Negative Space Drawing

In this assignment we had to create a negative space drawing, but when we were doing this we had to make it look pleasing. What is negative space? Negative space is the space surrounding the actual object. First, we did leaf drawing, this was the formative assignment. In this project we went outside and grabbed three or more leaves. Next we traced the leaves in creative positions so we could create a shape of the negative space. For the Stool drawing which was our summative, we looked at stools that were stacked together through a view finder. This allowed us to split up the stools so we had different thumbnail drawings, (had to draw three thumbnail drawings). Out of those three thumbnail drawings we had to choose our favorite and make that into a much bigger drawing. To make both of these projects I decided to use colored pencils. This was because I believed they allowed you to create texture that you can't with markers or another material

To complete my leaf drawing, I used line, texture and color. I used these three elements of art in my leaf drawing. I used color in my leaf drawing by choosing colors I would normally see on a leaf year round. So, I chose colors like green, yellow, brown and red. I did this so I could follow the leafy theme that was going on. For texture, I tried to create by using a colored pencil and using unique angles to draw. This meaning I tried to make the colors go in certain directions and eventually mix/merge into another color. I created my lines and texture with colored pencils, but when I was making my lines, I tried to have them all flow together, and go in relatively the same direction. For the stool drawing I used the same elements but in some different ways. For color, I had an idea to make the outside of the negative space shapes to be darker than the middle, then gradually merge into a lighter shade of that color. For texture, I tried to make a circular motion into the middle of the shape. I did this so it created texture and purpose of the colors and lines. For lines, I used a colored pencil and made the lines lighter as it got closer to the middle, and also in a swirly shaped motion. For principles of design for both drawings I used rhythm, pattern, and balance. For the leaf drawing I also added some contrast. I used these principles of design by making the color and formation of leaves. Throughout the leaf project I changed the arrangement of the leaves and color. I did this because, I wanted my color to have more emphasis on the overall project. I changed the leaves positioning because, I wanted the negative space shapes to be unique and different. My stool project evolved a lot. This is because, before it was a lot smaller and no color. But once the project went on, I added color, and size to it so it looked better in the end.

I don't necessarily have a story behind either of my drawings. But one word to describe meaning in the leaf drawing and stool drawing would be abstract. This is because, they both show feeling and excitement, but don't show an actual form of an actual thing. Both of these projects relate to my life because, the shading and texture I used reminded me of confusion and clumsiness, which I often find myself doing/ going through. For my leaf drawing, I am most proud of the shapes of the leaves and negative space. For my stool drawing, I am most proud of the coloring and texture I created inside the negative space shapes. In the leaf drawing I struggled with tracing the leave. I overcame this struggle by lightly tracing the leaves then going back over after. This made it so the leaf didn't lift up when I was tracing. For my stool drawing, a struggle I had was getting the correct size of the negative space to allow all the shapes I drew on the thumbnail drawing to fit on the big piece of paper. In both projects it bothers me about the messiness of the color and textures, so next time I would consider taking more time to make each line more precise.