Squiggle Drawing

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Andreson

Foundations of Art

September 20, 2019

I created my piece using a variety of types of markers. First, of course, I sketched my design with pencil. After I perfected this first step, I used broad tip markers to create the background, utilizing negative space to create the effect of stars. Then, I filled in the foreground using paintbrush-tip markers. The process I used was very similar to the rest of my class. I started with a simple line drawn in sharpie on a blank sheet of paper. Then, I wove this line into a scene of my choice. It took me a little while to choose how I wanted my piece to look. At first, I was leaning towards creating an octopus or some other living creature, but I am a little less comfortable with landscapes (especially the color aspect) and so I chose to challenge myself. My final piece is the product of many layers. When I first colored the sand, it was plain yellow. The rocks were solid grey with a touch of shading. The cacti, which are dark purple now, were ordinary green. I wasn't sure that I liked where the piece was going, and I wanted the rock formation that I’d drawn to fit with the setting. To do this, I made the scene more alien like, changing the color of the plants and adding texture and color to the sand and rocks. Through the processes described above, my project evolved from an ordinary, comfortable drawing to a more funky, otherworldly scene that pushed my artistic abilities.

I used a variety of elements of art to create the final product above. Prominent ones are line and color, which are very apparent in the way I chose to create the shape of the rocks. Instead of using a darker shade of a solid color to create value, I separated sections of the rock and altered the color to create a style similar to a topographic map. Shape was also an important element of my project. In the background, I wanted to eliminate most of the details of the landscape so that focus wouldn't be drawn away from the foreground. I did this by using large colorful blocks of shape to symbolize plateaus. In the foreground, shape was important to consider when drawing the lines that formed rocks. The element of shape ties together my drawing. Texture wasn’t a major element in my drawing, but I found that it added a nice touch to keep the piece interesting and engaging. Two dimensional space is a big piece of my drawing, and I found ways to incorporate positive and negative space into my stars and the details on the cactus. I left these areas blank to make them stand out and create the illusion of detail. I would love to learn more about this element of art, so that in the future I can get a better handle on how to use it and hopefully enhance my artwork. Emphasis is another element that I added to the squiggle drawing, although it's probably the part I’m least proud of. My rock formations, which I created using the squiggle I was given, are unique in color, shape, and the way I developed them. I would almost say that they don’t fit as well as I’d like them to with the rest of my drawing, and next time I should work on balancing the colors better and planning out my design before I dive in.

My piece is a little abstract, so there are a number of ideas that are visually evident. I would say the most obvious aspect of my drawing is the appearance of a desert. It's true that this idea was the base for my drawing, and so naturally it stands out as the “topic.” However the colors and details like the planet in the sky add an element of bizarity to the piece, which is also very present. I would say the overall feeling for my creation is distance, and unfamiliarity. The view isn’t much like anything we would see here, and not only did I try something I was unfamiliar with, but my feelings of unfamiliarity transferred over to the outer space landscape— barren and strange. There isn’t much of a specific story behind my piece, it is largely meant to evoke the emotions I discussed above. However it does relate strongly to my life. The rock formations and sand in the background are reflections of Sedona, Arizona where I hope to visit one day. I don’t know much about the place, as I’ve never been. It feels distant, unsure, and alien to me now, which is shown by the “outer space” type setting. However I know that when I get there it will be beautiful, not unfriendly. This is another aspect of the piece— the colors are warm, the sky is beautiful and not too harsh. Though a little strange, the landscape is inviting. All of these details come together to build a piece of artwork that reflects the emotions I had while drawing, and my hopes for the future. In my piece, I am most proud of the way that I used color and line, pushing myself a little out of my comfort zone. I thought that these two elements came together especially well to create unity in my artwork. The colors that I chose were a little more muted and warm than the colors of a true desert, which would usually be strange for me but I was careful to choose colors that accented each other and I loved the overall effect. In terms of line, I didn't like where my rock formations were going at the beginning. I was able to incorporate lines into the background however, which connected the piece and created a more balanced effect. In the end, I impressed myself with my use of these elements. I would say that my biggest struggle was being undecided and unfaithful towards my artistic choices. In the beginning, I had lots of ideas for the project. I would begin to execute one, then change my mind and try to draw over it. I had to go over the cactuses in another color, as well as add detail to the rocks and sky. Throughout the course of my time working on my squiggle drawing, I made many choices I wouldn’t make again, such as jumping right into working with color, or starting with the most important focal point of my drawing. I think I would better serve myself to take it slow, plan it out, and solidify a background and idea before jumping into drawing the main attraction of my piece of art. In the end, when I chose a path and decided to stick with it, I found that I could focus on making my artwork better, instead of picking a theme I was comfortable with. In the future, I’ll be sure to consider all aspects of my drawing before I use permanent ink.

. . .