Reflecting on group work.

There are some aspects of working in groups that I enjoy and others that can be difficult at times. Working in groups provides many different aspects. When I am alone and I can't think of an idea, it's much harder to try to do that then when I am in a group. But when we're in groups there is not as much freedom to express yourself you have to make sure everyone else is happy. So that means there may be an idea that you don't like, but the rest of the group agrees on, that's when you take one for the team. Once in a while though if there is something that you really don't agree with you have to speak up to tell everyone that you think that might not work, and try to collaborate to come up with another idea.

the separation

End of Term Reflection

 This class has changed the way I view art and myself as an artist. I've never been so invested or passionate about any other class. I've always enjoyed the subject, but this term I was waiting for art class and wondering what we would be working on that day. At the beginning of the term I found myself becoming frustrated with my drawing from observation skills, but as the term progressed, as did my skills, I began to enjoy the whole process. For me art is a form of expression more than anything else. I'm not always up for expressing myself, but if you put a piece of paper and some materials in front of me, I could draw for hours. My highlight of the term was when I created my independent piece with the dripped paint. I was never a huge fan of using paint but after I started that piece, I learned that painting doesn't always have to involve your brush stroking the paper. I've realized that about a lot of different materials this term. There isn't only one way to use each material, you can experiment with different ideas and sometimes you come across something really interesting. Going ahead I think that I can do a little bit more planning before I begin a project. When we are given the parameters for an assignment I tend to think of an idea quickly and get started as soon as possible. I think that if I take the time to go over the project and brainstorm ideas in my sketch book that I can start to have some more elaborate ideas.  I think that this term I have made great strides as an artist, and I am looking forward to my future in art.

Principles of Design Research

My partner and I looked at the painting Dempsey and Firpo by George Bellows. I think that the main principle in this piece of art was movement, the artist showed movement in the painting he used implied movement by having one of the boxers falling out of the ring and the other boxer following through with his punch. Bellows showed emphasis by having the two boxers be the brightest, and biggest in the painting, which contrasted everything else which was smaller and darker, he also had them placed in the middle. He used proportion by making the people who were further away smaller and not as defined as the ones who were closer. He used balance in the painting by using asymmetry.

Fabric Drawings.

I thought today was okay. Not my favorite drawing from perspective, but it wasn't to bad. I tried to really focus on the shading today, and I think I ended up making it a little to dark. I liked last week much better. The fact that it was a more solid design really helped me elaborate.

pile of sticks.

I thought that today went pretty well. In later drop everything and draw days I've gotten frustrated when I had to draw from general to specific, but now i'm realizing that it helps your art work a lot if you don't try to go straight to specific. I enjoyed the process of starting from the bottom and working my way to the top. I think that one thing I could've done differently today, was to try not to specific around the edges, but once I was told about it I tried to work on that. I thought that my out come was decent and if i had more time it would turn out well.

Mid-term Reflection

When we are working in class, I try to stay as focused on my art as possible. That's when I am able to be most engaged, when we are actually working in class. When I am working on a project I try to be a perfectionist. Not perfect through other peoples eyes but mine.

The Changing Still Life

I actually did not mind this drawing from observation I thought that my end product looked sort of cool.The three main things I had to do to get this still life done were:
1. ALOT of erasing (my arm started to hurt)
2. I had to keep my composure (and not get too aggravated like past drawing from observations)
3. Keep up with what was happening ( could not stay on one part of the drawing for too long or I would have been totally overwhelmed)

Knowing what I know now, one thing that I would do differently is drawn things a little bit smaller, I have trouble with size proportion.

three forms drawing

I'm not totally againgst drawing from observation, bur I m definitely not a fan. When it comes to art I tend to try to be a perfectionist, and when I can't draw the objects perfectly, I get pretty frustrated. I felt that once i started realizing what works best (especially when shading) that it made it easier for me. I learned a couple of different concepts of shading.

Extending our findings from The Pour Paintings.

