Problem-solving

   Through the past couple weeks, we have continued to work with new mediums and learn new arting skills. Due to the new things that we have been exploring, many various problems would occur as we would work.
   Recently, we have been assigned a project in which we can mimic the style of a specific artist from history. This project especially interested me, because I took an art history class previously and liked it a lot, so I was immediately overwhelmed with ideas about what artist I could chose. However, I quickly jotted down a quick list of familiar artists and artists who had inspired me, and I was able to narrow down what I wanted to do.

This is a picture of the list I made to help me narrow down what I wanted to do. In addition to making this list, using my phone I was able to look up various pieces of art done by each artist and was inspired as to what direction I wanted to take with this project. Creating this list was an example of problem solving that I used to find a solution to the organization problem I had. Making this list allowed me to research each artist that I had an interest in, and focus on which artist was going to be the most realistic for my project choice. 

In addition, in the end I was able to find a painting that I was inspired by and wanted to direct my work towards. I chose this seemingly odd painting by Pablo Picasso because I was inspired by the odd proportions of the face, and wanted to do something similar. 

On a previous day, we worked with acrylic and tempera paints. Very similar to the watercolors that we had been using previously, however with the tempera paint we used, the colors and techniques were different. For a warm-up, we were each assigned a color scale and given the primary colors, and in addition white, and told to make the colors from the scale. At first, it was difficult to start. However, once we remembered the different shading and tinting techniques that we had learned, it was easy for us to create extremely similar colors to that on the palette. 

Through experimentation, (which was quite a lot) we were able to end with a palette very similar to the one given. However, it took some patience and applying our knowledge of the color wheel. 

Overall, we have learned many new techniques and continued to experiment with different ideas. 

Arting

Through the course of the past couple weeks, I have been able to start experimenting with new mediums and styles of art. As I have looked back on my art and drawings from the past couple months, I have already noticed a very noticeable change in my style and an improvement in my technique. As we have been drawing different letters in sign language, I have noticed the most difference in my sketches. I have also noticed that as a result of the warm-ups and as a result of my ability to apply my skills, my arting abilities have increased.

This drawing of the sign language letter "d" was drawn towards the beginning of when we started drawing the sign language letters. Although the drawing is obviously a hand, it is still lacking in skill. However, this drawing when compared with previous drawings, has improved greatly. Although it is difficult to see in this picture, I used a technique we learned, called cross hatching, to do the shadow created by the underneath of the hand in this sketch. 

Both of these drawings are improved drawings of hands that I have done since the above one. Another thing that we have been doing has been experimenting with different mediums. Recently, we used oil and chalk pastel and experimented with value. 

In this drawing of the oil pastel sphere, the blend of colors really creates the total image of the sphere. It is obviously apparent that the local color of the sphere is made up of several different colors, in total creating the entire sphere. This sphere also blends colors together, making the light source obviously visible and showing the gradation of the colors. 

In sum, through the past weeks, my arting style has evolved and changed due to the many different techniques and mediums we have used. 

Zentagle Project

Throughout the Zentagle project I really worked creatively to create my piece. When the project first began, we viewed many different examples of Zentagle ideas. Through viewing these many different and unique pictures, I was inspired by the lines and many different intricate designs. The lines seemed to flow and move across the paper. In my mind, I paralleled this similarly to music. This inspired me to want to make my drawing relating to something musical, to express the movement of the music through the movement of the lines. This inspiration led me to draw my Zentagle in the shape of a phonograph. I was inspired by the music I hear every day out of my own record player at home. However, instead of choosing to draw a record player like the one I own at home, I chose to branch out and draw a phonograph instead. I liked the idea that the phonograph was known for one of the first instruments that played leisure music, and I wanted to incorporate that into my drawing.

At first, we started by drawing little design ideas. Although this was just the start of the project, already it started taking shape and I started gaining ideas and inspiration as to what I wanted to do. I was inspired by my large colored Zentangle square, as the lines and shapes I chose seemed to show movement, and the large triangular shape in the far left corner made me think of the outer rim of a phonograph, which is where my inspiration really took off. 

After I decided what I wanted my inspiration to be, I googled images to try to find one that was close to what I wanted my finished image to look like. After I found one, (the above image) I projected the picture and outlined the phonograph on my own paper. Eventually, I had enough shapes and color that my finished phonograph was complete. Although it was a little too "zany" for my taste, it was extremely tangly, which fit the bill for the assignment. Although, at first, I was skeptical as to how the project would play out, in the end I was able to gain appreciation for intricate designs and shapes. As well as learning and expanding my knowledge of lines, I used colored pencil for my final drawing and I was able to experiment with different techniques and styles of shading and using the pencils in different ways. Overall, I enjoyed this project. 

(the finished project)