Concentration: The Moon

The moon card is a symbol of creativity and intuition, as well as an uncertain or vaguely identified future. Dave chose this card for himself, and those were the qualities he mentioned when I asked why he chose this card.  He also said that this card corresponded with his birthday,  So, I guess, that was why he got the moon.
    Though the symbolic aspect of this card might not be up to par with the others: Charcoal!!! The light of my life, the beauty of my soul.  I started this twenty minutes before class ended on Wednesday and finished it halfway through class on Monday.  I know that I should not be proud of my speed, but it was really refreshing to not do a piece where I got all caught up in the specifics and was able to just draw.  Also it came out 1/4s decent, so I'm pretty happy.

Day 1

Like, 15 minutes later 

The linework is represented here.  Um, He chose an odd picture to send me. He's making a face while looking down into the camera, which is held out at arm's length, but the face he's making looks sort of like his normal face.  That is to say, I had some trouble with the facial proportions and his arm.  Also, Randy, the cat.  I should not be allowed to draw animals.

Day 3

End of day 3

I think the fabric came out okay. And, props to me, I think the moon was a fantastic idea, and I think I did it very well. I tried to match the craters and stuff up to the actual moon, but I don't think I did it that well.  Also, I redid his eyes several times, but I don't think I ever got them just how they should be. He was widening them, and his head was also titled, so it was difficult to accurately draw his face. Honestly, the only thing that I feel went wrong here was my initial drawing, because my charcoal technique is amazing.
     Just saying

The final

I thought this was going to be the final
but it wasn't that great
 

Overall, I am happy with house this turned out.  Yes, I could have done better, probably, and no, this doesn't really look like the picture I was given, but I think that it is a good addition to my concentration, and it looks pretty much how I imagined it would look when I began. 

Concentration: The Fool

The Fool, or card 0 in the deck, is seen as an optimist who wears their heart on their sleeve and ventures fearlessly into the unknown.  Often pictured with a bindle over their shoulder and white dog at their heels, the card is seen as a sign of blithe innocence and freedom.The person whom I've chosen to represent this card is one of my oldest friends, Ryan, who remains upbeat, even annoyingly so, when I find it difficult to do so.
        There is a reason behind each medium that I choose, and for Ryan I chose prismas because I feel that the medium is immutable, and it takes a lot of effort to create something from prismas that is worth any attention.  Both of those descriptors, I feel, could be applied to my friendship with Ryan.  Although, prismas remain my worst artistic enemy.  I thought I had it down with the mice, but honestly, I should just stay away from faces.
       That's what Ryan said: "Maybe stay away from faces, dearie."

One of the final days

Close up of the face before I put other shading in

The face before I erased it the first time

Day 1, photo 1: I was so hopeful 

Beginning the face for the first time

I had high hopes still, on day 2

Say what you want about my artwork, but I do cloth
pretty well 

Final!

 Honestly, I don't think the final was as bad as it could have been. Did I make some poor artistic choices? Yes, but who would I be if I didn't?  The picture was taken in the gym lobby, and that's why I made the walls yellow.  I wish they weren't so yellow, but the color lends a more "prisma" feel to the entire pieces.  Like, it meets my expectations of what I think a prismacolor piece should look like.
      I think my most daunting obstacle is my lack of talent as an artist.  Because I truly dedicate myself to my work, and I try to make my artwork beautiful.  But my vision exceeds the my capacity to express it.  I hope I don't wind up insulting someone by drawing their face poorly.  Everybody I know deserves way more than that.
      Speaking in terms of the work, though, I think that this was one of the best prisma color things I have ever done my life. Not only is it relatively large, I believe I managed to keep a consistency of quality across the entire work, technique wise.  I wish, of course, that I had done better with color, especially his skin color, and better with the shape of his face.  To me, this picture just doesn't look like my friend. I know that the AP graders are unaware of what my friends look like, but I am personally disappointed in myself.
       His knee, shirt, and jacket, though. I am proud of those.

Concentration: The Empress

The Empress is card number 4 in the Major Arcana deck, and it symbolizes dual aspects of femininity, strength and beauty.  Emma Grace, who I chose to be the subject of this portrait, exemplifies both of these qualities.  Not only is she one of the most gracious and beautiful people I know, both personality wise and physically, she is strong in a way that I one day hope to be.
     Sadly, I feel that I could not capture this with my piece.  It is acrylic paint on illustration board, and the photo was one she took of herself.  The odd angle in the photo, and my difficulties with the colors in this piece were really a detriment to the overall effect.  People who have seen the piece told me they liked the simplified look, but I am disappointed that I could not capture the intricacies I could see in the photo.

Day 1

Day 3

Day 5

Day 6

One of my biggest difficulties with this piece was mixing the paint, especially the skin tone. Every time I wanted to touch up a shadow or add a highlight, I had to completely mix new color of paint because I found that it wasn't matched the to tone that I had put down before it.  
        Another difficulty was in finding the shadows themselves. The photo was taken in soft focus, and I found myself having to guess where the shadows would be if the light hadn't been so completely evened out.  Most of that happened under her chin and across her chest.
     I also had a lot of difficulty with the shape of her face, just because of how it's positioned? Also, her make up in the photo made her eyes seem bigger, and I kept drawing them twice as large as they should have been.  I think my drawing was the best part of this piece, though, and am sort of disappointed that I painted over it.
      I do like the roses, though, and her eyes.  Those were two pieces of the painting that I felt were particularly strong.  I am glad that I got this chance to work with acrylics, and hopefully next time I do so I will be able to improve even further.