Perspective Final

The mural is finally finished! We are really, really happy with how it turned out. It took a lot of work and many, many days to do a mural on such a large scale, but it was totally worth it! It is exciting to have our artwork where everyone can see it in the school courtyard! Here is a brief timeline of our process. See the Perspective Ideas post for the original planning!

In the Planning Process

In the works

In the Works

It's a good day when you get this messy in art class!

Part 1 of the Final Piece

Part 2 of the Final Piece

The whole process was really fun and we are very happy with how the final piece turned out! I learned a lot from this project about going out of my comfort zone, collaborating with others, and more, listed here in artistic behaviors. 

Artists Collaborate: For this mural, we had five of us working on it. At first, when we were doing the original designs, it seemed like it might be kind of difficult to work with so many others and collaborate with them as we all have such unique perspectives and creative gifts. As we continued on, however, we quickly learned that we could use those "setbacks" to our advantage. We decided to run with the idea of having such differing perspectives and use that in the piece. We knew we wanted to do a landscape, but that simple idea grew with the idea of each incorporating our own perspective into those landscapes. Each section truly represents each of our unique tastes and aesthetics that would not have been captured as effectively if we worked individually!

Artists Take Risks: I'm not exaggerating when I say that this mural is HUGE. It was extremely intimidating at the beginning with the five of us standing in front of this tall, long, completely empty brick wall. We considered scaling down a bit, but after planning out such an elaborate mural that we were all so excited about, we could not bring ourselves to do it! It was a big risk to complete a mural on such a large wall, but I am really glad that we took the risk. With the five of us working hard, we were able to complete it and make the wall a lot less empty! As you walk past it, it is really eye-catching because of the size and vibrant colors. I am happy that we decided to take a risk and not be intimidated from the start. 

Artists Develop Art- Making Skills: I will be honest, I have never worked with chalk before except for creating endless rows of hopscotch with the kids I babysit (and occasionally for myself :). I was nervous at first for taking on such a large project in a medium I had not experimented too much with, but the process of creating the mural was truly just that, an experiment. I quickly learned that the chalk was great for blending and creating unique values in the crevasses of the brick. I was also able to create a lot of detail with the smaller pieces. Who knew that chalk could be used for more than hopscotch? 

Parallel Project Idea

To begin brainstorming for this new project, we were asked to think of a list of current events that would serve as inspiration. Our lists all consisted of the major news stories going around, mostly hard things to grasp that are always circulating the news. The assignment is to create a project that parallels a current event using metaphors. As I was studying the lists, all I saw were these horrible event and darkness. I was feeling super uninspired in all the depressing stuff going on, but as I furthered my own research, I discovered a lot of "faith in humanity restored" stories that often get overlooked because they do not cause as much affliction or drama.

 I suddenly got very inspired and got the idea to do my whole project as one big parallel for the idea of restoring faith in humanity in the midst of so much darkness. 

My idea for the execution of this idea is to do photo transfers of black and white newspaper headlines as a metaphor for the bad news. The newspapers will form "bricks" that will appear to be falling apart and on top of them, I will use tissue paper flowers to symbolize the peace and goodness that can still be found. I did a mixed media project last semester and really enjoyed the experience, so I am excited to try it again. Stay tuned for updates and pictures! 

Time as an Element Final

For this assignment, we were asked to portray time as an element in our piece. Immediately I knew that I wanted to use dried paint as a material in my piece as it has intrigued me in the past and I thought that it would create a good representation of time. I also decided that I wanted to paint two of the same faces, but use different colors to portray the different moods that a progressing day creates. I am really proud of how this piece turned out and am very excited to present it at my first art gallery in the North Carolina Museum of Art!

A link to this gallery is as followed:

http://teens-inspired.org/post/81780830854/new-teens-inspired-submission-hannah-siegel

Because this piece took "time" to complete, I have created a timeline of how I got to the final piece.

One of the most exciting things to me about this two part collection is it's ability to tell a story and the different interpretations that viewers take. I think that I was really able to communicate a message through my pieces. I was trying to create the message that throughout the day, the environment might change, but the individual stays the same. Through the materials that I chose to use, I think that I was really able to create that feeling. I have improved in my technical skills a lot over the years, and through that, I have also improved in my ability to create a deep message in whatever I have created. I think that I improved in this skill with this piece, as everyone who has looked at it sees something different, and that is such a great compliment for me as an artist! I hope that as you view my pieces, you are able to create your own message and I hope that it is an one :)

One of the main reasons that I think that this piece turned out so well is because I was really open to collaborating with other artists in my class and asking for advice. I believe that being open to others views and having a second set of eyes really enhances one's vision, and I am so grateful to have such wonderful artists in my class to share that with. Originally, I was planning to paint the faces in normal skin tones, when one student had the idea to paint them in black and white, which I think helps get the vision across much more effectively. I am so blessed to have a great group of surrounding artists that encourage and aid each other! Some of their blogs can be found below. They are all extremely talented!

http://apex-2015-jessica.blogspot.com/

http://ahs-ariel-2015.blogspot.com/

http://chassitysartblog.blogspot.com/

http://apex-2016-michelle.blogspot.com/

Come out to view my work at the end of summer at the NCMA!

