Final Blog Post

1. Which project do you consider your most successful? How did you develop your craft with this assignment? What tools, methods and materials were essential to your success with this project? What ideas, feelings or meanings did you want your piece to express? How did you go about expressing it? My most successful project was when I was making the works of Mark Rothko. I developed immense craft by doing a lot of practice pieces before I made the final piece. I initially was going to use acrylic paint but after a multiple practice runs I decided I didn't like the look it gave and the way they mixed. I decided to use pastels which I really liked. They mixed well together and gave this shady sort of look just like Rothko. I also decided to use my hands and fingers to help develop color and craft. With my fingers I mixed the pastels and rubbed them into the paper making them look really good. I wanted my piece to express sad emotion. I tried to accomplish that by using dark natural colors. Hopefully the dark colors brought my viewers into a dark sad place. I also tried to make my work really big so viewers were overwhelmed. 

1. Which project was the most challenging? Look at your brainstorming for this project. How does the final work(s) resemble your preliminary sketches? What changed? Why did you make the changes that you did? What problems emerged in the creation of this project? How did you solve the problems? The most challenging project was definitely the printing one. I had a hard time mastering the printing press techniques and accurately printing my intensions. My preliminary sketches showed a lot of differences between the two figures and I really liked how it looked on paper. When I tried to sketch the figure into the plastic I had a hard time expressing my intensions. I couldn't show the differences between the two figures because I had a hard time expressing depth and shading. I tried to sketch over my original sketch and it made it a little bit better. I added a little bit of shading but it was very hard. I had a hard time getting a good, solid, dark print. I also rubbed off to much ink. I eventually gained patience and it got better but still my techniques weren't working correctly. I solved these problems by rubbing very softly and taking my time. I also used less ink which ended making the rubbing process a lot easier. 
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3. Please discuss three new strengths you've discovered or deepened this year. One formal strength (your ability to work with things like composition, balance, rhythm et cetera), one technical or media-specific strength (working in a specific medium or honing a specific skill) and one conceptual strength (you idea 
   development in the specific project). My technical strength was able to create composition and create nice detailed interior lines. At first, I was really bad at interior lines because I didn't take my time on each brushstroke. Finally, with the help of Mr.O I began to hold my brush correctly and draw interior lines with meaning and expertise. I actually put effort and thought into each brushstroke. My formal strength is balance. Throughout the year I was able to develop balance and patience. I used to just draw or paint quickly with no balance or stable mindset. I have worked on it and now I have a plan and take my time on my work. With a game plan I am able to keep calm and can just draw, I don't have to make my game plan while drawing. My conceptual strength was in my last project when I used two materials to make a really cool painting. I never thought it could work but when I tried it, it turned out nice. Also in my Rothko project when I used my fingers to rub in the pastel. I thought using my fingers in my art wouldn't work but it did and I really liked it. 
   
   
   THANKS MR. O......U DA BEST

Landscape

1.  (re) state you intentions for this work.  Include how you addressed the theme of landscape.  Define how your work is representative of your "artistic voice".  Explain what formal and aesthetic decisions you made to express your intentions.

My intensions for this work was to show all types of landscape. I originally thought landscape only included nature. However, during the process I discovered that architecture and buildings are also part of landscape. Especially this time in humanity as everything is so developed and building and sky scrapers are very common. My intensions were to isolate the architecture and nature in my picture. I did this using different materials. Nature is painted in with oil paints as the architecture is colorless with pencil interior lines. In the end, I really liked the way everything turned out. The two materials are really distinguished. My artistic voice matches my normal habits of mind as I used a lot of different colors and brushstrokes to paint the tress. That is something I have thrived to do this whole year. In the start of the year, I was really bad at interior lines and meaningful brushstrokes. Since then I have aspired to make all my brushstrokes count and really see the inside of an object and draw exactly what I see. 

 

2.  Provide us with a list some of the words/phrases provided to you in the discussion session.  To what degree does this feedback supply you with the feeling of having successfully communicated your intentions?  What words/phrases resonate with you most and why? I wanted the trees to be seen as breezy because it was windy when I painted them and a peer said, "Breezy chaotic at a serene place," which is what my intensions were. Also they said, "Brushstrokes are expressive in tree," which is what some of my intensions were. The feedback I received made me feel successful because they matched my intensions. Someone else said, "The 3d 2D comparison bring you into the scene." The trees are more 2 dimension looking as the building is 3d. This difference really separates nature from the architecture. 

 

3.  In the area of "develop craft" how did you improve as an artist through this project?  Does this project fully represent your overall technical and formal development achieved this year?  How, or why not?

