Self Portrait

My goals for this artwork was to draw myself with heavy shadows and light highlights with charcoal. I used an eraser to carve out the light parts of my face and hair, and then I used a dark charcoal to go over the shadowed parts. My painting is about contrasting shadows and creating a mood/ tone through the shadows and highlights. The most difficult challenge was creating dark shadows and getting the proportions right. Another challenge for me was getting the lips and hair right. It was hard because the lips were dark and I couldn't get them proportionate to the rest of the face. I learned how to blend better and create different textures using charcoal. If I had a do-over I wouldn't make the shadows as dark as I did and I would tone down the highlights on the forehead more. I think my eye and my hair is the best in my work.

Phone Sketch

David Sketch

Charcoal Pumpkin Drawing

My goals for this was to make sure I had a heavy contrast in the lights and darks, and I wanted to make it look as real as possible. I added lots of white and black chalk to make sure I got the contrast I wanted. The most difficult thing I had to face was the lighting of the pumpkin and the vine/stem. I met this challenge by making sure the vine was dark but still had white highlights. Some things I have learned are: 1. dark shadows and very light highlights 2. realism and blending 3. how to use charcoal. If I had a do-over I would make the background lighter and the stem bigger so I can make it more life-like. I feel the texture of my pumpkin is the best because it gives it that 3d aspect.

Pumpkin Sketches

Our Cove in Maine

                           
                                                                 Our Cove in Maine

My goals/intentions for this challenge were to recreate 3 different photos I took during our vacation in Maine. I wanted to have vibrant colors in the sunsets with a harsh, dark contrast in the mountains. I also wanted to include the same mountain range throughout the drawings to help connect them better. I accomplished this by using very bright oil pastels and creating texture and layering in the drawings. The most difficult thing I had to face was drawing the water to make it look a reflection in the sky. It was hard to try to create texture in the water as well. I overcame the challenge by focusing more on the water and getting the texture down. Some things I have learned is to start out with light colors, then slowly build up the darker colors, and finally go over the dark colors with a white or blending stick to make the dark colors not as harsh. Edward Hopper helped me because he uses very harsh shadows in his paintings and I did the same thing in a way, just with the mountain instead of a shadow. If I had to do a do-over I would just keep the color scheme the same throughout every drawing. I feel best about my water and the sky.

Family to me means people I can always rely on and trust with anything. They mean the world to me and help me with lots of things in life.

                                                          Maine Collage

                                                           JPG Challenge #2 Joy

                                             Meet the Mentors sketch book

           

JPG Challenge #1