Activity Ten

In Progress

Project 1

Final

Project 1

Project 2

Reflections

1. This project was really fun, but also a little stressful at some points. I typically am not a “go with the flow” type of person, especially with my art, I tend to wAnt control and have an idea before I even start. By with this project, i really had no initial idea of what to do going in. With Project 1, I initially knew I wanted to depict my shadow as an artist, but it turned into this almost anxious yet powerful piece. There’s about 5 hands reaching towards my shadow, some of them are grabbing and others and lending what seems to be a helping hand. I also tried to make my shadow literally look like a shadow – meaning I made it blurry rather than an outline, almost like an obscure or unknown entity. Then I introduced color into it as I have a love for exploring emotion though color. I used pink, green, purple, and cyan in an attempt to make it seem both playful (as I would sometimes consider myself a playful person) but also serene and powerful in the face of what may be considered anxiety – as if I’m overcoming my anxiety through these emotions.  So, I did have fun during the process of it. However, sometimes I had trouble figuring out how to create a less-literal and more abstracted composition, especially with Project 2. Although I loved the expression of the hands in my first piece, I wanted something different where I could use the shadow to make my body look non-humane. We figured out weird ways that our shadows looked in certain directions, like being squeezed together when directly in front of the blue. Nonetheless, I did have a lot of fun and it was really great to use shadow in art – perhaps I use “light and shadow” as one of my big ideas in my lesson plans.
2. During this project, I found it really beautiful how so many meanings and emotions could be evoked through shadow. Some people were very literal, and others were more abstract and used texture or composition to evoke emotion. I really learned how art can be taken in so many different directions while still stemming from the same source. We all had the same direction of copying our shadows, but everyone took it so differently. Some cut out shapes and used negative space, others cut out shapes and used them as a collage, and some jumbled colors and different parts of the body all around the canvas. Also, as someone who works a lot with emotion in my art, I constantly was feeling the emotions given off by everyone’s works. Some were playful, others were scary or anxious, and others were simplistic and sweet.
3. If I were to use this activity in my classroom, I would do it the exact same way with a wide range of ages (probably 6th grade to high school). I’d start by giving everyone the broad instruction of copying their shadow onto a piece of paper to represent their identity. We might go over what identity means, and how people can have multiple identities. They start by working alone and being allowed to use charcoal, and chalk or oil pastels. Some may literally trace their whole body and draw what they see, and others may make it more abstract. That’s exactly what I love about this activity – there’s no right answer and it can be taken in a variety of different directions. This will help students to explore and access their creativity without realizing it, and they’ll also learn from others after looking around the room.

