Summer Project 2016
For my summer project I decided to do 12 still-life drawings. I decided to do this project because drawing is a skill that I felt that I am good in, but I wanted to improve my drawing skills and focus on the details of each object. I found several objects that I wanted to draw, and these are the 12 that I decided to draw.
Process:
For the 12 still-life drawings, I decided to do objects that we in or outside of my house. This idea allowed me to draw a variety of natural and unnatural objects. My original idea was to draw only natural things, but I then changed it to things that I typically see every day, which allowed me to draw a variety of objects. At first, I focused on feathers of a variety of different birds. These include sea gulls, peacocks, and a pheasant feathers. I chose these feathers because I see them constantly, because I collect feathers. I collected the sea gull feathers from the beach by lake Michigan. For the peacock and pheasant feathers I received them from my uncle who lives in Michigan. He pheasant hunts, and he gave me one of the smaller feathers that they have. My uncle also has an actual male peacock at his house, and he collects those feathers and every summer he gives some of the feathers to me and my sister. The flower I drew was in my garden, and I chose to do that exact flower rather than the ones that were also surrounding it. I was inspired to do the feathers and the flower because they both have a lot of detail and I wanted to improve my attention for drawing the details of things. A few other drawings included drift wood, a baseball, flashlight, a bowl, a vase, a nail polish container, a pencil coil pot, and a cross. I chose these objects because they resemble things that I see in my daily life. It started as natural things around my house and neighborhood, to things that I also see daily throughout my house. All of these objects connect to my daily routine, whether its my routine before school, when I come back home from school, my daily summer life, etc. I connected these objects specifically because of my personal daily routine.
For my drawings, I placed each object at an angle with a light source to capture the color gradient that occurs. When I was drawing each object, I began with the general form and shape of them, but specifically focused on the areas with the darker gradient and move across the object and focus on the details and make the transition of the darker to lighter areas a smooth transition. For the feathers, I focused on the contrast of the colors and how the colors transitioned into the other. For the baseball I focused especially on the form but the stitching which is an easy pattern to follow but difficult to focus on the detail. The baseball's stitches give the ball itself movement without it actually moving. Each object resembles something in my life. The feathers resemble my love for nature, and how it connects to my interests. The flower resembles my love for nature also, but for my family. The baseball resembles my love and passion for the sport. The drift wood also resembles nature, and my passion for it. The flashlight resembles one of my tools for Boy Scouts, because I use it for Boy Scouts when I'm camping. The bowls and pots resembles food, whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The nail polish resembles my sister and mom with their products. Lastly, the cross resembles my religion and my overall connection to my religion.
For my drawings, I placed each object at an angle with a light source to capture the color gradient that occurs. When I was drawing each object, I began with the general form and shape of them, but specifically focused on the areas with the darker gradient and move across the object and focus on the details and make the transition of the darker to lighter areas a smooth transition. For the feathers, I focused on the contrast of the colors and how the colors transitioned into the other. For the baseball I focused especially on the form but the stitching which is an easy pattern to follow but difficult to focus on the detail. The baseball's stitches give the ball itself movement without it actually moving. Each object resembles something in my life. The feathers resemble my love for nature, and how it connects to my interests. The flower resembles my love for nature also, but for my family. The baseball resembles my love and passion for the sport. The drift wood also resembles nature, and my passion for it. The flashlight resembles one of my tools for Boy Scouts, because I use it for Boy Scouts when I'm camping. The bowls and pots resembles food, whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The nail polish resembles my sister and mom with their products. Lastly, the cross resembles my religion and my overall connection to my religion.
ACT Questions:
For my summer project I decided to do 12 still life drawings. I chose the still life drawings because I prefer and enjoy drawing still life, and I appreciate the attention of detail aspect to this type of drawing. When I received my summer project options, there was a clear cause-effect relationship that occurred and developed throughout the project. Since I had to do a summer project, and when still life was an option it allowed me to choose this specific project. I was inspired through my previous still life drawing experiences, and I've developed an interest in them, and it's specifically the attention to detail with the lighting, positioning, and the three-dimensional aspect of objects. My overall approach to this project was to take my time, and again pay attention to the lighting and simply the three-dimensional qualities of the objects, and the way the gradation of light changes based on the positioning. I also approached the project to be precise with my drawing and shading, but to also enjoy the process. A generalization that I can make about my project is that still life is a great way to improve and focus on detail of an object or figure. It allows the opportunity to work and draw several different forms, and use these skills in other projects in art. My central idea for this still life series was to keep it with forms that we see everyday. For example, all of the still life drawings that I drew came from forms that I see everyday outside and inside of my house. I focused on adding in outside forms and inside forms because these forms in my perspective are seen everyday. Some inferences I made during my summer project is that, my skills increased during this and my use of forms will aid me in my future art projects. The largest concept is that overtime skills will increase and be tested in future projects, and it's a combination of your skills that allows you to create.
For my summer project I decided to do 12 still life drawings. I chose the still life drawings because I prefer and enjoy drawing still life, and I appreciate the attention of detail aspect to this type of drawing. When I received my summer project options, there was a clear cause-effect relationship that occurred and developed throughout the project. Since I had to do a summer project, and when still life was an option it allowed me to choose this specific project. I was inspired through my previous still life drawing experiences, and I've developed an interest in them, and it's specifically the attention to detail with the lighting, positioning, and the three-dimensional aspect of objects. My overall approach to this project was to take my time, and again pay attention to the lighting and simply the three-dimensional qualities of the objects, and the way the gradation of light changes based on the positioning. I also approached the project to be precise with my drawing and shading, but to also enjoy the process. A generalization that I can make about my project is that still life is a great way to improve and focus on detail of an object or figure. It allows the opportunity to work and draw several different forms, and use these skills in other projects in art. My central idea for this still life series was to keep it with forms that we see everyday. For example, all of the still life drawings that I drew came from forms that I see everyday outside and inside of my house. I focused on adding in outside forms and inside forms because these forms in my perspective are seen everyday. Some inferences I made during my summer project is that, my skills increased during this and my use of forms will aid me in my future art projects. The largest concept is that overtime skills will increase and be tested in future projects, and it's a combination of your skills that allows you to create.
Reflection:
Overall, I thought that my summer project was good. I think that I was able to capture details on all of the objects, some more than others. I have definitely improved my focus on details and my figure drawing based on this project. Through this project, I accomplished a goal for my growth of drawing precisely and adding attention to the detail of figures and objects. For me, this was enjoyable of the fact that I have grown a little bit more with my drawing skills and looking forward to applying my skills toward other projects that I invest my interests in. Overall, the drawings were decent and there is still some need of growth for my drawing skills.
Overall, I thought that my summer project was good. I think that I was able to capture details on all of the objects, some more than others. I have definitely improved my focus on details and my figure drawing based on this project. Through this project, I accomplished a goal for my growth of drawing precisely and adding attention to the detail of figures and objects. For me, this was enjoyable of the fact that I have grown a little bit more with my drawing skills and looking forward to applying my skills toward other projects that I invest my interests in. Overall, the drawings were decent and there is still some need of growth for my drawing skills.