3D Design

Final 3D Design Reflection

Taking 3D Design this semester has been both fun and challenging. At the beginning of the semester, I had never used materials other than clay to create something 3D. My original goal for this class was to learn about and use different materials in my sculptures, and I believe that I did just that. The list of 75 sculpture materials we were assigned to make in class really helped me learn about all the things that can be used in sculpture and showed me that you can create 3D forms out of almost anything. This semester in 3D Design I used paper, clay, plaster, wire, and glass. This was a huge improvement for me because I learned that I needed to use something other than clay for once. I also saw improvement from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester in my execution of my projects. At the beginning of the semester, I didn't use much detail in my projects because I thought that if I took time with the details I wouldn't be able to turn it in on time, therefore, I would get a lower grade. As the semester went on, I realized that I needed to include details into my projects to make them the best that they could be. I really started to see this change in my concentration series. Having to stick to one specific theme/topic caused me to have to think outside the box and create things that were unique and had a lot of small details. By the end of the semester, with my starfish project and glass projects, I saw a lot of improvement from my previous projects: I used a lot more detail and executed my projects a lot better.

Although this semester in 3D was a lot of fun, it was also very challenging. I have a hard time thinking of what I want to create for projects and making decisions on what materials I want to use. Having the freedom to create whatever we wanted and using whatever materials we wanted caused me to take a long time to make decisions about my artwork. It often took me a whole class or a couple days to figure out what I wanted to do, which often set my project back and caused me to have to rush it. This problem seems to have decreased during my concentration projects, as I knew that there was a specific topic I had to stick to. I would say that the plaster hands project was the most challenging for me for many reasons. The whole process of making the alginate and the plaster was confusing and way faster than I thought it would be. I had to decide what position I wanted my hand to be in and make sure that I did the alginate the plaster perfectly. My first attempt didn't turn out how I wanted it, so I had to do the whole process again. This was frustrating for me because I really didn't want to have to do the whole thing again. I did it and it came out better than my previous plaster hand, but then I had to decide what I wanted to put on the hand. I had a hard time coming up with an idea and I didn't want to just try something because I didn't want to not be happy with it and have to do it again. I ended up picking an idea that I liked, and it ended up coming out great. It was also my first time using sculpey clay, which was something very new to me.

I am most proud of my concentration series. I think this was a good way for my to explore materials because I knew what I was going to make for almost every piece. I started my concentration series using wire because I hadn't used wire yet his semester and I wanted to experiment with it. I ended up loving the way it looked really rustic and I think my idea and execution was good. Second, I made a teapot out of clay. I decided to use clay because I knew that my clay work was strong and that I could focus on the details of the teapot without worrying about the shape and process of making the teapot. I am glad that I chose to paint the teapot black because it made the stars stand out. I decided to use paper on the stars because I wanted to use something different than paint or glaze. I really like how this project in my concentration turned out. My third project of the concentration was my starfish project. After doing two project based on stars in the galaxy, I wanted to think of something different, but that still related to stars. I am proud that I was able to come up with the idea to do starfish and I love the detail that I put into all the different starfish. For my last two projects in my concentration, I wanted to use a material that I had never used before. I decided to use glass and created two stained glass pieces. I am proud of how well I was able to do with this new material and I really like how #4 and #5 related to each other. The project I am most proud of in my concentration was definitely my starfish project because I added a lot more detail into this project than the others and was able to use mixed media with the starfish and stars in the galaxy.

My work during 3D Design this semester really illustrated my strengths and weaknesses as a learner. I can see improvement in my projects as the semester went on, showing that I was able to take criticism well and use it to my advantage. I continued to improve my clay skills and broadened my knowledge on what you can make with different materials. I realized that one of my weaknesses is coming up with an idea for projects, but I tried my best to improve this semester. Overall, this semester in 3D Design has taught me a lot about art in general and what it takes to make something really unique and great.