Blog Assignment 2

This class has really tested what I can do and challenged me to try things I wasn’t originally comfortable with. Before this class I only really drew one of two things, faces and animals. I was not comfortable with drawing trees or buildings. But with the different assignments we were given it forced me to go outside my comfort zone. I learned they are a lot more time consuming and there are many different ways in which you can draw plants. It was a huge learning process for me. I first tried out different things to see if I could figure it out on my own. After I failed at that, I looked up videos on how to draw trees. I found a video that helped me learn the way I wanted my trees to look. In one of my drawings I was experimenting with a bunch of different trees just to test out different techniques and make up some of my own based on the ones I had learned. It was frustrating at times but I feel a lot more confident in my abilities now when it comes to nature. Another key piece that helped me test myself was the sketchbook. It was fun to do and I really tried to change each sketch up and focus on what I wanted to get better at. I love drawing all my own tattoos but the idea of sitting down and focusing on something that is going to be permanent on my body is a little stressful. I only allow my artwork on my body, every tattoo I do is original from the drawings to the lettering/font. Because I know I am not the best at drawing a variety of things, I worry that I will not be able to draw to the ideal look that I want for my tattoo. But since we needed to get a lot of sketches in, I was able to let go of that stress and try out new things. I was able to successfully draw my nest two tattoos as well as my dad’s next tattoo. This was my mission from the beginning of being assigned the sketchbook. I wanted to use it for a reason and not just force myself to get stuff down on a page. I definitely plan to keep admittedly using my sketchbook to continue drawing more tattoos for others and myself. I enjoyed the creative challenges I faced in this class and feel as though I have taken a lot away from what I have learned.

Reflections on Drawing

Katelyn Luck

Professor Fick

April 9^th, 2017

Reflections from ARTSVIS 199 - Drawing: Work that inspired my own drawings

            This drawing class at Duke has been quite eye-opening for me, allowing me to explore my proclivities for the arts in an experimental way. I love the dynamism of art, the ability to pick up a journal and draw wherever you are and was very interested in exploring my artistic style in this course. I have always been particularly moved by Banksy’s work and used my sketchbook this semester as a way to explore banksy’s designs more intimately and create expressions that mimicked his work thereafter. These original reproductions and my examinations are shown below: 

Banksy's Original Piece 

Banksy's Original Piece

My Reproduction

My Reproduction

            These examinations helped me to define a new interest in negative space compositions and line drawings. Throughout the semester I attempted to develop this new stylistic feature in my drawings, which has helped me as I try to uncover my own artistic style.

            Banksy's work has also helped me develop an interest in the ways art can portray a political / social commentary. His works illustrate how hope, peace and strength move an individual and compel the world towards love. His work is incredibly striking and confers power away from and challenges authority figures. As such I started drawing political satirical cartoons. As my art portfolio progresses through my time at Duke, I hope that can similarly examine social issues and learn to insert powerful rhetoric within my work. Drawing allows one the liberty to express opinion indiscriminately and I hope I can call out contemporary social struggles in politics and other realms through my work. 

Thoughts on Drawing - Maggie Wang

I try to sketch in my sketchbook at least once a day, to spend the time focusing on the feel of pen on paper, allowing my hand to free flow across the paper.  I get absorbed in the shading, in the expressive nature of line.  It's a rare thing where I just sit with out any distractions and just draw, light music on, and no phone.  I focus in on how the objects before me look, how the shape and flow of the stuff works together to create an image.  I usually bring my sketchbook with me, so everything I draw is usually my life, my world around me - the people, the objects.  Sketching really forces me to focus on composition, on being present in the moment.  Before this class, I hadn't really formed the habit of drawing in a sketchbook - I will continue it, my version of keeping a visual diary I guess.  I think it not only helps to improve technique and foster attention to detail, but to clear the mind.  The sketchbook and practice of drawing for the love of it, is one of the greatest things I will take away from this course.

I appreciate a lot the amount of detail drawing requires, because I have spent more than I had thought on every piece - from composition, to sketching out my piece, to editing and shading.  In doing a sketch drawing of five objects, before the actual drawing, I learn to practice composition first - to use a variety of objects of different sizes, heights, textures to create a compelling narrative.  For example, in the shading project, I tried very hard to use a mix of fabrics and rough vs smooth textures and arrange them into different heights.

One of the most interesting things I've found in this class, is that the best way to find a mix of objects and to form a composition, at least for me, is to tell a story.  In that same shading project, I found by telling a story of objects I needed for my day - ex: shoes, bag, books, etc.  And I spent a long time adjusting the light source to better highlight light side vs dark side, and to create interesting shadows and contrast that would be cool to draw.  I really liked this project in particular because it was one of the first pieces that I've both designed, composed, and drew in shading, rather than using a already fixed photograph to draw from.

