1. What skills or techniques did you learn during this unit? How did you apply them in your work?
Working with clay yet again has reminded me how to create a flat surface with symmetry and detail all planned for as well. I learned a good technique for creating a unique and functional handle (see picture below). I also learned how to apply glazes without mixing them and creating chemical reactions. I also learned the importance of adding clay to clay by scoring and then adding a dollop of water to make it stick; I used this with the handle. I also learned how small details can add appeal to a piece; I added stenciling of letters to this mug, spelling "m-o-m". 2. How did you plan and create your artwork? Write about your process and your finished work. What do you like about your finished work? Is it successful? My original planning for this mug came with the idea that we needed a mug in our household. From there I also realized my mom needed a homemade gift for Mother's Day (late I know). I then sketched out a simple mug with an interesting handle; unique but something I thought I could actually create (see picture below). I also thought about color choice. Since this would be a gift, I thought about colors my mom appreciated such as oranges and turquoise. I decided to find similar colors to make food safe glaze on the inside and most of the outside while adding a colorful flare of non food safe glaze with sparkles in the stenciling. As I write this, it is being fired again, but in general, while not perfect, I still think this will turn out great. Hopefully, my mom will love it. 1. What skills or techniques did you learn during this unit? How did you apply them in your work?
I learned a lot on how to work with oil pastels in this unit. I advanced my knowledge of layering many different colors in the final draft. I learned how to mimic Van Gogh's style of line work to create a piece based off his "Starry Night". I applied these skills first by practicing on a rough draft and then more on the back of the rough draft and finally on the final draft. I also learned that in layering, arbitrary colors can add appeal even if at first they do not seem to make sense. 2. How did you plan and create your artwork? Write about your process and your finished work. What do you like about your finished work? Is it successful? I planned this piece by first creating a rough draft from a simple sketch of the idea. I knew I wanted to mimic Van Gogh's streaky oil paint style and wanted to commemorate my time in Apex as I head off to college. I practiced layering many colors of pastels (the big box with many colors worked much more effectively than the small box of six colors as shown in the rough draft). I also helped myself by sketching the initial plan onto the piece of paper so I would not do too much overlapping. 1. What skills or techniques did you learn during this unit? How did you apply them in your work?
In this project, I learned how to layer mixed medias and how to trace maps from other maps to create one of NC and one of MI. I applied the knowledge of layering to make the state flags of the previously mentioned states the background and apply maps and pictures relating to those states onto the flags. I learned attention to detail and how to space a flag appropriately to fit in the map but have the flag's image still make sense to the viewer. 2. How did you plan and create your artwork? Write about your process and your finished work. What do you like about your finished work? Is it successful? I planned the work by determining which material to use. We had lots of extra maps and magazines so I wanted to make this project from those materials. I originally wanted to make a collage only from the maps, but then decided to create a secondary map. I sketched the flag and then traced the state shape from the maps to overlay on the flag. I learned from the Michigan flag that it works better to draw the flag (in marker) before gluing on the state. This worked out more successfully on the NC version. (see pictures below).
1. What skills or techniques did you learn during this unit? How did you apply them in your work?
Throughout this unit, we learned many skills in painting such as layering and blending. Layering is especially helpful in acrylics because it can be done quickly and adds interest and texture. I did a lot of layering with the shack's roof, some on its siding, and even some on the greenery. Layering helps it look more realistic and attractive. Likewise, blending also adds interest. blending, while more useful in oil paints due to its longer drying time, acrylics can also be blended if done quickly. Also in this unit, I learned how to use oil paints for the first time. while it was a fun new experience, I prefer acrylics because of their familiarity and quicker drying time. Otherwise, I would have been working on my painting for weeks! Lastly, I learned the benefits of dry-brushing. Dry-brushing is helpful when adding patina or wear, on areas such as my shack's roof. Overall, I think with these new skills I have learned, my painting is improving and the colors and textures on my piece are better than last year. 2. How did you plan and create your artwork? Write about your process and your finished work. What do you like about your finished work? Is it successful? I planned for my painting by first watching Bob Ross. While I am not as skilled as he is, he helped me with my ideas in creating natural scenes. From there, since I knew that I wanted to do a nature scene, I looked through my pictures at home and found one of my dad (cut out) by a tobacco shack in rural Durham. I liked the various textures, so I chose that one. For the actual prepping to paint, I did some sketching and practiced creating patina for the roof of the shack. I also practiced combining colors to look more natural and realistic. Lastly, I printed out some reference images, both of the actual event and one of another tobacco shack. I started by painting the greenery, then moved onto the shack. I think I should have started with the shack because I ended up painting onto the trees and shrubs anyway and having to paint over them again. I like that the viewer can see the layers of colors, primarily on the shack. I also like that I was able to come up with various colors of greens, greys, and browns for the scene. I do think this painting is successful because I am improving with my painting skills compared to last year (see my art 2 tab for reference). |
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