Contour drawing

pencil on drawing paper

This is a contour drawing done to show my growth as an artist. This drawing is done by allowing the eye to follow the outer most edges, as well as the lines visible. I chose to do my mother in this position because I like the positioning of her body and the composition. The lines that create shapes in her hair are very interesting, and I liked all of the wrinkles on her shirt. By drawing her profile, I was challenged to create the proper proportions of her body, especially considering the awkward position of her stomach. However, I feel that this piece is of good enough quality to show that I have become much more aware of the lines and proportions of what I am drawing, and it allowed me to work from life. 

Turning shoulders

Charcoal on drawing paper 

For this piece I wanted to try charcoal. This is a picture I took while on the beach with one of my fellow classmates Lauren. I liked the positioning of her body and her large hat, which created an interesting composition. The reflection on her glasses shows movement and excitement; however, white background shows isolation. This piece has a wide range of value changes, which makes it an ideal charcoal drawing. The lights and darks were easily created by the shading, and the lightness of the top of her hat shows that she is in the sun. This is because it is much lighter than her face which is hidden from the sun by the large hat. The unexpected directions of her hair shows movement. The seriousness of her face and the black and white creates drama and expresses emotion. 

Concentration #12

9.75" x 7.75"

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper 

For my final piece, I chose to use a tea cup that I had not drawn yet, and I wanted to draw a person to help show my growth as an artist. This is a picture of a family friend. Her name is Gracie, and she is four years old. I bought this tea cup at a thrift store, and I thought it was very beautiful. I specifically liked the shape and size of this cup, because it is short and wide; therefore, I felt that it resembled a tea cup that might belong to a child's tea set. The tea cup is the lightest aspect of this piece; therefore, it is evident that it is the tea cup. I also felt that by using a bit of foreshortening, I was able to show my growth as a drawer. The shadows on her face show that she is holding the cup up towards someone or something. The unfocused appearance of her facial features show depth and that she is present, yet the cup is supposed to be the focal point of the piece.

Scratchboard

5" x 7" 

Scratch Board 

For this breath piece, I wanted to expand my choice of medium and do a scratchboard. This is a picture of my little brother and dog sitting on the back of a chair. I chose this picture because I felt that is showed emotion and movement. The dogs hair shows movement and has lots of highlights, which made it an ideal scratchboard picture. The expression on his face shows emotion. I was able to create texture on the chair by creating a pattern that ranges in value. The light source has eliminated the dogs left eye and made my brothers eye almost hidden. However, the form and small detailing shows that they both have eyes, and it forces the viewer to interpret what can not be seen. The lightest lights create emphasis and bring the viewers eye towards the center of interest. Although they are both important, he is the largest and lightest aspect of the piece. Therefore, he is the center of interest.

Into The Wild

8.75" x 14.5"

Pencil on drawing paper

For this breath piece I wanted to do something very unique and different. This picture was taken while on a nature walk, and I chose it because of the vertical and diagonal lines of the tree branches. The tree branches create emotion and mystery. This piece is unique because instead of using a conventional drawing style to create shading. I used words to create shading throughout the entire piece. I used very deep and emotional words that I felt reflected the tone and feeling that this picture portrays. By overlapping and darkening the words, I was able to cerate darker hues. I used a range of pencils that helped create harder and softer lines. The darkness and lightness of the branches show depth in the piece. The branches that are in front of my face show that I am hidden behind that the branches which also generates emotion.  

Concentration #11

Colored Pencil on Colored Multimedia Paper 

11.75" x 8.5"

This piece is much different than all of my previous pieces. I saw this cup in an antique shop; however, it was not broken and I did not have a picture reference for this drawing. I combined several different ideas to create the composition. The highlights on the spilt tea/coffee create depth and show form. The repeated piece of the tea cup on the right side of the piece makes the eye go back towards the center of interest. The background of the piece tells a story that something happened to break this cup, and the antique toy correlates to the age of the tea cup. The simple portrayal of molding shows that the cup broke as it hit the ground. The cup stands out as the focal point because it is the lightest aspect of the piece. The  blue hue of the paper creates unity with the blue tea cup, and it also broadens my concentration. 