I actually prefer drawing with color (such as pastels and paints), because I love the vibrancy in the world, and like to express that through bright color mixes.  I love the sense of beauty color can show - bold and loud - but also, the sense of emotion the right color palette can evoke.  More muted, or more bright.  One of my personal things about drawing with color is I try to maintain clean colors that reflect the beauty of the pigment, nothing muddy or too dirty.

Through this class, I've found a new interest in pencil and charcoal for the simple beauty and difficulty of working solely in greys or blacks.  It's a very different challenge to create a realistic world through just shades of the same color.  It was hard to create the sense of depth through shadows and it really required a lot of stepping back from the picture and *looking*.

I learned a lot about drawing techniques and big picture ideas to keep in mind in both designing/composing art, and about how to work with drawing.  For composition - wise, I really like the idea of foreground -  midground - background.  The idea of having something in the foreground to root the initial focus of the viewer is new to me, but I really like it.  Then with the foreground and background, it creates a multi-layered story that really allows for the viewer to see all aspects and be pulled into the piece.  I also really like how to create space and look at how to accurately reflect the world around me - not through positive space, but through negative space.  I've really found that by examining how the negative shape looks, it helps me to nail down the objects.

Overall, I've honestly really loved the course, for challenging me to look critically at how I draw, and force a level of detail and attention to aspects of drawing - line and weight, shading, composition, and line quality.  I also have found that some pieces I think are more suited to charcoal or pencil, which is an interesting realization.  Pencil to me feels softer, charcoal feels more textured and rough, more bold and expressive.  I've honestly really loved this class, and I hope to take more art classes in the future at Duke.

Thoughts on Drawing

My thoughts on drawing

When I initially tried to sign up for an art class here at Duke, I wanted it to be painting. I'm self-taught, but I have always been more of a painter, and I have always known my skill and preference was better suited to it; for one, I love color, but mostly, the lines and the picture that I have the ability to create are just different. I'm a significantly better painter than drawer.

A painting of mine from last year

 Because of this, I've always had a hesitation when it comes to drawing. I was hesitant about taking this class, and I'm hesitant to doodle in my other classes, and it's because I don't have the confidence with a pencil that I do with a brush. Maybe this is partially the fault of my preference; my favorite movement by far is impressionism. I love the way that lines and colors feather and blur, and because I find it so pleasing I think it's a style I subconsciously try to mimic, which is extremely difficult with a pencil or charcoal. Lines matter here, as we found out the second week of class. I've never had to worry much about lines before. All in all, this class was a lot like jumping into the deep end of a pool, and it was hard. I came in thinking I was a good artist, and I'm leaving thinking I was a lucky beginner.

This isn't to say I dislike drawing - I do not. I just haven't had as much time spent with it as I have with painting, and I think I'm in two different places with the two skills, but I think it's important to have that kind of awareness. The amount of time I spent this semester on my pieces has been significantly more than I ever thought it would be, but it has helped me to understand that good drawing takes just as much time as a good painting, if not more. This class has shown me the importance of lines, and has shown me how to mimic color within a single shade. It has shown me dimensional representation and the benefits of observation, then replication. This is something I find really interesting because it's exactly how I paint. I am not someone who can paint an imaginary image or put together a landscape from my mind's eye. I need to be looking at something, and when I spend the time with a subject or another artist's work, I'm always really happy with how my own work turns out. What I realized in my previous blog post's research is that this is exactly how many famous self-taught (and non-self-taught) drawers and painters learned as well. I thought this was an interesting connection, though I do sometimes take liberties with the pieces I create.

(Top) an Afremov and (bottom) my own version, worked from observation with some creative liberties

I think I have definitely improved in drawing this semester. I have learned skills I didn't realize I was missing, like for example how your brain can spatially trick you - I spent a half an hour fixing the edge of the table in our second in-class assignment (below). I have learned about weight, arrangement, editing, the value of an eraser, and time-management. Drawing is really hard at Duke. It's not an easy course, and it can be tough to balance things that deserve time when you don't have much time to give. But, I've really enjoyed it. I'm glad I got to take a class I wanted to for once, rather than one I had to.

I have learned a lot about drawing I didn't know I didn't know. I don't think it has made me like or dislike drawing any more than previously, but it has made me appreciate it far more than I did. Some of the pieces that have been put up as examples for assignments through the course of the semester have been so incredible I have questioned what I thought "good" art was. There are some amazing artists hidden at this school. I think this class has helped me significantly improve, as I personally am able to see a difference between my first few pieces and the pieces I can create now. But this class has also shown me how I can continue to improve, and I plan to.

Thoughts on Drawing

This semester was the first time I was formally introduced to drawing or taught drawing techniques. In elementary and middle school, I used to sketch and doodle drawings in my notebooks but I never drew landscapes or still-lifes. Thus, there was a great deal I learned during this past semester about drawing and about art in general. I used to think that drawing was only a precursor to other forms of art, such as painting. In my mind, drawing was only making the outlines but the painting and coloring was what really brought the art and piece to life. However, throughout the course, I've learned that drawing in and of itself can be very interesting, even without a full spectrum of colors. For example, by varying line weight, a great variety of textures can be added to a drawing even without any shading.

