Artist Statements
Piece 1 Artist statement
“She” Grid Drawing Portrait
My portrait drawing is supposed to look realistic, however, since I am not the best at drawing people I tried my best to make it as realistic as I was able to. It was based off of a black and white image of a woman with a lot of highlighted area around her forehead and cheeks. It shows the contrast of dark and light, as well as value. I call the drawing “She” because it frames just the face and although the majority of it is shaded, the lighter parts of the face show a more feminine side to the image. I believe that value, and different tones of shading are very visible.
I chose to use the grid process mainly because I am not too experienced with drawing faces, and felt it might help me make it look more symmetrical. Since cross hatching looked more natural I used that and tried to blend it as much as possible to create the blended or smudged look. To begin with I used a number two pencil to begin sketching the idea of the face. After I had it mostly outlined I used a mechanical pencil to fix the random sketch lines, and make them straighter and more formal. After many mistakes and erased lines I was finally able to create the shading on the face since I had already drawn the facial features.
I used the image at this link- https://in.pinterest.com/pin/848154542303586956/ - because it had a great expression of value. The image felt intimate and personal. In my recreation of the image I made the woman seem more wistful as if she was dreaming she was somewhere else. I felt that she looks older in my drawing mainly because of her wider jaw line, however I kept the youthful look in her eyes. The light is based from her forehead to just below her mouth which is to show the lighter side of her more serious nature.
The main goal for this portrait was to make it seem as realistic as possible. Although, since I am not the best artist of animals or people I aimed to make it symmetrical and not extremely cartoonish. I feel that the grid process did help me achieve my second goal. As well it is one of my most realistic pieces of art as of yet. In future, however, I will attempt to aim towards better shading.
Creating this drawing I learned how to crosshatch shade, as well as how to make it look blended. I also learned how to make eyes more symmetrical. This image is not exactly how I imagined it would be, but then again not to many of my drawings of people do. Either way I am pretty happy with how it turned out. This technique is definitely going to influence how I draw facial features in the future.
Piece 2 Artist Statement
"Coloring" Cross Contour Line Drawing
My piece is a cross contour drawing of a box of crayons. For the sake of light I made the middle and top of the box lighter while its edges and side are more shaded with the line drawn cross-contour technique. As for the name of my piece I have decided to call it coloring. I chose to do so because it is a play on words. By first using a pencil to mark the outline and detailing, and tracing everything with a pen before erasing my pencil marks on the image the drawing is completely in black and white. Yet the sketch is of a box of Crayola crayons. So it is nearly an expression of ‘if there was no color.’
My artwork is made from pencil which I then erased after redrawing the image by using a pen; which is a pen and ink medium. I had used the cross-contour technique which is basically contouring with lines. By leaving the middle of the box lighter with little contouring I was able to establish the boundaries of light and dark areas. By drawing thin lines close together on the sides of the box I was able to stick to my process and create dark shaded areas of contour. I also shaded some of the images and letters by using the same process.
I had been inspired to do my piece on a Crayola box since I had one sitting on my desk when I was about to start the project. I thought that since the piece was to be of an object what better thing to draw than what was right in front of me. The work is an expression of how color affects our daily lives. Without it the world would be black and white with a variation of gray. The piece is mainly a way to make one thankful for the many aspects of life.
As an artist I had set a goal during this project to be able to make a realistic contour by using thin lines. As well I am aiming to learn how to shade an object to make it appear more realistic. I do feel confident that I did a decent job by using the cross contouring method, however I believe that I still need to work on my shading around the object in order to create the most realistic look. Although I still need to work on the length of my contour lines I am pretty happy with the direction I set them in. It makes the geometry of the piece look a lot better than if it were to appear two dimensional. This technique at least challenged me as an artist, however, I enjoyed working on it since it was a technique I had never used before.
