Value Project Final Post

In this project, I learned that in order to find a resolution for any problem that I was having, I needed to stretch and explore different ways of solving the problem. This meant that I had to experiment with different methods of manipulating the resources that I had in order to find a solution. This will be very helpful in the future, because now I know that even when a problem seems impossible to solve, there are always many different ways of solving or getting around it. Also, this applies to adding shadow and light to represent 3-D form because if I couldn't figure out how to correctly and accurately represent a 3-D object, I could try different way of adding different amounts of light or shadow until it looked the way I wanted it to.

For me, the drawing part of this project felt more comfortable. However, I think that this was only because I am more used to drawing, and have more experience with this. At first, it was hard for me to accurately capture the objects in the image, and transfer them to the paper with a pencil, but after looking at it for a while, I think that I was able to manage it. I also think that drawing allowed me more room for expression, because I could experiment with different pencil strokes to convey an emotion or feeling. To improve the results of the photo, I think that I could have been more careful to really focus my photo when I first took it, because it's difficult to focus it really clearly on the enlarger. With the drawing, I think that the results would have improved if I had focused a little more on making the blacks in my drawing darker, because there weren't many places in my drawing that were completely black, whereas in the actual composition there were several places where the shadows were so dark that you couldn't tell where one object ended and an adjacent one began.

Value Project: Drawing & Photo

In this assignment, I learned that I had to really concentrate on the proportions of the different objects in the frame. I had trouble figuring out the proportions of the sandal, but I think I figured it out by looking at the bar of soap and the golf ball next to it. I also focused on making sure that the shading was realistic and accurate, so that there were shadows coming off of each of the objects. When I had a problem with how to draw something, I would try looking at it a different way or from a different perspective, which usually helped me a lot.

In this assignment, I had to decide how to crop the image so that it fit within the frame of the photo paper, but that it was also interesting and not really centered around one thing or object. At first, it was hard for me to establish an accurate balance of the blacks and whites in the photo, because they usually turned out to be too dark, and the white of the tissue didn't contrast enough against the darkest shadows in the image. In the end, I tried different ways of manipulating the apertures and the amount of time it was exposed, and I am really happy with the way it turned out, because it's not too dark or too light. To develop this project, I focused on making sure that it wasn't too boring and had enough going on in the photo, but that it had enough going on in the image to make it interesting.

Texture Sculpture

      I spent a lot of time moving around the parts in my sculpture, in order to find an arrangement that conveyed movement, but at the same time was organized and clean. I realized after a lot of moving things around how hard it really is to actually find a way of placing objects to convey a certain message. I think that my final sculpture shows a lot of improvement in my exploration of texture, because in my other texture collages the collage appears to be focusing on the shapes and objects, rather than the textures themselves. In my final project, I think that I did a pretty good job of eliminating a viewer's focus on the actual objects, and instead drawing the focus to the textures of the collage. I think that my final work is pretty much free of technical flaws; I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to secure the materials to the wood without drawing unwanted attention to certain things (nails, wood glue, etc). I tried to be as involved as possible in reflections and evaluations of my work, and I took into account any criticisms that I received. I really like the end product of this project: my original goal was to convey some kind of movement or pattern in the collage, and I think that I achieved this on some level by putting rocks at both the top and bottom of the piece, which communicates some level of pattern and repetition.

Texture Collages

1. The most interesting thing about part one of this project was rubbing different textures and seeing how different roughness or smoothness would come across in different ways when they were transferred to the paper. I also thought it was interesting to see how the textures would appear digitally, and I realized that it is actually pretty hard to convey the real feeling of a texture on a screen.

2. Of the 10 photographs that I took, the image that I think best communicates the essence of a texture is the picture that I took of a tree's bark. It's really close-up and you can see all of the details in the wood. I think that it was successful because you can see all of the things that make the texture what it is––you can see the bumps and splinters that make it rough and the shadows that show the 3-dimensionality of it.

3. Of the collages that I created, I think that the most successful one was the one with all of the rubbings on it. I think this one was successful because it shows not only different shapes and objects, but also the textures within them––one of my favorite parts is the leaves on either side of the word in the middle, because they are clearly outlined, and you can easily see where the different parts of the leaves were based on the textures inside of them.

4. My most successful collage is also my favorite one. I really like the collage that I created with rubbings, because I like the mixture of both objects/actual things and the textures that they are made up of. I also like the way that it highlights the word "electric" by centering it in the middle of everything else, but it is not so highlighted that the viewer doesn't notice anything else in the collage.

5. In a 3-d representation of my 2-d collage, I think that it will be important to use objects that have clear textures, so that the end result will be interesting to look at and see a variety of different textures. I also think it might be interesting to blend the textures more than I did in the collages, because that will create even more textures than I began with.

Color Project

In this project, I learned a lot about different color combination methods and ways to combine colors to produce different effects. I learned that rather than just use the paint color as it came in the can, it is better to mix colors and create new, original colors to use in my paintings. This way, the work ends up appearing more unique and different. I used my skills my observation to determine which colors looked the best with each other, and to decide which combinations of colors I would use. This project has taught me to observe color more closely, and to appreciate the contrasts between two colors.

Dipticks

1. Triad
2. Analogous
3. Complimentary
4. Complimentary
5. Monochromatic