AP Art Portfolio Presentation
Final Reflection
Wow, this year has been a whirlwind of emotions!! I have made so many close friends and I feel like I have really improved as an artist. Although this year has been tough, I was able to push myself and do great things. There were some long nights working on art, but I am thankful that I stuck through it and finished my portfolio. This class has taught me that it doesn't matter how good you are compared to others, but the only thing that matters is that you're doing your best and improving. Having independent study was very beneficial to me and I don't believe I could have gotten everything done without it. The end of the year is always bittersweet, but I am especially sad this year. High school is coming to an end and I am so sad to leave my art friends that I have made this year. I am grateful for these friendships and I hope that they will continue after high school. I am also thankful for Mrs. Rossi and how she put up with all of my nonsense. Having a teacher who is structured but also gave us some leeway with our art was very helpful.
Concentration #12
Plant Lover
Ok this was by far my worst piece. It was done in less than one day and I rushed it because I had one piece left. I wanted to use oil paints but I knew palette knife would be the quickest. That is where I really went wrong. It looks sloppy and you cannot tell what it is I painted. The only thing I like about this painting is the colors of the plants, but THAT IS ALL!!! I wish that I had more time to redo/think of a new idea for this piece. But what's done is done!!
Concentration #11
More Plants
I love prismacolors but this piece took forever. I knew for one of my last pieces I wanted to use a medium that I was familiar with. I think this piece was somewhat successful but definitely could have used some more work. I like the values of green in the leaf and the browns in the wood. If I could add to this I would somehow make the glass holder look more realistic and add some highlights.
Concentration #10
Shoppers
For this piece I also did pen and gouache. I wanted to do something that was fast/small so I did a smaller square piece. It was very tough to get the perspective to look correct and I am also very inexperienced with figure drawings. There are many things I would change about this piece; the way the people looks, the background, and the colors. I think that this piece was successful, but could have used some more time/work.
Concentration #9
Lady
For this piece I wanted to show a person shopping for plants. I decided to use pen and gouache because I was familiar with it and I knew it would go fairly quick. I think this piece was successful and it is one of my favorite concentration pieces. I believe that the perspective was executed well and I like the various colors I used in the plants. My favorite part of this piece is the shadow in the woman's purse. If I were to be honest I wouldn't change anything about this piece and I'm glad that it came out so well.
Concentration #8
In Bloom
I have just started concentration piece #8. When planning for this project I knew that I wanted to do another oil painting. I really enjoy using oil paint and quite frankly I think it is my best medium when it comes to painting. Because my previous concentration pieces have been heavily focused on vegetables and food, I wanted to do something with flowers/plants.
Unfortunately I did not have a good photo of flowers, so I chose to use this photo from Pinterest. I definitely plan to change it up but need advice on how to do so.
Considering I have only worked on this for one day I have already had several struggles. For example, I forgot to use an underpainting, so I'm having to paint on a white canvas. Not only that, but I am having a difficult time getting the rights colors and also blending them out. I'm finding the flowers difficult to paint and am so far not a fan.
While looking at these photos, I have noticed that the main flower's petals are off, and need to be reshaped. I have a feeling that this will be one of my weaker pieces, but will soon post the finished product.
Unfortunately I did not have a good photo of flowers, so I chose to use this photo from Pinterest. I definitely plan to change it up but need advice on how to do so.
Considering I have only worked on this for one day I have already had several struggles. For example, I forgot to use an underpainting, so I'm having to paint on a white canvas. Not only that, but I am having a difficult time getting the rights colors and also blending them out. I'm finding the flowers difficult to paint and am so far not a fan.
While looking at these photos, I have noticed that the main flower's petals are off, and need to be reshaped. I have a feeling that this will be one of my weaker pieces, but will soon post the finished product.
Concentration #7:
Child
Starting concentration piece #7 was difficult because I don't do portraits regularly. I knew that I needed to start adding figure drawings into my concentration, so I thought I'd start with a little kid (the kid being me). The original picture is taken when I lived in Florida, and I decided I could add a farmers market background. Although this wasn't difficult, I wished I had taken a better picture at the farmers market.
Because I was going to do a portrait, I knew that oil paint would be my best bet.
Challenges:
Really the only problem I had was getting the face accurate when drawing it out. As you can see, before I added the paint it looked creepy and not human. As I started to paint I got the hang of painting skin tones, and I think this is somewhat successful. There are several things I would like to add, including value in the arms and face, but overall I am content with it.
As for the background, it needs some work. I had planned to do flowers in the background, but completely forgot to do that when I started painting. Instead I painted boxes of fruit, but I feel that they are not proportional/ don't look good. I will continue to work on this project, but for now I think it is alright.
TO BE CONTINUED
Because I was going to do a portrait, I knew that oil paint would be my best bet.
