Summer Work
1- Self-Portrait- watercolor
2- Mixed Media- ink, acrylic, watercolor
3 & 4- Concentration- ink
5- 9- Unusual Interiors- photographs
10- Bottle Painting - acrylic
2- Mixed Media- ink, acrylic, watercolor
3 & 4- Concentration- ink
5- 9- Unusual Interiors- photographs
10- Bottle Painting - acrylic
Reflection- aquarium
This was my first time with prismacolors in a while, so it took some practice to get into the swing of things. Over the summer, I had set up a new aquarium, so I decided to do a piece on it. The glass reflects my face because sometimes I will sit watch it for a long time. At nighttime, the aquarium will often glow when the room is dark, so I chose black to emphasize the blues and white of the aquarium lights. First, the highlights of the glass, water, and face were done to make it stand out more, then the rest of the details were filled in. In the end, I feel that I have gotten better with prismas, but I could still learn to blend and make transparent surfaces. I am satisfied with this piece, and feel it is a good start towards learning how to better use prismas.
Apples- oil paint
To start off with oils, I tried too different methods, a pallet knife and regular brushes. I liked the brushes much better in terms of blending, but the pallet knife gave a much more interesting texture.
Everyday Object
This was my first big painting with oil paints, so I was a little nervous to start on it. I first started on the point of focus, the shift stick. I started with the highlights, and then painted the darks in. The painting eventually spread out from there. getting to the cupholders, and then the console. I chose cooler colors, because I felt that the interior of a car was cold and not really warm save for the sunlight. The metallic parts of the stick and rim were hard to contrast against the softer leather and plastic parts. For a first time, this wasn't too bad. However, if there were some things I could change about it, it would be making the darker colors stand out more, and not having a major emphasis on the brightness. I think that this project was a step towards being able to use oils well, and has taught me some lessons that I will definitely keep in mind in the future.
Interior Spaces
When I think of interior spaces, I think of spaces that I see daily. One of the spaces that I see daily is my closet when I wake up. I decided to use watercolor and pen since they were mediums I was familiar with and thought could best convey the what I see. Since I had done watercolor before, I decided to challenge myself a little and go bigger than usual. First, I drew a pencil outline of the room, then I used watercolor to color it. The reference picture I had taken was taken at night with a bright light in the other corner of the room. Because of that, I decided to use primarily different shades of blue and yellow. These colors definitely worked well together, as the yellow helped the blue stand out more. To help emphasize the the darker areas and make everything pop out, I added pen outlines an cross hatching for shading. This definitely helps the darker area stand out a lot more. It also helped emphasize the distance of the dresser and the doors from the bed. If I were given more time to work on this, I would have added more pen to the picture, mainly to the darker areas to help the brighter parts stand out more, same with the dresser.
The main challenge was in the size. It was tough to have a large piece and still stick to the amount of detail that I would with a smaller piece. Using the watercolor definitely helped with this, as it allowed me to get large areas without using too much paint. The pen was the hard part, as crosshatching is tedious for large areas. In the end, I feel that it turned out pretty good for a large piece, and I wouldn't mind doing a large piece with watercolor and pen again.
The main challenge was in the size. It was tough to have a large piece and still stick to the amount of detail that I would with a smaller piece. Using the watercolor definitely helped with this, as it allowed me to get large areas without using too much paint. The pen was the hard part, as crosshatching is tedious for large areas. In the end, I feel that it turned out pretty good for a large piece, and I wouldn't mind doing a large piece with watercolor and pen again.
My Mentee
My mentee is Cameran. We talked about each other's favorite art styles and our past projects. His blog link is cameran-apex-2018.weebly.com. I found interesting was the Zentangle that he did with a turtle. I liked his choice of patterns and the way they came together to form a turtle. It was well-done and mesmerizing to look at.
The Robo-Pirate
The theme of this piece was "Nature Turns Mechanical." One of the first things that came to mind was robot limbs. One kind of person that would frequently lose limbs was a pirate. So I decided to do a pirate with robot limbs. One of the best mediums to use to illustrate a scene is pen and ink. It was my first time using ink, so used it mainly as a way to shade darker areas. Pens were used to crosshatch in lighter areas, and create textures for smaller things, such as the wood and the beard. The pen and ink complimented each other very well, and conveyed a storybook theme.The biggest challenge was figuring out where it was more appropriate to just use ink as opposed to the pen. The size made it very tempting to just use ink on every part of the shading, as it was easier than crosshatching on large areas. It was difficult to use small lines on a very large space. The pirate also required a lot more attention to detail than I was used to, particularly in the texture of the metal limbs. Overall, I think it turned out great, and I will definitely use ink and pen more in the future.
