Time Capsule Drawings

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

AP Art and Design

14 September 2021

When creating these images, my main goal was to illustrate growth since last year. I wanted to be able to compare my drawings from this class and from 2D Design and see tangible progress. So, even in these quick illustrations, I tried my best to demonstrate my abilities when it came to unique perspectives, compelling, evocative images, etc. I did so, first of all, by trying to incorporate my feelings towards the subject into the piece. I made the lawnmower appear a little like it was growling, and angry. For the perspective drawing, I used the view out of my bedroom window. It has a very tranquil feel. I also experimented with the angle from which I portrayed these images in order to further solidify my feelings towards them in a way that the viewer could pick up on. I think that these sketches are much more engaging and well executed than mine were last year.

I used graphite pencil to create these sketches. It was nice to be able to shade in large areas, but I found that it was a little difficult to achieve sharp details and highlights where I wanted them. In order to solve this problem, I made sure to use multiple pencils so that I could keep the tips sharp. I used the corners of an eraser to clean up my lines and sharper areas. This ended up working pretty well! However, I much prefer working with pen and ink as I usually do. Nevertheless, I am glad I experimented with pencil, and I think it gave me a unique opportunity to explore realism in a manner that required a little less precision as pen and ink.

Since the prompts for these pieces were so direct, I didn’t experiment as much as I would have liked to. Mostly, I pushed the boundaries of the assignment by using a really funky perspective for drawing #2, and manipulating the composition and imagery in drawing #3 to convey the evilness of the lawn mower. I’m happy with how these works came out, and I think I’ve grown a lot as an artist since the last time I attempted these types of sketches!

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