LAST ONE!

Dear Future AP 2D Art Student,

Congrats on getting through art classes 1-4 (I actually don't remember how many there are, but whatever.).  This year you'll have more freedom and fun creating art.  There won't be as many restrictions, but you will need to choose a concentration that you can stay engaged with THE ENTIRE YEAR. You think it will be easy to create 12 pieces that all fall under the same central idea...but its not. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing, because there will be times when you get stuck and can't think of what to do next, but thats when you have to push yourself through and create something new and different.  Some of your best pieces will come from experimenting and changing (taking your concentration to the next level).

My concentration for this year was completely different than the year before. My concentration last year was architecture, I painted or drew everything.  But this year, my concentration was silhouettes.  I began painting them, but Mrs. MckyB showed me this artist that took my work to the next level. I started cutting out my silhouettes and then taking pictures of them.  After a few concentrations, I started running out of ideas...This is when I began to bring in color! I would keep backgrounds of photos but cutout sections where people or animals were.  This was so that the viewer could only see their actions, no facial expressions.  And would show how people express themselves by doing.

My biggest pieces of advice would be to:
1. BLOG!!! Dont forget.
2. Make time. Know ahead that you will have to put in extra time! There are many required events that you must attend, outside of class.
3. Don't leave work till the night before a critique...everyone does it, so you arent the only one ;) but try to avoid it.  It just stresses you out more.
4. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Art is something you should enjoy to do, not feel like a chore.  So make sure that you are liking what you're doing. Do what YOU want to do

Good Luck!

Help.

My concentration is silhouettes.  I am a little stuck on where to go from here though.  I started my concentrations with paintings of silhouettes, but then changed it to cutouts.  Where I set up the cutouts and take pictures in the dark room with light coming in at different angles.

This month, one of my pieces I decided to change it up a little and make the silhouette a part of a photo that I had taken. Where there is a real background, not paper (or cutouts).  This will bring in color and texture into my pieces. Whereas before all the objects were flat and black and white.

It was interesting, but I feel like this will push my concentration in a new direction.  I was running out of scenes to create and they were getting a little boring (in my opinion).  I don't know, maybe that's just me.

What do you think?  Do you like this direction?  Should I continue this?  Any ideas?  Help.

Concentration Pieces

Thanksgiving Break!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I'm not sure when the next blog comment is due, so I'll just post mine now :)
I got my tonsils out on Tuesday!!! wooo and I'm feeling much better. I'm so thankful for all my friends and family that came by, and I'm thankful for ice cream, jamba juice, and popsicles!

Poster Picture with my Mommmmmm

My Concentration

My concentration is silhouettes.

I'm still unsure if they are all going to be of people or if I should change it up. Any thoughts?!

 

Right now I'm working on a piece that is of two people walking dogs.

One of my ideas is sketched below.

 

What is a Concentration?

Vincent van Gogh

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gogh/hd_gogh.htm

1. Van Gogh painted self portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. He created over 2,000 pieces of artwork, most of which were oil paintings.  In all of his works you can see the type of brush stroke that give a bit of an abstract feel.

2. The strokes and line markings that he creates are what make his artwork unique. Later on in his career, his palette changed from more earthy tones to more vibrant colors.

3. The elements that really stand out to me in his artwork are texture and contrast.  The element that makes the most impact is the texture, because of the strokes!  You see this technique in every one of his pieces.

Ansel Adams

http://www.anseladams.com/

1. Adams is best known for his black and white photos.  His photos tell a story and make you see the little things (because of the depth-foreground, middle ground, and background).

2. The main strategy that he developed was called the Zone System.  This system was a way to adjest contrast and determine proper exposure in photographs.  This gave more depth to his images, and made them more clear.  Ansel Adams used large format cameras to ensure sharpness in his images because of the high resolution (although the size, weight, cost of film, and setup time for the camera were not easy to work with).

3. Contrast, contrast, contrast! The black and white play off of each other nicely, to create shadows and illuminate the main focus.  The photos are always balanced and have good composition.

Brassai

http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/BRASSAI.html

1. Brassai liked taking photos in dark settings, especially at night.  This gave him special lighting effects.  It was a challenge to get the clear image which he desired, since the lighting had to be just right.  He figured out that if he kept his shutter open for longer then he would be able to capture the image that he was aiming for.

2. He opened the shutter when ready and flashed, to get the desired brightness.  His dark surrounding create beautiful lighting.

3. Contrast and leading lines.  The shadows draw your eye into the main focus and the contrast creates distinct edges and outlines.