While creating this piece I learned how to draw using cross contour. The drawing is mostly how I imagined it would be. I feel that I did a nice job using thin and bold lines in order to define the shaded and highlighted areas. I do feel that the letters in the image were a bit difficult to shade and highlight, but I gave it my best shot. In future I will definitely want to improve my skills of shading the area around an object. If feel that maybe it would be easier to use a pencil to make a shaded area rather than a pen but I felt that since this piece was to be used with a pen, shading with a pencil would not look good among the pen marks.
Piece 3 Artist Statement
"Touch" Observational Study
My piece 3 is of my stuffed hippo, a book, a glass bottle, and a pair of scissors. I have decided to title this piece “Touch” because the assignment was to present four different textures. I used some light shading around the bottom of the stuffed animal. I texturized his fur, as well as the scissor blades and the book pages. I used the size differences to add to the depth of each object.
To create my art I did my initial drawing with a pencil and colored it in with Cra-Z-Art colored pencils. To create the engraved indentation marks in the scissors I drew a few lines along the blades. I did a similar method to create the pages of the book. However, I put more lines, some closer together than others to show thickness and wear of the pages. I only shaded the glass bottle to show light shining through it. The hippo, I drew all sorts of lines. Mostly using a short to medium length going in all sorts of directions to create a more matted look of the fur.
My artwork was mainly inspired by the objective of the piece- which was to draw four different textures. I drew the stuffed hippo because it has two textures. Although both parts are soft, his stomach and feet are velvety, while the rest of his body are fluffy and furry. I used the book as another texture due to its rougher cut pages. The glass bottle was an homage to the project’s goal as well, since the challenge was to use glass in the image. To be honest this piece does not express much, since I was mainly using each object to complete the project goals. I did try to make my piece as simplistic as possible, to not overwhelm the viewer.
My goal for this was to make the textures realistic and visually interesting. This piece helped me to take my art a step farther as it pertains to drawing fur. I feel that I could have done better drawing the scissors. I have not had much experience drawing scissors, however because they were not as realistic as I would have liked I feel that I need to continue my practice of drawing them, to make them look more visually pleasing to the eye. I do feel that I met most of my goals because I like the way the hippo’s fur turned out, and his velvety stomach looks nice and soft as I had anticipated. In addition the pages of the book look nice and rough as they do in real life, and the glass bottle is more or less as I had wanted it to be.
When creating this work I learned how to draw fur. I believe that a majority of the piece is how I imagined it would turn out. The glass bottle is shaded pretty well, and the hippo’s fur and velvet is drawn decently. In future I will continue to practice drawing scissors, because they were difficult for me to draw, and I believe that I need to improve in that area. I also will continue to learn how to draw fur with a realistic touch.
Piece 4 Artist Statement
"Birthday" Magnified Image
My artwork is an image of a cupcake, with a party hat behind it. I have named it birthday, simply because of the subject matter. The most obvious elements of my piece are the lines, and shading. The main reason that I wanted to work with this subject matter was because it was as interesting up close and zoomed in as it is to view it from afar. The subject matter is as beautiful when you are up close because of its simplicity and texture.
To create this image I used a mechanical pencil. I chose to use it because the piece was supposed to be without color, and it allowed me to use bold, dark, and thin, light lines. I used the cross hatching shading technique in some areas to make a more realistic look. In other areas I chose to shade with slightly curved lines in order to create a glossed shaded look (for instance on the party hat.) When I was shading under the cupcake to give it the illusion of sitting on a table, I used cross hatching, and took my eraser to the edge and used a curvature when erasing to give it the same shape of the cupcake.
When looking for inspiration, I had seen a scene of party decorations, and a cupcake. I really like the idea of drawing something that reminds me of my birthday so I wanted to draw it. I felt that it would not only make me happy to create it, but it would also allow the viewer to feel nostalgic. The main emotion that I displayed in this piece is joy. I felt happy looking at my drawing due to its simple and nostalgic nature.
My goals for this piece were to create a realistic shading, and to find a good balance of contour. I think that this piece has helped me to shade better. This piece helped me to reach a portion of my goal. I think that I need to work on finding a good rhythm when shading large areas of an image, rather than shading several sections of an overall larger picture. However, I do feel that my skills are improving from previous pieces.
