Plaster Process

To make the plaster, the first thing we did was figure out how much plaster versus water to put into our molding box.  After calculating the 1:1.5 ratio of water to plaster, we slowly mixed the plaster with water by stirring the plaster into the tub of water.  After finishing mixing, we sprayed the non-stick spray to our box and poured the plaster into the box.  After reaching our desired point of plaster in the box, we put the box to the side and now must wait until the plaster dries.

Degree of Exploration (Stretch and Explore)

1. My drawings capture the gesture of the figure pretty well.  In this figure, I wanted to focus on creating a gesture without any part of the core of the body and primarily focusing on the legs and arms of the body.  In doing so, I will be able to create a figure that has protruding, curvy elements instead of bland, straight elements.  I think my drawings portray this idea very well.

2. I explored the simplifying and abstracting processes for the gestures a lot while creating my gesture because by not including very much of the core/abdomen in the figure, I will be able to use this abstract idea to create a structure with only the legs, arms and head.  This creates a more simplified version of the human body and also creates a more abstract figure that can be understood in a multitude of ways.

3. Over the course of the project, I have realized that in designing my figure, I have to be more realistic and expect that throughout the project, everything that could go wrong will indeed go wrong.  By having this mindset, I am always ready for the worst and can always have a plan B if need be.  At first, I wanted to create a structure that was so complex it would be impossible to create it with the time given.  By engaging and persisting, I think I have found a gesture that is possible to create under the given time frame and will look great as well.

4. In terms of my box, I chose a quart box to use for the plaster.  I wanted to use this box because by using a long and skinny box, I am better preparing myself to chip away from the plaster to create a long and slender figure.  Using a long/skinny box is more efficient for my project because then I have to spend less time chipping away the excess plaster and more time focusing on the details of the abstract piece.

Gesture Drawings and Process

Charcoal Contour Drawings

Value Drawing and Photography

Final Blog Post: Create a final "Value" post including an image of your completed drawing and at least one example of your photographic prints. a. Refer to your interim Blog post, consider the Habits of "stretch and explore" and "engage and persist" (See home course page or pdf download). -How has your persistence and engagement in these habits pushed you to further resolve the questions, tools, methods, etc as discussed in your previous post?By engaging and persisting, I was able to grasp a better sense of value of the objects I was drawing and photographing. One key way I was able to do this was by using shading and thickness of my lines to create a greater sense of value, distance, and lighting for my drawing.  For the photography, I focused on choosing a photo that featured multiple shades of black, grey, and white.

-How have these habits pushed you to further develop your artistic practice in general as well as your understanding of value (employing shadow and light to represent 3-D form)? These habits have allowed me to have a more direct approach to the piece I am working on and have enabled me to know exactly what I have to do to make the piece have a greater sense of value by focusing on line quality, contrasting shades, and distance between the objects.  These habits have also allowed me to employ shading and lighting to create a more 'real' piece of art that makes it more 3-D instead of 2-D.

b. Compare and Contrast your work in the darkroom and your work on the drawing. -Which medium felt more comfortable? Why? I felt more comfortable while drawing my objects because in that medium, I felt a greater connection with my piece than I did in the Dark Room.  I felt like I was adding my own sense of character to the drawing, not just drawing a random collection of shoes.  Because of this, I felt more comfortable and inspired while drawing.  While in the Dark Room, for some reason I felt like I was just doing the same process over and over again.  Not that that wasn't fun and interesting, it's just I felt like I wasn't able to add my own sense of expression and opinion into the photography. -Which medium allowed you more opportunity for "expression"? How? I think the value drawing allowed for more opportunity for expression because a person could take the same collection of objects and draw it in many different ways depending on their use of lines, shading, and lighting.  By allowing someone to implement their own use of feeling and opinion into a piece of art, it enables them to establish a stronger connection to the work of art. -How might you better improve your experience and/or results with each of the mediums in the future?  I could improve my experience and work by cutting out the steps that caused me to go back a step and focusing on always making improvements in the piece I am working on day after day.  I felt like in some areas, I made mistakes that made me have to erase or restart what I had done to make the drawing or photo have a greater sense of lighting and value.  By focusing on always making positive steps in my art, I will have a better experience and therefore a better result of my art in the future.