Quarter 2 Goal

Description+Method: My goal for Quarter 2 is to complete at least one piece of art that connects to me on a truly deep and emotional level. Although artwork always has personal undertones to it, not every piece of art contains legitimate sensitivity and feeling. I feel like when the roots of a piece or art extend deep beneath the surface, the outcome is more inspiring and intriguing than any other piece--even if some were drawn, painted, or sculpted by more talented artists. So this year, my Quarter 2 goal is to search my soul, lose myself in my own emotional depth, and create a piece of art that I can truly be proud of.

Assessment: Only I will truly be able to know when I have made artwork that I can connect with--it is something private and immeasurable. This goal is not for my grade, but for my personal artistic improvement.

Quarter 1 Artwork

Sky Andrews is a character purely from my imagination. There isn't much to say about her, except that I wish that I had done this drawing differently. If I were to draw her a second time, I would draw the whole picture in color, because Sky is supposed to have a bold sort of contrast to her features: white skin, black hair, and vivid green eyes. Although I enjoyed playing with different elements-- for example, casting one half of her face in light and the other in darkness-- I would rather have done it all in color, with a dark background.









Although I am not a Justin Bieber fan, my friends convinced me to draw the picture on the front of his famous album: One Time. Much to my surprise, I actually had a great time drawing this piece. Justin's skin is very fair, with rose-colored undertones, which proved highly entertaining as well as challenging to duplicate. After working on the piece for several hours, I decided that it would be complete with a neutral grey background, so as not to distract from the picture itself.

Oh, and a fun fact for Justin's thousands of fans..... the world-famous "Bieber hair" is near impossible to draw.









This is a scene from one of my favorite musicals: Sweeney Todd. I used an ebony pencil, and tried to capture the picture's essence by using mostly shadows, and incorporating just a few flashes of white. I liked this because the white produces an excellent contrast, while the monochromatic shades of gray and black give the drawing a dark, Gothic feel.














As a huge Green Day fan, I thought it appropriate to include at least one project featuring my favorite band. I made a colallage of album covers and photos of the band. This was the first time I've tried creating a collage on Corel, and it was an interesting experience. Green Day is a revolutionary band. The lead singer writes songs that often target the problems with war, hypocrisy, America, and our government. Therefore, I made the background for the collage a torn American flag.




This picture of Eminem was one of my first digital art pieces. Although relatively simple (the picture was merely converted into a negative image and then font was added using WordArt) this was more or less just my first few steps into the world of technological art. What I learned from the experience is that even the most simple digital pieces can look very impressive. I really like the way this piece came out-- especially with the quote from one of his songs--even if it wasn't one of the more challenging.

What an amazing piece of art by Julian Beever!!!!

I love this picture because it really appears to be three-dimensional. However, it's drawn on a COMPLETELY flat sidewalk surface!!

This extraordinary image only appears so rounded when looked at from a certain angle. I also enjoy the affect of the "sunlight" on the top of the "glass".

All in all, this drawing is clever, realistic, and very unique. I love it!!

Blog Post 1

Open-ended Art: In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting and difficult styles of art. This is because you never quite know what the outcome is going to be. I enjoy making art that is beautiful, yet abstract. However, I also find open-ended art to be very challenging; for no matter how hard I try, I always tend to end up with a planned idea in my head.

Fulfillment of Planned Idea: This is perhaps my favorite way to draw, paint, or sculpt. I enjoy making things as accurate and detailed as I possibly can. The only times that Fulfillment of Planned Idea ever tends to frustrate me is when I have a very specific idea in my head, and can't quite get it down on paper the way I want to.

Appreciation/Use of Process: I always have a lot of fun trying to create an image based on sound, smell, or emotion. However, these creations never seem to end up as beautiful as I had originally hoped. Oftentimes they are simply a mess of color and texture. But when I manage to correctly channel my feelings through my art, it always tends to give a deeper and more personal meaning. Succeeding in this field of artwork is a very rewarding experience.

Appreciation of the Finished Project: It is important that the finished project should be of good quality. After all, regardless of how much time, effort, and deep personal meaning is injected into the artwork, in the end, it should be a respectable piece of artwork.

Demonstration of Skill: I enjoy demonstrating my skill through my artwork by focusing on areas of art that I know will enable my success. For example, I am much more confident in my sketches than in, say, watercolor paintings. So when given the choice, I always tend to work with ebony pencil instead of paints. This way I can ensure that my art is the best it can possibly be.

Demonstration of Growth: One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is reflect upon what I have learned. Although, as I mentioned before, I prefer to stay within my comfort zone, by occasionally straying outside of it I unearth talent or potential that I would never have noticed before. And I believe that this, as well as working hard to improve upon what I am already confident in doing, is what makes an excellent demonstration of growth of one year.

Concept Development: As an artist, I enjoy nothing more than adding an underlying message to whatever I draw. I enjoy the interest and captivation of people who see my sketches once and pass them by-- only to look again and understand a deeper meaning that they had originally assumed. Art is a form of self-expression, and there is no better way to express oneself than by adding a subtle undertone to what first appears as an ordinary sculpture, painting, or sketch.

I look forward to an exceptional year full of art and fun!!!!!