Bad Dog

13.25" x 9.75"
Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper 

For my tenth concentration, I wanted to challenge my creativity and expand my concentration. I have a very dear and strong love for my puppy, Holly. Holly is a wild dog, who has not yet, but probably would, pull a napkin off of a table. This portrayal of my dog is not realistic; however, I was able to take several different pictures and ideas and morph them into one compositionally unique piece. The dark colors of the wood are repeated within the cup and the spilling coffee. The blues, grays, and purples on the table cloth and napkin are related in Holly's fur. Although she is the darkest aspect of the piece, she does not stand out more than the cup. The cup and the spilling tea is the most dramatic aspect of the piece; therefore, it stands out as the focal point. The converging lives on the chair and the napkin point towards the cup, and the eyes of positioning of the dogs face, makes the viewer want to look at what the dog is looking at. For this piece, I had to challenge creativity and work through many problems. I began by making the lace table cloth come off the page, and eventually, I made the tablecloth short so that the dark hues could be repeated throughout tablecloth and underneath it.

Concentration #9

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper 

10.5" x 9" 

For my third art piece I chose to repeat the stacked cup composition; however, I added the pearls to create depth and height. The highlights on the pearls are done in gesso paint, so that the pearls would stand out up against the background. The colors in the fabric in the background, were repeated throughout the pears and the cups. I used these cups with the pearls because the delicacy of this pattern, reminds me of beauty and luxury; therefore, the pearls correlate with the pattern. The shading on the fabric on the left side of the piece, is done to create fold and form among the fabric. The tea cups are the largest aspect of the piece; therefore, they stand out and are clearly the focal point. The cups are all similar; however, they have unique positions and shading to create diversity. Throughout the piece, I used a variation of warm and cool colors. 

Concentration #8

8.75" x 5"

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper 

For my eighth concentration piece, I chose to down size the proportions that have previously used. The design of this piece is designed to create an interesting yet simple work of art that is attractive and exciting. The blue value change in the background creates depth. The hue of the cloth underneath the stacked cups creates a repetition of the warm colors repeated throughout the cups. The repetition of blues throughout the entire piece creates unity. The placement of the cups on a diagonal slope create a sense of movement and drama.  The converging lines that are created through the brim of the top two cups point towards the focal point, which is the larger white cup. The emphasis on this cup, being the lightest light, also emphasizes that it is the focal point. 

Concentration #7

Pencil drawing on drawing paper

10.5" x 8"

This pencil drawing is a very dramatic art piece. The wrinkles of the woman’s and hands and the crack in the cup help demonstrate and portray a story through this art piece. The contour outlining of the wrinkles helps distinguish how old and aged the woman holding the cup is. The converging lines lead the eye towards the focal point which is the tea cup. The location also helps create emphasis on the focal point, because it is the largest and most centralized aspect of the piece. This is a realism piece that is drawn to portray a real life setting and a story behind the focal point. The wrinkles create texture and form. The range in values and shading throughout the entire piece makes it visible that there is a light source and it generates emphasis on the tea cup. The cup has the lightest lights on it; therefore, it stands out more. The simplicity of the piece creates unity throughout the art piece. 

Tea Tree

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper 

8" x 11"

For my sixth concentration piece I did this piece with a colored pencil medium. I chose this picture, which I took, because I like the composition of the cups with the fabric in the foreground of the piece. I used a contrast of different colors and shades to create depth and realism to this piece. I used both warm and cool colors to create unity through out the entire drawing. The blurred background creates and expressive quality of movement. The repetition of handles and shapes of the cups creates harmony through out the piece. The negative spaces create depth and interest to the viewer. This piece is photo-realism and looks better than the actual picture because it the hues are much brighter and interesting. The soft edges in the background make it appear that there is some activity; however, it does not distract the viewer from the obvious point of interest. 

