Donate Life

Artist Statement

For this project, we were instructed to create original artwork that spreads awareness about organ and tissue donation. Because our artwork would be sent out to be judged, there were a few requirements for this project, including a title that sent a positive message, and a one-inch border. The materials and our original design ideas, however, were left completely up to us. For this project, my artwork evolved from a simple thumbnail drawing of a wilted flower to a much larger, detailed design that included a few unique additions. I decided to incorporate a watering can that was tilted, watering the dead flower. To me, watering cans symbolize hope, nourishment, opportunity, and new growth. The hand holding the can symbolizes someone giving the gift of life to help save and revive another person who is in need, and help them survive. Although simple, I feel like my artwork sends a meaningful message, and I enjoy making artwork that sheds light on an important cause.

We were allowed to use any media of our choice for our piece. In my artwork, I began by sketching out the title and drawings lightly in a 2B pencil. I then went in with gray, blue, red, yellow, brown, and green gouache paints, occasionally layering in some areas to create different shades. Although the message and theme can be seen as sad, or even morbid, I wanted to use colors in order to depict organ donation as a positive thing. After the paints dried, I outlines everything using black, yellow, green, and red gel pens to clean everything up and make it look a little more cartoonish. In order to make the flower have a more 'wilted' appearance, I also went over the petals with a brown colored pencil, adding small lines and dots.

I went through a few different processes while creating my artwork. I had originally planned to use my own watercolor paints for this project but I had lost a few of the major colors I had wanted to use from my set. Instead, I attempted to create the appearance of watercolor by watering down gouaoche paints so they were less saturated. Although the gouache dried much faster, I found it to have a similar appearance to watercolor. Another process I went through was using different kinds of media in order to create a more detailed final piece. I found that the smallest marks of colored pencil and a simple outline of gel pens completely transformed my drawing. Finally, the last process I went through while creating my peace, was using photoshop to clean up the border. After photo scanning it, I was able to figure out how to upload and add a much cleaner border to the drawing before submission.