Art Journey Reflection

It’s hard to believe that the spring semester is already half over. What an amazing art journey this has been! This was my first experience being able to draw charcoal portraits like a true classical artist, such an honor! We’ve also gotten to start our gestures and animal drawings which has been a joy as well. Looking back over the semester I want to reflect on some ways I have developed as an artist in observational skills and techniques as well as highlight some really helpful feedback I’ve gotten! I’m also going to chat a bit about my goals going forward into the next 8 weeks!

Developing Artistic Skills

This has been the most growth inspiring environment I have ever been in when it comes to art. Being surrounded by other artists that are actively pursuing higher levels of artistry and a professor that pours wisdom into the class constantly is such a unique blessing! 

I do believe that I have grown in the ability to draw from life, seeing as how I had rarely done that before this class, and never in a “formal” sense. There is something so different about drawing a person that is actually in front of you rather than a picture. Pictures are great but the amount of visual information is always going to be less than if drawing from life. I have been able to study and develop my understanding more in the facial planes and how lights and shadows interact on those planes. I love that I got to develop the skill of using charcoal, really pushing myself to focus on values and contrast and push lights and darks in new ways! Another way I can see myself improving is by practicing using plumb lines and visual measuring to improve at proportions. I’m excited to keep that practice going! Finally, I’ll mention the development in the gestural drawing! I’ve loved practicing gesture drawing and pushing myself to observe lines of action and simple proportions and communicate them quickly!

Feedback and Advice

One of the funniest and most relevant tips we got as a class was to not give our charcoal portraits a dark aura engulfing them lol. I definitely fell into this pitfall while experimenting with charcoal, where I intended to black out the background to make the portrait pop; it turned into a heavy and overbearing background. We were encouraged to use our backgrounds and vignettes as compositional tools instead, to utilize them to bring interest into your subject, not distract from them. Specifically, if your subject is uninteresting you can compose an artistic background to bring that interest in, and if your subject is dynamic already a background/vignette isn’t always necessary. The subtlety of the background should be productive. I can really tell the difference in my artwork when this was taken into consideration. Check out the dark aura vs a helpful background:

Another really helpful piece of advice that I recently learned was to look for these areas in your work: dark & sharp, dark & soft, light & sharp, and light & soft. We had a fun critique as a class where we did a scavenger hunt for these interactions in the works of art we had done throughout the semester. It was noted that dark & sharp areas in your work make the composition feel heavy while having light & soft can make it feel too undefined. I find it helpful to keep in mind to keep the darker areas softer and the lighter areas more sharp. You want to have a good composition with the most attention at your focal point, and not to be distracted by an off-balance composition.

Speaking of soft and sharp, when you have intersecting lines where something goes in front of something else it's good practice to soften the line that is going in the background and sharpen what is coming in front. This is a simple way to make the artwork feel more fluid and lets your eyes naturally fill in the information that is implied. 

I’ve also received some great personal tips! When working on a piece that had soft lighting from above the model I was encouraged to remember the light interacts with the face kind of like when light trails down the sides of an egg. Even the areas that are catching light at the bottom of the face, those values will still be darker than the parts that are catching light at the top of the face. It made it so much more of a natural looking portrait when putting this tip into practice! Check out the difference of before and after:

Goals Moving Forward

One of the things I am most excited about moving forward into the weeks of plein air painting is to try using oil paints again! I haven’t tried to use oil paints since high school, and that was never actually properly taught with actual techniques or methods. I am so glad I get the opportunity to learn under a master and grow this classical skill!! It may be rough starting out but I intend to do my best and keep it going long after the class ends. Another goal with urban sketching would be to improve my skills in perspective drawing. I also hope to improve creative expression and artistry while watercoloring the urban drawings. I look forward to exploring styles and techniques that communicate the urban beauty beyond what is seen, to be able to capture the aesthetic as well.

Here’s to a great start of the Spring semester! Cheers to the rest :) 

Jesus Bless You Abundantly,

Christina