Mixed Media

For this project, we were to choose a topic and use different mediums to create a mixed media project. The topic I chose was hope. I used a bunch of article headers and created flowers out of different patterned paper to make the project stand out. The use of different colors helped make the project brighten and more lively. 

While working on the project, I used gel medium to keep everything together. This was the first time I've used it so working with it was difficult at first because nothing would stay down. After a while, the medium became easier to use and a lot of fun to use. It was a good thing to use on this project because it kept everything together and dried clear so it didn't make much of a mess or make the project look bad.  

I chose the topic of hope for this project. I chose this idea because I believe everyone deserves to hope for the best and believe that everything will get better. Hope is something that keeps people going and helps then keep on. I chose specific headlines to go on this project because they all inspire people and help them to believe that things will get better. 

Sticky Situation

The topic of this project was sticky situation and the medium was paint. I decided to paint a snake and use the acrylic paint medium. I chose to paint a snake (rattlesnake) is because encountering a rattlesnake, especially when it's camofluaged against the dead leaves, isn't something that you would want to happen so it's a sticky situation.

When doing this project, I gained more experience with paint. I haven't used paint in a long time so this project really helped me to gain more skill and learn more techniques. It was a fun experience and learning new skills and techniques really helped in finishing this project.

When doing this project, I ran into a couple challenges. One of them, though not very serious, was trying to get the right shade when mixing colors. Since I used a variety of browns for this painting, it was hard matching the shade each time. I also had problems getting the shape of the snake right. Because it's coiled around the entire canvas, it was really hard to get it exactly right.

Up Close & Personal

For this project, I used my dog, Ilsa, as inspiration for this project. I used her for inspiration because she is a dapple dachshund and she has a lot of colors. I also used her because I already had good quality pictures of her and zooming in on them helped with this project because then I was able to see more detail and successful finish this project. I used my unique ideas because I used my pet as a muse for the up close and personal project. 

For this project I used colored pencils as my chosen medium. I liked the colored pencils because they worked better for me than oil or chalk pastels. I also used colored pencils because they moved smoothly and were much easier to handle and were a lot neater. 

When I first started this project, I wasn't sure about the angle I was going to draw my dog in. I usually don't draw anything from this angle so it was new to me. I also was hesitant about the head and muzzle because I usually don't draw dog's heads at and angle and so it was a bit difficult. Looking at the final project, I think that the project turned out well overall. 

Oil pastel, colored pencil, and chalk pastel drawings

For this activity, I used oil pastels to create a can. I like how the colors look together and how easily the oil pastels blend together. 

For the lollipop, I used colored pencils. I liked this projects because I like working with colored pencils. Drawing the lollipop was fun because of the colors. 

I used chalk pastels to draw this candy. Chalk pastel was challenging to use because it was powdery and smeared easily. It was easy to make the color by blending different colors together. 

Scientific Project

      For my project I decided to draw a rib cage with the organs that are located in that area, including the lungs. I decided on this idea after a lot of thought because I thought it would be cool to draw a skeleton and I also thought it would be cool to draw organs so I finally decided on combining my two ideas into one. 

      The lessons that we were taught before starting this project were very beneficial because I learned how to gradually change values. I also thought the lessons were beneficial because it taught me how to shade better. 

      In my work I used contrast with the darks and the the lights. I think that the bottom of the rib cage looks the best because of how dark the bottom of the lungs are compared to the lighter darkness of the ribs. For this project I used pen and ink. I chose this medium because I found pen and ink easier to work with. I chose to do stippling on my project because I liked doing it and also it is easier to make larger portions darker. A risk I took while doing this project was using the pen and ink. I find this to be a risk because with pen and ink, it isn't easy to fix a mistake. 

      I liked doing this project because I enjoyed working with pen and ink. I also like the whole scientific idea. Brainstorming for the project was fun, as was actually doing the project.