Challenges:
Really the only problem I had was getting the face accurate when drawing it out. As you can see, before I added the paint it looked creepy and not human. As I started to paint I got the hang of painting skin tones, and I think this is somewhat successful. There are several things I would like to add, including value in the arms and face, but overall I am content with it.
As for the background, it needs some work. I had planned to do flowers in the background, but completely forgot to do that when I started painting. Instead I painted boxes of fruit, but I feel that they are not proportional/ don't look good. I will continue to work on this project, but for now I think it is alright.
TO BE CONTINUED
Concentration #6:
Pumpkins
I knew that I wanted to do this next project in palette knife simply because it is a faster way to paint. I had already picked out my photo, so it was just a matter of starting. Because it goes fairly fast, I decided to choose a decent sized canvas (compared to what I usually use). I wanted to paint this picture of pumpkins because the last piece I painted was strawberries.
Although I am not completely finished, I do like how it is turning out. I think I have enjoyed this project because it hasn't stressed me out and felt effortless.
Oil paint is one of my favorite mediums so I think that is the main reason I enjoyed this project. I think I still need to add more value in the lighter pumpkins and "push the darks".
So far I like this project, and will be very happy when it is finished.
Although I am not completely finished, I do like how it is turning out. I think I have enjoyed this project because it hasn't stressed me out and felt effortless.
Oil paint is one of my favorite mediums so I think that is the main reason I enjoyed this project. I think I still need to add more value in the lighter pumpkins and "push the darks".
So far I like this project, and will be very happy when it is finished.
Concentration #5:
Strawberries
Strawberries with acrylic paint
For this project I wanted to do something very different and step out of my comfort zone a bit. Before brainstorming, I knew that I wanted to use my strawberry photo. I knew that I wanted to use acrylic paint for this project, but really dreaded doing it on a single canvas; therefore I decided to do 6 small canvases.
This worked out well because in the photo there were 6 cartons of strawberries so it was easy to split up the painting.
Although acrylic is not my favorite, I don’t hate it as much as I used to. Forcing myself to use it has helped and I like the fact that it can be used fairly quick.
I had several struggles with this painting. I had a hard time getting everything to line up and also had a hard time blending the reds to make the berries look realistic.
The one thing I do like about this piece is the blue background. I think it is a good contrast against the blue and makes it look more vibrant.
Overall I am not too happy with the outcome of this project, and would really appreciate some feedback.
For this project I wanted to do something very different and step out of my comfort zone a bit. Before brainstorming, I knew that I wanted to use my strawberry photo. I knew that I wanted to use acrylic paint for this project, but really dreaded doing it on a single canvas; therefore I decided to do 6 small canvases.
This worked out well because in the photo there were 6 cartons of strawberries so it was easy to split up the painting.
Although acrylic is not my favorite, I don’t hate it as much as I used to. Forcing myself to use it has helped and I like the fact that it can be used fairly quick.
I had several struggles with this painting. I had a hard time getting everything to line up and also had a hard time blending the reds to make the berries look realistic.
The one thing I do like about this piece is the blue background. I think it is a good contrast against the blue and makes it look more vibrant.
Overall I am not too happy with the outcome of this project, and would really appreciate some feedback.
Concentration #4:
Fresh Produce
The next concentration piece I decided to make was the NC farmers market sign. Because my concentration is based off of “a day at the farmers market” I knew I wanted to draw the sign.
Because I had just done a larger piece, and with paint, I decided I wanted to do the opposite for this project: prismacolors on a small scale.
By using a small piece of paper I figured it wouldn’t take too long, and I’d be able to knock out the project within a relatively short amount of time... I WAS WRONG YET AGAIN!!!!
I liked the photo I took, but I knew that I wanted to add something else to make it more interesting. In the original picture the sky was blue, so I instead decided to draw a sunrise in the background.
Prismacolors are one of my favorite mediums, so I somewhat enjoyed this project. I didn’t have any issues and overall I feel ok about the end result of this piece. Next time, if I were to do something differently, I would make the sign more distinguishable from the sunrise. It seems to get a bit lost in the background, and I wish I hadn’t added so many bright colors to the sky. But overall I think this project turned out fine. 5/10 would maybe recommend.
Because I had just done a larger piece, and with paint, I decided I wanted to do the opposite for this project: prismacolors on a small scale.
By using a small piece of paper I figured it wouldn’t take too long, and I’d be able to knock out the project within a relatively short amount of time... I WAS WRONG YET AGAIN!!!!
I liked the photo I took, but I knew that I wanted to add something else to make it more interesting. In the original picture the sky was blue, so I instead decided to draw a sunrise in the background.
Prismacolors are one of my favorite mediums, so I somewhat enjoyed this project. I didn’t have any issues and overall I feel ok about the end result of this piece. Next time, if I were to do something differently, I would make the sign more distinguishable from the sunrise. It seems to get a bit lost in the background, and I wish I hadn’t added so many bright colors to the sky. But overall I think this project turned out fine. 5/10 would maybe recommend.