Concentration #5

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

7.25" x 11.25"

For my fifth concentration piece I chose to draw a picture of my good friend Lauren as she is drinking a cup of tea. I feel that this piece has a nice balance of warm and cool colors. The dark contrast on her face allows the cup in her hand to be the center of interest. The bright colors and unordinary colors of the cup create emphasis on the center of interest; therefore, the tea cup is clearly the focal point of the piece. The expressive qualities of the piece create warmth and comfort to the viewer, and the piece makes you just want to drink whatever she is drinking. The highlights on her face make it clear where the art source is coming from. The variety of hues in her hair create movement and depth. My corrections included adding some of the colors from the cup into her hair to create balance and repetition throughout the entire piece.

My Concentration

A concentration is defined as "a body of work unified by an underlying idea that has visual coherence." A concentration shows evidence of thinking and a clear focus. A strong concentration must be connected between the work presented and the idea described. It must be interesting and attract the viewer. The artist must show something interesting with feeling and risk. An AP Art concentration consists of twelve pieces based on the investigation of a theme, object, or subject.

I chose to do my concentration on antique china. As I have progressed, I have began to focus more on tea cups. I have always been very intrigued by antiques. I think that fine china is very beautiful; and I enjoy drawing still lives. I am extremely passionate about the history and beauty of these simple pieces of china; therefore, I have been able to demonstrate my concentration in several different ways. I enjoy finding all of the different pieces and seeing how unique and beautiful they are.

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

10.5″ x 8.5″

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

10″ x 9″

"Gypsy Tea"

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

11″ x 7″

Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

7.25″ x 11.25″

Charcoal tutorial

I would really like to redo my first piece and improve my charcoal portrait skills; therefor, this is the link to a video that demonstrates charcoal portrait drawing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFEIJMzAZK4

Summer Art 3

My final summer art piece is a still life of a pair of sunglasses placed on top of some books. This art piece is titled “Summer Reading.” I chose to draw this still life because we were given the choice to draw something ordinary in an unordinary place. I felt that, it being summer, the sunglasses would appear random and unordinary among a pile of books, because when wearing sunglasses, especially inside, it can be difficult to read. This piece has a high light on the left lenses, which comes from the light source. It allows the books under the glasses to be apparent behind the dark lenses of the glasses. This photo-realism art piece is done from a real life, still life. The point of view emphasizes the interesting lines and shapes of the glasses. The Harmony apparent among the books makes the viewer know that all of the objects in the background are books. The contrast of the glasses makes them the center of interest, or focal point, because they are generally the largest and darkest aspects of the pencil drawing. In this piece, I struggled with makes the background as interesting as the focal point. I drew them with hard edges at first, but I feel that by adding the lamp base to the background, it made the piece more interesting and not as isolated. It added something interesting to the boring negative space. 

Summer Art 2

My second art piece was done with newspaper clippings, known as a collage, and it is a picture of my friend Taylor. I was very satisfied with this piece, because I feel that I captured the different value changes on her face with the use of Newspaper accurately. The shadows and highlights on the face are visible, and the hair is broken up and appears realistic because of the detailing and strands of hair depicted. The broken up paper clippings create movement and express the realistic idea that her hair is blowing in the wind.  The background, being different shades of blue hues, adds interest and depth to the art piece. It also adds isolation and perspective to the art piece. The gradual change in shades of blue creates perspective. As the hue of the blue becomes lighter, she appears to be farther back; therefore, the right side of her face appears to be closer from the viewer’s point of view. At first, I struggled with the proportions of her nose and face; however, I feel that I was able to work out those problems. 

Summer Art

For my first summer art assignment, I decided to explore charcoal on brown paper. For this project, I chose to use a draw my cousin, Keeli. The picture I chose ended up not being suitable for the assignment, and the art piece did not hold very high expectations. Therefore, I chose to discard the assignment and not use it. The proportions and highlights on the face were not accurate and they appeared awkward. I distorted her face and there was not a good contrast of lights and darks on her face to make the art piece interesting enough.