This drawing of a Kokeshi doll is one of my favorite drawings that I've done to date. Charcoal is one of my favorite media, and I actually enjoyed drawing on such a large scale, which is something I hadn't done before. This piece was also chosen to go in the gallery. I've never been very happy with the background, and I wish I had taken more time on it, but I'm definitely really pleased with how the rest turned out. I was also amused by some of the things people thought of when they looked at it, including Darth Vader because of the doll's wooden hair.Whimsical Memory.
I was really excited to start this project because my words were memory and whimsy. My media was tea, and I was less excited about that, but it ended up working out pretty well. I knew right away that I wanted to draw a tree house and started researching it. I wanted to draw the tree house that every kid dreams of having. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as planned. The tree house ended up being viewed from too straight-on instead of looking up at it as though from closer to the bottom of the tree. I did like some of the little details, such as the braces that hold up the main house, and the roof on it. I was also pleased with the spiral stairs.Emulation.
Franz Marc was the artist I emulated for this project. After reading about him, I realized that animals were very important to him, especially a dog that he always had with him. Other artists described him as personifying the animals he painted, which is something I also do. The bear that I started with was one that used to live on my family's property, and we called him Lefty. Marc was also very concerned with the meanings behind color, such as blue being masculine and yellow being feminine. I tried to keep these ideas in mind while doing this drawing. I also hadn't used chalk in quite a while, so it was a lot of fun being able to buy really nice chalk and doing a large drawing with them. It was a lot different than the not so great chalk I had used previously.Diptych Part One.
I started this project by looking at mass-produced art that can be bought in home stores. I really enjoy that art, often more than what I see in art galleries, because it isn't meant to get a reaction from the audience. The viewer isn't supposed to "figure it out," and it isn't supposed to be making a statement. It reminds me a lot of why I draw: I'm not trying to put a bunch of hidden meanings in my work. I draw with materials I enjoy because it's fun. I'm not concerned with any of it getting into a gallery. I don't make art or design websites for people in the art and design world; I prefer to create work for people who don't have an art or design background. They appreciate my work for different reasons without feeling the need to pick it apart and find meaning where there isn't any.Diptych Part Two.
The photos for this project were taken by me, and will be given to my aunt who recently had some rooms in her house redone. I tried several different iterations with textured backgrounds like I've seen on artwork at home stores, but I didn't like any of them because they were all too busy. I decided that a textured background wasn't necessary, and since I like simple art anyway. I'm really pleased with how these two images turned out, even if they did get rejected from the gallery. That's alright, people who go to the galleries aren't my audience anyway.
