Final Reflection

1. I think my most successful project were the charcoal drawings. In this projects, I successfully explored the different concepts, took risks, and explored the different medium of art. I also think I was really engaged in this projects, and I kept persevering until I was fully satisfied with the project. My favorite part is how precise the details are and also the different values that I included. I remember being hesitant about making some of the parts too light or dark, but looking back, I'm really happy with how it turned out. 
2. The most challenging projects for me were the paintings in the color project. I think I was mainly hard for me to maintain the same shade of color, so I had to paint on top of what I already had if I didn't mix the colors the way I had before. I didn't really think about the textures when I started painting, so it was also hard for me to incorporate the textures. However, by the end of the project, I learned how to make meaningful strokes, which made each painting unique and more diverse.
3.  Composition- I think I improved a lot on making a composition unique and creative. I learned how to use new concepts like balance and movement to add a certain tone to my artwork. Compositions also include color, and I learned what colors make art interesting. All of these aspects also change the focus point of the art, so I liked how I was able to make the focus shift from one part to another, which also made my work more interesting.

         Photoshop- One of the units I enjoyed the most was photography, not only because I like taking pictures, but also because I learned how to use Photoshop. I feel like I really connected with and enjoyed the software because I found it somewhat similar to editing pictures, which I also like doing. I was able to learn about so many new tools like the lasso tool, which ended up being so helpful for all of my photography projects.

          

        "The main part of your composition doesn't have to be in the middle"- I think this lesson was one of the biggest concepts for me. Before I started survey, I thought all drawing and paintings had to be centered, but now I know that having the main part off-centered can be better. This especially changed my view of art during the rayograms, charcoal drawings, and paintings/diptichs, where I was able to experiment with my composition to make it as interesting as it could be.

Landscape Reflection

1. For this project, I wanted to incorporate texture into my drawings and pictures while also showing tension. At first, I didn't really know how to control the ink coming from the brush/caligraphy pen, so a lot of my drawings had many darker values, which brought out the lighter values and created a nice contrast. However, I wasn't as happy with that first one, since I thought they looked "messy," and I think part of that was because I could see where I messed up. For my next drawing, I was proud of it and liked how I gained control of the flow of ink, even though the mountains further away should have been lighter than the ones closer to the foreground. I also tried to make more meaningful strokes in the drawings, which helped to make them look slightly more polished. With all of these lessons that I learned throughout the project, I was able to make my final drawing (the picture of it is attached) my most successful, since it included a variety of textures and values. I became much more comfortable with painting the trees with the mountains, and I really liked how the leaves on the trees had a combination of light and dark values. I took a different approach when taking my pictures at Phoenix Lake. Although I still included the moments of tension, I unintentially took more close-ups than landscape pictures. I really like my first picture (attached) because the area where I focused it draws the most attention. I also like how the background has lighter and darker values mixed into it. I also liked my second picture because the tree roots create an abstract pattern.

2. Based on the feedback I got, I did a good job of using textures and contrast. Also, the people who wrote the feedback said that they liked how I used mountains to create a calming tone. Some suggestions were that I could have added more of a variety in my paintings so that it's easier to find a theme. In some of the paintings, I should have made the background darker than the foreground. I think I also should have also made my second picture a little darker to bring out the dark values.

Plaster Sculpture Reflection

1. I was inspired to create a sculpture similar to one of the pieces we discussed in class, which had an abstract/spiral design. To create a similar sculpture, I started off by drawing someone hugging their body and focused on the person's torso. This gave me the spiral design that I was looking for. Another major aspect of my sculpture was the type of lines in the sculpture. By carving dramatic lines, especially in the middle, I was able to make the sculpture more intriguing and interesting. I also noticed that some of the sculptures had different textures, so I created a contrast in textures by making the top rough and keeping the rest of the sculpture smooth. I also wanted to add a base with a reddish tone, similar to the sculpture we talked about in class, to make the white plaster stand out more.

2. When I first started carving my plaster, it was still wet and crumbly. I definitely did not expect my plaster to be like this, and I refrained from using any bigger tools so that I could become more used to it. I started by using the needle file, which allowed me to start off with an idea of how I wanted to carve it. Once I had a better feel for the plaster, I made some major changes by using the hammer a chisel. Then I used the grater to smooth it out and regain my smooth, cylinder shape. I started to experiment with the different files, and I used a variety of them to create the deep line in the center, the rough side on the top, and the two center ridges.

3. Surprisingly, my intentions didn't really change as much. From the start, I wanted to make an abstract sculpture inspired by one of the sculptures we looked at in class. However, at the beginning, I didn't really think too much about the textures or other technical details such as the lines, but as I was more into the process of carving it, I realized that they were important parts of the sculpture that tied it all together. As a result, I focused more on bringing those aspects out while trying to maintain the abstract feeling of it.

Color Project Reflection

1. By using my camera, I was able to capture the objects at different angles which helped to have the camera focus on a specific part of the picture. I also was able to play around with the aperture so that I can enhance the colors in my composition. In photoshop, I mostly used the magnetic lasso tool so that I could use the exact shapes that my picture consisted of. I also used the smudge tool and different stamps to represent a texture.

