Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Andreson

Foundations of Art

December 8, 2019

My work was made by first choosing a photo of myself to work from. This method, as opposed to looking in a mirror, is much easier in my opinion. This is because you can fine-tune the image to reflect the most prominent tones and shades, and can lay the image out and grid it to produce exact results. After choosing my photo, I edited it to highlight some of the lights and darks on and around my face on “photos” in my copter. Then, I printed the photo and I measured a one-inch grid onto the paper using a ruler and pencil. After, I chose a large piece of paper to work with and drew a rectangle the same size as the photo in the center. I then added the same grid to my drawing paper, labeling the boxes with a pencil so I could make sure to get the proportions right. After all this pre-work was completed, I drew the outline of my head and hair onto the grid, paying close attention to where the lines fell inside the grid. I began with my face, the most complex part. Working box by box, I used 4B, 6B, and B pencils to shade, tortillons to blend, and erasers to highlight my face. When I was finished with the features, I simply colored with the graphite left over on my tortillon to create a skin tone. Moving to the hair, I created the correct shade by simply rubbing pencil onto the paper and blending it, and then created the illusion of strands by adding dark and light lines. This gave my hair texture and sheen. I found this approach effective because it didn't require me to draw each individual strand. Instead, I took it in pieces, taking advantage of the human brain’s tendency to make connections and suggestions about how something should look. When it came to drawing the shirt, I strayed from the photo a bit, using a different photo of me in the same position wearing a different shirt. This was merely a style choice, and I want to be sure that the shadows were correct. To finish, I erased the grid in my face. My project evolved greatly. Not only did my realism skills improve a lot, but I was able to take a photo and recreate it, which led me to be a better observer.

I used a number of elements of art as I created my final piece. Most prominently, value was present. Leading up to this assignment, we did a few value studies. While recreating an image of myself I paid close attention to the value, and tried my best to create the same shades with a variety of pencils and tortillons. Form was also a big part of my piece, as the goal of the project was to create an image that looked 3D and lifelike, and therefore, had formed. I achieved this by making sure to accentuate shadows and highlights. On the cheeks, I eased sections to make them pop. I did the same in the eyes, hair, and on the forehead. These are just a few examples of where form is present in my piece. Texture was also created. It shows up in my hair, where I added highlights to show individual strands. Texture also appears on my face, where the shading is a bit rougher to suggest wool. Finally, I used line to create the features on my face, and details elsewhere. Line is present in and around my eyes, in my hair, around the collar of my fleece, and in and around my mouth. I used lines to suggest teeth, lips, eyelashes, etc. In terms of principles of design, contrast and movement are most apparent. Contrast shows as a result of the values I used, and can be seen especially around the edges of my face, which are shadowed by my hair. Movement is present throughout the whole piece, as the common style and simple realism allows the eye to fall naturally, and explore the most detailed aspects of the drawing before looking at, say, the hair.

The final step in creating my project was to add a background. After researching, I chose to replicate Wiliam Morris's work. His designs consisted primarily of natural, brightly colored and entwining plants, flowers, and wildlife. Not only was I excited to draw the lines and details to make up the drawings, but I was looking forward to experimenting with color and overlapping with my face. My lines came out fanatically. I loved the effect, and the symmetry, though hard to accomplish, was very nice looking. The white piece looked finished, but I decided to add color. This was a decision I regret. I feel that the color choices I made were not cohesive enough, and the brightness and strange combination distracted from the intricate lines I'd drawn. In the end, the lines and designs I included strongly resembled William Morris's natural and nostalgic prints. However, the color I used did not quite match the level of expertise his color choices showed.

In my work, no deeper ideas are visually present. This is because it is realism, and focuses only on what is there. I hope to add more of a story when I choose a background, and therefore give the piece more complexity. For now, the piece is merely meant to suggest my face. The project relates strongly to my life, because it is a replica of what people see when they look at me. Not only is the final result relate to e, but the process I used was influenced greatly by who I am as an artist. For a while, I have attempted to create realistic drawings and have only been able to draw the heads and bodies of people, not their facial features. However, through my experience the lights, I’ve gotten much better at shading, blending, etc. Now that I know how to create a realistic face, I will be able to achieve a greater level of realism in my drawings and become a better observer in general. In my artwork, I am most proud of the way that I was able to suggest teeth without actually drawing solid lines. It was difficult, and I’ve had trouble with it in the past. However, I was really happy with my results! It looked much more natural. I struggled most with my nose. At first, the shadows and curves aren't quite right, but after eating, I was able to pay close attention to where the lines should be, and therefore was able to make a much more accurate depiction of my face.

. . .