.  In the end, I was able to see a “natural pattern” in the ginger.

e. Pine Cone studied

media used: compressed and vine charcoal on brown paper,black ink on white paper, pencil water color on white paper
These three drawings were very difficult.  The pine cone has many different shapes and shadows and was very hard to draw the pine cone in a convincing way.  In the end, I feel that I was able to better master drawing different shapes in a couple different medias.

In general, are you happy with your portfolio?  What would you do differently next time?  Do you feel like this project challenged you?
I am very happy with my portfolio.  Overall, I felt that all of the drawings challenged me in different ways.  The different medias made me expand my boundaries and open me to different types of drawings.  They also made me adapt my drawing style to fit each new drawing.  However, I do feel that on a couple of the drawings, I could have spent more time working on them.  But, overall, the project was a success for me.

You had about five weeks worth of classes to complete this portfolio.  Do you feel the self-pacing worked for you?  Did you like being about to choose subject/media?  Which drawing experience was your favorite and why?
My pacing definitely worked for me.  I ended up finishing before most of the class.  I liked being able to choose my own subjects and media.  It helped me expand my boundaries as an artist.  Furthermore, it opened me up to a couple of new medias.  I think that my favorite study was the garlic.  It was fun using the stamps and I feel that it helped me a lot with drawing shadows on an object convincingly.

When all portfolios are turned in, we potentially will have FORTY-FIVE drawings in the studio.  (Wow!!!) How do you think we should critique these drawings?/How would you like others to talk about your work?  How do you think we should display these drawings?  Grouped by artist? Jumbled?
I think it would be a good idea to look back and see how we have improved.  However, I don’t think we should critique them.  We already do that after each project while it is still fresh on out mind.  I think that it is fine how we displayed the drawings: grouped by artist.