Wood Block

        I am planning on making a wood block print next. One design I made for my linoleum print, I have decided to blow up and make it for my wood block design. It will be easier to get all the details in on a bigger scale.

        Once I cover the wood block with ink and then transfer the design I will reinforce it with pencil. I am planning on making more of a background into the design but I haven't made it yet. I was thinking rolling, grassy hills. Or maybe a series of circles framing the stag in the background. I am excited to start on the wood block and get all the little details in. Because I am a perfectionist and love putting details, I know I will love doing this.

Reduction Print

        

        I have started and almost finished my reduction print. For a reduction print, you are supposed to carve out the white first and then with every color carve out what you want to be seen in that color. The theme I choose for this assignment was Urban vs. Rural. The rural is represented by the bunny and the bullet represents urban. I also just really wanted to make a bunny running. 

        I follow a lot of interesting artists on Instagram and a few of them do printmaking. One in particular does etchings in copper, and I have been really inspired by this artist to make my own etching designs. I'm not entirely sure how the etching process works, but I'm sure that I'll figure it out. 

Printmaking

        New class! This class is printmaking if you couldn't tell. Our first assignment was to make a print with the theme "Plant". I decided to make a hand holding a weed. But eventually I realized that would be a bit to boring for me so I added in the circle in the design later. I then started carving into the block that is in the photo. This is the finished result. After I had inked my block and proofed it a few times, I have managed to make two successful prints. I am planning on making at least three more.

Final Self-Portrait

     
       I am Done!! Well, not fully, but I am done with the portrait itself. I just need to take off the tape and make the frame and put it on. And then  I am done. (Can you tell yet that I figured out how to italicize words yet?) I am incredibly proud of it. Of course I know I can do better, but regardless, I am still proud. Maybe next time I'll do more of a difficult position. Like, I'm making more of a facial expression. That'd be fun to make! Here's a little self portrait. It was a practice of the actual self-portrait.

        I mean....its not bad. But I knew I could do better. So, I took another shot at it, and paid more attention to the spacing in between the facial features. And here's what I came up with!

            This one is MUCH closer to what I was trying to get at, especially face-wise. The chin is a bit too much though. I had planned making two portraits, but of course, I used up all my time on the big one because I cant stop making details. So, instead, I made a smaller version of the other one I wanted to do. I made the mouth a bit too low but I think I portrayed the expression well.

   
     
       I really wanted to do a one where I was making an expression but I enjoyed making the one where I was looking up. The powdered graphite was a lifesaver! I had thought that I was going to have to draw the entirety of the background in! I'm proud of myself and of how it worked out.

Self-portrait progress

   
    This is how far I have gotten on my self-portrait. I've made a bit of progress on the clothes. I had specifically chosen to wear a flannel wool jacket because I wanted to challenge myself. I haven't really practiced clothes....ever. So, I knew that I would have a tough time with that. It is very fun working with the different values and noticing the shadows and how they mix with the light. I'm glad I did the face first. If I had made the face last and done everything else first, I feel like if I had felt like the face wasn't good enough, then the entire drawing wasn't good enough.

     But that is how I would have felt. Right now, I feel proud of how it is turning out, and I'm glad that I had practiced making my face before I had started the bigger portrait. I feel like I should make it darker, and I'll bring the supplies that I need to accomplish that.

    I really enjoy making the hair! The hair is sort of time consuming but calming at the same time. I'll get started on the other side of my hair when I am finished with my clothes. I'm excited to continue on this.

Atmospheric perspective and self-portrait

  

                                              

  

          So this is my charcoal atmospheric perspective. I based it on a picture I took up in the north shore. I'm pleased with ho with how the rocks came out, but I could have done the trees much better. I made it so that it was darker in front and lighter in the back, giving it the illusion of the rocks moving away, making it an atmospheric perspective. I could have drawn the perspective part of it out a bit more than I did. I enjoyed using charcoal for the first time and on such a large scale! Now that I have this done, I'm starting on my self-portrait.

      I made this little baby self-portrait so I could get a feel for my face. This was my second try at it, because I wasn't satisfied with my first one. I couldn't get the image of my own face out of my head, and I think that is what messed me up the first time. I started fresh on a new piece of paper and just looked at shapes and where they were in relation to everything else. The shading is a lot of fun, and I have moved on to the hair now. I need to make it darker than I have it right now, but otherwise, I'm pretty proud of how far I've come.

     

White Still Life

          This is the still life of white object that I had made.  We were practicing our black and white  values with shading white objects. I honestly was trying to avoid the pallet by shading EVERY OTHER THING I POSSIBLY COULD. Thus, while going through with this plan, I had made everything look better than the pallet, which I think is funny and ironic. I think there could be more unity (or harmony) throughout the drawing. Especially with the drapery and the objects. I hadn't seen how the values and shading of the objects compared to the drapes, but now that I look at it from afar and with eyes that has not been looking at it for a long time, I can tell what I could improve. There could be better shading on the opposite side where the light of the lamp does not touch. BUT! I am still very proud of this drawing regardless.