AP 2D Design

This year, my work has improved greatly in my opinion, from technical skill to my ideas in each work. As well as my experimentation, I tried to use more materials than I did last year. Whether it was using a new material or experimenting with something. I tried painting multiple times this year, specifically using gouache. A medium I only used once last year, I created two of my SI's with gouache. I also experimented with paper, creating 3D work, which is a completely new thing for me. Overall, a big thing I have improved in is my material's, how and why I use them, and generally just branching out to experiment with new things. Though I also think that my skills as an artist have improved, my attention to detail and abilities have gotten better. In many of my pieces, I incorporated pattern, using smaller details and techniques. As well as blending and layering with pastels and paints, I learned about these techniques and was then able to use them to create works that I am happy with. This was a big problem for me last year, and I believe that this year was a big improvement in technical skill and experimentation.

My work has always been very vibrant; I like to use colors. Creating contrast and very bright compositions is a strength of my work. I also use black and white, as most commonly seen with my use of pens. Throughout my work this year, my ability to use color to create a harmonized composition is evident in my best pieces. I would say that my use of color and pattern in my work is shown pretty well. Although pattern and color are my strengths, I do have trouble with space and composition. At times, you can tell that in some of my works, there's just not enough going on or not enough detail. I do have trouble filling the page at times, resulting in an unfinished-looking piece. As well as my organization in pieces, such as only having one figure. The most prevalent would probably be the number of figures in a work or the location. I tried to stray away from centralized figures at the end of the year, but it's really noticeable in some of my works.

This year brought some challenges, the biggest ones being what I wanted to create and my experimentation. Though I said I thought I did well with experimenting, I do think that there was room for more. I had the resources and opportunities to branch out, trying new materials, but I didn't. Besides that, I think that creating and formulating ideas for each work was a big struggle. Coming up with an idea was pretty difficult if it didn't come to me immediately, and the generation was even harder. Formulating an idea in my mind and transferring it onto paper is harder than I had thought, not to mention sketching and practice. Though there are plenty of things that I'm proud of, I think that over the course of my 4 years doing art, I have progressively gotten more skilled each year. Which is a great accomplishment for me personally, because I don't make art very often outside of school. Also, I was very happy with some of my works this year. I have had an issue with not really liking my work, thinking it wasn't good enough, or just wasn't appealing. Although I have a handful of works that I created this year that I really like, it reflects my hard work, and that makes me proud.

As for my future, I am not pursuing art in college. Although I would like to keep creating as a hobby, because art has always been an escape for me to express myself. Therefore, I want to keep creating, no matter the medium. I have plans to start photography as a hobby as well, so I won't stop being creative. So, as I leave high school, I will keep creating art in any form possible. Because art has helped me through many things, and I don't want to get rid of that.