CLAIREARTGALLERY
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Semester 1 Final-2022
Self portrait
Write Up
Height: 12 in
Width: 9 in
Master Artist: Adolph Menzel
Current Artist: Diego Fazio
Materials: Graphite pencils
Materials
I chose to create this piece with graphite pencils mainly because I wanted to really focus on having deep values and focus on photorealism without distracting the viewer with bright colors.
Ideas:
When I started this portfolio, I wanted to concentrate on improving my portraiture skills. I decided on making a self-portrait because photorealism is much more difficult when making an image of yourself. In the past when doing a self-portrait I decided to just not add the imperfections, but I feel that that changes the meaning of the piece, so I wanted to make a portrait of how I actually looked, completely honestly.
Processes:
I started off with my support piece, which is also a self-portrait, but it is unfinished. For these separate pieces, I used different techniques of shading. To start, I used crosshatching to display the values. I decided to shy away from this technique because I started to put less and less detail, also the values weren't as deep as I wanted them to be, so I switched it up to display my abilities in a better way.
Support Pieces
"Bright"
Write Up
Height: 14 in
Width: 10 in
Master Artist: Jie Gaoart
Current Artist: Olga and Aleksey
Materials: colored pencils, felt tip pens
Materials:
I chose colored pencils as my main material because I wanted to display color and abnormality. These colors aren't natural hair and eyelash colors, but that's the direction I wanted to start pointing my portfolio in.
Ideas:
This piece is the first portrait I have added color to, so this was a new experience for me. I wanted to have a warmer-toned piece with slightly overexaggerated coloring. Another thing that I wanted to focus on during the creation of this piece was improving my skills on the light hits hair when color is involved in the portrait. This fits into the theme of my portfolio because it focuses on the effect of color in portraiture and how things are changed by it.
Processes:
After getting the contour lines down, I used felt-tipped pens where I wanted to base the hair. After laying the base, I used a layering technique with many colors because I didn't have the correct colored pencil for the skin tone I was aiming for.
Support Pieces
"Realization"
Write Up
Height: 18 in
Width: 12 in
Master Artist: Daniel Gerhartz
Current Artist: Nancy MacDonald
Materials used: Watercolor, oil pastels, black colored-pencil
Materials:
I chose to use oil pastels for the main medium of this piece because it is a new element and they can portray colors in both a soft, comforting way, but also in a more vibrant and intriguing way.
Ideas:
My main idea for this piece was to show how we stop seeing things as perfect when we grow up and start to see the darkness in reality. I wanted this piece to have more meaning because that is what my last two pieces lacked. Initially, I wanted to make the meaning explicit and clear by literally drawing sunshine and rainbows, but I ended up avoiding that idea because I want the viewer to find their own meaning in the piece as well. this piece isn't finished yet, but this is the by far the most thought that I have put into coloring with portraiture, I'm learning a lot about using undertones with oil pastels. Since a big focus of my AP drawing portfolio is based on how colors affect portraiture, this piece was a big step forward, because after adding the color, it is apparent that emotions were added that would have been difficult to display otherwise.
Processes:
I originally wanted to create a piece like this to help understand how lighting and color can come together, so I started experimenting with oil pastels. Once I felt confident after creating my support pieces in oil pastels, I set a base layer of watercolor for the first sections of the artwork. Next, I went in with the oil pastels to solidify the colors and add the details. Finally, I used a fine black colored pencil for the intricate details of the eyelashes and eyebrows.
Support Pieces
