Survey Final Reflection

I feel that the value digital photo project was the most successful. I developed this craft through the use of really observing value and the surroundings and placement of my object. Tools that were very successful that I used was lighting or the sun, because the sun gave my object value when out in the natural world. I also used my natural surroundings to take the pictures. These were essential things that helped me compose my final pictures. I wanted my project to express value, great intensity and also light. For this project I think that the value of my pictures expresses great intensity in the dark areas and light in the lighter areas.

I thought that the plaster sculpture was the most difficult project. My final project does in a small way resemble my initial drawings but for this project I dont think that it necessarily matters because I was constantly changing it as I went to improve it any how. The whole sculpture changed except for the base. I made these changes because my sculpture didn't have enough plaster to work with to continue on my original path so I had to change the sculpture. Problems that emerged were that much of the plaster was falling off when I would chisel a small piece on one side of the sculpture, another is that I just didn't have enough plaster height wise. In order to solve the problems I chopped off the top of the sculpture and made that the bottom and sculpted what was originally the bottom.

1. Please discuss three new strengths you've discovered or deepened this year. One formal strength (your ability to work with things like composition, balance, rhythm et cetera), one technical or media-specific strength (working in a specific medium or honing a specific skill) and one conceptual strength (you idea development in the specific project). 

I feel that three strengths that I have discovered is balance, value and composition.  In the past years of art class I have never been good and creating shadows and dark to light areas. But this year I felt that I developed that through photography and my charcoal drawing. For balance I felt that I was able to create balance between certain objects, drawings, and or in my sculptures because I could make things in good proportion and keep things from either being to small or too large. I also felt that I was able to work with contour because I felt that I could really create good edges using contour to create shapes. I feel that I did better in the area of painting because I have never being a good painter and in the pop art paintings I felt that I really improved in painting. I felt I also developed in photography, I always liked photography and I was never good at it. But I think that this year I was able to do fairly well in photography and I cant wait to learn more about photography next year!

Plaster Sculpture!

Reflection: My outside influence for this project was a jelly fish but I didn't have enough plaster to work with in order to create the shape of a jellyfish so I ended up making a very abstract figure that has some of the qualities of my original jellyfish influence. In order for me to gain a better understanding of the plaster I explored various ways of using the tools and the amount of strength I used when hammering in certain areas of the plaster object. I did come into some troubles of breaking parts of my object off but I was able to learn from that and make something new. I found various ways of using the tools which helped make different types of lines and shapes on the object. I started out trying to make a jellyfish but as I progressed through the project I ended up not having enough plaster (height) in order to complete the jellyfish so I ended up having to start making changes. For example the bottom of my sculpture was originally going to be the top of the jellyfish and the top (but I had to cut it in half) that you are seeing was going to be the tentacles. I tried to employ shape and abstractness and I felt that the shape makes the figure very abstract.