Activity Nine

In Progress

Final

Series 1 – 3

Comic Strip

Reflections

1. I really really enjoyed this activity, and I think it may even be my favorite one yet. It was so exciting and invigorating trying to think of what scribbles could resemble look like. As an experienced artists, I think it was easier for us, as opposed to those who aren’t artists, to think of individual shapes and put them together to create an image. However, an an artist who dwells on perfection and detail, I rarely let myself just “be” and rely on instinct or impulse. For example, with the Spiderman drawing, it was handed a scribble that vaguely resembled Spiderman. Instead of thinking of another, possibility more advanced or detailed idea, I just went with my impulse and drew Spiderman – and in my opinion, it turned out well and was fun in the process. I also really enjoyed seeing how everyone else interpreted shapes; some people in my group were especially good are dating cartoon or animated faces (a skill I wish I possessed), allowing for a wide range of techniques, styles, colors, and characters within the images at the end.
2. I learned that sometimes it’s good to allow myself to relax and just draw for fun; it’s rarely something I get to do as an artist in college. I’m so used to drawing for class projects in a realistic, detailed way, that I sometimes for get what it’s like to just doodle or draw for fun. I also don’t typically get to think so creatively in this way; usually if I’m asked to draw creatively, I’m given a blank piece of paper and told to come up with something, which can be intimidating and daunting. While doing this project, I felt like I had enough of a prompt and enough down on the paper where I could think freely without feeling intimidated and stressed in order to come up with an idea. I also think it’s a great way to access your creativity and imagination. As I said in class, I rarely think this creatively as I’m very scientific and a realist; but, clearly, I can think creatively, I just didn’t know how to access it in a way that worked for me. When I’m stressed or am bored, I can definitely see myself handing a blank piece of paper to someone and asking them to scribble so I can doodle for fun.
3. If I were to use this in my classroom, I would probably do the same as we did with middle school students. They would sit in groups of 3 or 4 students, then they would go through a series of steps where they’d pass it to the person to their right in between the steps. Step 1: Blind Scribble, 2: Draw, 3: Draw (background), 4: Draw(another interactive element or details), 5: Color, 6: Text. They’d do 3 series of this, where they’d repeat elements from each series into the next one. Then, we’d all look at them as a class, pointing out things we notice or like. Next, they’d individually choose 2 panels from their images and add another one. Finally, we’d look at each other’s comic strips individually and they’ll each have a chance to discuss their storyline or comic. Though, I could also see myself assigning this as a sketchbook or journaling assignment, asking them to do all the steps themselves in one drawing a day (so they’d be scribbling, drawing, coloring, and adding text themselves). I think it’s a very relaxing and enjoyable activity that can help students relieve stress at the end or middle of their day.

Activity Eight

In Progress

Final

Reflections

1. I felt really excited while working on this activity! It was all about experimenting and seeing what types of lines and forms we could make out of just tape. It was so interesting seeing the differences in different forms and what everyone chose to do with the tape, as well as with ripping vs. cutting. I think ripping it added a very organic quality that looked really nice, especially on the clock tower to show the texture of the bricks. I think what I enjoyed the most was creating the storyline behind the art. We all had an idea or vision of what we wanted and thought of ways to physically depict them using tape rather than by sketching or painting. The tape also added a “sketchy” quality to the art because the lines weren’t perfectly smooth or defined which added a lot of character and interesting qualities.
2. After doing this project, I think what I learned most is how far you can go with a material you might think can’t offer a lot. Similar to the activities we did that involved figuring out different line styles or paint combinations, coming into the project, I thought I already knew the limitations of tape; though, as I worked on it, I found myself figuring out new ways to use the tape like in tiny pieces or crumpling it to give it texture. I also learned a lot from what other people were doing. Others were bending the tape to made flowers or to represent texture. I had the most fun experimenting with making the little boy sitting on the floor because it allowed me to bring in my figure drawing skills while still experimenting with the material. I also learned how you can use the material to your advantage; after using drawing and painting tools for awhile, I got bored because I felt like I had reached their limitations since they’re mostly 2-D; but, with tape, you can make texture and 3-D elements that allow for more creativity and experimentation.
3. I would use this in my future classroom either in the same way or on a smaller scale. If I were doing it the same way, I’d use a classroom wall or put paper on the wall and allow (probably with older kids) the students to create their artwork collaboratively just like we did, and rotate after 20 minutes of working on their own. If I did it on a smaller scale (which would work better for the younger kids), I would either create groups and put large piece of paper on each table, or put one large piece of paper on the floor and allow the students to all work collaboratively. If in groups, they’d travel/ rotate to each other’s tables in their groups after 10-20 minutes of working. If on the floor, they’d all work together, and switch around after 20 minutes to another part of the artwork to make sure that they can learn from their peers and have more opportunities for ideas experimentation.