 Like I said before, I really worked on my interior lines and they are very good here. I also worked on painting holding the end of the brush so I am painting more freely and expressively. I developed a good sense of architecture and how parallel work. I also really thrived to draw things more 3d which is seen the the building. There is obviously still room for improvement but it is way better then before. i also learned to work really efficiently because I missed a lot of school. I had to get to class and get to work which was really good and helped me finish on time. I also learned to draw what I see. Sometimes I didn't even look at the paper when I was painting. I was looking at the object. I was never able to do this before. 

4.  Did you fully "stretch and explore" in a manner that led you to novel representations of your intentions?  In what ways may you have pushed yourself further in this regard? I stretched and explored by using two different materials in one piece. I thought I couldn't do it because the building is between the tress and bushes. I was able to do it correctly and it looks realistic. I pushed myself to use two different materials and see explored to see how they came together. 

In the end I really enjoyed this project because I got to look at architecture which is something I wanted to do the whole year. I truly believe this is one of my best pieces all because I tried to stretch and use two materials to help convey my intensions of separating nature from architecture. 

Intensions for the Landscape Project

Intensions:
I have very high expectations for myself in this project. I intend to use oil paint and pencil to convey the differences between the library and the trees behind it. Sitting near the big oak on the hill looking at the library, there is a building encircled by trees. I choose to have a building in the picture because not only is it part of landscape but it will test all my art abilities. The geometric lines in the building to the abstract brushstrokes of the trees. This material difference will really highlight the different components of the picture from building to nature.  I wanted a building in my landscape piece because now a days building are everywhere. Not many places don't have buildings, saying that I want to be realistic and have buildings. I think i would be leaving out a very important part of "landscape" if i didn't have an type of architecture in it. With the different materials, nature and the building with be easily distinguished and there won't be any confusion.

Landscape; all the visible features of an area of countryside or land

If i didn't use a building then i would be missing a part of landscape. 

Process:

I am currently in the process of mastering the art of painting trees with oil paints.

Once that is mastered, I will draw the outline of the building on the paper. 

I will tape the outline and paint the trees around it, the tape will make the image look really clean. 

Then after the painting is complete, I will use pencil to do the interior lines on the building. 

This is a great example of both architecture and nature coming together. There a lot of nice colors and foreground and background. 

This is another great example of buildings hidden in nature. The trees almost eat the building. I really like this look with all the different colors from nature and the building.

This is the image I will be doing, the branson library is tussled between trees. Expressing depth perception will be very challenging. The big tree in the background has amazing interior lines and will be very nice to paint as the building is very geometric and has many different angles. 

This is nature, not landscape. I don't want this unrealistic image of something I would never see in Marin. Buildings are everywhere.

Just having a building would be architecture not landscape.

To prove my point it is necesary to notice that is is important to have both architecture and nature to fully draw landscape. Both are very crucial and thats why i am choosing to have both in my piece.

Final Post- Symbols/Media Literacy

This was the best print out of the four final prints I did. I choose this one because I really like the spacing. The figure is centered rather nicely, but not too perfect. I didn't want to make the figure too big, because I wanted the symbols to represent him and be bigger than him. I feel like my intensions came across rather nicely, the figure is smaller than the logos.
          Some habits of mind that got me to this dark. nice print was patience. When rubbing off the excess oil before I wasn't patient and ended up rubbing out a lot of the oil in the etching. In this print, I took my time and very carefully rubbed off the oil. This longer process was rewarding because the print was nice and dark.
      Also, more about my spacing; at first the logos were on the edge of the paper and there was a lot of space between the figure and the logos. I didn't like that and closed the logos in almost as if the figure is suffocating in what he represents. They wrap around him like a blanket, something that he can't escape.
     The most interesting part of this piece is the simple yet complex scenery. The logos are very complex and colorful as the figure is very plain and simple. These opposites coming together come off very interesting to me.
     I choose to do an etching because the lines are very sharp and clear. I can clearly and easily draw whatever I wish. I also tried using normal paper but the water bath messed up the logos and the paper wasn't flat. OVERALL, I really enjoyed this project because I got to experiment with oil, the printing press and stereotypes. The printing press gave me a lot of trouble early but at the end I felt more comfortable with it and was able to really convey what my intensions were. The oil was hard to work with because it was hard to rub off the plastic, it was time consuming but taught me patience which is crucial in art.
     My intensions were to convey an image where logos are bigger than the figure. I wanted the viewer to see the logos first, then put the pieces together and see the different sides of the figure. My initial research was mainly experience, I dived into print making early and experimented with everything. I explored craft a lot, I tried multiple techniques and oils with different pressures on the press to see which one produced the best print. If I were to do this again, I might try something different than an etching. I would like to challenge myself and use an impression. It would be difficult to carve the way I envision it but it would be fun. I used my artistic voice my stereotyping and making generalizations. I feel my piece has power and has meaning to it. The double-sided figure has power and conveys two types of people and what they represent. It is important that my piece has meaning. I know this if someone could argue my piece and say it is wrong. Then I know my piece is powerful and has different opinions.

