The theme is about the beauty of life, in which the ocean and the unique patterns represent. The ocean is a direct representation of my theme, because it contains many kinds of existing life forms that are captivating by its beauty and mystery. For the “random” patterns, it indirectly represents our passions as human beings. For example, the piano at the left corner represents the passion for music. Furthermore, passion is what makes our life more beautiful and enjoyable as it gives us a sense of purpose and a meaning in life. When we are more passionate about something, we engage more and feel more alive, which is essential to the beauty of life.

During the process of creating my tessellation art, I found coloring to be a mildly amusing task. I got to play around with the colors and how they work together. It was a success on how the colors matched, and I am proud of the results. On the other hand, I didn’t really like some of the patterns I put into it, because while some fit into my theme, some are more poetic and less straightforward in terms of their meaning, which I doubt people would understand unless I explain it to them. Generally, I want to convey my theme in a more straightforward way so people won’t get confused and perhaps overwhelmed with mixed thoughts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this experience with gesture drawing and different art styles. I have surprised myself with the final results and effort I have put in. Although I am very proud of my artwork, I do think there are some areas I need to improve on. Specifically, I think I might’ve messed up the contour on the model’s arm, which I was extremely bothered by. If I can restart my project, I would definitely plan the contour parts some more before outlining my artwork.

The sketching process was actually quite easy since I am used to drawing loose lines and it is easier to draw than paint. I enjoyed the process of sketching, so I finished all three sketches very quickly. The painting process however, was not so successful compared to the sketches. Due to my lack of experience in watercolor, the painting process was the hardest part of completing this assessment. I messed up many parts of the drawing and was not able to fix it despite several attempts. Furthermore, there are areas for improvement, such as the watercolors and perhaps my time management (I should’ve used one of my study halls to complete them instead of doing them last minute). This assessment helped me gain a better understanding of space and depth, as well as the concepts of these angles.

This project helped me gain a better understanding about perspectives and how it can change depending on how people view the artwork. I also got better at paying attention to details and using colors to add depth and value, especially with watercolor. 

I really enjoyed working with Candle as it was easy for me to share ideas and discuss them with her. We worked well together and made a final piece that fits nicely. 

Looking back, there are a few things I would do differently. I would manage my time better so we don’t fall behind, and have more thoughts on the space we have so we don’t leave things out. I would also try to be more careful with my color choices and improve my skill in adding shadows with watercolor. 

However, I had a tough time getting used to the texture of the paper as it was very different from the one in our sketchbook. Since we mostly practiced shading on our sketchbook, this type of material was, in my opinion, difficult for me to apply the blending technique.

Though there were some “happy accidents” along the way, such as drawing an object with the wrong technique, I was still able to complete my project on time and a result that I’m extremely happy with.

The shading technique that I used the most is hatching, because it resembles the wooden material that the original artist use. Hatching is mostly utilized in areas such as the horse's mane, the armor's texture, and the tree trunk. I incorporated cross-hatching onto more subtle and smaller areas like the armor where it is covered by the knight's arm and the gears on his leg. Stippling is only shown on the sword, and scribbling is used in the background. Since blending cannot be created by pen and sharpies, in order to create that (somewhat) smooth texture, I control the weight I rest on my pen and adjust it when necessary. Furthermore, I became more resourceful of the tools around me as I incorporated some of my own pens with thinner/thicker lids (such as 0.05, 0.2, 0.6) in order for me to create a certain texture/value.

This assessment is by far the most stressful one I’ve encountered in Art Foundations, and it is mainly because of the overwhelming amount of details in the reference. The process of inking and applying the shading techniques come naturally easy to me as I have experience in doing so. As an experienced artist, I wanted to challenge myself and achieve greater heights by recreating this incredibly intricate section that I chose. I knew it would be difficult, but I decided to for it anyway. During the process, I found myself regretting my decision and even considering giving up halfway, but I pushed myself beyond my limits because I was curious to see how it would turn out.

I feel immensely proud of myself because my artwork has turned out exceptionally well. Despite the struggles and the repeated stress I faced during the creative process, the end result has made it all worthwhile. While I wouldn't describe this assessment as the most enjoyable, I still appreciate how it allowed me to challenge myself and achieve something greater like this. 

This project had a wacky start due to my poor time management, in which I did not use my first work day well enough as I planned to. I managed to complete the collage section in one class, however I failed to incorporate 3 layers into my artwork since I only have 2 (watercolor is the second layer). Moreover, I came up with this plan without much thought in the first place, which caused a lot of hesitation in the creating process. Not only did I waste a lot of time on painting unnecessary sections, I also wasted a lot of time on figuring out what to do next. Looking back, if I have managed my time better, my artwork would have 3 layers, details, and more creativity perhaps.

Overall, I am happy with what I have accomplished in this unit, but I would like to manage my time better. I believe that efficient time management can enhance my chances in creativity and risk taking, as I would have more time to experiment and hesitate less when completing my artwork.

UPDATE: I used the extra 30 minutes of work time in class (before spring break) to add the third layer. The third layer is applied on the waterfall (acrylic), because it is effective for enhancing the texture of water.

This assessment is an interesting one, because I get to use a lot of color schemes to experiment with different values. For instance, the orange in the backgrounds for the complementary section is darker and more vibrant compared to the split complementary section, showing a striking distinction between the two sections. I also like how I get to experiment with the distribution of the sections by separating them with simple and straightforward lines, and crossing them with a right triangle, which can be seen as a cast of light or shadow.

Another thing worth mentioning about my artwork is that initially there were a lot of cool colors, but I managed to balance the cool tones on the left with warm tones on the right. Moreover, since my reference has a majority of blue colors, I added a variety of other colors as a tool to distinct the sections, but still incorporating more blues than those other colors. This gives a comfortable feeling to the people who view my artwork, and I’m proud that I have achieved this goal.

Overall, I am satisfied with how my artwork has turned out. The struggles in the process are worth the results, and the utilization of additional materials, such as a white posca pen for the highlights on the eyes and buildings and a black sharpie with a 0.6 led for emphasizing certain details make the piece look even more three dimensional and lively.