AP 2D Design

Final Reflection

Since the first work this year, the beautiful oops and whatchamaDRAWit, to the final sustained investigations and my experimental works, there is clear improvisation. Most importantly, there are improvements in my technique, contrast, and texture. I think clear improvements can be seen through my sustained investigation 3 and my tidal shift(graphite, contrast, and patterns), as well as my oil paint sticks to my oil exploration( texture, blending, contrast, and realism). 

I think, although through my works you can see strengths such as contrast in works such as Beautiful Oops, Sustain Investigation 5, and oil exploration, as well as strengths in design in projects such as investigation #5, 6, as well as my tidal shift and duck stamp, my work is also lacking. I think, although certain works show certain strengths, whether it be contrast, line, color, or design altogether, most lack unity and overall form. I think the only works where I feel that I have true unity are my duck stamp and my oil explorations. Although they have small flaws, the elements presented in each work complement each other, and the viewer's eye is drawn to the main subject, allowing them to view all the details of the work. On the other hand, works such as my 6th sustained investigation have strong design, but the contrast is very lacking, so there is no draw and therefore takes away from the overall design of the work.

This year, I think the biggest challenge was coming up with designs that would fit my sustained investigation, that I could not only experiment with but at the same time show my artistic ability. Throughout the year I experimented with a ton of different materials such as guitar strings, trumpet oil, music sheets, craft paper, and even fabric and sewing, but because almost all of the materials were new to me I struggled to create the best work possible and it became harder to appreciate the work I put into my sustained investigations. That being said, at the end of the year, I was exceptionally happy with the results of my oil exploration. This exploration gave me a break from the strict rules of the AP submissions and let my artistic ideas flow. And even though it was new material, my ideas and determination flowed, and I was able to create three works that I am very proud of.

For the future, I would very much like to continue my exploration with oil paints, as it was the material I have enjoyed the most this past year. Most likely, I will spend a lot of time this summer working with the material as now I have access to it, and as a goal for the summer, I would like to improve my skills with oil paint specifically. Overall, I would like to improve my skills in line and contrast, but also not to give up or expect so little out of myself as an artist because it not only takes away from my work but also doesn’t allow me to appreciate the time and effort I spend on all of my art pieces.