Self-Portrait
Whenever I'm in a play or musical, typically I play the villains. It's fun to play the bad guys because you aren't limited to just good stuff. Because of this, I decided to have a little fun and make myself look like a villain. For my choice of colors, I chose black, red, and white. I chose these colors because they gave off a sinister feel, and it gave a nice contrast of lights and darks on the face. I didn't want a super-realistic portrait, as it might ruin the villainous theme. I used the brightness of acrylics to create a cartoon-like over the top villain. To do this, I first painted the whites on the face since it was the lightest part. I then worked my way around by adding different shades of red and black and brown to the hair. When I had finished the person, I had no idea what to do with the background. I had originally planned to have an all-white background, but that would make the face hard to make out against the background. To fix that, I decided to run with the villain theme even more and make it seem like I had just unleashed my evil plan of destruction. I painted the sky, then various buildings that were burning or exploding. I made the buildings simple outlines to make the portrait seem more cartoony and so that it doesn't distract from the center of the piece. I even added a chair to make it seem like I just don't care.
In the end, I think that this was a success, the bright color scheme really works in the portrait's favor. If I had more time, I would have made the sky more than just a blue background and make the explosions a bit brighter. In the end, this project is one of my favorites of the semester.
In the end, I think that this was a success, the bright color scheme really works in the portrait's favor. If I had more time, I would have made the sky more than just a blue background and make the explosions a bit brighter. In the end, this project is one of my favorites of the semester.
Mixed Media
For this project, my mentee and I decided to start with a red, white, and gold color scheme. We first just added randomly to see what would come out of it. That didn't work too well, so we decided to go with a theme of some sorts. Since the cards and the colors gave a casino feel to it, we decided to run with it and have a casino table theme. To add to the composition, we added some print patterns so that the yellow and red would go better together. While I don't think this is the best piece, it definitely taught me a lesson in composition and how it isn't just a random mess.
Pumpkin Prisma
Originally, when I first started this project, I thought it would be fairly easy and straight forward since I had a picture for reference. When I realized the detail that had to be put into this, I decided to go small, so I wouldn't have to overwhelm myself with all the little details that are in it. I started lightly with the center pumpkin since I wanted it to be the focal point. To make it the focal point, it had to have the most detail put into it. This was actually the easiest part. The hardest part was the floor boards. Wood floor boards aren't just straight brown, black, or white. The lines were a bit intimidating at first, but they turned out all right. Starting with the brown helped break the boards down to where it wasn't overwhelming. The large pumpkin on the right was next, and it basically got the same treatment as the center pumpkin, which I'm afraid might have taken focus away from the center. The squash had the highlights done first, then the dark areas. Everything else was simple blending of light and dark colors. The thing I would change if I could do it over is spending more time with it so I could add more detail to the squash and other areas of the pumpkins.
Pet portrait
Out of all the pets my family has, my favorite is the dog. The dog is warm, friendly, and will do silly things. Whenever I come home, the dog always bounces around, then lays on its side to get a belly rub. The standard portrait couldn't do my dog justice, so I decided to do a painting of it waiting for a belly rub. I decided to make the background dark so the dog could stick out more. Oils were my medium for this as I thought that it would help with fur textures. However, I just couldn't get the fur right in the way that a realist would. To make up for it, I painted tufts at the ends of the dog to make it seem like it was fur and not something smooth. The dog also has various shades of yellow and white on her fur. This was done with different blocks of color rather than blended color. I think this worked very well for it as it gave a distinct look. One thing that is noticeable is that the dog's eyes are bigger in the portrait than in real life. This was somewhat on purpose. The realistic eyes would've made it look realistic, but also more like a standard portrait of a dog. The eyes were made bigger to convey that the dog is excited and is full of love. The mouth was also painted to look like a smile. This was done on accident, though it does compliment the eyes in adding to the overall happy look of the dog.
If there was one thing I would change, it would be the medium. I felt that oil paint is a good medium, but it just wasn't right for color-blocking. I would change the medium to acrylic, since it dries faster and would make the dog brighter. It would also make the background not as difficult to paint. Additionally, I would make the blue column next to the dog not stick out like it does. It distracts from the dog, which is supposed to be the focal point. I think this picture really did a good job of showing my dog's personality in this one pose, though there are some things that could be fixed.
