Final Portfolio

This semester in 3D Design was, in two words, fun and challenging. It was fun because all of the interesting, thought-provoking, and cool art that we got to make, but it was also challenging because I haven't worked with 3D materials as much, and didn't really have practice with a lot of them. Making the projects was always fun, and so was coming up with the ideas because when things are in 3D, there's so many different options. And the materials are practically endless, so that was pretty cool when we had a project where we got to chose any material that we wanted and work with it.

One specific process that I really liked was the nail-and-thread process. I did two projects with it, one more realistic-looking, and one abstract. I really liked this process because of the texture that the thread made when it was overlapped, especially with different colors. It was also very fun (and hard) to do because it was entertaining to do and slowly see the piece coming together. I liked this process so much that I repeated it, and made two projects! I can see myself maybe doing projects with it in the future, possibly more intricate and meaningful ones. One process that I struggled with was the clay! I did two projects with the clay, but the first one was definitely easier. The Look-Inside sculpture was just making a type of coiled pot, but making an actual bust, with a real detailed face, out of clay was very challenging! I think one of the reasons why clay was a little more frustrating to me was because even though it's great that clay is very malleable, it makes it very delicate and hard to fix when messed up.

One product that I am proud of is my Mainah sculpture. I really like the way the whole piece came together. The shells on the lighthouse are very textured and colored, so I wanted to keep the base and the rest of the project like the opposite, so as not to take away from the lighthouse. I like that project the most because I think it is the best-composed piece that I have.

Even though this year was challenging, I think I definitely improved, even a little bit. At the beginning of the year, I really wasn't sure what direction I was going in with my 3D art. I wasn't sure which processes I liked, which materials I liked, just in general, I wasn't sure what was right for me. I think it's fair to say that I tried a couple things out and definitely learned from all of them: from paper to thread, to clay to fabric, to shells and plaster casts. By the end of the semester, I think I found what I like doing best in the class. I found myself repeating the style of 3D pieces that can be hung on a wall. While I do like in-the-round sculptures, I find my favorite ones to look at and make are the ones that pop out from a wall when you walk by, and are very interactive. During art this year I learned that everything can be seen from all sides, and that helped me with the quality and effort that I put into my work. I found that with 3D art, I was more dedicated to making all sides look the best so that every view of a piece is a good view. In general, I thoroughly enjoy making art, not only because it gives me something to do with my hands, but because it is very rewarding in the end. Spending so much time involved in a piece and a process and then seeing the way it comes out in the end is worth all of the frustration and hard-work that the piece may have caused. Art relates to my life because I like to tell stories in all shapes and forms, and I think 3D art definitely helped me improve that with 3D pieces.