Drawing an animal was the option I chose on the grid and I thought what better image to redraw than this picture of a dog I took outside of a Jewel Osco. I’ve never been a big fan of drawing animals because they never seemed to turn out right for me, but for whatever reason, I wanted to get the monkey off my back with this one.

 

Write about your process – how did your original ideas and plans change and develop as you worked?  Changes could be compositional, technical, and/or conceptual.  Why did those changes occur?

Originally, I wanted to use different styles for different parts of the dog. After realizing I had more sections than possible styles, I scrapped that idea and just made the whole dog look like a pink metal monument.

 

How does this artwork show development from pervious artwork?  Point to specific ways or areas of the artwork.  For example, the color palette might show more richness and blending than you’ve previously done, or you might point to places where proportions of the subject are stronger than previous work with the same subject…or…

Once again, I had never been a fan of drawing animals because I wasn’t good at it, but shortly after starting the project, I realized that if you take your time and get the proportions right, it’s not that hard.

 

What were challenges you experienced in the process and how did you address them?

It was difficult for me to come up with a background for the image after I had colored the dog pink. After some thinking, I thought it would be cool to make the dog a monument and have people walking around it and Mrs. Stevenson agreed.

 

What tips/suggestions might you give a younger artist or even yourself embarking on a similar subject, use of materials, or composition?

Just take your time and things will turn out right.

 

Did this artwork stretch you in any way?  If so, how?  What ideas do you have for your next independent project – how will you challenge yourself?  

Once again, this artwork made me leave my comfort zone by drawing an animal, which I had never liked doing before.

I took a picture of this adorable dog outside of a Jewel Osco and I feel inclined to do something with it since otherwise it would be weird to have a random picture of someone else’s dog on my phone.

What materials do you need?

Colored pencils

What questions do you have about process, technique, or concept? This refers to questions you ask yourself as an artist, but could also be questions you have for me.

Well I’ve never been too keen on drawing animals, but once I started, it really wasn’t all that hard.

I want to make a comic book cover in which MF Doom, one of the greatest rappers of all time, is the villain. Doom’s Operation Doomsday is one of the coolest album covers to me because of its comic-esque style, and I’d like to create an homage to that.

What materials do you need?

Not quite sure yet

Research -- find or sketch images that will be references (if photos, create your own or be ready to significantly change an online photo).  What artists can you look at for inspiration?  Any demo videos that might help?

My color palette for this was blue, green, and orange. Honestly, I think the whole thing didn’t turn out right. It’s sloppier than hell and the colors I chose didn’t really work in my favor. Of course, some parts turned out ok, like the mermaid man’s tail, but everything other than that is a byproduct of my laziness and unwillingness to cooperate with the project and give it time. At the end of the day, this project was something that started as a good idea and just didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, which is how most art projects go for me.

I was inspired by the MF Doom album, Operation Doomsday, for this one. The cover to that album is just so cool to me and I wanted to make an homage to it. 

Write about your process – how did your original ideas and plans change and develop as you worked?  Changes could be compositional, technical, and/or conceptual.  Why did those changes occur?

I originally wanted to make this piece using those dots that old comic books use to have, but I realized that wouldn’t work due to time constraints. I ended up using acrylic markers to get the solid colors of the piece without having to use colored pencils for the 60th time in this class.

 

How does this artwork show development from pervious artwork?  Point to specific ways or areas of the artwork.  For example, the color palette might show more richness and blending than you’ve previously done, or you might point to places where proportions of the subject are stronger than previous work with the same subject…or…

I had never really tried to make a comic book cover before, but I think I did a pretty good job with this. The colors turned out well and it really does feel like an old comic book cover. The Doom head in the background simply looks awesome as does the green smoke surrounding the protagonist.

 

What were challenges you experienced in the process and how did you address them?

I was, and still am, pretty pissed at myself for accidentally getting some of the green on Colonel Courage’s yellow suit. You probably can’t even see it unless you zoom in on his right shoulder, but it’s there. Getting the anatomy of Colonel Courage right was a huge pain too and I had to erase multiple drafts before I got it just right.

 

What tips/suggestions might you give a younger artist or even yourself embarking on a similar subject, use of materials, or composition?

Maybe use different materials for the background. The acrylic markers worked pretty well for the most part but if you look at the background, there are certain spots that are darker than others. There was really nothing I could do about it, it’s just how the markers work, so I would suggest using a different material.

What are two things you learned about media as you worked with your chosen materials?

I learned that I’m not as good with pastels as I thought I was. I originally wanted to get much more detailed with the face and background, but was unable to after I just went in without planning how I was going to use the pastels.

What do you like best about your finished artwork?  And what is something you’d like to improve upon as the semester continues?

I and many others really liked how the stew turned out. Some even said they couldn’t find the strips at first glance. However, I didn’t like how the background turned out. That green mess on the right side of the paper was supposed to be leaves, but I just turned it into a gradient after I messed up with the pastels.