Print Making

1.   Describe the overall composition of your artwork (balance, unity, rhythm and movement).

I used larger areas of pink at the top to balance out the larger areas of white at the bottom. I used thick, curved lines for the tree branches at the top to balance out the thinner, straight lines at the bottom of the print. I used negative and positive space by using the positive space to draw attention to the negative space.

2.     How did you add texture and contrast to your print? Is this important? Why?

I added texture by carving out the lines, spots, whiskers, and features (eyes, mouth, nose) on the cheetah's face. I also carved out short, thin lines, close together, to give the illusion of fur around the cheetah's face. I added contrast to the print by carving out the cheetah, the grass, and the tree branches and leaves to make them stand out from the ink.

3.     Explain how you used positive and negative space to show your image.

The positive space contrasts against the negative space to create the image of the cheetah, the branches, and the grass. There is more positive space on the top, which balances out the negative space on the bottom.

4.     Describe the craftsmanship of your print. (How good the project is technically crafted)

The craftsmanship isn't perfect, but I worked really hard on my print and did the best I could. The image carved on the linoleum looked good, but it didn't turn out the same way on the final print. Some of the ink smudged on the leaves and some of the shapes, like the grass, didn't turn out the way I had planned.

5.     Were you able to achieve depth by showing a foreground, middle ground and back- ground? Explain.

There isn't much distinction between the foreground, middlegorund and background. The cheetah is supposed to be the foreground, the grass the middleground, and the tree branches the background. However, this idea is lost since the thick, curved lines of the branches make the branches dominate the print.

6.     Explain your experience with Printmaking. What were the obstacles and advantages?

Drawing the cheetah in my sketchbook was difficult because I had trouble penciling in all the little details on the fur and the face. Once I was able to do that, I was able to enjoy the rest of the process. It was fun carving out the outline on the linoleum, though carving out the small details, like the leaves and the spots ont the cheetah, did take time and patience. Rolling the ink onto the linoleum was fun, but getting the print onto the paper was tricky. The ink kept smudging and the first few tries, I couldn't get the print within the registration lines. However, I did get better at it, and the final print turned out pretty good, even if the ink still smudged a little at the top.

Print Sketch

1. Why is texture so important to have in your sketches?

It is important to have texture in your sketches because that is what makes the drawing look realistic and three-dimensional. Adding texture makes the sketch come to life.

2. Why is it neccessary for you to have several references of each animal and each background? Explain.

It was helpful to have several references of each animal and background because it allowed me to study the different angles of the animals to decide in what position I wanted to draw them. Having several references helped in that I didn't have to go off of just one picture. I was also able to take the parts I liked most about each reference and incorporate them into my sketch, which I thought made it more original.

 

3. When you look at your sketches are you able to see which sketch is the strongest and will make the best print? How do you know this? 

I am not yet sure which of my sketches will make the best print. There are things that I like and dislike about each sketch, so I will have to make some improvements to all of them before I decide which one is the best.

Chalk Mural

It is importnat that everyone in a team contribute their ideas and do their part to make the project successful. At first, our team had trouble coming up with an idea for our mural, but in the end, we all agreed on a bookbag that would look as if the person was really carrying it. Along the way, we added in the school supplies falling out of the bookbag and the lockers in the background. Everyone on the team helped out with drawing, coloring, and adding value. Everyone also contributed their ideas throughout the process in order to make our mural better.

Collaboration is crucial when working on a team, otherwise the project would not get done. It is important to have good communication to make sure that everyone is on the page. That way, everyone's ideas are brought together to create one project as opposed to several ideas put all together in one area. It is also important that everyone collaborate in actually creating the project so that everyone can use their talents and abilities in different aspects of the project to make it better.

I thought our project was fairly successful because we all worked together as a team to create it, and we had fun with it. In the end, our mural turned out better than I thought it would, although I do think our craftsmanship could still use improvement. Our final product didn't look as three-dimensional as they could have, but we still a pretty good job of shading and blending our colors.  

I had never even heard of interactive art before this project, so it was a challenge, but it was also fun, to create artwork that others can interact with. Usually, it is exciting to know that people are going to see and appreciate the art you have created. But it's especially exciting to know that people can actually put themselves in your artwork and have as much fun with it as you did.