Question One
I felt like my most challenging piece was my scratch-board. I really feared this assignment because Im very indecisive about my work and I knew this was a piece that wouldnt allow me to second guess my myself or actions. Also having to create movement within our piece limited my initial ideas. I took to pinterest to find inspiration. I didnt want to do waves because that seemed over used, and animals didnt show enough movement for the project requirements.
I liked how many different tools we had and how they all had a different effect on the paper. I think what I used the most was the Xacto knife. It made clean, thin lines that were perfect for making the details in the trees. It also was the best tool for making the snowflakes. I liked using the tool that resembled a broom for the snow piles on the ground and the trunks of the trees. It created such a unique pattern on the tree trunks and that kept them from all looking so alike. And if you used enough pressure, it took up a lot of the black which is why I used it for the snow piles.
Originally I planned for a forest with a camp site in the center that had an open fire. The fire was the movement of my piece. On my practice board, I realized that the fire would be so small in comparison to the page that it wouldnt stand out enough or draw a lot of attention to itself. Also my trees were going to have no bend to them. I had to change my idea. By thinking outside of the box, I decided on adding movement by making the trees sway and having snow flying around. I think this changed my piece for the better because it has much more life to it than my first idea. Also having snow in the background adds depth and texture to my final.
I liked how many different tools we had and how they all had a different effect on the paper. I think what I used the most was the Xacto knife. It made clean, thin lines that were perfect for making the details in the trees. It also was the best tool for making the snowflakes. I liked using the tool that resembled a broom for the snow piles on the ground and the trunks of the trees. It created such a unique pattern on the tree trunks and that kept them from all looking so alike. And if you used enough pressure, it took up a lot of the black which is why I used it for the snow piles.
Originally I planned for a forest with a camp site in the center that had an open fire. The fire was the movement of my piece. On my practice board, I realized that the fire would be so small in comparison to the page that it wouldnt stand out enough or draw a lot of attention to itself. Also my trees were going to have no bend to them. I had to change my idea. By thinking outside of the box, I decided on adding movement by making the trees sway and having snow flying around. I think this changed my piece for the better because it has much more life to it than my first idea. Also having snow in the background adds depth and texture to my final.
Question Two
My most successful piece would have to be my self portrait. The themes were zombie, expressive, and mechanical. I found this to be a hard project because Im not good at drawing people, especially myself. And I found none of the themes were too appealing. My thought was to draw with prismas because I have used them in the past and I like the way they blend. I found this was not easy because Im used to shading with graphite and the look I wanted could not be achieved with Prismas. I did my piece using charcoal, both white and black. I also switched from white paper to textured brown paper. This made the charcoal stand out and not as harsh as it would be against white. The easiest way for me to start this piece was in my comfort zone, skeletons. Ive drawn them before and I knew it would help me line up features on the other half of the face. Im really proud of how it turned out, now with knowing how to shade. Shading made a huge difference to this piece, and made the skull look real. Then I used the proportions we learned in class to draw "my" facial features. If I hadnt learned proportions in this class, my final would look much much worse. I only used white charcoal on the background so that there was a significant contrast. I decdied to draw lace because it seemed very opposite to the skull. I think this was a good choice and it enchanced my final a lot. Im proud of how the lace turned out because I just went for it with no planning and now I cant picture any other way.
Question Three
I chose Bree's look at that view piece. I thought it was a very original idea and she did a really great job. She used prisma colors and you can tell that she layered colors. She put in detail, used clean lines and her composition was good too. She has the camera lenses centered so that its the first thing you see, and she has so much color within the lense. I wish my idea was as strong as hers and that my final turned out that well. I think she followed the requirements of the final to a tee. Its cool how she has the view of a sunset inside of the lense, so its a view inside of a view. Also the shading in the hand is really well done, We had just learned how to shade and I think she really learned from that exercise.