2019-20 Visual Arts Projects
Monochromatic Self-Portrait
Our first project this year was monochromatic projects. For this project, we took a photo of either ourselves, a pet, or a friend and made it so there was at least 5 different filters, or shades. Then, using the grid method, we drew out the foreground of the photo, which for me was my head and shoulders.
After drawing out the foreground, we figured out which filters on the painting were going to be tints, and which were going to be shades. We painted the shades darker, and the tints lighter. All of the paintings only used one color for the foreground, but multiple shades were used for the lighter and darker parts.
After painting the foreground, we were allowed to choose what we wanted to paint for the background. I chose a gold pattern that helped the foreground stand out.
The most challenging part of this project was making sure that everything was in the right place when we were drawing the foreground. The photos were only 5 inches by 7 inches, and we had to translate it to a 15 inch by 21 inch paper.
Art vs. Craft:
Washington State Concertina Book
In our last project of the first trimester, we created either a concertina(accordion) book or a tunnel book. For the subject, each person chose a memory from the past or multiple items that mean a lot to them. For my book, which was an accordion book, I chose to illustrate a trip my family took to the state of Washington and British Columbia.
On the front cover, I drew the flag of Washington in Prismacolor pencils. On the next page, there is actually two scenes: The first is a drawing of Mount St. Helens, which was just across a lake from where my father's house was when he was growing up. The second scene is the Whistler Mountains, in British Columbia. These were both drawn out with pencil and then colored in with Prismacolors and metallic pens. On the next page, I drew the Seattle Space Needle in white Prismacolor and metallic pens.
During the trip, my family went to multiple baseball games between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, which is why I drew the logos of both teams on the third page. The Mariners logo I drew and colored in with Prismacolors, and the Yankees logo I drew and then cut out to enhance the page with negative space.
On the last page, I drew a scene of the Washington Ferry, with mountain ranges behind it. When my family took our trip to Washington, I remember taking the Washington Ferry up to British Columbia and it was a really great experience. To round off the book, I put the British Columbia flag on the back cover of the book using Prismacolor pencils.
Throughout the project, there were only a few challenges, one of which was making sure every cut for the Yankees logo was precise. Also, I had to make sure that I kept a consistent texture while I was coloring in with the Prismacolors. Overall, the project was very interesting and was a good way to utilize different medias.
_edited.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Claes Oldenburg 3D Cardboard: Old Fashioned Radio
For our last project of 2019, Sam and I chose to make a vintage radio out of cardboard mimicking Claes Oldenburg's techniques. In this project, the main requirements were to have to dimensions under two feet in any direction, and a movable element was needed somewhere on the project. For our movable element, we chose to make the main dial, to the right of the main speakers, be able to spin, like you would do to change to channel.
Firstly, Sam and I began the building process by cutting out the sides, top, and bottom of the radio to build a structure. Then we attached the three panels to the top and sides that were evident on the vintage radio. Next, I cut out and glued the three buttons and two dials on the bottom front of the radio. Meanwhile, Sam cut out the speaker with a hole puncher and cut out the front piece that went on top of the speaker. Afterwards, we both worked on the main dial to get it to rotate. Lastly, we used a sharpie to add finishing details on the front and side and completed the antenna on the top of the radio.
Cary Academy Landscape: Torch at Berger Hall
For the first project of the decade, we all took photos of the Cary Academy campus with at least one piece of architecture in it. I chose the torch at the library with Berger Hall behind it as my photo because they both show the artistic qualities of CA. After taking our picture, we applied filters to the picture to enhance them and then drew our contours. When I finished my contours, I used watercolors to create a base layer for the photo. After that, I used Prismacolor pencils and chalk pastel pencils to create texture and add depth to the picture.
One challenge during this project was drawing and coloring the trees. The branches on the trees were too small to outline, so I had to draw the branches in pencil and use a Prismacolor to create the gray and brown color.
Underglazing Principles of Design: Hieroglyphics Life Circle
For the second project of 2020, we started working with clay and underglazing. Everyone picked a subject and a principle of design out of a hat. The ones I got were Hieroglyphics and Emphasis. After picking those, I sketched multiple ideas they had for their design and chose which one I thought looked best. I chose a circular design with an Ankh in the middle, to represent life. In the top left, I chose the hieroglyphic for eternity, which is called Shen. In the top right and bottom left were the Eye of Ra and the Eye of Horus, respectively. Lastly, in the bottom right is the hieroglyphic for Khonsu, the moon. I chose these hieroglyphics because I believe they are all important aspects of life.
After picking my design, I cut a circular clay slab and carved the design into it. When I finished carving, I used underglazes to add color to the slab. To put emphasis on the Ankh, I made it orange, and I made all of the others a blend of white and gray.
