Drawing
Emilie Butler “Jackson in the Fog”
12 x 18”, Chalk, 2020
I got the idea for this artwork from a picture that I took of my younger brother at the Tampa Aquarium. For this drawing, I used chalk pencils and blocks. I started using pencils, but when I got to the larger areas, the blocks were easier to use. I started by laying down a layer of chalk and then blending it out with my finger. One of the most difficult things was the coloring. The lights in the aquarium were blue so I wanted to recreate that look. Another difficult thing was that I had never worked with chalk before, so it was a learning curve. I really love this piece overall, but if I had to change one thing, I wouldn’t have used the pencils. The blocks and pencils have different textures and were difficult to blend together. This is a realist drawing.
Emilie Butler “Water Bottle”
12 x 18”, Chalk, 2020
I got the idea for this artwork by looking at pictures of water bottles. At first I wanted to do one standing up, but the perspective of the bottle on the side really intrigued me. In this drawing I used white and black chalk on black paper. I started by putting down all the bright whites and then blending. Then, I put down white and blended it to look like the plastic of the bottle. I then added black as shadows. The most difficult part was the water droplets. It was very hard to make them look like they were wet. I overcame this by asking for help and getting guidance. I am very proud of this piece, but my favorite part is the mouthpiece. I think it looks very realistic and I love how the water looks on it. This is a realistic piece.
Emilie Butler “Story Come to Life”
11x14 inches, Marker and Charcoal, 2021
My idea sprouted from my love to read. When I read, the story came to life in my brain and I wanted to translate that into art. I started off by sketching the book and working my way up. I then used alcohol markers to color in the story. After that, I used a fine-tip Sharpie to go over all of my lines. I then used charcoal to shade in the book and the table. When looking at this work, I want people to recognize that books are not just words on a page, but so much more. The most difficult part of this piece was probably using the markers. This was my first time using alcohol markers and they didn’t behave exactly how I expected, but I like how they turned out in the end. If I could change anything, I would erase some of my pencil lines before going over them with the markers. I would say that this piece is a mix of realistic and surreal. The thing I love the most is that it turned out exactly as I envisioned it.
Emilie Butler “Friendship”
12x18 Inches, Colored Pencil, 2021
This drawing is inspired by a picture my friend and I took together last summer out at West Brook by the butterfly garden. I started this drawing by picking out a green piece of paper because the background was full of trees and we were laying on the ground. I then used the photo as a reference to sketch over. After that, I started to add layers of colored pencil, starting with the skin and ending with the shirts. This piece has a lot of meaning to me because the friend in the photo has been my friend for many years and we’re soon separating for college, but I hope others will see this and remember good times with their friends. The most difficult thing for me was the skin. I never realized just how many colors are in one persons’ skin. If I had to change anything, I would probably change my hair bow. I am not entirely pleased with how it looks. The style of this piece is realistic. One thing I love about this piece is how realistic the hair looks.
