Time Capsules

These are four pieces that I created as "time capsules" or as a starting point for this year. The assignment was to create four observational pieces: an angle-up self portrait, feet in an interesting composition, the exterior of a building, and an object I "despise." I did a single line contour drawing for my self portrait and then used watercolor over it. I then used graphite for my feet (one shoe on and one off), the outside of my garden shed, and a jar of mayonnaise.

The self portrait is unique here because I used a very different process to create it. I used one line contour, meaning I used permanent marker to draw all the contours without taking it off the paper. The distorted image that resulted was something I didn't find visually appealing and so I decided to play off of that. When using watercolor, I purposefully made my brushstrokes broad and messy as I played with different colors for the facial features and background. For the other three pieces, my process was similar—I first sketched outlines and contours lightly, and then shaded where needed. I think that the self portrait is the strongest of these pieces because of my use of color and the intensity conveyed through this aspect of the piece. The other pieces were well composed I think—I used techniques such as framing, formal balance, and informal balance—but I think they would be stronger if they displayed more color and emotion. While the graphite pieces were fairly straightforward, my self portrait had an interesting evolution in that I developed the piece as I went. I didn't have a plan for how I wanted it to look and so I just experimented with different colors to derive different feelings from the piece.

The purpose of these pieces was to provide a starting point for this school year. We will be working a lot with observational drawing and so this assignment served as an introduction to the class. The only part of the project that I struggled to find inspiration for was the object I despise. I had trouble finding something that I could draw from observation within my house. I eventually landed on mayonnaise because of its texture and my relative dislike for the taste and concept. These pieces relate to my life because I was able to draw them from observation—they are inherently all things that I see everyday. I think these pieces could all be stronger had I invested more time in them. Thirty minutes was recommended for work on each piece and so they are all somewhat basic, but serve their purpose. For this reason I found it most challenging to limit myself timewise. I am often detail-oriented and so I struggled with managing my time for these pieces. I am most proud of the self portrait because it's the strongest and most expressive. These pieces show my strength in freeform work, and my weakness in lack of invested time.