Friday, May 23, 2014

How I have grown over the year

Art 3 is the year when my artist voice really began to develop. After skipping Art 1 and going straight into Art 2, I felt overwhelmed by it all. I tried to keep up with my class and struggled when my technical abilities didn't match up with everyone else's and weren't at the level I wanted them to be. In Art 3, I began to focus more on myself, what my strengths are, and what I need to improve on. I realized I couldn't be good at everything but instead had to focus on a few aspects of art that I'm either good at or want to work on. When the concept of having an "artist voice" was brought up, I had no idea what mine was at first. Not only do I have to draw well...I have to represent my voice through it? At first, it seemed impossible. As I moved through the year, my voice began to show itself in my work. I still have a long way to go, especially with IB art coming up next year. I don't think an artist ever 100% knows their own voice or what their own artwork means but at some point, you get a pretty good idea and just stick with it. My voice is seen in my realistic drawings with some graphic design elements (like the triptych, window drawing, MLK drawing...). I still don't know what my artist mission is or what I'm trying to do with art later on, but it has a significant place in my busy life. I can relax and ease my stress by drawing but it also can add on to my stress because of my constant desire to be the best.
This year, I learned what a multifigure complex composition is. In the past, I've done simple drawings and thought it was enough but I now know that a real painting or drawing has to have many layers to it and many objects. There needs to be rhythm, color, value, movement, and most importantly a story. Rather than simplistic drawings that look appealing to the eye, my drawings need to be come drawings that look appealing to the eye but are also appealing to the brain and make the viewer think about the story behind it. It's important to keep Art 1 and 2 rules in mind but to also remember that these rules can sometimes be broken. Not every drawing or painting has to look the same, have the same components, or follow the same rules.
My media use has increased and diversified throughout the year. I've experimented with many different mediums but I've also discovered which ones I like best. I know that drawing with pencil will always be my favorite media to use but I have also started painting. I want to improve my painting skills and get them to a level where I can draw complex compositions that tell a story. I was in no rush to learn this in Art 3 because I know IB art is very wet media centered so I have that to look forward to.
In Art 3, my sketchbook has gone from a place with pretty drawings that I can brag about to a place where I can plan my bigger projects and plan out my process. When people ask to see my sketchbook, they are almost always more disappointed than when they see my bigger, finished products. I don't mind because I know that my sketchbook is just somewhere for me to have ideas, not something for other people to be looking at and critiquing. Whenever I'm stuck and don't know what to draw, I look back at my sketchbook for inspiration. A great example of this is when I drew "Polly Wanna Cracker?" and ended up receiving a Gold Key in scholastic for it. I got the idea to draw a parrot by looking back and seeing some rough sketches I had made of parrots a while ago. I then added on to this by adding the words and tested out the colors in my sketchbook as well. The use of my sketchbook has definitely helped me because it shows in my work. My work has improved tremendously and the more research and planning I do before assignments, hopefully the better it will get.

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