This week we reflected on our Big Assignment. With this assignment, I was able to challenge myself to not only complete a piece that is a lot larger than normal, but also experiment with a new medium, drawing ink. At first, I was weary because my mind goes straight to “Emily + ink = disaster”, but I actually found the ink to be a quite interesting way of creating value and mark making to really make my still life pop. This piece below is a smaller recreation of my original work from last week. After receiving some great constructive criticism, I was able to improve on my piece in ways that I would have never thought of by myself. Adding a more distinguished background was one of the most mentioned critiques, which lead me to create this blotchy background that really highlights the placement of the objects, making them stand out far more than before. I also was given the idea of having more texture in my objects. To do this, I really focused on how perfect imperfections can be. I added more cross hatching and loosened my contouring/line work on this recreation. It has a messy – but controlled – look to it. This was way out of my comfort zone, and initially I was skeptical, but I ended up really having fun with the creation of this new piece. Because this was a recreation, the measurement/line/value that I had experimented with before provided great insight on the ways I could change and improve the piece. I would like to thank my classmates for participating in the critique of my work and really helping me improve my skills! The main thing that this project has taught me is; If you only look at something for what you want it to be, rather than what it actually is, you will never be able to see the true beauty of your creation.
Thanks for your reflection Emily! I am glad you found the critique helpful and learned something through the second iteration of your drawing. We draw the same thing over and over and always have a new take on our observations! It is a way of continuing, growing, and pushing the processes of drawing. I think the contrast in this new version is quite striking – the objects seem to be glowing, which adds to the push and pull of the spookiness and comfort within the story you are telling here with your still life.