Today In class I wanted to try to see my art from a different perspective, because I wasn't loving how either of mine were turning out. So I was thinking about what I could do I remembered that when I was doing my original pour painting that some of it leaked off the edge of the paper and ended up on the other side, so I looked on the other side of the painting and saw something that I could work with. I saw some sort of beast or animals head coming out of the side of the paper opening its mouth, and it seemed a little dark. So i decided that he would opening his mouth into a big storm cloud with lightning coming out of it. I think that if I spend a little bit more time on this drawing it could come out very well. A couple people commenting on my drawing saying that it was cool, but that's about it. I'm looking forward to finishing it.

Pour Paintings

The pour paintings have been my favorite project so far. I usually don't like working with paint, but without the brush the experience was much different, I sort of enjoyed not having total control of what was going on. I thought that the way that the different colors kind of slurred, and mixed with each other was really cool. I saw a couple of different things in my art, I couldn't really see a specific story in my art, but I did see my initials, and a couple of different objects within them. I saw a dolphin at the top of the J, and a gun towards the bottom. After that I started sort of filling in the blank areas with collage. I'm not positive where this piece is going

Talk and Draw

 I enjoyed today's activity, I especially liked being the drawer. I liked trying to interpret what someone else was explaining to me. The most challenging part of the activity for me was being the describer, usually when I'm asked to draw something I can look at through my own eyes and put it on to the paper myself, but today you really had to think about the different shapes, colors, dimensions, and textures. When I'm creating something it usually doesn't  occur to me to think of those things. If i could do this activity again I would try to go a little faster rather than taking so much on time on every little detail, I think I would have gotten a lot more done if I had done that.

Collaborative Drawings.

The person that drew on my piece of art went in a total different direction than i was going. They had the concept down but they style that they used didn't go to well with my piece of art. I think that it definitely took away more than it added but that's just my thought I guess that he/she saw something different. If you couldn't tell already I'm pretty upset that I was not able to finish my original piece, I feel like if i had the time to work on it myself that it would've come out exactly how I pictured it. I usually enjoy doing collaborative work in other classes but with Art it's a whole different story, your art, is your art and can only be purely seen through your own eyes.

Thinking about the Artist.

Is there really a specific definition of an artist? I think everyone is some sort of artist, at some point of their life,architects are artists, writers are, and so are clothing designers. I mean the spectrum's so large it is really hard to put artists into a certain group. Sometimes people think that an artist is someone who has a loft in new york and displays all of their work in a fancy gallery somewhere, sure they're an artist, but that is definitely the only type. I think that creativity is a tool it's something of endless possibilities, sort of like your life. You can choose to go whatever direction you want in life, same goes with creativity. Choosing a college or a job, It's like choosing a material or an idea for a piece of art. You can weigh out your options, find out what you think would work best. I think for an artist to be productive and creative, he/she needs to be able to not let go of their past. I think that memories or dreams can make anyone feel creative. I also think that they need to be observant there are so many things around you in your everyday life that can inspire a piece of art. It may sound cliche but art is all around you, I think what separates the artists from the non-artists, is the artists recognize that.

Reflecting on Picasso quote.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

I believe that Picasso is trying to stress that when you're a child your mind functions differently. You're not worried about taxes, or your mortgage or getting to work on time. You have the time to think about other things. Time to wonder about and discover things most adults, would never take the time to think about. Children have the gift of creativity, and some adults as well, but I think that it's when  you're a child that it shows most. Some kids can sit down with nothing but some crayons and paper and just keep drawing for hours. You may not no exactly what they're trying to make, you may think it's just a bunch lines spread out across a sheet of paper. But that kid was probably thinking of something before they started that picture, it could have been space ships and cow boys, or dinosaurs and super heroes. You never know. Then when people grow up that creativity gradually starts to slip away. People begin to work, buy a house, and maybe start a family. That's when people stop taking the time to sit down and let they're creativity flow out onto a piece of paper. That certainly is not the case for all adults, some grow up to become artists, or writers, or performers. I think that those are the few lucky people that don't give up on their dreams or creativity, and still feel that they can express themselves through their work.