AP Art Drawing: Concentration 6

Reference:

 

Final: 

 

Reflection: 

Manipulation of Material-- I used colored pencil in a different manner than usual. Since my surface was black matte board, I needed to make sure that the color pencils were applied with enough pressure. In areas which were intended to be darker, I applied very little pressure and the dark base showed up automatically from the dark matte board. 

Problem Solving-- I wanted to work on a different colored surface, so I went with black. While the colors stood out and made contrasts and highlighting easier, I also found that sometimes, the colors dulled a bit if I didn't press hard enough. Through the process, I learned the perfect amount of pressure needed to make certain colors stand out while layering. 

Gallery Visit #3

I visited Cipta's exhibition down at the 1st floor of the library!
I really wanted to seize this opportunity because it was a very unique exhibition, one that I wouldn't get to see anywhere else in Singapore.


What I really took away from his work is his distinct personal style. He has a style of seeming unorthodox, mixing solid colors and toy-machine-like structures to build his figures. In many pieces, like the one below, he often used bright colors but juxtaposed them with a black base in order to bring a haunting feel of something deeper and darker than a seemingly bright toy. This is what I found gave the pieces their individuality and unorthodoxy.

                                                                                

I also noticed that with every piece, Cipta seemed to connect with the audience's emotions through his use of symbolism and satire. These were pertinent to a certain culture or group of people who would understand the characters. For example, the "Pink Eagle" figurine was meant for SAS. The Eagle represented the SAS mascot and he spun that into an image that seemed humorous and different. with the "Pig" figurine, I remember Cipta recalled how in Indonesia, the pig has some sort of negative meaning meant to be hurtful and derogatory, but I found it really refreshing that he used that image to connect with the Indonesian audience and bring about humor in a creative way. I think his use of neon-bright colors created that humorous feel.























I also noticed that with every piece, there was always a series or a sequence that guided the audience to a collection. All the mini figurines were grouped according to the intended audience or according to the type of figurine. All the bigger displays had series numbers (like Dollores IX, Dollores X....) and some were even grouped together in the same frame. I asked Cipta about why he chose to have a sense of continuation with his pieces, and he replied that he believed there was more to the pieces that couldn't be expressed with just one composition, and that with a series leading to more, the audience will be able to better understand the type of figure. He believes in showing the SAS audience more variations to the same figure so that we appreciate how different each figurine can be and how they can hold different meanings and emotions despite having a similar shape and size.



Finally, I observed that Cipta weaves emotions into his pieces but in a very deliberate and abstract way. For example, with the above-right piece, I noticed there were many expressions and emotions involved, however, they were portrayed in a unique manner. One of the farther pieces in the group has a robotic figure with a big red heart drawn on it. I think this is almost an allusion to the Wizard of Oz and a play on what certain figures do with emotions, how they handle them. Other figures had a distinct facial expression, with the eyes and lips prominent. The heart, eyes, lips, are all structures that bring about emotion, and by adding those touches, Cipta really draws the contrast between human emotions and robotic structures. He also portrays those emotions so evidently, almost like they were a natural part of any robot.

AP Art Drawing: Concentration 5

Inspiration: 

Process Shots:

Final: 

Reflection: 

Creativity-- I wanted to try a different style of art, and this Madhubani painting was very unique from my typical pieces. This was by far my most tedious and intricate piece and I was really proud of how intricate it turned out. Madhubani paintings are known for their imperfect depiction of figures, their border, and for the fact that these paintings cover up any empty space with recurring designs. This pushed me to view art from the perspective of an ancient artisan in India.

Cultural Competence-- I really think this strongly places culture into center attention. This painting was one of the first forms of art in India hundreds of years ago. It represents the imperfections of the artists but also their child-like vision of a creative life. This truly depicts the beauty of Indian art culture. More importantly, though, this painting connected me with my grandmother and the culture she was surrounded by in her childhood. My attempt at a Madhubani painting really gave me more exposure to ancient forms of art, and I would love to try this style out again.

50% Check

My game plan:
Touches to make--complete forehead, paint bracelet, deeper shadows in clothing folds, color variation in hair
start on piece two by tomorrow
leave one day for final touches of both pieces


 

AP Art Drawing: Monoprint (Concentration 2)

Reference Photo:


Process shot:


Final Photo:


Reflection on Manipulation of Material:
- had to find a balance between not having too much ink yet having enough ink spread all over--for that, I lightly ran my hand around the paper

AP Art Drawing: Concentration 1

Concentration: sibling love

Reflection: 
Problem Solving--
- paint would dry up fast, leave one-dimensional colors, so I would take many similar shades of a color to bring more depth when the paint dries
Presentation and Quality--
- overall, I documented my progress and noticed how I changed my colors overtime (including analogous colors, straying from browns in dark areas and into blues greens and purples as an addition)
- Big picture: half-way in I realized that I needed to work on all parts of the painting instead of focusing on one. This helped bring more cohesion into my work.
The final touches were made, including sharper contours, richer colors, and deeper dark values
- keeping the background a place for the eye to rest
- overall composition definitely challenged me!! I was really pleased with myself because I was able to tackle painting two portraits while also painting intricate folds of fabric--helped me grow my skills in color choice

Reference photo:


Process Shots:




Final Photo:

AP Art Drawing: Exaggerated Perspective

Reflection--
Problem Solving: One of the things about my composition was that there was a lot of "rest space" in terms of solid colors in my hand, the sweatshirt, and the iPhone. From the self-portrait unit, I learned that I needed to utilize my background better, creating more of a story to my piece. With suggestions from Ms. Harvey, I went to the library and took pictures of the aisles as the shelves narrow down. This further dramatizes the exaggeration and the intricate bookshelves add more motion to the calmer area in the front.

Manipulation of Material: Colored pencil is something I feel more familiar now with, especially after my very first color pencil portrait during the self-portrait unit. I figured color pencil would allow more intricacies needed for the facial features and small book spines. I think the color pencil was applied in different strokes and pressures depending on whether I was working on a reflective surface (iPhone), wooden (shelves), skin, or fabric (shirt). For the phone, I worked in more circular motions to give the fuzzy effect of the reflections. For the background, I applied a lot more pressure to make the wood look sturdy and hard. If I had done that with my face or hands, it would have looked plastic-like, which is why I was gentler with that and instead focused on layering the colors and adding blues and purples as well to create dark shades. The fabric required contrast to highlight the depths of the folds.

Creativity: For this piece, I definitely wanted to have some story or meaning behind my composition. The background is crucial because it conveys a message. Through the exaggeration, I wanted to depict how we don't need to turn to books anymore for knowledge, and we instead really rely on our phone for any sort of information (shown by my big hands supporting the phone). I think this piece kind of shows irony with a person being in a library but not learning from books.



Process Shots:






My Final:


(side view)