Beautiful Oops 2D

The assignment for this piece was to use an ink splotch on a piece of paper as an inspiration and to make a piece using it. The initial splotch was the one that can be seen in the middle of the bottom of the piece and distinguishable because the ink is a slightly lighter shade.

My media for this piece was graphite, ink, and colored pencil on paper. I started with the initial ink splotch which I made the foreground, then drew in the planes and then the cityscape in graphite as the backgound, using a ruler for outlines, and shading afterward. I used varying line weights on the buildings to create depth in the piece, and different values for shades to show the angle and lighting. At this point I drew the falling books and outlined the ink drips on the buildings in hard (light) graphite. I then shaded the background in light blue colored pencil to add some element of color to the piece which I hadn't initially intended to do. Lastly I filled in the drip outlines with ink using an ink brush and an ink pen for more detailed parts. Composition rules and techniques that I incorporated into this piece are silhouette lighting for the distant buildings and selective focus---sharp for the books and soft especially for the buildings farther away.

I chose to turn the ink splotch into a falling book because it was moderately rectangle shaped and the angle of it made it look as though the book was close up and falling. The dropping of books instead of bombs is representational of the power and effect of ideas on a community. This piece relates to my life in that I have studied WWII and the impact that bombings had and made a parallel through this piece. I think this work could be stronger if I made the blue sky brighter and all the lines slightly more defined and visible.

The most challenging pert of the process of making this piece was creating the illusion of a vast expanse of city and buildings without having to draw each of them in detail. I had to find the point where I could begin to just draw the outlines and silhouettes while still making it look realistic. I am most proud of my depiction of the nearest plane and the falling books which I think I drew realistically. This work illustrates my strengths in creating three-dimensional images and creating depth through line weight and selective focus. It illustrates my weakness in a lack of intensity as the shades and colors are drab.