Final Exam
1. Through being an artist I have realized you have to take the time, energy, and planning to make your piece look good. My style is more realistic but still fun, and I would like to use more bright colors like in the flower piece. I think that piece really helped me learn that I should keep working at something and not get discouraged. I kept going and did’t give up, even though I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. The most rewarding thing is seeing the finished piece and being proud of how much effort I put into it. Even if I don’t like how it turned out, I know I gave it my all. Some important skills in art are to sketch things out thouroughly and have as many references as you can. Sticking closely to the rules of the way things are laid out, but still adding your own spin on it is essential.
3. I think that the work in my portfolio is pretty indicative of my skill level, except for a few things. We didn’t do a lot with anatomy of people so I’m not sure how good I am at that. I kept to animals, so I’m not sure if I could realistically draw someone still or moving. I think the portfolio definitely shows my growth though, my first sketches on day one were a bit nerve-wracking but I think I showed that I improved with my self-portrait. I think I learned to use colors better in general and also figured out how to create texture. These are very important things that I learned thoughout this year.
6. My favorite medium to work with was acrylic because it was the most fun to use. Being able to mix the colors exactly how I wanted them was great. Also I liked how easy it was to blend on canvas. It showed me how to create depth and different shades that I wouldn’t have thought of before for the jungle painting. I was able to master the mixing because of the color wheel I created. I also got the hang of having precise brush strokes so everything would look smooth. I’m excited that the jungle piece came out the way it did because I think it’s my favorite thing I did this year.
7. I think my least successful project was my last one with the metal tower. There were many reasons why this failed, the planning wasn’t timed well, the reference photos weren’t clear, and it had to be based on a different artist. Trying to incorporate the style of the artist was hard because it was so out there, and I don’t have a great grasp on the rules of art yet. I wasn’t sure how to emulate his style and keep the painting interesting. It came out looking flat and dull. If I were to do this differently I would redesign the sketch and have more of the artist’s influence in there. Make there be rolling hills of brighter colors and have the metal move more. I would have every empty space filled to make it look more chaotic and interesting.