Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Andreson

Foundations of Art

October 31, 2019

For this assignment, I was tasked with filling the shapes made by zooming in on my shoe. To accomplish this, I used a few basic materials. To start with, I used a pencil to trace the shapes of my shoe onto the page, leaving a one-inch border. Next, I sketched the basic design plan onto the page, starting with the bricks in the bottom and the window panes, and moving upwards to the circular objects. After I had finished, I used a 01 pen to add detail and shading through cross-hatching. Originally, I had planned to continue my drawing in pencil. However, I didn’t like the look so far and felt that it would be more pleasing and fit with my idea better if I used a pen. It also proved to be much more finished-looking and much more time-efficient. Much of the drawing was created through the use of lines, and there are very few white spaces. Where there is shadow, I used the pen to create lines in opposite directions as ones that were already there. To finish, I erased all the pencil marks I’d made previously to create a clean project. I made sure to keep my material basic and refrain from using color because I knew that my design was very complex. An intense complexity in another element of the piece would have been overpowering and lessened the overall effect. I loved the end result of my artwork. It evolved from an underdeveloped, unfinished, and fairly messy pencil drawing to a much cleaner, neater, refined, and composed piece. I felt that I used the elements of art well and I was happy with my performance.

To create a piece that came together much more effectively, I used many of the elements of art. Line was utilized most predominantly, and I created all of the identifying details in the piece with lines of different weights. In order to eliminate white space in the sky, I added lines to create the illusion of sun rays. The use of this element tied the piece together and made it easier to identify my style. Texture was also used in my piece. I used this element to keep the piece interest8ng, even where it was a little repetitive. For example, I made sure to include interesting texture in the sky, and on the roads. I did this by making lines in conflicting directions. On the building with the windows, I created the illusion of bricks by adding lines that made rectangular spaces look darker. This created the appearance of texture and added intrigue to the space. Form was also present in my artwork. It appears on the roads, where shading makes them look almost 3D. Form was also present in the skyline I drew, as I made sure to add shadow to the buildings and show their sides to make them pop. Lastly, I used form in the bottom right-hand corner, where a car appears through a tunnel. By shading around the outside of the tunnel and creating a shadow on the car, I was able to create an accurate depiction. I also used form in the roof of the building I drew in the upper right-hand corner. Shape was not quite as obvious in my artwork, but I did use it. Circles appear in every level of my drawing, which ties the piece together and makes it more focused. I used shape to create the buildings and in the cars. In both of these circumstances, I mimicked the same shape repeatedly to create a balanced effect. In the windows of the lower section, I compiled a series of rectangles together to create a shape. All of these techniques above came together to ensure that my final product was balanced. There were circles, rectangles, and cars throughout the whole piece, and I made sure that each section was relatively the same tone, with a few exceptions, so that the eye would not be drawn away from any part. Emphasis was created by adding a dark line into the middle of the peuce, which draws the eye to the center and allows the viewer to work out to the corners from there. I also emphasized the text in the upper right-hand corner by leaving the space around it white, unlike other sections. This draws the eye to the inspiration for the piece, which was a song. Overall, unity was created by establishing a specific style and theme. The entire drawing was made with pen, and it is composed entirely of lines. The theme of the piece was city and architecture, which I stayed true to in every section, exploring different views and aspects of buildings and streets.

In my piece, the idea of a city is visually evident. However, there are no people visible, and so the idea of loneliness is also present. I like to think that there is a little of everything in this drawing, because it's crowded but pretty simple, there are cars and buildings, but no people, and it's easy for a viewer to give it their own meaning because mine isn’t obvious. This is part of what I think makes art effective, and I’m proud of how I was able to create this effect. My project relates hugely to my life, although it is fluid enough to not show only this significance. While I was creating the piece, I was listening to the song “Hey There Delilah,” which had a big impact on the outcome and the mood. The song is important to me because it reminds me of the summer camp I go to, which is the place where all of my happiest memories have occurred. It makes me feel melancholy because many of the people and experiences I have there are limited to only one or two weeks a year. Because the song had such an impact on the piece, I decided to include it in the upper right-hand corner. The city represents the theme of the song but also symbolizes something that interests me greatly, but I only get to experience very rarely. There is an aspect of mystery in the piece, and these small details are what makes it emotionally and visually significant. In my artwork, I am proudest of the way that I was able to create unity. The circles in the sky add an abstract feeling, but also ensure that the shapes present in the top and bottom continue in the middle. I also am very proud of how I picked an idea that I liked, and stuck with it even when I wasn’t a huge fan of how the piece was turning out. It was stressful at times to create, but I have always struggled with sticking to a plan for my artwork and I found that I was able to do so in this case. This led to a cleaner, more finished and organized piece which means that the process doesn’t take away from the product. I struggled most with time management in this piece, and because I was stressed the artwork I produced wasn't my best. However, I found that by stepping back, I was able to recollect myself and come back to create a drawing I’m proud of. During the early stages, I had planned to draw the entire piece in pencil. By following my instincts, even though I was apprehensive, I produced a piece of artwork that I love.

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