[1]

Even something as simple as adding variety to the pressure of the pencil against the paper can produce such a great effect. The line drawings that we started with in the class didn't have shading or "filling" but by varying the line weight, a lot of depth was added to the drawing. Even as we added shading to the drawing, there was an absence of "color." Still, I was surprised to find that even the shading could add texture, depth, and light to the drawings. Although there weren't any vibrant colors, the shading was able to still make the drawing interesting and compelling.

[2]

Also, using different mediums, such as charcoal as opposed to pencil drawings, was very informative. I particularly enjoyed charcoal because it could be manipulated to blend and create strong contrasts while also being unpredictable at times. The charcoal was also interesting because of the shading possibilities that were added when using charcoal as opposed to graphite pencil. The shading felt smoother and more organic and the drawings followed in suit.

[3]

After the class, I've gained a much greater appreciation for well composed drawings that make clever uses of shades and shapes to create an interesting and compelling story. Through drawing, I actually began to appreciate my surroundings more and took notice of the beautiful scenes that surround me on a daily basis at Duke. Though drawing is challenging for me, it is very rewarding and is an activity that I want to continue to do even after graduation.

Citations:
[1] http://thevirtualinstructor.com/line-quality-cross-contour.html
[2] http://willkempartschool.com/how-to-shade-a-drawing-light-shadow-part-2/
[3] https://www.pinterest.com/pin/569001734140674679/

Steve Butcher is a world renowned tattoo artist, known for his immaculate realism style tattoos that are almost too good to be real. He had always been an artist growing but he started tattooing in 2011 (which isn’t that long ago) and he got into tattooing when one his friends, who was a tattoo artist at the time, saw one of his paintings he was doing for art school. Steve decided to give it a shot and started tattooing anybody who would let him. When he first started tattooing he do any and every kind of style that exists. He was originally interested in doing Oriental and illustrative tattoos but he also always knew he wanted to do realism tattoos, since they are currently the most popular. Steve prefers to tattoo in color since he finds it more challenging than tattooing in just black and white (which it is), but he still does both. 

Steve’s favorite kinds of tattoos to do are sports pictures (like the one above) especially basketball, since that is his favorite sport. He expresses his love for the NBA in many interviews and raves about how much he enjoys doing basketball tattoos. He also does other sports as well as comic book characters, animals, movie characters, etc. In addition, he also enjoys doing large, oversized projects, like a back piece, that will give the “wow factor” when it is complete.

His ability to capture very fine detail in his work makes him one of the most recognized realism tattoo artist in the world. His tattoos generally take a large amount of hours, so he spreads them out over a couple days.  

Sunga Park: Harrison Taee

Sunga Park: Harrison Taee

Sunga Park is a Korean artist living in Bankok, she is a graphic designer and freelance illustrator who's unique work catches the eye. She is self taught and utilises a blend of watercolour and pen to create dreamy images. Sunga Park enjoys the "unpredictable" nature of watercolour and states that: “Watercolours taught me about life, because I created tons of failures over repeated attempts.”
Her work includes intricate architecture of the places she has travelled, from India to Europe. She therefore boasts a wide variety of interesting structures:

 Figure 1: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/park-2.jpg

Figure 2: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sunga-2.jpg

Figure 1, Park depicts an Oxford cathedral and Figure 2, a German cathedral. Here you can clearly see her drippy depictions of architectural landmarks. She allows the entire painting to fade from a marvellously intricate detailed structure to a wash of unprecedented colour. This creates a dreamlike image that is profoundly simple and beautiful.

Figure 3: http://7d226md26g2oy8ec2xkndfl2.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/73094bfa8471c47c765c245791f19963.jpg

Figure 4: http://7d226md26g2oy8ec2xkndfl2.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/b7689c56d893e1804652a3b388817ae1.jpg

Figure 5: http://www.peopleofprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/FeatureSungaPark002.png

She also produces portraits which are immaculate in colour, beauty and expression. She emphasises the wrinkles and withering shape of old faces in an extremely provocative way. She also shows an overwhelming amount of colour as well as using her fade technique to add to the mystery.

Sunga Park means a lot to me as I used to try to copy her style throughout high school. I completed a project on her my senior year where I tried to reach out and retrieve an interview. Although that failed, she remains one of my favourite modern day artists.

REFERENCES:

Park, Sunga. Behance. n.d. Graphic. 19 Feb. 2017.

Jobson, Christopher. “Dreamy new architectural watercolors by artist Sunga park.” Art. Colossal, 22 Aug. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Parkin, L. (2013, November 11). Sunga park. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://www.peopleofprint.com/solo-artist/sunga-park/