When creating this artwork I learned how to contour against light in an image. I also learned a new method- taking an eraser to the edge of a shaded area to shape the shading. The final piece is almost what I had imagined. Originally, I had planned to put a present in the background, but instead I chose to just draw a party hat. I think that the composition still needs something added to it, but I still wanted the work to be kept simplistic. In future I think I will use the same techniques, but I would like to find a good rhythm when having to shade large areas.
Piece 5 Artist Statement
"Living" Watercolor Landscape
My piece is of a couple of houses, trees, a carport and a road. I have titled my piece “Living” because it reminds me of a country song that goes “Man I’m living.” Of course the subject matter is of a couple of country homes so the song really seems relevant to the image. I think that thin lines are very prevalent in my work because when outlining the drawing before I used watercolor, I had used many lines in order to detail the work. Other than lines, I used shading with the watercolor and some mixed coloration on the roof of the house in the mid ground.
My artwork is made from light pencil lines, and watercolor. (To be honest I was about to use my eyeshadow pallets, but I ended up being able to go to Hobby Lobby before I started painting on my piece.) My watercolor paint is pearlescent and glittery which I absolutely love! I tried my best to follow the techniques of people whose Youtube videos I watched in order to get the best outcome of my image, which is to say, let the first coat dry before adding another color near the first. I used many different brushes to create a different effect, or cover different parts of the painting.
My artwork was inspired by my neighborhood, and the goal of the piece. I took pictures of my neighbors' houses from different viewpoints and drew one of them out, while I created the rest of the piece from my imagination. I would say the work is an expression of personal interest. Mainly because it is where I live and is the surroundings of my house, these houses being where my neighbors preside. There are two emotions I have put in the piece. My use of reds, oranges, and greens are a representation of home and a sense of belonging. The gray, black, and blue are a representation of dreariness. It says that a house can mean anything, but you can also make any place your home.
My main goal for this piece was to relearn how to use watercolors, and how to paint. The last time I had painted was most likely in fifth grade which was why I had to be retaught. I think I at least reached my goal for learning how to paint (with watercolor)again. I think that even though I wish I could say that I did really amazing on this piece there are still some skills that I need to gain when using watercolor, because it can get frustrating when it spreads outside of the lines. I think that otherwise, I have decently reached my goal of learning how to paint.
When creating this artwork I learned how to use watercolors. I also learned how to use the different types of paint brushes to color the different sized spaces in a painting.This final piece is not exactly what I imagined because the pigmentation is not as colorful as I would have imagined, or liked it to be. I think I definitely need to find a way to change that, but otherwise I am liking the piece I have done. In future if I work on some more watercolor, I will look for a solution, on how to make a more pigmented piece. Although, it could be the way that I am mixing my paint, so I will definitely want to look into that.
Piece 6 Artist Statement
"Shell" Inktober
My piece for Inktober is based from the prompt “shell.” I chose to draw a turtle and its shell for the image. I call it “A turtle’s shell.” I know the title is simple and obvious, yet I feel that my piece is supposed to be simple like its title. I used pen and ink, while using the line drawing principle. I felt that I would draw most of the lines on the shell, and the shadows. I also used a mosaic tactic; meaning I drew different square-like shapes in a single area in order to create a pattern similar to a sea turtle.
My art is created from pencil, with a coating of black ink pen. I based the piece on a mosaic, and line drawing. I tried to lightly line the border of the shell, and body of the turtle. Mainly I cross hatched the lines of the shadowing. I kept the other lines a more medium line over white space.
The Inktober prompt “shell” definitely inspired me. I thought of drawing an image based on another prompt, yet I found this one to be so simplistic, and inviting. I at first had wondered if I should draw a crab with a spiral shell. But, I decided against it and had believed that it would be a much better outcome if I went with the majestic image of the sea turtle. It reflects on the issue of the sea turtle death rate. My image shows the serenity of a sea turtle’s life, rather than the actuality of how difficult it is to keep a decent number of sea turtles alive and away from harm.
