Reflections of AED 200

1. What were you expectations for this course and where they met?

My expectations were to gain a better understanding of what "art" really is. I expected myself to learn the proper skills on how to draw or paint. I also gained more knowledge in the background of art history and am happy to say I really enjoyed this course.

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your intial posting?

I feel that art is an expression of people's skills and how they portray a piece of work is through their feelings.

3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?

 For some reason, I can't see my original posting but I'm sure I said Vincent van Gogh. I still think he's my favorite artist because his works of art have this eerie feeling and I love that his paintings consist of darker colors.

4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?

I love taking online classes because I can do my work at my own convenience and at my own house without having to take the 40 minute drive to school. It is the same because I've always felt strongly about online classes and that is a better convenience for those who live further away from school.

Module 15: Self Portrait

I visited a Gallery virtually since I could not make it over to the Albright Knox Gallery. Here are the inspirational artworks I found.

Title: Simon Bolivar

Artist: Jose Gil de Castro

Media: Oil on canvas

Year: 1823

Size: 510 x 655 cm

Gallery: Museo de Arte de Lima in Mali

Title: Self Portrait (7)

Artist: Amrita Sher-Gil

Media: Oil on canvas

Year: 1930

Size: 72 x 92.5 cm

Gallery: National Gallery of Modern Art

Title: The Laughing Boy

Artist: Robert Henri

Media: Oil on canvas

Year: 1910

Size: 20" x 24"

Gallery: Birmingham Museum of Art

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I chose these three pictures because they are what a typical portrait of oneself would look like. I chose the last two pictures because not all portraits have to be serious just like Simon Bolivar is in the first painting.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I chose using a pencil because its the media I feel the most comfortable with. I find that using a pencil is easiest for me to have control over and I have the ability to make parts of my face dark or light depending on shadows.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

Whenever I draw portraits, its usually of other people. I never really looked at a picture of myself and tried to draw it. I lack the skills on how to draw people, I have a hard time just getting the shape of the face down.
4. How does this piece represent you?

My piece represents me because I'm always smiling. I take lots of "selfies" so I find myself laughing because this is a typical picture I would take.
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

I used value because there are light and dark shades from the media I used, and I also used emphasis considering my face is the focus of the picture.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

Yes, I enjoyed working on this project because as I said before, I never draw myself so it was interesting to see the comparison of the real picture to my own drawing.
7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I think my final artwork was awful! I have come to the realization that I am not very good at drawing people, or self portraits. I tried really hard to make it look like myself but it did not go the way I imagined it would! I still thought this project was enjoyable.

Project 4 Reflection

This project consisted of really thinking about what I wanted my exhibit to be about. Before I picked out my theme, I thought of all the things I enjoyed--nature, sunsets and sunrises, anything that deals with water (lakes, oceans), sports, and animals. I finally decided to pick my theme of animals. I searched on ArtStor to help me decide what paintings to use that would help me build my "gallery". I decided to use mostly wild animals which included tigers, roosters, horses, a bunny, and also a dog which is not really that wild of an animal. 

When it came to my PowerPoint, I decided to keep the background of my PowerPoint slides neutral as some galleries aren't very enthusiastic with using bright and vivid colors. I had a hard time looking for the description of the painting and knowing a bit of the background of what the painting was about. The colors of my slideshow is a subtle yellow, not too obnoxious and very plain. When I think of animals I think of zoo animals like the ones I've incorporated in my slideshow.

Overall I enjoyed this project. At first I had a hard time finding animal paintings but when I would type in the artists' name and see the artwork they have done, I would come across pictures of animals. This project took quite some time and lots of thinking to complete but I highly enjoyed looking at different paintings along the way