Sustained Investigation XV

Out of focus

4 in x 4 in

Watercolor & pen on watercolor paper

For this assignment, I created my fifteenth and last sustained investigation for my AP Drawing portfolio. My idea behind this piece was to convey mental illness that can't necessarily be seen, which is a struggle for those who have mental illness because it can lead to people not taking their health seriously. To convey this message, I wanted to create an incomplete portrait framed by watercolor that blends with the portrait and the paper's border, and by doing this, I thought it would show the viewer how the subject isn't fully seen by the people around her, and there can be confusion and stigma that comes with that. This project relates to my life because for myself and others around me that have mental illnesses that can't necessarily be seen on a daily basis, this concept is hard to cope with. It comes with a lot of confusion and frustration. That's why I tried to recreate those feelings in this piece.

I chose to predominantly use watercolors for this piece, because the softness of the medium and the colors I chose related to the message I wanted to show my viewer.

I am very happy with this piece and I think it closed out my portfolio nicely. If I could go back and change anything about this piece, I would maybe put a different facial expression on the subject's face to show more emotion.