Perspective Project Ideas

For this next assignment, we are working in groups to create a mural on a wall in our school that portrays or incorporates perspective. My group consists of some other students in my class; Jessica, Rachel, Nora, Chassity, and myself. We brainstormed a lot of ideas and decided we wanted to create a mural that looked as if we punched through the brick wall. We also decided that we wanted to incorporate perspective more than in the physical way. We came to the conclusion to collaborate by each choosing a place that inspires us (our perspective on what our inspiration is) and join them into one. Each portion of the mural will also use perspective to get the idea across. 

Here are our beginning thoughts: 

We got all our thoughts on paper and then did a larger sketch in which we chose a basic color scheme. The main part that I will be working on is a mural of a scene in Alaska in which I saw a couple of summers ago and continue to be inspired by. The picture shows my perspective artistically as well as physically. We combined our perspectives together and completed  this collaborative final sketch in water color. 

Here is our final sketch:

 

We are already enjoying working together and can't wait to display out creation to the school!! 

Snapshot post- Time as an Element

For this project, we were asked to think of ways time could be used as an element in a piece, not just be represented. Immediately, I was inspired by Monet's series in which he painted the same scene but at differing times of the day, using time as the main element.  I wanted to do something unique and take my own spin on the famous artist's ideas. I decided to do two paintings of the same person, one in the day time and one at night. Also, to grow on the inspiration drawn from Monet, I decided to use dried paint in the background as another way to show time. In this way, I was able to draw inspiration from another piece, but truly make it my own and make it my original piece of artwork.

I believe that I was really able to take the idea that I had to the next level because I took a serious risk. For one, I used an unfamiliar material as a main element to my piece. I have always wanted to work with dried paint because I always have a ton of it! This was the perfect project to try it out and I am really glad I took that risk. Also, when I had the idea to paint two faces, honestly, I tried to think of anything else that I could paint because the thought of painting two faces is kind of intimidating! I could not get the idea out of my head, so I decided to just go for it and whatever happened, would happen. I took a major risk but I am so glad that I did. 

I am really glad that I took this project head on and am so excited to see how it will turn out! One area that I think that I could work on to improve my pieces as I move forward would be the solving problems aspect. I have come across a few issues that I have tried to think of many ways to solve that would create the look that I had intended to create. Instead, I know that I should be thinking of alternative ways to go about the issues that would still enhance the piece!

This project in itself is most definitely taking it's sweet time! Between drying all the paint and all of the intricate details of the face, it is coming along very slowly but I can't wait to see the final product!

Thanks for the photobomb!

Mini- Project: Mutlimedia self portrait

     

      For the past three days, we have been working on a mini project where we had a variety of projects we could choose to work on.  I chose to create a self portrait because I completed one this time last year and I wanted to see how much progress I have made in the past year. We were told that we could use any material that we wanted to complete the project, and since I couldn't decide (there are always so many choices!)  I decided to experiment with three different materials of which I have learned a lot about in the past year: charcoal, pencil, and acrylic paint. This definitely shows how I have grown since last year, because last year at this time, if we were asked to create a self portrait, what else would I use but basic pencil because it's safe? Since then, I have learned to be creative and think outside of the box, as well as to put more "me" into my projects.
     I am so happy with how this turned out! I can really see how I have grown in my technique. I really enjoyed being able to experiment with different materials and learn new skills with them. I looked online for some tutorials on how to get the detail in the hair which is definitely something that I will be able to take with me. Although this wasn't a huge serious project, I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to mess around and see how much I have grown as an artist in the last year. 

Cupcakes and drawing is always good :) 

Appropriation Final

 

So my final project for the Appropriation project is completed! I am very happy with how the final piece turned out and I think that it really displays my view as an artist. Mr. Sands has been teaching us about certain qualities that artists possess, so I have chosen three of these qualities that I believe my piece portrays.

1. Artists Create Original Art: My idea for the project was "Clip Art." This was a completely original idea that I developed when faced with the theme of Appropriation. I was really inspired by the idea so I started brainstorming how I could get my idea across. I had to think very creatively to develop a game plan for how I was going to do that. I think that one of the reasons why I am so happy with the final piece is that I can see all the creativity and originality it took to complete it. 
2. Artists Develop Art-Making Skills: When I had the idea for how I was going to incorporate the theme of appropriation, I knew right away that I wanted to use mixed media as my medium. I thought the best way to show the idea of works of art inspiring other works of art (clip art!) could best be displayed through using mixed media so I could use actual pieces of art in the design. I have worked with mixed media before, but not often, so I really wanted to broaden my knowledge of the topic and use other materials. I think that with this project, I was able to gain the experience of incorporating different elements in unique ways, but still in a cohesive way. 
3. Artists Collaborate: With the middle letter, R,  I didn't know if I wanted to use the same material that I had been using for the other two letters, or if I wanted to use acrylic paint. I asked a couple of the other students in my class for their opinion, and the most valuable advice that I got was to do what  I was most inspired by. I think that that is key in all pieces of work, and the advice at that given time was what I needed to hear. I had been too focused on what I thought looked good and not on what I as the artist felt moved by. In the end, I chose the paint because I thought it would show good contrast, and also, I just really wanted to paint! I am really pleased with how it turned out and am glad that stuck to what I was inspired by.