Concentration #3:
Vegetables and Such
To continue my concentration idea of "A Day at the Farmers Market" I knew that I wanted to paint another picture of vegetables. I decided I wanted to do a variety instead of focusing on one particular vegetable.
I had recently gone to the farmers market and took several pictures that I really liked so therefore it was much easier to come up with an idea.
Going into this project I knew I wanted to use watercolor simply because I had not used it too much in the past and I wanted to give myself a challenge.
I also chose to use a bigger sized piece of paper simply because watercolor goes by fairly quick and I knew I could take on the size.
I had recently gone to the farmers market and took several pictures that I really liked so therefore it was much easier to come up with an idea.
Going into this project I knew I wanted to use watercolor simply because I had not used it too much in the past and I wanted to give myself a challenge.
I also chose to use a bigger sized piece of paper simply because watercolor goes by fairly quick and I knew I could take on the size.
Artistic process:
In my opinion drawing the vegetables was the hardest part and the most time consuming. There were so many different shapes and making them look realistic was a bit of a struggle. Besides that, I enjoyed working with watercolor and didn't find myself stressing out about the project. (This may also be because I had a long break and didn't feel as rushed).
In my opinion drawing the vegetables was the hardest part and the most time consuming. There were so many different shapes and making them look realistic was a bit of a struggle. Besides that, I enjoyed working with watercolor and didn't find myself stressing out about the project. (This may also be because I had a long break and didn't feel as rushed).
Concentration #2:
Beets
Well let me just begin by saying this project is very last minute. Continuing with my concentration idea of a day at the farmers market, I knew I wanted to paint some sort of vegetable. I had recently been to the farmers market to take pictures, so I already had a few ideas in mind.
I decided to go the oil paint route because I’m familiar with it and knew I could finish relatively quick. I bought a 9X12 canvas simply because it was small and I could get it done in a short matter of time.
This is project is not yet done, and is currently a work in progress (not looking too good). I’m currently working on making the beets look realistic, but am stuggling with the colors (maybe I used the wrong underpainting?)
The beets in the picture are in a blue tub, and I do currently like how that part is turning out. I like the contrast of the blue against the red/pink of the beets.
Overall I’m very interested to see how this project turns out, and will try my very best to finish by Thursday. But for now, here is my blog and my in progress pictures.
I decided to go the oil paint route because I’m familiar with it and knew I could finish relatively quick. I bought a 9X12 canvas simply because it was small and I could get it done in a short matter of time.
This is project is not yet done, and is currently a work in progress (not looking too good). I’m currently working on making the beets look realistic, but am stuggling with the colors (maybe I used the wrong underpainting?)
The beets in the picture are in a blue tub, and I do currently like how that part is turning out. I like the contrast of the blue against the red/pink of the beets.
Overall I’m very interested to see how this project turns out, and will try my very best to finish by Thursday. But for now, here is my blog and my in progress pictures.
Concentration #1
Succulents
My concentration concept is: A Day at the Farmer's Market
I came up with this idea over the summer and have stuck with it ever since.
The picture I chose to draw was one i took of some succulents. I had been wanting to draw this photo for a while, but hadn't found the right project for it.
I knew that I wanted to start off easy by drawing with prismas, but I for some reason decided to use a big piece of paper (really not smart).
Challenges:
As usual, I mainly struggled with time management. I am very comfortable with using prismacolors, so I didn't have any problems with using this medium.
Working large is not something I'm very good at, so i wish that I would have worked smaller.
successes:
I like some parts of this drawing, but other things I would change. I like the many colors in this drawing, but I feel like there is a bit too much green.
It was a bit difficult to get many different shades of green without it looking to similar to the other plants.
If I could do this all over again I would certainly work smaller (as I said before). I don't have many comments about this project simply because I think I did just an okay job. It's pretty average in my eyes...
Overall I liked the fact that we have more freedom with these pieces though. I like the fact that I'm able to do what I like/interests me.
I came up with this idea over the summer and have stuck with it ever since.
The picture I chose to draw was one i took of some succulents. I had been wanting to draw this photo for a while, but hadn't found the right project for it.
I knew that I wanted to start off easy by drawing with prismas, but I for some reason decided to use a big piece of paper (really not smart).
Challenges:
As usual, I mainly struggled with time management. I am very comfortable with using prismacolors, so I didn't have any problems with using this medium.
Working large is not something I'm very good at, so i wish that I would have worked smaller.
successes:
I like some parts of this drawing, but other things I would change. I like the many colors in this drawing, but I feel like there is a bit too much green.
It was a bit difficult to get many different shades of green without it looking to similar to the other plants.
If I could do this all over again I would certainly work smaller (as I said before). I don't have many comments about this project simply because I think I did just an okay job. It's pretty average in my eyes...
Overall I liked the fact that we have more freedom with these pieces though. I like the fact that I'm able to do what I like/interests me.