https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18etB_isdeGCAYCnXAcE-EnlP13sMdfyqdAnYtZ8eSTw/edit?usp=sharing
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Oh boy. It's sort of surreal that this class is over, honestly. I remember at the beginning of this year, I was so excited about the prospect of finally being in AP art. I'd seen all of these talented students taking the class before me, and it felt like this weirdly unattainable thing. I knew I'd be in the class one day, but part of me still felt like I was still sitting in Art II looking over at the AP kids in independent study. It's funny to me that at the end of Art IV last year I said that it was "one of the most stressful experiences of my high school career." I just want to look back at myself and be like "honey, you've got a big storm coming." I don't think anything really prepared me for the emotional and physical stress of doing 12 pieces in a semester (give or take). As many times as I just wanted to throw in the towel and not even do a portfolio at times, and after so many pieces that I was so frustrated with I just wanted to give up, I can honestly say that this class was crazy fulfilling. I learned that I'm way more hardworking under pressure than I'd previously thought, and I can actually do the things I set my mind to. Beyond that, it was just so cool to have the experience of having this huge body of work (24 pieces, y'all) and being able to share it with other people. Having an art show at the end of the year definitely brought things home as well, because I'd never had the experience of having these real, meaningful conversations with other people about my art. And I'd be lying if I didn't say how gratifying it was that total strangers were able to identify with some of my pieces, and really understand my work. It's so hard to explain how I feel when I think about all of the people who were just so kind to me the night of the art show. I feel like crying and laughing all at the same time. I know some people would say it's superficial to take what other people say about your work so seriously, but when you've been working for all of this time on like, a million pieces, hearing other people say that they love what you've done is incredible. This class has brought me so many amazing relationships, friends, and memories. Even through all of the stress, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm not really sure where or what I'll end up doing in the future, but I know that art is going to be a part of my life no matter what. It always has been, from back when I painted my entire body blue, or drew on the walls of my older brother's bedroom. Art is part of who I am now, I'm stuck with it, and I couldn't be happier about it. Just please don't ask me to create a 24 piece portfolio ever again.
Everyone knows the classic metaphor "rose-colored glasses" when referring to optimism and having a positive outlook on life. I wanted this piece to play off of that idea, but have a slightly darker and more thought-provoking theme to it. It was mostly about being too optimistic, and sort of being blinded by it. There are people who always choose to see the good in things and people, which is usually a good quality, but can be hurtful in some cases. This is why I wanted it to look like the roses were bruising the skin around them, as if they were something harmful.
I chose watercolor for the medium for this piece because, for one, I was in a major rush and watercolor was the quickest thing I could think of to use, and also because I liked the sort of abstract feel it gave the piece. Blending out the skin tones with watercolors is so much easier and faster than doing it with colored pencil, and it really allowed for a cool effect with the colors I used. I like making the colors of my pieces pretty cohesive, and I feel like this piece is one of the most cohesive ones I've done. The lips match the roses in the eyes,and the skin tones as well, and even though the purple around the roses works well with the other colors, it is different enough to really pop out and contrast with the rest of the piece. I started off kind of hating this piece, but it's interesting, because the more I look at it, the more I actually find myself liking it. This piece was based around the idea of being weighed down by everything happening around you, and being overwhelmed at the same time. I named it after a song lyric(this is becoming a theme if you haven't noticed) by the Lumineers that goes "or is it hard work, dear, holding the atmosphere." I decided to use this as the title because it worked so well with the imagery I drew, and also with the theme of the portrait. I liked the heaviness and turmoil that the clouds insinuate in the emotions of this portrait, and I felt like the idea of "holding the atmosphere" worked really well with the idea of holding your own inner thoughts. I definitely wanted this piece to be one of my more emotional and thought-provoking ones, and I honestly love the way it came out.
In terms of the actual processes, I think this piece came together pretty quickly in contrast to some of the other pieces. I feel like I was in a groove of sorts, and the actual sketching/getting the proportions right came really easily to me for this portrait. It's definitely true that doing something over and over again improves your skill, and I'm glad I picked this theme as a later piece, because I think my technique had improved a lot. That absolutely made this piece feel more rewarding, and I can honestly say it's one of my favorites. I know I say that for literally every one of my pieces, but there's something about this piece that I just love. Maybe it's the movement in the clouds, or that the color combinations I used to make it more cohesive. Regardless, I'm very proud of this piece. The natural element behind this piece is the bark of birch trees, which are known for their peeling effect. Even though the peeling of the bark is totally normal in the trees, I thought it added a cool effect of decay to a portrait. I wanted it to show a good representation of the feeling of everything coming apart, and being overwhelmed by life in general. I liked the angle of the portrait and the emotion on her face because it shows some vulnerability, which I think adds a different layer and element to the piece.
