Art 3 Reflection

This year I've gained experience in different mediums and practical skills. First, the artist copy and self portrait was the first time I scaled up a picture. I learned the technique of putting the original picture in the corner of the larger paper and tracing the diagonal so the proportions of the larger paper are the same as the original. I stretched a canvas using a staple gun. I learned how to hang pieces of art using the drill, screw eyes, and wire. Wood carving was especially new to me. I learned how to carve using the different tools and I found that the chisel was my favorite.

I think I've had the most growth in composition. My entire life I've instinctively put the focal point of my pieces in the center, and now I put it to one side (progress!) I also know more about negative space (it exists) and the rule of having some of the objects in the composition overlap and go off the page. For example, some of my art skill inventories have had the subject directly in the center without me realizing. Later, when drawing a skull, I zoomed in so the skull would go off the page.

I still need to improve in my rendering. My oil painting and my carving were pretty good, but I was disappointed in the artist copy, self portrait, and one of my Fantastic Four projects. They came out really rushed and messy, despite me putting a lot of effort in the last one. I think I generally get more success with mediums where I can correct my mistakes. In oil painting and in carving, each individual action didn't have that much impact on the final piece. I could just cover it up or glue it back. However, for colored pencil or crayon, one mark can be permanent and obvious. I'm not sure if I should just move away from those mediums, or get more practice with them.

Regarding next year, I plan to continue the comic I'm working on right now. I'll make use of the anatomy and composition skills the most. I hope that anatomy practice can help me pull off more interesting poses in the comic. Also, I'll be faster when drawing the figures, which is important when making multiple pages/chapters. Composition is also important for comics because having bad composition can make it really boring or unpleasant to read.

Yay