Time Capsule Observational Drawings

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

2D Design

18 September 2020

My three pieces are centered around one common subject: me. The first is a self portrait, the second is an object I often depend on, and the third is my hand. In the drawings, the ideas of realism and personality are visually evident. It is easy for the viewer to make interpretations and assumptions about me based on what I chose to highlight about myself. Another thing that is visually evident in my work is the idea of a series. All three drawings are valuable when lined up next to each other, and complement each other very well. However, individually, they have a very different, some would even say lesser value. A series is a type of artwork that I really enjoy creating and analyzing. Even so, I usually don’t make them. I am happy that this assignment touched on the idea of a series, and the level of detail and general style in my pieces lends itself to the idea of a cohesive arrangement. This project relates very strongly to my life. First of all, the portrait is something I’ve been doing during the first week of art classes for years. It is very interesting to look back and compare my work as I have aged and matured as an artist. As well as this, the portrait illustrates the part of my face that I would say I am the most confident in, and that I feel is the most beautiful. In this way, the drawing conveys self worth and security. Also the fact that I chose to illustrate a large portion of my face speaks to my confidence as a person. Although I didn't realize it at the time, the makeup removing water also highlights this idea. It shows that I don't rely on makeup, but often wear it for fun. In reality, I love to use makeup to draw creative works of art on my face when I am bored. I go through a lot of micellar water in a pretty short amount of time. Finally, the third drawing of my hand relates to my life because it is in a very graceful, musical gesture. I have always loved creating and listening to music, and I think that the gesture I chose illustrates that quality!

I didn't use many materials to create these drawings. It was very straightforward and simple! First, I used a soft graphite pencil to sketch what I saw in front of me or in the mirror onto the multimedia paper. Once a loose sketch to help me with placement and arrangement was completed for each drawing, I used the same soft graphite pencil to fill in details. I shaded the drawings to create depth, using my finger as a blender. Then, I finished with an eraser to create highlights that would accentuate my work. I am very happy with how my drawings came out. I don’t often work in pencil, but it was refreshing! I found that it was easier to correct mistakes, but also easy to fall down the rabbit hole of persecution. The ability to erase errors makes it easy to take things too far and forget that art is imperfect!

An important process I used to illustrate these subjects was shading. I used soft graphite pencils so that I could blend easily, and would often lightly sketch a line so that I could blend it out. I used an eraser to highlight the lips and nose as well as the bottle, accentuating important details. Overall, the way that I shaded these pieces to the extent that I could created depth, form, and value. The consistent style throughout my work creates rhythm. I also think that the arrangement of the piece on the page was important. For example, I placed my self portrait at a diagonal angle to create intrigue and make the piece unique. I could also do the most with this type of space. I also framed my face with hair to draw the viewer's eye in. I used shadow in the hand drawing to make it stand out, and made sure that the space around the micellar water was tight enough to accent the drawing. Overall, the way that I used space to my advantage balanced the pieces and created balance rhythm and unity. These drawings evolved from messy sketches to cohesive and detailed designs. I’m happy with my work, but if I were to go back and start again, I would pay more attention to proportion. I think my pinky finger is a little large, and the arrangement of the middle and pointer finger is funky because I wasn’t able to convey adequate depth. The skew of the bottle of micellar water is also a little off.

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