2. a. Overall, my diptychs did not influence my future painting choices. I used completely different colors in my four paintings that were not the main focus of my diptychs. In my diptychs, my analogous composition had blue and green, my triad had red, blue, and yellow, my complementary had red and green, and my monochromatic one had different shades of green. On the other hand, my analogous painting had oranges and reds, my triad had red violet, yellow orange, and blue green, my complementary had blue and orange, and my monochromatic had shades of blue. In both of my triad compositions, I used variations of red, blue, and yellow, since I wanted to use a mixture of warm and cool colors.
b. In my paintings and diptychs, I wanted to use a variety of colors. My monochromatic has cooler tones, since I used blue. However, my analogous painting had warmer colors such as yellow and red. In my triad and complementary, I used a mixture of warmer and cooler colors. I think the monochromatic painting has a calmer feeling, but on the other hand, the analogous one has a more energetic feeling. My other paintings have a mixture of both, since the combination of warmer and cooler colors cause your eyes to move to different parts of the painting. My monochromatic and analogous diptychs both used cooler shades such as blue and green, but my triad and complementary ones used a mixture of cool and warm colors. In this case, my monochromatic and analogous had a calmer feeling because of the colder colors, but my other ones had a mixture of emotions.

3. I was able to develop my styles of painting by learning how to add different textures in my compositions. In my first one, I didn't really have an idea of how to add a texture, but by experimenting with my brushstrokes I was able to try out different texture in the rest of my paintings. This helped me become more abstract in my paintings and avoid being exact with the colors. Another way I became more confident was through creating different color combinations. I think using the color wheel enabled me to expand my knowledge of the different categories, as I started experimenting with colors different from the ones I was comfortable with. By combining the textures and color choices, I was able to create  unique compositions and expand my knowledge of the numerous color combinations.

4. I have been able to observe color differently, since I now pay attention to the tone of the colors and where they are on the color wheel. Instead of just using blues and greens, I started experimenting with oranges as well. I'm also able to create different color combinations, now that I know about other combinations on the wheel.

Diptichs

For my first dip tic, I wanted to make an analogous composition using shapes similar to those in the photo that I took. I used blues and greens that were close to each other in the color wheel.

My second dip tic has a triad color scheme. I used the red, yellow, and blue paint bottles for my primary colors.

My fern dip tic is a monotone composition. For this composition, I used the same shade of green for a majority of the Photoshop part, but in my photo, I wanted to capture the different shades of green inside and surrounding the fern. 

For my last dip tic, I took a picture of the curb next to the grass. This was a complement color scheme

Charcoal reflection

1. Representing form- I think that the styles of shading allowed me to make my compositions have a 3D form. This helped me make them look more spherical, which was important in making them look more artistic and interesting. For my lamp drawing, one thing that I had to keep in mind was drawing the shapes inside each light in a way that makes it look more curved. I also had to look at those objects carefully to really make sure that I have all of the right angles and lightings correctly represented. I think these were the main two things that gave my drawing the right dimension and details. For my telescope drawing, I had to focus on the object itself, but also the background. I really wanted to make sure that I had the right shades for the outlines, which all depended on the lighting. Most importantly, shading the telescope with contrasting light and dark shades was essential to giving it form, since it created rounder shapes with dimension. This helped to give it form because it made certain areas pop out, and the shadows also defined the spherical shape very well. Both of these compositions required a certain amount of control for an eraser or charcoal to get the right shades and to make the colors blend in properly. 

2. Evoke emotion- Emotion in art mainly depends on the colors and composition of the piece. In my drawings, the different shading techniques definitely give them different tones. I feel that my lamp drawing looks old fashioned, which makes me feel calmer, but also has a darker tone to it because of the colors, but the shades and compostition combined don't give it a sad or dark emotion, but instead they make me feel content. I think that my telescope drawing has a dramatic or mysterious feeling because of the dark shades contrasting with the white shades. It definitely has a heavier feel to it because of the base, and I think its more powerful because there's only one object to focus on.

3. Define composition- I think that the different styles of shading allowed me to experiment with the different compositions. My lamp drawing represents movement because of the different lights and rhythm from the different patterns on the lights. I also feel that it has a sense of balance because of the placements of the lights. My telescope drawing also has balance because of the base that it's sitting on and movement from the different lines defining the object. The contrast stands out more in this one because the black tones really stand out against the white.

I think that the drawings resonated with me aesthetically, and I really like both of them, even though I would have changed some minor details, now that I'm looking back at it. I really liked the idea of erasing to get the different shades, even though it was a little frustrating at times. I had more control of the shading, since I could control how much I erased. Erasing also allowed me to make the shading look more blended, which I think added to the success of it. I also like how I drew the designs without ruining the composition. I wasn't expecting this one to turn out good, so I overall pretty happy with it. However, looking back at it, I feel that I could have changed some of the shapes and made them look more defined. I also really like my telescope drawing. I am really happy with the way I was able to encorparate the darker shades into the drawing, but I'm also hesitant about it being blended properly. I think I having the table and the grey background helped to make the telescope pop, since it brought out the light and dark shades. I enjoyed creating the different shades with charcoal, especially on the main part of the telescope. At first, I was hesitant about making it too dark, since I felt that I didn't have as much control with the charcoal as I did with the eraser, but now I really like how it makes the telescope stand out. I also feel that this one looks more 3D comparing to the lamp one because of the intense shading.

Charcoal progress

I think that I have done a good job on shading the objects. I really like the different values that I have included, especially on the main part of the telescope. I also like how there is a base that the telescope is sitting on, but like Isy said, there shouldn't be a huge difference in the color of the background and the table. She also said that she liked the defined lines because it makes the telescope pop. However i feel that I should add more defining lines on the parts that fade into the background.