Up close and Personal

1.     Up-close and Personal was our theme. How did you develop your ideas for this project and why did you choose your subject?

I developed my ideas for this project by first making 20 bullet notes of art ideas. Then I chose to draw eight sketches of my favorite thumb nails.  My ideas developed originally from my last project, a feather. When the first sketches were drawn, I incorporate a feathered fan in the drawling. Soon the fan evolved into a leaf. I then drew pictures of people holding a folded paper or electric fan. I chose this project because in the “up close and personal” theme I wanted to show that the person was up close and personal with their fan. Each of the character’s fans describes themselves. The fans describe each character because the Egyptian girl is holding a plant/leaf fan, the European girl has an elaborate folded fan, and the modern girl holds an electric fan. I just drew the girls faces to show the theme ‘up-close and personal.’

2.     What medium did you decide to use and why did you choose this medium over the others? Discuss how it enhances your piece.

I used all the mediums I could get my hands on (partially because I was not satisfied with any of the outcomes).  My first medium I used was the oil pastels. Then someone at my table told be to use an iPad, so I tried that out too. Next my teacher helped me up-load it to the computer, so I could edit my art work on Photoshop. After that I used color pencil and water paints. The different mediums emphasized the different pieces by showing how different time periods collided with different forms of art, from a pen to an iPad. For example the medium of the iPad correlates with the Egyptian time period. The iPad’s vibrant colors correlate with the strong colors in the Egyptian art/hieroglyphics.

3.      We encourage risk taking in art. Risk taking can be as simple as trying a new technique or learning about a new medium to as complex as trying something totally new. Did you take any risks with this project? Explain.

I took a risk by using over six different mediums and techniques. Originally I was satisfied by using pen and oil pastels, but soon I got a little out of hand with the different mediums.  One of the biggest mistakes I made though was starting off with a pen. By using a pen to draw my original sketches I limited myself to a certain style. Having seen where I jumped all over the spectrum now in the end, I wish I would have stuck with just one medium. If I would have stayed with one medium, I could have perfected my project better and decreased time used in switching to other mediums. 

4. Of the 5 characteristics of great art (technique, concept, emotion, new, medium) which did you include in your art?

The characteristic of ‘great art’ that I used is different mediums. The mediums that I included in my art were oil pastels, iPad, water color, pen, color pencil. I feel this caused me to grow as an artist because of all the interaction of different mediums.