Final Thoughts
I began my art career very unsure of what I liked to do and what I was good at. When I got to art 4 everything seemed to click. I started the year similar to what I had done in art 3, with detailed drawings and precise skill. After the junk mail project, I started to experiment more with design. I started falling in love with the exactness and perfection of design centered work. I made magazine cut out work mostly, sometimes on masonite board and sometimes on paper. I made more work this year centered on one topic than ever before. I am very glad that the junk mail project introduced me to a subject that makes me enjoy making my work.. This school year I have cared more about my work than any other year. Once I realized I was interested in design, I cared more about the process. I have even stayed up until 3 am perfecting a work until it was just right. I painted three masonite boards with primer and sanded them each three times and re-primed them until they were perfectly smooth and white. I care more about my work now. I display it in my room since it now matches my style. If I could re-live this past year, I would have made more work. I made a lot, but it never hurts to make as much as possible to learn from your mistakes. I am most proud of my accomplishment in the junk mail design project. This piece was the break through to learning about design. It is my favorite work and I love how it looks. My most memorable experience in art 4 was when we were discussing the midterm group project ideas. I have never felt like part of such an innovate idea before. I talked more than usual and put in my ideas. It was cool to see the final product as well. I liked learning more about everyone and letting the seniors teach us. