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Before freshman year, my art practice was sporadic at best. I had not picked up my sketchbook in weeks, doodling maybe once or twice a month. My skills had run dry, and I soon fell out of love with drawing in general.

When I started art class at BHS, I was beyond excited. I had hoped that this art class would become a safe place for me during the school day, and it has. I look forward to coming to class everyday, and I am sad to leave this routine until it is resumed next fall. But most of all, by practicing a little bit of art every day, I reignited my passion for it.

Throughout the year, I struggled, succeeded, and stumbled through my new experiences in this class, and I believe I have grown as an artist overall. I had the opportunity to experiment with materials I had not used ever (white ink) and materials I had not picked up in a long time (acrylic paint, watercolor, ballpoint, charcoal, pastel). By allowing myself to try new things, I was able to expand my skill set, open my horizons to materials I may use in the future, and explore my capacity for creativity and improvisation (which, as I have learned, are sometimes the same thing.) I struggled with many challenges this year, all of which I learned to navigate through and create something richer than my original plan. The overarching lesson I learned from each project was that not everything turns out the way you want it to. I learned that not everything is perfect, and that to handle the challenges we face we must "roll with the punches" and adapt to the situation that is presented to us.

In terms of the future, I definitely hope to keep exploring new materials and subjects. Next year I plan to apply for AP Studio Art, and over the summer I plan to keep a sketchbook to create a visual journal of my travels through Poland. Overall, though, my goal is to grow as an artist and discover what art means to me and learn how to convey that through my work.

Thank you, Ms. Stevenson, for giving me the best year of art experience I have ever had!

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My own hand as a model
To be considered: ring&watch in drawing?

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Cityscape photos done by a friend

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Live hand model: Catherine

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I really got the inspiration for this piece from the lyrics of a song I like–"I see the universe inside of you"–and I decided to create a work that represents that. I love those lyrics because it is representative of so many things. In my interpretation, the words mean that a person holds so much potential to accomplish great things. As a compound meaning, the lyrics also create a sense of depth: people are more complex as we perceive them to be, and have infinite components that we have not yet discovered, much like the depths of our own universe. I decided to portray this by creating the portrait and the universe to appear as one, blending in and out of each other. A linear symphony was my vision, and I am satisfied with my result.

In terms of composition, my image left much to be desired. It was a simple, straight-on, centered photo that held little compositional value. To fix this, I tripled my silhouette (also adding to the concept of complexity) and layered them over each other. This way, as a viewer observes the piece, the lines begin to lose their context as a portrait and become simply a coalition of lines and blobs that blend into the stars and nebulas around them. The collections of stars in the background also divide the piece into a few different sectors and areas of interest, creating a more cohesive movement of the eye.

These changes improved the composition and interest of the piece. In addition, I feel that the layered lines and hazy colors add a surreal sense to the piece.

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After finishing the stars and nebulas, I decided that the background was too subtle, and that from a distance, the colors of the galaxy could not be adequately seen. So, I added in chalk pastel washes to highlight the vibrancy of some of the colors. By first applying the color to my fingers then blending the pigment into areas of color, I was able to achieve a subtle-yet-vibrant effect throughout the piece. As compared to the previous image, the tones in the galaxy pop out more.

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Here, I began to go back and add more small, distant-looking stars, as well as exaggerated the existing nebulas. At this point, I made the decision to continue the galaxy throughout the figures. This brought continuity, and further symbolic integration to the piece.

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Unfortunately, process pictures of the background were lost in their transfer to Padlet. For the background, I used a very wet watercolor technique to create a melted, dimensional color palette. For colors, I used Joe's Blue, Crimson, Black, Yellow Ochre, and Magenta. To achieve moments of natural white galactic formations, I dotted in diluted white acrylic paint and allowed it to spread as it wished.
In the foreground, I decided to enhance the composition of the figure by tripling the silhouette and layering them. (I did this by using transfer paper, because the watercolor paint was too dark and too layered for the light table.) To imitate the nature of stars and their varying sizes and visible opacities, I decided to try using white ink. I used a thin brush to apply the liquid ink from the bottle. After outlining the figures, I went in and accentuated the collections of stars that had been previously outlined by the pools of watercolor. Instead of mimicking the reference photo, I decided to use the natural lines of the paint that was already on the paper. This helped to develop a more natural-looking galaxy. To improve composition, I used a dark ridge of paint that had formed down the center of the piece and highlighted it with a concentration of stars. This helped divide the piece and allow the eye to follow a more organized path of movement.

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Galaxy image projected; straight-on, centered composition

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Stylistic inspiration

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line quality

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I like the linear clarity of this drawing

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I intended my character to take on a mysterious, dark personality, while maintaining a sense of innocence. After reviewing my critiques, it seems that the viewers came away with that general impression. To convey these traits, I used a midnight setting and darker colors for the background, hair, and antlers, while leaving the skin luminous and the eyes a green to contrast the purple skin tones. I made sure to use a stark white color periodically throughout the piece (in the eyes, hair/antler highlights) to balance the darks out. Also, I chose to use this same white in the moon to create a strong visual tie between the foreground and background, deepening the understanding the viewer has of the personality traits of the character (makes darkness of background seem connected to the character herself).

After the critique, I added a few more details with colored pencil to improve depth, as suggested.

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Apologies! My phone broke right before I finished the piece and unfortunately I lost ALL process pictures :((( I am very sorry!

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Before going straight to watercolor paper, I decided to sketch my design on sulphite paper, then use the light table to trace it onto the final piece. This ensures the cleanest initial line drawing possible.

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Reference View: Observational Graphite Drawing

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Reference View: Observational Graphite Drawing

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For this drawing, I observed a piece of wood.

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I finished creating and smoothing the figure, adding shadows under the curve to shape it softly. I tried using white charcoal, but it turned out too harsh for the rest of the piece. So, I continued with erasing the charcoal to create highlights.

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To create a reference figure, I taped a strip of paper to card stock. I made sure to focus on getting soft edges instead of hard outlines by using shadow and highlight instead of line work.

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In this project, I have definitely gotten better at freehand pen work. Previously, I would always have to sketch and plan everything meticulously. This project, though, allowed me to practice trusting my instincts in terms of composition. I definitely struggled with this, as well. Getting myself to let go of wanting to be a perfectionist and to not make any mistakes was difficult, but it became easier as the project progressed. I can say for sure that this project would not be the same if I had sketched the illustrations out beforehand, or if I did not allow myself to relax into the natural movement of the piece.

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I am almost finished with the inked background, but the pen I am using ran out of ink and I can't find a replacement with the same tone and opacity. For the patterns, I used thin line work to create simple shapes that look complex from afar. To break up the patterns, I interjected images throughout the piece. These images have correlation the the bolded words on the book page. I also made sure to leave some blank areas (such as the mask and skin on the face, the hand, leaf, and clouds) to give the eye resting places and to balance the busy patterns. Another thing I considered along with pattern was line quality. To balance the thin line work, I made sure to add areas of bold black. I feel that this grounds the patterns and helps direct the eye around the piece.

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I had two ideas for this project, but I ultimately chose the second one. For this project, I have to practice my painting skills and precision, as well as depicting realistic body parts.

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I forgot to take more progress pictures, but in this image, I have the black background done, the teeth painted white, and the lip color finished. I still have to refine the shape of the lips with black and touch up the words on the book page. A concern I have is the curling paper, but I plan to glue the page down onto the clean side of the cardboard. I have yet to decide what adhesive I want to use to attach the page to the board without making it lumpy or crinkly.

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I think I've developed a more natural technique and have definitely gained practice in a variety of mediums. This semester, I struggled with composition and creating pieces that are unique and fresh, while maintaining movement and interest. Next semester, I would love to experiment with oil paint and continue to develop my technical skills and knowledge as an artist.

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I am unable to get a picture onto my padlet, as it is in Google Doc. My group members have the picture as well.

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Graphite sketch on canvas sheet

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Using a blend of red and blue to form a mauve-ish purple, I began sketching out the features of the figures. I decided to leave the bottom portion of their bodies blank. Instead of continuing the color down to the bottom of the page, I used white to create a rough fade-off.

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I continued to deepen the skin colors and add definition and colored a basic layout of the hair.

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Finished figures

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I used the same colors I used to make the skin color to create the background. Each side of the painting has its own tint to it, but in the center are the 4 colors that make up the rest of the painting.

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Finished composition done with watercolor and ink

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For the background, I decided to keep the interruptions and style them using black and white as a basic concept. I tried to pay attention to the way in which I colored the shapes. Instead of coloring in back and forth motions, I used strokes that emulate the flow of the shapes themselves. This helped add movement to an otherwise stagnant composition.

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I finished inking the figure, and started planning what I would do with the background. I had trouble figuring out what would look best.

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I started to color in the top with a thin black sharpie marker. In this phase, I began to map out where I wanted ink and which areas I would leave blank.

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In this step, I used the blender pencil to intensify and blur the colors together.

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Finished interrupted figure piece. Done with colored pencil and ink.

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I started to bring in a range of colors that are between yellow and purple, using these to create skin color rather than a traditional skin color. I decided to use this pop of color to add variety to the black that I added later.

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In this phase of the project, I just started to lay out the basic areas that I would later color. I used a yellow to sketch in light areas and a purple to lay out shadows. I thought these colors would look good in the final composition because they are contrasting, adding variety and interest.

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This is the initial sketch, already interrupted, on a thick, off-white paper.

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For this sketch, I chose an unusual angle to practice proportions and foreshortening.

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20 minute sketch

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Practice sketches of the figure based on dancers, yoga positions, and a live model.

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For this layer, I decided to add more loose color blooms. First, I laid down a thick layer of clean water. Then, I began dropping in concentrated reds, blues, and yellows using brushes that were saturated with water. The result was a bunch of pigment puddles, blending colors and running together. This photo was taken right after the layer had been put down, not having dried at all. Hopefully, when the pice dries, this layer will look similar to the background. I will let this layer dry laying flat, rather that standing it up as usual.

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I decided to create a fall-inspired painting that features deep colors and dimensional compositions. To create a negative space piece with depth, I worked in thin layers of paint. Then, I built up many layers of color to create as much dimension and color depth as possible. Though the subject is a concrete object, I added splatters and drip effects to create an air of abstraction as well.

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For this painting, I really wanted to explore new techniques with watercolor. Up until this point, I have never fully utilized the wet-on-wet technique, so my goal for this piece was to create something that highlighted wet-on-wet washes. In this case, I decided to create a colorful wet-on-wet background with a minimal foreground. The focus on this piece is drawn to the background rather than the foreground, which gives it an aspect of variety as compared to traditional compositions. The bird silhouettes were inspired by a symbol of freedom and flight.

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I finished painting the birds using the same tools and colors as on the previous layer. I arranged them in a diagonal fashion that is off-centered on the paper to improve visual appeal and compositional interest. I also added a few small dots in between the birds as accents and to increase pattern variety.

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I forgot to snap a picture of the first layer, but I used a very watery technique for this layer. I spread a large amount of water in a loose square shape on the paper. Then, I began to drop in blue, red, and yellow. (A purple hue formed from the blue and red, so I added a bit of that too.) I did not spread out the pools of water that collected. Rather, I let it dry laying flat, so the pools of paint formed a watery, faded wash.

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I just began to add bird silhouettes in the corner of the painted square. Instead of a wet-on-wet approach, I created a very concentrated blend of blue, red, and bright purple and applied it using a damp brush on dry paper.