Last week’s first big drawing was really enjoyable. It was a good change of pace focusing on one big project rather than multiple small ones. With this being said, a bigger project came with some more challenges. The part I was challenged with the most was filling the page. I would worry that I would be drawing to short/small. Another challenge I faced was the harshness of ink. There was little forgiveness if I were to make a mistake. Once a mark was put down with ink, it wasn’t going anywhere. With the medium being so dark, I found it slightly challenging to know when to stop putting marks down on the page. This made finding lighter values difficult at times. However, with challenges comes improvements. With the ink being a solid black, I was able to make more dramatic shadows and shading. One tool that helped me with this was the paper towel. I was able to pull the ink across the page in even strokes ranging from dark to light. This aspect really benefitted the drape I had in the background of my still life. I was able to recreate that organic shadow that was cast. The critique that was held in the next upcoming class was a good experience. It was fun being able to comment and share our thoughts on our pieces. The comments regarding my piece that made me look at it in a whole new perspective, was the symbolic meaning behind the placement of my still life. The seam in the sheet created a divide between the hard and the soft objects. This interpretation made me appreciate the composition more and created a story. Something that I could have done differently was play around with the angle more. I think a different perspective could have added more interesting shapes and scales rather than just facing foreword. If i were to have done more thumbnail sketches prior to staring, using different approaches, maybe this would have helped in that aspect. All in all, this was a great project, and I look forward to more complex assignments.  

Coffee Stirrer

Paper Towel

Soda Can

Cardboard Slip

Faux Leaf