Reflection post

What Specifically have you learned?

This year I learned a lot of different approaches to art, for example, in the beginning of the year we were introduced to a style of figure that was much looser that I had previously been using, and this can be seen when looking at my first figure drawing of the year which has very stiff lines. Whereas now, in figure drawings those lines are a bit looser and there is greater focus on value rather than a hard line to draw distinctions in the piece. Another form of art I had never been exposed to was wood carving, which I actually found myself really enjoying. Aside from all of the technical terms and new tools I was able to use, like mallets and chisels, I learned that I really enjoyed working with more 3-D versions of art.

I also learned about the importance of documentation as well as reflection this year. Before this year I never saw the need to make a copy of my work but now I recognize that documentation allows for a good backup if work ever gets lost. As for reflection, I have noticed that it helps to solidify what you have learned and experienced in a project, and gives you a good idea of how to move forward. Another thing I have learned is the difference between oil and acrylic painting. Before these units I never really knew that there was a difference, but know I know the process of using them and that what separates them is how the binders are oil and plastic as well as the process of using them. Finally, in the abstract unit, I learned that creating non-objective work is actually much harder than I thought it would be.

Where have you seen the greatest growth?

I would say I have seen the greatest growth in my approach to art. I feel like I can better recognize the importance of appropriate subject matter and art, as well as the medium and the role it plays when combined with a certain subject. Now that I have been exposed to more various types of art, I can better choose what I want to work on, rather than blindly choosing a subject and using whatever material is the easiest to depict it with. I would also say there had been greater growth in moving away from many of my preconceptions and cliches of art. For example, as I mentioned above, if I was to draw a figure or a face now I would place a greater value on depicting shadows and values rather than hard lines and outlines.

In what area do you feel you need to improve?

I still feel like I need to improve upon pre-planning of projects. This year, I often found myself wanting to change the subject or composition of what I was working on half way through the piece. I think that if I were to spend more time planning, researching, and fleshing-out the piece of work I would be more confident in the direction I was going. Though I think I did improve some in that field this year, I think there could still be some more improvement. I also think I need to improve upon time management. I often felt like I was running behind in my projects or unable to finish them fully, and I think that learning to better manage my hours in order to produce my best work would be beneficial.

How can you use what you've learned as you move forward with your independent work next year?

I would like to use many of the things we learned from different mediums of art, whether it be pen, oil paint, acrylic, or wood going forward. Before this year I often stuck to pencil, but I would like to be able to branch out and incorporate these different mediums into my work. This year we also learned about the importance of subject matter with our self portraits, wood carvings, and our head and heart projects, and I would like to be able to use these in future work in order to incorporate a deeper meaning within the piece, rather than creating with simply the goal of aesthetics.