Advanced Studio Art
Semester 1 Reflection
This semester in Advanced studio art I have learned how to create a thorough inquiry question including an element and principle of design to explore a topic I'm passionate and curious about. From my first project in Advanced to the last one I did I have learned how to choose a composition and make the material relate to it, I have learned how to create texture and pattern in an effective way to communicate the message of the artwork, and I have learned more skills to make the artwork stronger.
On this that I was really successful with was ink and pens. I the majority of my works I either used ink (something I couldn't cover up very easily) and various colored pens. I found that when I would go back in and add detail with pens or ink by the time I was done my artwork would always look better. Another thing I think I was really successful with was chalk and oil pastels. Even though I only used chalk or oil pastels in two of my projects, every time I have used them the works have come out exactly how I want them, I was intimidated at the blending and how there isn't really a fine tip to either of them, but when I tried it I worked really well and I was extremely proud of myself. One thing I think I struggled with was digital drawing. I tried to do a digital drawing and I had a really hard time getting the pen to connect to the tablet, and then the pen would freeze and I would get really frustrated. My Donate Life project was actually a digital drawing but it was so hard and so time consuming that I really didn't enjoy making it and I ultimately feel like I could have made something better sticking to the materials I know. Another thing that I struggled with was graphite, which to me sounds kind of dumb but I just don't like it, and every time I would go to do a project in graphite I would get halfway done and then scrap it and start over because it didn't look how I was picturing it to look.
My artistic goals for the second semester are using outside materials (stuff not found in a typical art classroom) and physically using them in my projects. My biggest critique this semester was how does you material relate to the composition. And to be completely honest I didn't really make an effort to find outside things that would work with my art. I also had a hard time trying to figure out how to make an outside material relate to the animals I was drawing.
Final Reflection
Throughout the year one of the biggest things I remember learning in the class was how to make your composition or your subject relate to the material you're using. I also learned more techniques and skills like image transfers, painting techniques, and styles and also experimented with different materials that I wouldn't commonly use. I learned more about the composition and elements and principles of design.
I think the most successful thing I've done this year would probably be anything I did with oil pastels and anything that had or anything that I made that was with pen or pencil or marker or sharpie. I think these are probably my most successful because I had a lot more control over the lines that I was making vs light painting. and every time I finished a project that was predominately made up of pen pencil or oil pastels I ended up liking a lot. I think the biggest thing I struggled with or one of them was getting detail on anything with when I would use watercolor or acrylic paint just because I found that for me is easier to do it with a pen or pencil rather than layering paint. another thing I think I struggled with was being able to connect my material to my composition I honestly didn't really put much effort into that but I also didn't know exactly how I would connect them especially the in the first half of the year when I was doing my sustained investigation on animals and their emotions.
My artistic goals for the summer and the future well I think one of them should definitely be experimenting with materials I'm not familiar with because not only is it fun but I may find that I liked it a lot and working on my painting skills like water I had a really hard time drawing with water and paint in water and I also think that I should work on like painting objects in the water and then connecting my materials to my composition.