My goals for this project were more along the lines of making the line drawing portion of the image natural looking. I had to try and figure out how I wanted my lines to work for the good of my piece in and around the focal point of the picture. I have some reservations about my cross hatching technique in this piece, because I had to use a pen to shade rather than just using pencil. I chose to do so because I knew that the piece was supposed to be in pen, and I also wanted to make the lines more visible to the camera once I took a picture to submit my work.
When creating this piece I learned how easy it was to draw the outline of a turtle. I also learned that I need to practice my pen shading skills, although I feel I did decently in that portion of the image. The final piece is better than I imagined it when I was beginning it. I really had not intended to use the mosaic technique but when I was sketching the portrait out I realized that I preferred it that way. In future I will try to work more on shading with a pen, and maybe try to detail my images a slight bit more, even though I really wanted to go with the simplistic ideal in this drawing.
Piece 7 Artist Statement
'Untitled;' "Business Card Add" Graphic Design
My first image is made of a rainbow glitter background, with multiple paint streaks in two corners, and black lettering with my name on it. The subject matter, since it is my business card, is my name and occupation. It is not titled, other than for its intended purpose. The elements most prevalent in the piece is the glitter background, and black lettering. My other two pieces are of water ads. The first one I designed for the product “Smart Water.” The most obvious part of the second piece is the Title of the work, as well as the image on the left drinking from a bottle of water. My third and final piece is my own ad which I used to design my own water bottle company. It is called “Streamline Water,” and it is focused on a cell phone with an image of a water bottle with the title underneath it. On the left there is a man messaging or posting about how he loves the product.
My work was created on the Canva website. By searching and editing images together, I was able to create a look similar to what I wanted. Although, because not every image was free I was unable to use all of the images I really liked. I am thankful, however, that it did not take long to create an ad for this project. Creating with Canva was mostly user friendly, so not only was it simple, but also easy to use. It had many of the free images to choose from, and I was able to use real images, cartoons, drawings, and different fonts.
I used my personal style for my business card. I preferred a more colorful and shiny look to the card because I love glitter, and I felt that it had more depth than another background I was thinking of using. The second piece I was inspired by was the idea of feeling relaxed after hydrating oneself. The point was that once you drink “Smart Water,” you will feel calm, and relaxed. The last piece, I was inspired to place a picture of a person messaging others, and spreading the word of how good “Streamline Water” is. The two ads express a social issue, in that in order to be aligned with oneself, and the world, we should drink water (these two brands.) The expressions within these works is the feeling of peace, and relaxation; as well as excitement at having had the product shown.
As an artist my goals for this piece was to create something resembling an add. I had to understand what would stand out to others rather than myself. I think that the second piece, although it is nice, just seems like it needs more depth. Although, working with software to create an advertisement, while I am not as tech savvy as I wish to be, made it a bit difficult to add the desired effect to the background, or even the foreground of the image. I think in the future I still need to work to figure out how to work the images properly.
When creating these pieces, I learned a little bit about designing and formatting an ad, and business card. After using Canva the final piece is mostly how I had hoped it would turn out. My favorite piece is either the first or third image because of how bold they are in color. This piece will influence my future works by allowing me to understand how I want to format my work. I will also hope to use a cartoonish design to a couple of my pieces.
Piece 8 Artist Statement
"Flamenco" In the Master's Style Painting
My piece for the week is based off of the style “graffiti.” Although, using acrylic only, I tried to give the image a sprayed look, by using the angle of my brush to stamp the paint onto the paper. I call this piece “Flamenco” due to my subject matter, which is a flamenco dancer. By creating purple and orange monochromatic color schemes, as well as a little bit of complementary colors to add depth to the background in order to complement the dancer’s body. The most obvious principles shown in my work are the brushstrokes, and colors. They are the main idea of the dancer, since they show the style of art I tried to portray.
