Thematic Portfolio #4: Symbolic Still Life

Almost finished drawing:

Thematic Portfolio #1: Tiny Pictures Project

Thematic Portfolio #2: Images from Images Project

I think my final pieces were overall pretty successful. I like the ideas of recreating smaller images into larger, more interesting ones. I wish the first image were a little more interesting to look at. I think the original image of the  smaller shape in the first piece is much more interesting and exciting to look at, so I'm a little disappointed with the final product but am still a little satisfied with it. I really like the second piece because of the variety of material used in it. My favorite part of the piece is the green swirls that I made with coffee filters. However, I wish I had made this piece much faster than I had because I would have had more time to create the third piece of this project. 

Essential Questions

How do artists develop content and ideas for their work?

Artists develop content and ideas for their work through inspiration from the real world. They find ideas from their life and what they see every day (or don't see every day) and incorporate those ideas into their work. Integrating relatable ideas into their artwork can help their audience connect to their work in a more personal level. In addition, many artists want to convey a certain message through their artwork and make their audience have a new/different perspective after viewing their work; keeping this in mind, artists will try to incorporate this message into their artwork no matter how it is done. 

What kinds of techniques, behaviors, and habits allow artists to turn their ideas into meaningful works of art that engage the viewer?
Artists that have a unique/new style of artwork that many audiences do not often see can engage viewers in their work. However, artists can also engage their viewers by having a signature style by including their unique personalities in their pieces. I believe that all artists should include their personalities in their artwork because it makes their artwork more unique and less "robotic". 

Final Reflection

I think my use of color has improved since I began this class. I now know how to mix various simpler colors to make them more unique. I also feel that I know which colors to make. For example, in the white objects painting, each of the objects in the still life were white. However, I saw that each white object had a hint of another color and wasn't just plain white. I also feel that my skills of composition has improved as well. I can now see what would fit into the painting and whether or not the subject matter is complimentary with other objects in the painting. I have also learned so many techniques to make certain things look the way they are. For example, I was able to create glass with white mixed with medium to give it more of a see-through look. I was also able to make a space look more realistic by adding lots of shadows, so the space looked more 3-D. Overall, I truly believe that I have improved as an artist and have learned a lot.

Critique Feedback

The use of color in both the White Objects painting and Surface and Texture painting was accurate. My brush strokes in the surface and texture painting made the objects look fuzzy instead of sharp and detailed. This is especially important for the egg shell parts of the painting since the thickness is very thin, delicate, and sharp. The fuzziness of the lines makes the painting look messy and not sharp enough. The value and depth of the paintings were accurate as well. However, the objects in the surface and texture painting don't bond and should form more of a unity with each other. The compositons that were shown in my paintings were praised. However, the background of the surface and texture painting don't seem to have much depth which makes the objects look like they're floating. I just have to add more shadows in the fabric to make objects look more realistic. There is also more contrast in the surface and texture painting than in the white objects painting.

White Objects Painting

I think this painting was really difficult for me for many reasons. It was really hard trying to mix the paint to get the right colors. It was especially difficult making the correct shadow colors for the fabric. Creating the creases in the fabric was the most difficult part of this painting. Using the highlights, shadows, and mid tones creates value to the painting, which was very challenging for me. It was really hard making everything look 3-D. I think my favorite part of this painting is the pitcher, which seems to be the main subject. Although creating shadows of the objects was the most difficult, I think I did my best to make the objects look 3-D. I also think that I put the shadows in the right places of each of the objects. The shadows, mid tones, and highlights help make each object have the shape that they are.

Where I'm At

Most of the things I'm learning in this class is challenging because I have not taken intermediate drawing and painting. This is a huge setback for me because I do not know most of the basics of painting. However, I think the most challenging part of this course is creating shadows in my paintings. It is very difficult for me to make the objects in my paintings to look realistic and 3-D. It was especially difficult to make round objects look round like in my orange painting and white objects painting. I think I have progressed the most in mixing colors. Although it usually takes me a long time to create the right color I am looking for, I am eventually able to do so and it makes my paintings look more realistic. I think I have also improved a lot in general as a painter, for I haven't had much experience in this medium. Looking at examples of paintings from our history helps painters today create new concepts and techniques in their painting. Observing the differences and similarities between different paintings also help find new painting techniques and a variety of ways of painting. Many painters' ideas for their paintings usually derive from past painters, and form who they are as an artist.

Reflection on Studies in Smallness

On my three finished paintings, I struggled with making the fruit look 3-d because I had a difficult time shading. I felt successful about choosing the right colors because I adjusted to mixing colors. This was a difficult assignment for me because I did not take the intermediate drawing and painting class last year, so I did not know much of the basics of painting. However, I thought it was pretty successful because it was my first time painting.