Activity Seven

In-Progress

Final

Redoing Someone’s Build

Reflections

1. Originally while doing this activity, I was stressed and a little overwhelmed without the lines guiding my observational drawing. I struggled to maintain my proportions, and keep my lines straight or directly parallel/perpendicular. It was also confusing while drawing the ghost lines, because many lined up with the visible lines in my drawing, and it was hard to differentiate which lines were ghost lines and which were real lines. I eventually decided to make the ghost lines lighter and the visible lines thicker, but it still seemed to be confusing – in hindsight, I would’ve preferred to do the ghost lines in a different color. However, when we were drawing on the grid lines, I found it easier and more scientific because I was able to use the boxes to represent proportion in height, length, and width. Overall, even though it was stressful, I enjoyed the challenge. While looking at someone else’s drawing, though, I struggled to understand some of the lines they made and, once again, confused ghost lines with real lines. I would’ve preferred different colors for different line types, and possibly even multiple different angles.
2. I learned that observational drawings can be just as hard as imaginary drawings. You’re using two different ideas to draw, but each are equally as challenging for different reasons. Imaginary drawings are complicated because you only have your own mind to use; you can be inspired by different elements, but ultimately, its all on you to put together an idea in your head. Observational/scientific drawings, on the other hand, can be frustrating because you know exactly what it’s supposed to look like, but you have to find a way to put it down on paper; it’s also easier to criticize yourself because if it doesn’t look exactly like what you’re drawing, anyone and everyone can see the mistake and you get stressed – unlike imaginary drawings where only you know what it’s “supposed” to look like, and you’re allowed to change it in anyway that seems fit.
3. I think I could use this project in possibly a middle school or high school setting. Often, little kids struggle to grasp abstract ideas, such as ghost lines or different perspectives, and they only draw what they see. Once kids have begun to understand more abstract concepts, it’ll be easier to explain this activity to them. However, I’d suggest that they draw something familiar to them to make the assignment easier and interesting, rather than just stacking blocks randomly. This way, their drawing will feel familiar, and when others draw it, they’ll be able to figure it out easier. For example, a student may decide to build a house out of the legos. So, when the go to draw it, they know that the shape has to resemble a house, and it will be easier than drawing blocks in a random configuration. Next, when they disassemble their build and hand their drawing to someone else, the new student will be able to recognize that it’s a house, and have a general idea about what they’re looking for. After having built by configuration randomly, I found it difficult to put it down on paper in an observational way – it got too confusing at some times. This is what led me to make sure my future classroom uses a more familiar configuration, hoping to make the task less stressful and more enjoyable. For a younger class, I might also suggest a limit on the number of blocks, like only 10 legos.

Activity Six

In-Progress

Final

Reflections

1. After doing this activity, I felt a little confused or overwhelmed. Having drawn from life or observation before, I normally don’t find it particularly difficult. However, students like myself draw very familiar textures like metal, plastic, glass, fruit, or even skin on the human body. With this activity, I found it difficult to convey such a rough, bubbly, unfamiliar texture. Still, it challenged me in a way I never have been before; I wasn’t just improving upon my drawing skills by drawing more meticulous or bigger objects, but I was exploring a whole new area that I never had before. Texture can be hard to convey through drawings, even ones meant to be scientific or analytical, because a texture isn’t just a “look,” it’s a feeling, and you have to convey what it looks like as well as how it feels.
2. I learned that I probably need to challenge myself in areas I’ve never experienced before. It was interesting trying to convey 3-D texture through a 2-D surface. It reminded me of the first activity we did where were only allowed to feel what we were drawing. I wonder if the same could be done, but in reverse. For example, could we be able to look at a drawing and “guess” it’s texture by sculpting or collaging it as an object? I also learned what it might be like to be drawing from observation for the first time; you have to analyze the texture in person before you can figure out how to represent it on paper. For someone who’s never drawn metal before, they’d have to study its smoothness, reflections, curves, edges, etc. Then, they’ll be able to figure out how to draw it on paper with sharp contrasts and harsh lines with little gradation.
3. I think a way that I would use this activity in my classroom would be as a collaborative effort. I would have the students pick an object, then draw it from observation scientifically. Next, they’d pass their drawing onto someone else, possibly randomized, and the students would have to guess which object their drawing represents. This way, they can learn from each other and see how other people might’ve drawn different textures and surfaces.