My art is created from acrylic paint. I did not have any spray paint to give a realistic graffiti texture. So, instead I continuously hit my brush on the canvas, in order to give it a splattered, and rougher edge to each part of the painting. I tried to take darker mixes of the orange monochromatic color pallet in order to contour the face, and some of the arms. After going over the background with blue and a black gray, I made some turquoise and used a sponge brush to spread the paint over the background to give it more of a depth in color.
My inspiration just came to me when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do my painting about. I was looking at different works of graffiti to give me some ideas of coloration and style. I thought of a flamenco dancer, because in images of the dances you see movement throughout their bodies. From the way they hold their posture, to the position of their dress they are a symbol of passion through movement. From the fiery oranges I designated the skin to create the symbol of hot passion. Flamenco uses passion for dance so I wanted to bring that idea forth in the dancer herself.
My goals as an artist for this piece were to create a graffiti style painting by using acrylic and some coarse hair brushes. This piece is something that I myself am impressed with over the textural style of the brushstrokes. I feel that I accomplished a graffiti-like look for the painting, which was one of my goals. I feel that The color pallet was quite nice to look at after it had dried, and I used some good contouring or shading skills for the face and arms like I had intended to. The dress I left without shading because I wanted to be able to see the fluidity of the dress’ movement.
When creating this painting I learned how to use a tapping or stamping technique to apply the paint in order to get a certain wanted look. I also learned how to paint with a monochromatic color palette. I also learned how to blend the colors together on the image to create a more natural look. In the future I will want to continue to practice using the monochromatic color pallet with different colors. I also hope to use all three color techniques, such as the monochromatic coloration, the analogue, and complementary colors.
Piece 9 Artist Statement
"Paradise Bird" Oil/Chalk Pastel Piece
My artwork is based on a self taken image of a red macaw bird. I chose to add two large leaves at the top, and a rock at the bottom of the image for the second and third textural parts of my picture. I call this piece “Paradise Bird” because of the colors and scenery I used around the bird. My use of lines, and texture are most prevalent in this work. I also used mainly dark or bold colors which are thus contrasted with a medium pastel background.
My media artwork is made from oil paints since I did not have any oil pastel chalk. I used mainly soft, flat edged brushes in order to make the textural lines, and detail work. On the rock I patted the brush all over in order to design a dark to light speckled effect. On the macaw, I used a lot of colors and brush lines to create a natural fluffy feather look. I kept the background a neutral pastel in order to pay homage to the goal of this piece.
What inspired me to create this was seeing a picture of a macaw that was taken by one of my family members when they visited an old country store. It had held many birds behind their store and was an interesting place to visit. The image brings to mind the importance of paying attention to wildlife, and its natural beauty. The colors and stillness of the image show a sense of calm and peacefulness. It creates a balance of reality and a dream state of mind.
My goals as an artist have been to create more realistic images. I believe that this piece has been a big help to me when attempting this goal. I am very excited at how well this creation has turned out, because I have been able to make a nicely realistic macaw. In other ways, I believe that it was somewhat difficult to design the textured rock which the bird is sitting on. However, I did at least mix a beautiful lavender pastel for the background, which I had not even thought about until after I had created the rest of this piece.
When creating this artwork, I learned how to pat on paint to create a holy, misted over rock formation. I also learned how to paint feathers; as well as a realistic bird eye. This piece is practically what I imagined. I think that it turned out really well and I love it. I do believe that this piece will influence my future artworks when I create animals such as birds, and even when I try to create realistic eyes.
Piece 10 Artist Statement
"Whimsical Christmas" Christmas Card Contest
My artwork is of a christmas scene, which has Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer pulling a polar bear in Santa’s Sleigh. The top of the image has a dripping effect of snow, while the background is based on an aurora borealis sky. I call my piece Whimsical Christmas because of the non realistic and whimsical feel of it. The most obvious element is color, due to the colorful nature of the image. The most obvious principle would be contrast and emphasis. I have used contrasting colors in the background as well as the sleigh. I also used emphasis on the reindeer in order to draw the eye of the viewer before their sight travels to the rest of the drawing.
