Foundations of Art

Last year I took both photography 1 and 2. This year I decided to branch out and try a different art form which I was less comfortable with, in hopes that I could learn more and become a better artist. I started off this year with very basic knowledge of art and barely even being able to draw a stick figure let along learning to shade, use proper technique, and different materials. Throughout this year, not only have I learned how to create better art but I've also learned more about myself in doing so. This year I learned how to use so many different materials from charcoal, to oil pastels, paint and even random materials laying around my house. Although I did not get to finish this year in the classroom, I still think that I learned a lot this year and I'm so happy to be able to take away the knowledge that I learned.

We started the year off with three Time Capsule images one was a self-portrait, second was the corner of a room and the third was a still life. As the class went on we began to learn how to properly use and draw these items. We learned how to draw self-portraits using a grid method with graphite, we learned how to draw candy still lifes using colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor, and chalk pastels, and lastly, we learned how to use linear perspective to create drawings of hallways or buildings. Looking back on the time capsules from the beginning of the year, it looks like something a two year old could draw. Although my end products were not perfect, they showed major improvement and I’m personally very proud of myself.

Although this class was very fun, it was very challenging to step out of my comfort zones of digital art and move to more physical forms of art. During the pure contour projects, it was hard to leave a piece of art almost “unfinished” by giving it no detail or texture. During the projects that required gridding, it was hard to not lose patience after working on it for so many hours and only getting small bits done at a time. For the mixed media and graphite projects it was hard for me to get true dark darks while shading and it was also difficult for me to find the placement of the shadows. I think the easiest assignments were the color design projects, the surrealism projects, and the art history. Although these were easier, it does not mean that they were not challenging, I just found them the most fun and they were materials I was already somewhat familiar with. The pieces of work that I am most proud of are my art history inspired piece, my mixed media, and my scratchboard. I think that these materials worked really well for me, they were super fun, and they turned out very well.

Overall I have learned lots This year about both art and myself. I have learned which materials and medias I like more than others and I have a better understanding of my own style now. I absolutely love taking an art class with Mrs. Medsker, and hopefully next year I will be going to Savannah Arts Academy thanks to everything that she has done for me and taught to me. If not, I will certainly be taking another art course next year to further my knowledge of art and creativity.