In this project we were tasked to "think outside of the box"... very punny. We were supposed to take a piece of a magazine, and make it into something completely different. My piece was what looked like a small marine scene, and it had a fish in it and what looked like an oceanic background. I think that my biggest struggle was matching the blues, but it was still very hard. My favorite part was just coloring and really getting creative with everything. I learned about using value with colored pencils, and creating abstract patters that are vivid and go together. Overall, I really liked this project and it was a fun last project for the year.
House Design Project
In this project, we not only designed our dream home but did full preparation. We made blueprints for our floor plans, designed the whole inside (furniture and all), and then used perspective to draw our home. This project was all about perspective, and for mine I chose two point perspective so people could see two sides of my house, the front and right side. I enjoyed using perspective so the house had a more realistic look to it rather than being drawn how I've always drawn things which is just drawing the lines with no vanishing point to go back to. My house is a "barbie dream home" and would actually be white with all pink accents. There are 3 floors, 5 bedrooms, a game room, a movie room, and a pool on the second floor. This house is located in Malibu by nobody and it's on the beach. All in all I really enjoyed using perspective to draw my house and make it look realistic.
Landscape Painting
In this project we were supposed to make an impressionism type painting of our choosing. I chose to do a landscape painting (actually a redo of a project I did at home), but add some impressionistic features such as small brush strokes, the indication of the time of day and passage of time, and movement (like in the water and the birds in the sky.). Overall I enjoyed this project so much! Below is my sketch, new painting, and the painting I did last April. Overall I learned a lot about using acrylics to paint, playing with different brush strokes, and I also learned a lot about messing around with the paints to get the right colors.
Alebrijes
In this project we sketched an alebrije, which is a combination of several animals into one. It is a brightly colored Mexican folk art. After sketching we created a clay sculpture of the alebrije. In mine, I chose to use a giraffe neck, a turtle shell, and butterfly wings. I learned about using pinch pots to create parts of clay, I learned how to use coils to connect clay, and I learned how to use paint on clay. Overall, this project was SO fun and I really enjoyed making my alebrije. His name is Moji :)
Self Portrait
In this project we drew something we knew very well... ourselves! The drawing process was honestly difficult as first. We picked out our symbols, picked out the picture that we wanted to use, and we even did a practice drawing to learn how to draw our features correctly (and proportionately). The symbols I chose were my nose ring, because I love it and I wear it all the time, a cheer uniform neckline since I cheer and have for a long time and it is part of who I am, and lastly I put clouds in my background since I love nature and I think clouds are very pretty :) Proportions were important for this project but also very difficult. Value was also important, and I created value with several pencils such as a 2H, 4B, and 6B, as well as using an kneaded eraser as my best friend :) Overall I enjoyed this project and I think it made me push what I could do and I think it turned out well!
Close Up Value Drawing
This project’s task was to take a close up image from the internet (or that we took) and overall, we had to draw it!!! We learned how to measure the dimensions so we learned the ratio of size between what we were drawing and what the actual picture size was. We also learned about shading and value, and how to make our picture more realistic. I used 2H, 2B, 4B, 6B, and HB pencils to complete my drawing, which I had never used before. In the beginning, I made no progress on my drawing and couldn’t figure out how to draw his feathers and I also didn’t understand the value aspect of it. I don’t think I got literally anything done in the first two weeks. :( After practicing and erasing and drawing and erasing I finally got it! My overall experience was very good! At the beginning this project was not one I looked forward to, and I regretted my choice of a hummingbird, but after a little practice and work, things came together and I enjoyed working on this drawing :)
Book Binding
In this project, we learned how to bind a book together!! We used needles, along with in my case thread, to stitch them together. To make the signatures we used normal printing paper, folding 5 sheets in half and placing them inside of one another. Then, with a material of our choice (I picked giraffe print), we glued that down on the outside. We also made an end page that we decorated ourselves :) This project taught me a lot about how books we use everyday could be made and now I have my own sketchbook to use!
Masks
In this project, we learned how to sew a mask!! Very convenient for the times we are living in. We used rotary cutters to trim our fabric, and then used hand sewing and a sewing machine to complete the mask! It fits well and it also gave me some practice sewing!