This piece is created from colored pencils. I tried to use a blending effect when I shaded the colors of the aurora borealis together, however it is not as easy to do as I had hoped. I used two different types of colored pencils to create my piece. I used a mix of Cra-Z-Art pencils, and a heavier leaded Master’s Touch pencil pallet. I mainly used the technique of overlapping, or coloring of different values of brown to draw reindeer.
My artwork was developed from my thoughts. I did not have too much inspiration for this piece. However, I did look up different ways which the animals, sleigh, and background look in real life, and based my drawing off of that and my own aspirations for this piece. I would say that this piece expresses both a personal and social expression. Mainly of the idea that people have stopped feeling the joy of Christmas, and don’t see it as a wonderful time in their lives anymore. I showed a lot of joy, and a little serenity in this piece because it is the overall representation of how you should feel in December, and you dream about Christmas coming.
My goals as an artist were to make a really creative, and whimsical piece. I feel that this piece somewhat helped me to reach my goal. I had intended it to look better than its turn out, but at least it had taught me not to attempt to blend contrasting colors when using colored pencils. I am not truly happy with the look of the aurora borealis. That and the colors I had chosen for the sleigh need to be improved upon the next time I attempt to create an image like this.
When creating this artwork I learned that I prefer using paints to create my masterpieces. Colored pencils are a harder medium to blend with so I definitely need to find a better way to blend the colors together. The final piece is not what I had envisioned because the sleigh does not look as pretty as I had intended. As well the aurora borealis that I had colored for the background was a fail. It turns out that my method of putting contrasting colors right next to each other is not the proper way to create my intended look. In future I plan to use other mediums or at least other methods when working with colored pencils.
Piece 11 Artist Statement
"Runway" Art Show Piece
My piece is a drawing of a dress which is worn by a torso mannequin. I chose this subject matter because I enjoy looking at fashion, as well as drawing it. I figured what better way than to create one of my own designs for this very project. I call this piece “runway” because it shows the beginning steps for a designer before their own art can be displayed on the runway. My piece includes texture, color, line, and contrast. This comes from the lines in the drawing, the color of the dress, and the 3D material-cotton I used.
My artwork is made from several medias, including pencil, colored pencil, oil paint, and cotton. To create this image I used lines to create my base sketch. Of course by using paint and colored pencils I had to blend and define the color with use of lines, and brushstrokes. For the cotton, I pulled apart a cotton ball, into different wispy or thin strips before gluing them down in specific areas. I had to make sure that my piece looked whole, so I coincided the different techniques and looks to blend well together.
My work was inspired by my appreciation for fashion and clothes. I also had previously seen mannequin drawings and really wanted to work on something that included one because I felt that I needed to broaden my skill set. My work expresses a personal issue as well as social. I’m not the only one who truly loves having the inspiration of seeing clothing that are either fun, creative, or just simply pretty, which is the main reason for this piece. I didn’t want to add too much emotion through this picture because I wanted the statement to resonate with the brain more than what the viewer were to feel if they saw the dress. What I mean by this is I would rather them see something they wanted to wear, or touch because they just liked it, then think about if I created something that would change their perspective on the whole fashion industry.
My goals as an artist for this piece were to create a pretty dress which catches the eye, and uses texture. This piece helped me to at least reach that main goal. Mainly because I was able to incorporate the cotton as my texture, and also I made a dress design that I personally think is pretty. This dress, however could be measured in different aspects, so that in a way is the bad part about my piece. I know that not everyone will have the same opinion about it, but that is fine. Not every single person likes exactly the same type of clothing, but what matters is that as the artist I enjoy the dress which I created.
