Linear Perspective Unit

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Andreson

Foundations of Art

November 16, 2019

During this unit, we have done a few different perspective drawings as a way to explore the style and technique involved with this type of art. First, I used a pencil to sketch a square on my paper. This square became the back wall of an imaginary room that I created using many lines and measurements. After I determined the center of my wall, I made this the vanishing points and continued on to draw the ceiling and floor of my room. To tile the floor, I measured across the space and marked two-inch intervals with a ruler. I then connected these points to the vanishing point, and when I finished I added an additional vanishing point to the side, which I connected the points to ad well. Where the lines intercepted, I drew horizontal lines to create the illusion of tiles. On the ceiling, I made spaces of equal length and followed a similar process to create beams. Of course, there were no horizontal lines on the ceiling, instead, I created a 3-dimensional effect to make the beams look thick and long. To finish, I sketched chairs, stairs, a sofa, art, windows, a bookshelf, a door, a rug, and a table. I went over this in brightly colored sharpie, and my drawing was complete. The summative piece was next. To start, I used my phone to capture a picture of a hallway in the building. I chose the FPAC lobby. I printed this photo and then began to sketch it onto a large piece of paper with a soft pencil. It was very complex, so I had a bit of difficulty. However, I was able to overcome most of it. After I sketched with a pencil, I used a sharpie to create a fading effect with a color palette that was bright and drew the eye in. I then used colored pencils to give the piece a more finished look. I ended by correcting any errors with white out. I had to experiment a little bit with the colors I used because they needed to fade perfectly. I also played around with positioning, because I struggled a lot with the stairs and the lines on the floor. The reason, I believe, is that I wasn’t looking straight on, and so the lines were a bit off. I would say my project evolved from an idea that was complex, but I felt I could accomplish well to a reality that looked great and that I was proud of, but had a few mistakes up close.

During this unit, I used a number of the elements of art and principles of design. First, of course, I used lines to create my drawings. In fact, lines were like the skeletons of the pieces of art that each room became. Line is present in the tiles on the floor and ceilings of both my summative and my formative, the stairs, the shelves, and upper floors, and just about every aspect of the drawings. Not only are they a huge piece of the final project, but they were essential during the sketching phase to get proportions correct. Shape is also an important part of each of my pieces. Though the spaces I drew may appear 3 dimensional, they are built of a series of squares and rectangles. I used trapezoids to rate the trash can in my summative, and the legs of my table in the formative. Bent rectangles make up the walls and ceilings, as well as the floor tiles. Shape was valuable in terms of guiding my choices during the process of drawing rooms and hallways. Color was also important to my artwork. In the formative, it was used sporadically with little tho8ght, however, in the summative I used the lightest colors towards the center to intentionally draw attention from the outer edges inward, taking in the piece in sections. I find that my gradient adds interest, and makes the drawing easier to take in. Finally, form was created in my piece. All of the measurements and careful considerations were to ensure that the form of the spaces I drew made sense. I needed to ensure that the room was geometrically correct and that it was shaped roughly like a cube. Of course, this was easier in the formative, but form is also detectable in the summative piece. Because the drawings are so mathematical, and they follow a specific structure and line weight, balance was achieved. Both drawings are most complex towards the middle, due to the structures of rooms in general and where my eye level falls. Because the style, theme, subject, and technique of the pieces are constant, balance is apparent. Some areas of the piece are emphasized. This was done using color, which draws the eyes to certain parts of the peace. Of course, complexity also played a role in emphasizing certain regions, because the more lines that are present, the denser the area appeared in comparison with others. Lastly, rhythm was created when I chose to use a gradient scale for my color palette. This added a constant pattern, as did the orientation and direction of all the lines in each piece— towards a vanishing point. For these reasons, rhythm plays a role in my artwork.

In my work, what is visually evident is largely what is on the page. There is not much thinking and isn't much of a story behind the drawing. This is because it is so strict in terms of rules, technique, and format. However, because it is so close to the viewer’s perception of reality, the drawing does extend beyond the page in that the viewer can infer what the rest of the room looked like, or where the vantage point was. In terms of the project’s relation to my life, again, there isn’t much of a deep connection. I can say, however, that the colors I chose to use are ones that I love, and that stands out to me as bright and happy, and when paired together trigger memories of past times when I’ve used similar palettes. The physical space I chose to recreate reflects on me because it is very complex, and it correlates with the type of person I am. I often challenge myself, even when I should be staying within my skill level. In this case, it worked out, although barely. In my artwork, I am most proud of the way that I was able to create more than just a hallway. I also was able to incorporate m style into a drawing, even one so rigid. My hallway was very complex, and I was really happy with how it came out. The colors are nice, and the piece overall has the effect that I was looking for. The colored pencil adds a finished look, and overall I can say I’m proud of the decisions I made— to include some lines, leave other out, take certain artistic liberties, and add bright color. I struggled a lot in the earlier stages of the summative. I wanted to take it in sections, and so I started adding sharpie before I was finished with the sketch. I think that I got a bit ahead of myself, and so when I realized that I’d made a few errors, they were difficult to correct. I was able to cover most of them up by adding details, but I wish that I had finished sketching before I drew in permanent marker.

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