- 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.
- 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.
- 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