While creating this artwork I learned how to use glue on paper with paint and colored pencil. I also learned how to draw a mannequin and use proportion in a torso. The final piece is slightly different than I imagined. I had a hard time visualizing how to place the cotton, as well as a few different ideas of the dress which I incorporated together. In the future I might use less coloreds pencil with more oil paint. Or I might use more colored pencils with less paint. I also will want to try a different 3D object to create with in order to expand my technical skill.
Piece 12 Artist Statement
"Restless Moment" Grid Drawing Portrait
My piece is a black and white portrait. I chose an image of a man who is laying sideways with his head on a pillow. I call this work “Restless moment” because it reminds me of when I am trying to fall asleep but am still restless. The most obvious elements used in my work are form and value because I used pencil to create the 3D black and white image in my portrait. The most obvious principle in my piece is balance, because of the way I arranged the facial features.
My artwork is made from pencil. I used a mechanical pencil to draw and cross hatch the aspects of the image. I also used a blending stump to blend the pencil strokes into a more realistic perspective. In between each task of sketching, detailing, and blending I used a pencil eraser and a regular sized eraser to fix certain spots that needed more highlight. Overall I used cross hatching and blending by using a blending stump to create the shading which makes up the complexion and details of the model.
Due to our prompt of creating a portrait drawing, I wanted to work with a distorted silhouette. I chose this image to recreate first of all due to the face being shown sideways. Secondly one half of the face at the bottom of the image was partially covered by the aforementioned pillow. My work does not necessarily represent an issue- social or personal. I tried to put a somberness or just mute emotion into the image because of the way the model from the image looked. I felt that there was a nice balance of relaxedness and restlessness shown in his face.
My goals as an artist have been to create a realistic face with symmetrical features. This piece absolutely helped me to reach my partial goal. It allowed me to learn how to make a mostly realistic face. However, I do not entirely believe that the facial features are fully symmetrical, I at least tried my best. Otherwise, I am very happy with my blending work.
While creating this piece, I learned how to draw a more realistic nose, eye, and hair. The final piece is better than I had expected it to be. I have to say that I am very excited with my shading, eyes, and nose. In the future I will continue to use the techniques which I have used on this piece. I also think that it has helped me to enjoy plain black and white images even more. I personally already like the way several of my previous black and white pieces have turned out, but this has allowed me to enjoy it even more.
Piece 13 Artist Statement
"Cards With Kitty" transformation Piece
My artwork is a cartoon based on the style of Robert DeJesus. The subject matter is Brandon Farris with his gray cat. I call the piece “Cards with kitty,” due to the silly nature of the image. The most obvious element of this piece is line. While the most obvious principle of this piece is unity.
My piece is made from mechanical and colored pencil. I drew the lines of each image lightly and over time, as the piece progressed, I darkened them and made the lines bolder. I chose not to shade much of the characters. I did, however, use the style of Robert DeJesus to create the characters, so the use of lines is used in place of shading. I chose to keep the majority of the piece black and white, while coloring the cards blue, and the t-shirt gray.
This piece was inspired by several different things. I wanted to recreate an image of Brandon Farris as a cartoon character as per the goal of the project, but I also tried to emulate Robert DeJesus’ art style. My work expresses a personal issue. I personally like watching Brandon Farris on YouTube, so this is why I chose him as my inspiration. Also, I knew I would be able to find a comic image of him to recreate.
My goals as an artist have been to create natural and realistic people. Although, thankfully for this peace, the goal was to create a cartoon version of a person, so that has helped my creativity, as well as challenged me. This piece has helped me to work towards creating more realistic drawings. I was able to make a decent looking person and a good looking cat with my technical skill. I do, however, need to practice drawing hands because I found it very difficult to draw the hands in my piece.
While creating this artwork, I learned how to turn a realistic image and turn it into a cartoon. I also learned that there are many different cartoon styles to draw. The final piece is not exactly what I imagine, because I did not put as many small details into the background. I chose to leave them out in the end because I felt that they might distract from the main focus of the image and would make the piece look too busy. In the future, I would like to try to draw using more cartoon styles.