Advanced Art

Say Something!

This project was pretty open-ended, but I had a lot of fun creating my design. I painted a scene representing different parts of my life using gouache and various brushes.

I'm the main figure in the foreground, and the rings on my torso represent my soul. The trees and vines above my head depict the tangle of my thoughts and anxieties. My eyes are fixed on the glowing door in the tree, which is the narrow path to Heaven, and the river stands for my ever-changing journey through life. I included music notes and stars to demonstrate my love for music and learning about the universe (as well as the night sky, which is also portrayed here). The flowers and grass represent the good things that are blooming in my life. The red string hanging from the tree represents my fate, and the theater curtain pretty obviously portrays my love for theater. The jellyfish represents my creativity and the pencils heading the river denote my love of writing.

I would change a few things - namely, my facial proportions and maybe some of my blending - but overall I think it turned out well.

Stained Glass Window

I literally poured my blood, sweat, and tears into these pieces, but the final products turned out better than expected! I chose a koi fish because I liked the design and thought it wouldn't take too long—famous last words. Some parts of this project were fun and therapeutic, but others were annoying and frankly somewhat dangerous for an already clumsy person like myself.

Stained Glass Koi Fish

I started practicing the stained glass techniques on a basic window and then progressed to the koi fish, using solder, flux, various colors of glass, and a diamond grinder to achieve the desired result. I loved soldering the glass and making smooth lines, but it was hard! I broke several pieces of glass because of a faulty knife and sliced my hands multiple times. I also burned myself on the soldering iron, but after bandaging and cold water, I was more or less okay. The process, although rewarding, was terribly difficult, and I don't know if I'd do it again.

Memory Project (Honduras)

We are going to draw portraits of underprivileged Honduran children and send them out to hopefully make a small difference in their lives. I'm really excited about this project - I like working with every medium we're using - and I hope the girl I was assigned will like her portrait!

The most important aspect of this project for me is ensuring I capture every detail of her face to let her know that someone cares and is paying attention to her. I think this is worship in the sense that I am honoring God with my artistic abilities and showing compassion for one of his beloved children through this piece. I will be successful if I can draw her portrait well enough that it looks like the photo and put in enough whimsy and fun that she will like looking at it.

Pencil Practice

Colored Pencil Practice

Oil Pastel Practice

Practice Reflection

Although I really enjoyed practicing with different mediums, not all of them turned out as well as I would have liked. I learned the hard way that oil pastel really does not need a lot of layers and colored pencil is easier when you don't have to blend fifteen different colors to make one. I'm planning to use pencil for the final portrait because I was able to capture her face most accurately that way. I still want it to have a bit of color, though, so I'll use alcohol markers to bring some life back into her shirt and the background.

Project Throughline

I think this project has helped me to exemplify Image Reflecting through my detailed examination and interpretation of the face of one of God's children. It's helped me empathize with Sandra and appreciate His workmanship in her. The beauty of humanity is that no two people look alike and yet we are all made in His image!

Final Portrait

I had a really fun time working on Sandra's portrait! The markers and pencil work together so well and the final product is more cohesive than I expected (especially based on how my practices went). I think it looks just like the picture and I'm happy I was able to capture her beautiful smile. I hope she feels joy and excitement when she receives this portrait and knows how much she is loved. If I could tell her something, I would say, "You remind me of another little girl I know and I'm so happy I got to draw this picture of you. You're brave and beautiful and I hope you know how much God loves you!"

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