Final Thoughts

Two of the most important concepts I learned this semester:

I learned a lot of important things during this semester of Art Fundamentals. Out of all of those concepts, the two most important to me were value and perspective. Coming into this art class, I knew that I really like drawing, but didn't know how to make my illustrations look more realistic. By researching Italian artist Giorgio Morandi, I learned how vital value and shading are for adding realism to drawings. Morandi typically drew everyday objects such as cups and vases, but his use of intricate cross-hatching made the simple objects more visually appealing and interesting. Also, when we were doing the final still life drawing, I learned how to layer my shading and work from light values to dark values. This helped add depth and beauty to my drawings. Another concept that I took away from this class was perspective. By doing the one-point room assignment, I learned how to draw lines back to the vanishing point. During that assignment I also learned how to use perspective to draw other objects such as cylinders and boxes. Using value and perspective I was really able to make my illustrations more engaging and realistic.

The assignment that I am the most proud of:

Out of all the projects, photographs, and drawings I did this semester, I am the most proud of my value portrait. Even though I didn't get to illustrate my entire face, I enjoyed using different values to highlight and sculpt my eyes and nose. I believe that this project really shows my development as an artist from the beginning of the semester to now. I was able to use all of my gathered knowledge about value and painting techniques to make an intriguing and convincing replica of my face. This painting not only shows me that I have a better understanding of art techniques and value now, but that I am capable of making art that I am truly proud of. I am excited to continue creating art and pushing my knowledge and skills.