Midterm reflection

At this point in the term I am pretty satisfied with my Projects. Although I have only finished one out of three of the main projects, I am happy with the progress I make on them every class. My favorite of the projects right now is the What if project, because I like my idea for it the most. For me, our class is a very easy environment to focus and work hard in; probably because of the small size. When I am focused I'm probably not talking a lot and I'm probably listening to music. When beginning most my work I have just been brainstorming ideas and drawing in my sketchbook. When it comes to actually drawing or painting the idea I prefer to draw from observation so I look on the internet for a picture that could help me with my idea. When working on the projects i have not used much feedback form my classmates, perhaps because I haven't gotten a lot or just because I haven't valued any. Right now I enjoy very much the class and the projects we're working on, although I still like the drawing we do more than the painting.

POND

For my text piece I decided to use the word pond. I used pond to describe my relationship with nature because I have a cottage on a pond in plymouth, and when I go there is when I feel closest to nature and one of the only times I'm fully in nature. In the painting I drew the word "Pond" on the edge of a pond with trees behind it and the reflection of the word in the water. I used mostly water color because I thought it would be the best medium to make a reflection. The feedback that I got was mostly just to continue drawing in the background.

Hurricane Earl Drawing

Pond

The drawing over all came out how i thought it would. With the blindfold it is almost impossible to draw details or shading but if you focus general shapes are very possible to draw. I began with the biggest shape and then worked down even though it didn't come out the best. As i continued drawing i began to feel more comfortable with my lack of control over how the drawing came out. the final product resembles a very very rough sketch that I could have drawn.

observation vs imagination

I enjoy drawing from observation more than from the imagination because the drawing is more likely to be realistic and that is what i generally strive for. It is not necessarily easier because it requires a lot of attention and focus. Drawing form imagination requires me usually to try to remember and visualize what something looks like. I do not think one approach is easier than the other, but that they both require different forms of effort and are equally difficult. However, I am definitely better at focusing and paying attention than i am at remembering and visualizing details.