Circle Project

The assignment for this project was to create a piece of art involving circles. The subject of this piece is a Yin Yang symbol composed of an analogue watch in combination with a digital watch. My media was acrylic paint and paint pen.

To create this piece I first sketched all the outlines in pencil, using a compass and stencils to make the circles, and a ruler for straight lines. I used reference photos from the internet but changed them slightly to fit my purposes. I then painted the large areas in acrylic paint and filled in more detailed parts with the paint pens. The major principle of design that I incorporated is contrast because of the nature of the Yin Yang symbol. I used lighter colors with a black background on the top with darker colors and a white background on the bottom. I wasn’t looking to create a three dimensional looking image, which is why I chose a two dimensional style with solid colors and no shadows or reflections.

I chose this design for my project because my initial idea was a clock. I decided that I would rather make a watch and was going to do that but I was inspired by a Yin Yang flag that I saw. I like the idea of contrast—-not just in color but the concept—-which is why I made one watch digital and the other analogue. Because the Yin Yang represents balance, I used the watches to represent a balance of time and lifestyle choices—-active represented by the digit watch, and more relaxed with the analogue watch. This project relates to my life because I often have to focus on time management and balance in my everyday life. I think This piece could be stronger if some of the lines were more crisp and colors more confined to their designated areas.

The most challenging part of this piece was creating an off-white background for the analogue watch. I didn’t want it to be plain white so I painted it light grey. Unfortunately this was too dark and I ended up painting in white over it which conveniently created a solid but not empty looking white color. Spacing all the minute marks on the analogue clock with the protractor was also difficult. I am most proud of the analogue portion of the clock because I think the colors look realistic and the marks and symbols for minutes are well-spaced. This piece illustrates my strength as an artist in creativity and stylistic consistency. It shows weakness in a few places where I painted outside my lines and didn’t go back to fix the colors.