"Metaphorically Speaking"
Watercolor and pen
January 2018
This piece was a sketchbook assignment completed according to the theme "metaphorically speaking". I took the theme literally and created this image of the baby crying over spilt milk, a common figure of speech which does not mean what it sounds like. The portrait was painted using watercolor only and the milk is acrylic. The background is a collage of metaphors, similes, idioms, hyperboles, and other figures of speech. Instead of creating realistic skin tones on the child, I mixed various warm and cool colors to create value and depth in the face and neck. To balance the composition, I added some color to the spilling milk and made the background simply black and white. This piece is definitely one of my favorites because I got to practice my portrait skills and experiment with color theory.
Watercolor and pen
January 2018
This piece was a sketchbook assignment completed according to the theme "metaphorically speaking". I took the theme literally and created this image of the baby crying over spilt milk, a common figure of speech which does not mean what it sounds like. The portrait was painted using watercolor only and the milk is acrylic. The background is a collage of metaphors, similes, idioms, hyperboles, and other figures of speech. Instead of creating realistic skin tones on the child, I mixed various warm and cool colors to create value and depth in the face and neck. To balance the composition, I added some color to the spilling milk and made the background simply black and white. This piece is definitely one of my favorites because I got to practice my portrait skills and experiment with color theory.
"Don't Blink"
Watercolor and pen
November 2017
This piece is another sketchbook assignment created to the theme of "don't blink". The first thing that came to mind when I approached the theme was the human life cycle and how quickly life passes us by. I used my interest in portraits of old, wrinkly people to create a collage of both old and young faces, representing the fluidity of life and how it all blends together. One second you're on the playground and the next you're living in a nursing home, almost as if you blinked and your whole life passed you by. I used continuous contour lines to emphasize the wrinkles and lines of the elderly's faces, but lifted my pen to contrast the babies smooth faces with the old men and women. The watercolor background contributes to the idea of the fluidity of life and the warm colors establish a happy undertone of life in general.
Watercolor and pen
November 2017
This piece is another sketchbook assignment created to the theme of "don't blink". The first thing that came to mind when I approached the theme was the human life cycle and how quickly life passes us by. I used my interest in portraits of old, wrinkly people to create a collage of both old and young faces, representing the fluidity of life and how it all blends together. One second you're on the playground and the next you're living in a nursing home, almost as if you blinked and your whole life passed you by. I used continuous contour lines to emphasize the wrinkles and lines of the elderly's faces, but lifted my pen to contrast the babies smooth faces with the old men and women. The watercolor background contributes to the idea of the fluidity of life and the warm colors establish a happy undertone of life in general.
"Cathedral Monotypes"
Ink
March 2018
This piece was a three part series of different cathedrals, found from both personal photos and the internet. I have always had a fascination with the detail and intricacy of old architecture, especially churches. I thought it would be interesting to capture every tiny line and shape of the amazing architecture in these prints. I knew this assignment would be perfect for that because of the attention to lines and detail required to execute the project well. What I found very interesting is that I used the same ink and technique for each print but they each turned out very different. This may have been due to how wet or dry the ink was by the time I finished or how thick I applied the ink.
Steps:
1. Use masking tape on a plastic plate to create the border of your print.
2. Roll a very thin layer of ink onto the plate and remove the tape for a clean edge.
3. Lay your paper on top of the ink and tape in place. Be careful not to press the paper onto the ink.
4. Use a pen or pencil to sketch your design onto the paper.
5. Lift the paper. The result is a flipped image of what you drew, with ink on the parts where your pen or pencil applied pressure.
Ink
March 2018
This piece was a three part series of different cathedrals, found from both personal photos and the internet. I have always had a fascination with the detail and intricacy of old architecture, especially churches. I thought it would be interesting to capture every tiny line and shape of the amazing architecture in these prints. I knew this assignment would be perfect for that because of the attention to lines and detail required to execute the project well. What I found very interesting is that I used the same ink and technique for each print but they each turned out very different. This may have been due to how wet or dry the ink was by the time I finished or how thick I applied the ink.
Steps:
1. Use masking tape on a plastic plate to create the border of your print.
2. Roll a very thin layer of ink onto the plate and remove the tape for a clean edge.
3. Lay your paper on top of the ink and tape in place. Be careful not to press the paper onto the ink.
4. Use a pen or pencil to sketch your design onto the paper.
5. Lift the paper. The result is a flipped image of what you drew, with ink on the parts where your pen or pencil applied pressure.
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"Indian Elephant"
Clay
October 2017
This sculpture is the bust of an Indian elephant with Indian-inspired designs sketched into it and red glaze on top. I chose an Indian elephant because I enjoy the patterns commonly seen in Indian fabrics and clothing and I love how Indian elephants have tiny ears compared to other species of elephant. The base of this sculpture is a coil pot, and the ears were added as slabs. The trunk was a long, thin coil pot. To achieve this design, I used a needle tool to sketch into the clay, and then I filled the sketch with waxy glaze. I applied the red glaze all over the elephant and the waxy layer protecting the designs disappeared in the kiln to reveal the design.
Clay
October 2017
This sculpture is the bust of an Indian elephant with Indian-inspired designs sketched into it and red glaze on top. I chose an Indian elephant because I enjoy the patterns commonly seen in Indian fabrics and clothing and I love how Indian elephants have tiny ears compared to other species of elephant. The base of this sculpture is a coil pot, and the ears were added as slabs. The trunk was a long, thin coil pot. To achieve this design, I used a needle tool to sketch into the clay, and then I filled the sketch with waxy glaze. I applied the red glaze all over the elephant and the waxy layer protecting the designs disappeared in the kiln to reveal the design.
"Happy Place"
Charcoal and chalk pastels
January 2018
This piece is a self portrait done in charcoal with a chalk pastel background. I took a photo of myself for reference and jumped right in with a sketch to establish proportions and foreshortening. I spent a very long time on the jeans and shoes, making sure to get each shade and highlight correct and create the texture of the jeans. I could have used a grid to make the proportions a little better, because I think in the drawing my legs are too small for my body. I also think my face does not look completely like me but I still consider it progress from previous self portraits. I chose to add the background as though I'm sitting in the forest because I love nature and I find the woods very peaceful and relaxing. My aim for the pose was to create a strong sense of foreshortening, so my feet seem much larger than normal because they are so close to the audience. I think to improve this piece I could have spent more time on creating texture in the sweater and my hair, but I am very proud of the result of the jeans and shoes.
Charcoal and chalk pastels
January 2018
This piece is a self portrait done in charcoal with a chalk pastel background. I took a photo of myself for reference and jumped right in with a sketch to establish proportions and foreshortening. I spent a very long time on the jeans and shoes, making sure to get each shade and highlight correct and create the texture of the jeans. I could have used a grid to make the proportions a little better, because I think in the drawing my legs are too small for my body. I also think my face does not look completely like me but I still consider it progress from previous self portraits. I chose to add the background as though I'm sitting in the forest because I love nature and I find the woods very peaceful and relaxing. My aim for the pose was to create a strong sense of foreshortening, so my feet seem much larger than normal because they are so close to the audience. I think to improve this piece I could have spent more time on creating texture in the sweater and my hair, but I am very proud of the result of the jeans and shoes.
