The artist style painting that we did during second semester is by far one of the best pieces of art I've created. This was also the longest project I did in Art 2 (or art 1) I spent at least two weeks on it, and I also took it home with me to work on it even more. I was supposed to paint in the style of Mary Cassatt, an Impressionistic painter, but I found that as I went on I didn't feel like I was painting in someone else's style. One of my favorite things about this painting is the contrast in lights and darks. There's a lot of contrast between the dark green mountains in the background and the bright, reflective water in the foreground. Even just in the water there are different shades of blues that give value and depth. I feel like I was able to capture the movement of light. By adding so many different colors to the water I achieved the Impressionistic "glowy" kind of look. It was kind of difficult at first to see any colors in water except for blue, but I learned that if I pulled out the purples and greens the water looked so much more interesting. I tried to also pull the colors from the water into the sky since the water is a reflection of the sky. I found that this gave my piece a more balanced look. I definitely think that creating this painting helped improve my skills. I learned so much about lights, shadows, and color while painting this. Even though I was trying to paint in the style of a different artist, I think that this project might have helped me learn more about my own style.
Question 1: Two pieces that show my growth as an artist
Question 1: Two pieces that show my growth as an artist
The first project that helped me grow as an artist is definitely the pen and ink perspective drawing. Prior to this project I'd never used pen and ink, and I knew that I wanted to challenge myself with it. Something in particular that made me a better artist is the way I applied the ink. I used so many different techniques such as hatching, cross hatching, stippling, and even my own "invented" methods. This piece shows a lot of growth in how I show texture as well, using all of those techniques. Some areas were entirely stippling, such as the ground outside the building. On the side of the building I used my own method to give a unique texture. The amount of depth and value I achieved was surprising to me, since this was my first time using pen and ink. I also grew in my choice of subject matter. This project opened my eyes to my ability to draw subjects with a lot of detail, which helped me quite a bit in future projects. I was very proud of the way I captured emotion in this piece as well. It kind of feels as though the building has a story, and was more than just an abandoned gas station. I will definitely be using pen and ink in the future, and I know that this project helped me improve my technique, line quality, value, and perspective drawing.
The close up nature project is one that I didn't really like when I finished it. Looking at it now, I see that it actually helped me grow a lot. For starters, it challenged my skills with watercolors. I'd never really used them before and suddenly I had taken on this huge task of water droplets on a flower. I also learned a lot about watercolor techniques, such as transparent layers, wet on wet, and dry brush. I had to wait patiently every time I painted a new layer so that I could achieve more value. Even now, looking at the final piece I think I could stand to use more dry brush and intensify the depth/value. The monochromatic look of the painting made it look very unified. Another element of this project that helped me grow was the challenge of water droplets. It really made me think about light and shadows to make the water look more real. Taking such a big risk improved my art making so much, and I'm really glad I chose this project. Using watercolor in the future will definitely not be nearly as intimidating.
Question Two: Another student's work that was exemplary
The close up nature project is one that I didn't really like when I finished it. Looking at it now, I see that it actually helped me grow a lot. For starters, it challenged my skills with watercolors. I'd never really used them before and suddenly I had taken on this huge task of water droplets on a flower. I also learned a lot about watercolor techniques, such as transparent layers, wet on wet, and dry brush. I had to wait patiently every time I painted a new layer so that I could achieve more value. Even now, looking at the final piece I think I could stand to use more dry brush and intensify the depth/value. The monochromatic look of the painting made it look very unified. Another element of this project that helped me grow was the challenge of water droplets. It really made me think about light and shadows to make the water look more real. Taking such a big risk improved my art making so much, and I'm really glad I chose this project. Using watercolor in the future will definitely not be nearly as intimidating.
Question Two: Another student's work that was exemplary
This piece by Stacia really caught my eye when we critiqued the project. Something about it was just very aesthetically pleasing to me. I loved how clean and crisp all of the lines were, and how well she applied the paint. Another element of her painting that I was really drawn to is how vibrant her colors are. The way she captured shadows on the building was spot on as well. When I looked up the artist she was painting in the style of (Edward Hopper) I saw that she imitated his style incredibly well. His paintings all seem to have an almost flat look to them and Stacia did this really well while still having depth and shadow. Even the small details like the sort of lopsided lines on the bricks look similar to Hopper's style. I was also greatly impressed with how Stacia took on the challenge of a realistic scene, since they can be quite difficult. She did an awesome job with this project, and went above and beyond expectations.