Foundations of art

This year has been so enjoyable. I have improved so much. I have significantly improved in realistic drawing. This year I learned techniques like the box method and thinking about it like positive and negative space. Second, I have significantly improved in drawing from my head. This has been one of my goals for a long time, and although I don't think I have developed a very original style, I am able to draw characters and backgrounds. Part of this improvement is attributed to finally learning how to break what I want to draw up into shapes. Third, I have significantly improved in the overall composition. Now, I fill the page rather than leaving a blank background, plan out my drawings more, and make small sketches to try out ideas before making a final piece.

The processes I enjoyed the most (and did the best at) were mostly 2d mediums. This includes paint. Throughout the year, I have done four watercolors. My first two were very rough, but I think I managed to improve a lot on the next one (the leaf drawing). I was not happy with the last watercolor painting I did, but it was my first attempt at doing a face with watercolor. (watercolor and acrylic), pencil (graphite, color, and charcoal), pastel, and ink (wash and pen). Later in the year, I did more acrylic painting. The first I did was or Yuri with a colorful background. This took me an incredibly long time, and I ended up using so many layers, it looked almost 3d. The next portrait I made turned out significantly better and took less time. Another 2d medium I really enjoyed was graphite. Graphite used to be my favorite medium, but this year I have branched out a lot. Currently, I primarily use it for preliminary sketches, but throughout the course of this year, I have gotten a lot better and faster using it. Another medium that I really enjoyed was oil pastel. I really liked using it because I could blend colors together really easily. I expect to do more drawings with oil pastel (particularly drawings of waves and water as that was really fun).

The processes that challenged me the most (and did the worst at) were mostly 3d. Since I have had significantly less practice with this, it was very challenging. The 3d medium that I had the hardest time with was wire. I started over three times, yet I saw no improvement. I was unable to build something sturdy. Later, I did an animal sculpture. Unfortunately, I made my creature far too big, so I ran out of time to finish it well. I spent hours and hours on it, but it did not turn out well. This unit was incredibly frustrating, so after it ended, I, of course, rushed back to the 2d mediums. Although this was challenging, I am excited to improve on this next year (I have a long way to go).

Art relates to my life because art is my favorite thing to do. I draw constantly now, and I have been since first grade. Although I wasn't particularly good at art as a kid, I really enjoyed it. Looking back at old artwork is really fun for me because I get to see how I have progressed as an artist. I remember my drawing "style" from scribbles to now. For a very long time, I tried to create characters without knowing proportions (or how to draw in general). I practiced the same thing over and over and over. Up until the end of 7th grade, I refused to use reference photos. After changing this, I improved a lot. Now, I've gotten better at realism, drawing from my head, and composition. I'm very excited about what my artwork will be like next year.