In-process Printmaking

I am still trying to to master the art of print making right now, and am having some trouble. I want to put forward a really nice print where all lines have a nice dark color.
My actually etching is starting to work, it doesn't look as 2D- silhouette as it did before. I am struggling on the print-making process. I keep extracting too much paint from the surface and the lines. I need to be more patient and gently get the paint off the surface, not the lines. The image is starting to represent my intentions as the two men are starting to come together nicely and they are way more distinguished at this point. The two men are starting to represent my intensions. However, I don't want to make my men too big or too realistic because I want the pictures and logos to be bigger and more complex than the men. I have layered my plastic plate with multiple lines to try to bring out the men and what they represent. Every line contributes to his image. The more prints I do the better understanding I will get for the press. I will see what techniques and ways work better and will results in a better print. Rubbing too hard takes the oil out of the lines so use a circular motion very carefully.
I don't need to clarify my intensions with anyone, I have briefly talked to Mr. O and I have my final goal and piece in mind and am getting closer everyday. I am almost done and might need help on putting my print with the logos.
Daily Tasks: Print a lot and try to understand the printing press as much as possible. The more trails the better. WHat works, what doesn't. Try to make the logos bigger than the persons.

Final Pieces

Material :     Throughout the process and the making of my masterpieces, I learned a lot. I learned that acrylic paint was not the way to blend colors. I didn't have as much control over the paint either. But with the pastels I could blend them and have complete control.

Process:   I started off using pastels on small pieces of paper, not really knowing how to be Rothko, just drawing shapes. However, as I started to study Rothko, I made many observations and tried to take it to my work. Those observatiosn being the way the shapes came together and how the middle zone was a blend, the natural colors he used, the simplicity, the darker borders and how the colors were almost see through. Once I discovered this, I really got started and was able to make decent drafts. However, now i had to execute and actually do the work. I experimented with other matertials like paint, which I found to not work. Once I had my mind set on pastels I took notes on a lot of my good drafts and tried to take those good habits to the next one until I had put "everything" together. Once I finally thought I had it done I went for it. I choose a big canvas because that is whagt Rothko used and it will help convey emotions. I chose colors that were natural and went well together. Each of my final pieces took about a week or so. I would lay down the basic colors and shape then I would have to add more colors to the border and work on blending everything together into one.

Initial reactions from viewers:    Blocks are distinct but not. The blocks are visible but are blended in. Cool to look at when eyes are squinted. The colors are really good along with the execution.

Overall, i really liked this project, I had to dig deep and really show my best work. I like what Mark Rothko does and all the ways he does them.

Progress

This is my second "final" draft. I have taken what I liked about my first one and displayed it into this one. Im giving each colored square an outline as the color gets lighter into the middle. I really like this as it gives the painting a deeper meaning. Also I made the colors closer together as they form this grey area in between that really appeals to the eye and brings together that middle area.
It is still not done yet, there are a couple areas that I don't like and need to patch up. Like the middle square, in the top right corner of it there is that ugly darker spot that I am going to eliminate.
Overall, everything is coming together nicely as I have improved tremendously.

halfway blog post

Halfway through my project before I am starting my final draft I still have one big decision to make. I am deciding if I should use acrylic paint or pastel chalk. The good thing about the pastels is that the colors and shapes really come together nicely and vibrate against each other, for that was one of Rothko's goals. But the acrylic paint contains individual brush strokes that are priceless and are really nice to the eye.

Now, being a few days later, I have decided to use the pastels. After doing a lot of experimentation with both, the pastels work better and look a bit more liek Rothko's work. As you can see in the top photo the colors dont really come together and are just layered bluntely on top of each other. In the bottum photo the orange rectangle almost is hiding in the orange background. They come together and are layered nicely on top of each other. Even in the blue, some orange can be seen through it.

Looking forward, what I am doing for my final experimentation with the pastels is I am working with different background colors so see which one works the best. Also, I am noting what looks good on top of that color. I have noticed that some colors just don't look together and/or convey Rothko's intentions, trying to convey emotion to the helpless viewer. Not only do the pastels look better, but they are easier to work with. I can rub and work the chalk with my fingers into just the shape and shade I want. With the acrylic paint, I don't have the feel I do with my bare fingers.

Overall, I am looking forward to starting my final project as I will try to incoorperate all my habits of mind I have learned throughtout my experiements into one piece. The main ones are giving the top shapes a "shady" and indefinite edges, using my fingers to work the color into the paper instead of the pastel and to have the patience to allow for the dust and chalk to settly, using the spray that helps settle that into the page.