When I first came into this art class, I had done a lot of art before. However, most of what I had done has been based off of things that I have seen online or photographs that I did not take. Fundamentals of Studio Art has taught me to go beyond this. Instead of the copying the things that others have done, I reached into my own mind to create my own original art. For example, for the art history project, I could have very easily copied Van Gogh’s Starry Night. But, I put my own twist on it and was very happy with the results. In this class, I have also developed many art skills. After I trying very hard to break the habit of smudging pencil, I learned to create value by pressing harder or softer with the pencil. It was difficult to stop the use of my favorite tool, the tortillion, but I’m glad that I did. I’ve communicated through my art by making my pieces have some kind of impact. For instance, I spread awareness in my hunger piece. I’ve taken chances and risks many times like when I tried to make a ski mug out of clay and when I ran into problems I came up with solutions. I didn’t know how to keep the handle of the mug from falling but I figured it out by using pencils to help it stay while it dried. I collaborated on my art by asking people around me what they thought I could change and offering ideas about their art. Also, for the wall art, I worked with a classmate to create it. We had to communicate in order to understand what we both wanted it to look like. Lastly, I often reflected on my own and other people’s art when we did critiques. Hearing other people’s comments allowed me to become a better artist and looking at the art of others helped me have an awareness of all of the different art styles that are out there. My favorite, and most successful project this year was the final independent project. There were no rules for this so I decided to experiment with watercolor and mosaics. I water colored a bunch of little shapes attempted to have it resemble a mosaic. Then, I added pieces of glass around the border to add more texture. I loved the way that the colors looked together and what the glass on top added to the piece. I think this was so successful because it was an original idea. I thought it was a good end to the year because entering AP next year, all of my artwork needs to be original and this was a good first step. One project that implemented skills and techniques that I used in a previous project was the self portrait drawing. This project spanned for a couple of weeks and throughout my process, I thought back to what we learned during the pre-instruction. Creating a grid on the canvas allowed me to see the shapes of what I was drawing rather than seeing eyes, or a nose. Also, I tried to shade this piece by changing the pressure I put on the pencil rather than smudging. Learning those skills at the beginning of the year helped me grow as an artist and create a fully shaded portrait that semi-resembled myself. I also will continue to use those learned skills when I do more pencil drawings in the future. The piece that most reflected me as an artist was the introduction to watercolor. This was one of my first times painting with watercolor and and it was the start of my love for the medium. Not only do the colors of the piece reflect my lean towards cool colors but completing the piece inspired me to master watercolor. After this piece was completed, I continued to do many choice projects that involved watercolor and always chose them when we could choose our medium. My final independent, and most successful, project was also watercolor. I’m glad this project was introduced because watercolor is now my favorite way to paint and I will continue to perfect my skills in the future, especially in my AP class. |
Overall, I found this course to be engaging, fun, and very helpful. It taught me the skills I will need for future art courses, and helped me learn how to manage my time. I genuinely enjoyed going to this class every day. It provided me a reprieve from the usual stresses of school and was guaranteed to give me a laugh or improve my mood. Art has changed my life personally by providing an escape from stress and anxiety. It calms me and takes my mind away from the problems in my life. Art is also changing the world. It evokes emotion and has the power to create change. I’m looking forward to continue pursuing the arts next year in AP and for the rest of my adult life.