If there was one thing I would change, it would be the medium. I felt that oil paint is a good medium, but it just wasn't right for color-blocking. I would change the medium to acrylic, since it dries faster and would make the dog brighter. It would also make the background not as difficult to paint. Additionally, I would make the blue column next to the dog not stick out like it does. It distracts from the dog, which is supposed to be the focal point. I think this picture really did a good job of showing my dog's personality in this one pose, though there are some things that could be fixed.
Mountain Landscape
When I think of amazing landscape, I think of a certain mountain that allowed one to see up to seven states. The area I painted depicts the part where one can see Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia. I decided to turn to oil paints again, as I believed the ability to blend would help convey the vastness of the view. I started with the sky first, since it was the furthest thing. I continued by painting the farthest mountains first, and coming back until I came to the trees. I applied the same method to the trees, which turned out decent. Same thing with the rocks, but with more blocked off colors. I then added details, such as cities in the distance, and clouds in the sky.
This piece turned out okay, but there is certainly more that can be done to it. I think that the oil paints could've been used better. The blending is a bit much towards the back, with the distance fading into the sky rather than being a distinct horizon. Also, the leaves should be more than just various strokes of light and dark green. Overall, I think this piece is good, but needed a bit more time spent on it.
This piece turned out okay, but there is certainly more that can be done to it. I think that the oil paints could've been used better. The blending is a bit much towards the back, with the distance fading into the sky rather than being a distinct horizon. Also, the leaves should be more than just various strokes of light and dark green. Overall, I think this piece is good, but needed a bit more time spent on it.
Comic Page #1
For my concentration, I decided to have a little fun and do a superhero comic. Of course, I can't just draw pictures of a superhero and a super villain fighting and calling it a day. This first page sets up the super villain and why he will fight the hero. The mall cop is put in just to give the villain a reason to expose himself, as he can't be a mystery forever. The last panel shows his hand, leaving the reader to wonder what lies under the hood. My choice of medium for this is pen and ink, as they are the traditional media for comics. I relied less on the pen and more on the ink. This was to capture the classic comic book feel. The pen was mainly used for outlines, while the ink was used for shading. I used black and white to help set up the ominous tone of this page, and felt that it gave it a black and white movie feel.
If I were to go back and do this over, I would mainly focus on the little details of each panel. While traditionally comics don't focus on that kind of detail, I felt that there was too much open space with not enough objects to fill it up with. Lastly, I would redo the text digitally. A typed out speech bubble looks much nicer and is less of a hassle than handwritten speech. This is a solid start to my concentration, and it only goes up from here.
If I were to go back and do this over, I would mainly focus on the little details of each panel. While traditionally comics don't focus on that kind of detail, I felt that there was too much open space with not enough objects to fill it up with. Lastly, I would redo the text digitally. A typed out speech bubble looks much nicer and is less of a hassle than handwritten speech. This is a solid start to my concentration, and it only goes up from here.
Comic Page #2
This is the page where the hero is introduced and given the conflict which he must solve. The initial problem was that there were so many ways to introduce the hero to the conflict. He could have been passing by, been nearby where the villain acted up, etc. I decided to make the superhero a bored writer who is told of a fire started by a armored arsonist. Ready to jump into action, the hero thanks the caller for the tip, and changes into his uniform, ready to fight. The main reason why I had the hero change after a call was because I wanted to establish him as a thrill-seeker, the 4th panel shows him clearly happy that he is finally getting the action he wants.
The media used is again pen and ink. I used black and white to try and get the classic movie look, but it didn't seem to work as well as the last page. Cross-hatching was more prevalent in this page than in the last one, and it seemed to work where it was placed. If I were to go back and do it over, I would add a background in the hero's panels. The 3rd panel with the mall on fire was the strongest panel due to its lighting and objects in the background. If I were to do the same with every other panel, I believe the whole piece would be much better. Last but certainly not least, I would redo the speech bubbles digitally and typed. Its less tedious and looks nicer. I think this is a good continuation of the comic, and there are still many areas which need to be improved. It is a good stepping stone in making a better quality comic page.
The media used is again pen and ink. I used black and white to try and get the classic movie look, but it didn't seem to work as well as the last page. Cross-hatching was more prevalent in this page than in the last one, and it seemed to work where it was placed. If I were to go back and do it over, I would add a background in the hero's panels. The 3rd panel with the mall on fire was the strongest panel due to its lighting and objects in the background. If I were to do the same with every other panel, I believe the whole piece would be much better. Last but certainly not least, I would redo the speech bubbles digitally and typed. Its less tedious and looks nicer. I think this is a good continuation of the comic, and there are still many areas which need to be improved. It is a good stepping stone in making a better quality comic page.