Technique wise, I think this is one of the best portraits I've done. I think the proportions and colors all came together really well, and surprisingly easily. I would say that after doing so many portraits in a row, it has definitely become a lot easier to get the proportions of faces down, as well as figuring out the shadows and highlights of the skin. I will say that consistently practicing the same techniques and different portrait angles, expressions, and shapes has been soo beneficial in growing my technique and skill with portraiture. I'm not 100% sure what it is about this piece that I love so much. Maybe it's the cohesive colors, or the fact that I love birch trees so much that this piece just immediately is a fave of mine, and it might simply be the fact that it's a portrait I did relatively quickly and genuinely like. Regardless, I know this will be one of my favorite pieces for a long time, and I'm so pleased with the way it came out. I also love how interpretive it is, it could totally mean something different to everyone who looks at it, and that's really cool to me. I love watercolor because they go so quick and look so interesting when you're done with them. I absolutely love the way the watercolor has made this piece look. The little splotches of color here and there create a really interesting movement, and definitely have a different look from my other pieces. I also really like how the composition of this piece is different from most of the other things I've done. I originally didn't want to do a piece at this angle, but the time crunch paired with my idea actually made this weird angle work really well. So, the idea behind this piece is being overwhelmed and feeling trapped in all of the things going on in your life. This piece definitely is more personal to me because I am pretty much constantly stressed out, and I get overwhelmed super easily. Anxiety and being overwhelmed is something that can absolutely hinder and hold you back from doing things that you want to do, so I wanted to use a part of nature that is known for holding things in place: roots. I love the way roots intertwine together and create these really beautiful linear patterns, so I knew that I wanted to use them in one of my pieces. Having them come across the body of this portrait shows the idea of being trapped inside of something, whether it's literally the tree roots on her body or the idea of being trapped within your own mind. Again, I have no idea if that is what people will get out of this piece, but it's what I was feeling while I was creating it.
I said before how much I love watercolor portraits, and that definitely rings true here. The emotional quality of watercolors is so different from that of other mediums, so I think it paired really nicely with this piece and the metaphor it represents. I still do feel like this piece is missing something, and even though I know it's unfinished, I think I'll still end up adding more detail to the roots with colored pencil to really pull out the roots. Since it's my last piece of the quarter, I've been really reflecting on this piece and the old ones I've done. I'm really proud of what I've done so far this semester, and I think a simple watercolor piece like this was the perfect way to end the quarter and give me a break from the complicated and detailed pieces I've done before this. I think now I'm really prepared to go into the new quarter with a clear head an knock out some really good pieces. SO. A while back in art 4, I did a piece very similar to this in pen and ink, but we don't talk about her. I loved the idea of the piece and the way it looked, but the face and hair was something that I absolutely hated. I also wanted it to fit into my concentration visually, and the black and white just wasn't what I imagined for the piece. At first, I was really worried about the way it was turning out in watercolor, but I knew there was no other way I could get a piece done quickly by the time it was due, so I kept at it. I like the way it looks now way more, and I'm so glad I forced myself to keep working on it. The idea behind this piece is how we tend to close ourselves off from people, experiences, etc. when we get hurt or go through something hard. In nature, roses use thorns to protect themselves from predators, so I wanted to use thorny vines as something to represent shutting yourself off from the world, so to speak. I also wanted the torso to be totally flat and empty to represent the feeling of emptiness after something bad happens to you, and I think the weirdness of how flat the chest is really makes this piece interesting and draws your eye in.
In terms of technique, this piece is definitely far from over. The hair is going to need some help, and I think I'll go in with prismacolor later on to really add some new details and dimension to this piece. I like the emotion and color I've used in the face, but I will definitely go in and refine the darks and lights more once the hair is finished to really bring out that emotion. I can already say that I like this piece way more than the first one I did like this, and I love the way the watercolors create a different kind of texture and movement. I think watercolors definitely add a distinct emotional value to a piece, and I think they were totally the right medium for this piece. Overall, I know this isn't my best piece ever, and there are areas that are still gonna need some TLC, but for a quick piece I'm actually really pleased with this turnout. And when I look at this one versus the one I was basing it off of from last semester (feel free to check it out under Art 4, but I wouldn't recommend), I can really see the improvement in my work. I think the composition is more interesting with the wild hair, I think there is a totally different emotion to it, and I think it is overall a way stronger piece. I can't wait to see how it turns out when it's finished for real. (UPDATE: This is the final picture, the text above was written before the piece was actually finished) The idea behind this piece is the symbolism of butterflies for change and "metamorphosis." I titled it "for the better," because to me, butterflies show hope for things to improve and a change for the better. I think for a lot of people, change is really scary and is something that is avoided, but with this piece I really wanted to show the idea of positive change. I wanted the woman in this piece to be very serious and strong because it would not only highlight the brightness of the butterflies in contrast to her expression, but to show how you can come out of bad experiences or hard times better off than you were before. I have honestly no idea if that is what people will get from this piece, but it's where my head was at when I was creating it, and I can genuinely say that this is one of my all-time favorite pieces I've done.
I think there's a trend that the portraits I love the most have the best noses. Just hear me out. I hate drawing noses with a PASSION, and I honestly think that getting the nose right makes the portraits look so much better. I spent so much time trying to get the different features of this portrait to look right, and I think that that's why I end up loving them more than the others; I can always see the time and energy I put into them coming to life. There's something really captivating about this woman's expression, and I think a huge part of why I like this piece is because you are so drawn in to it. A friend of mine in my class recommended that I make some of the butterflies blue like her eyes, and I think it made a huge difference. It makes the eyes look almost electric, and then the color discord with the orange butterflies really makes the piece more interesting. I love this piece so much, and considering it took me the least time of my concentration pieces so far, I'm pretty proud of it too. |
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