Foundations of Art

I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of creative mediums and supplies as a Foundation of Art student. I've worked on projects involving sculpture, painting, and sketching, and during each one, I've had both high and low moments. I also got to discover my strengths and limitations. For instance, whereas the painting and sculpture assignments highlight my weaknesses, the drawing projects highlight my strengths. 

I believe my artistic abilities have greatly increased over the course of the year. For example, the first self-portrait I created this year didn't resemble me whatsoever. My face was emotionless, with no life or movement. However, when we did self-portraits again a few weeks later, I noticed a significant improvement. I used a gridding technique, which I believe improved my work. I gridded both a printed image and the drawing paper itself, then drew square by square. 

The wire sculpture, I believe, was the most difficult project. Not only did it leave an oil residue on my clothes, but bending the wire hurt my hands. The most challenging part of this project was the fish hook connections. Either the connections would be too loose, causing the sculpture to be unbalanced, or the connections would be too tight, preventing me from moving it. There was no such thing as a happy medium. Although the wire sculpture was the most challenging, the project I'm most proud of is my mixed-media drawing. I think it wonderfully captured my dog's emotions, and it's very realistic. 

Overall, I believe I have gained many strengths this year, and I believe that attending art camps and schools will help me to improve them even further. I've already attended a summer camp centered on watercolor painting, so perhaps in the future, I'll attend one centered on drawing, which is my true interest.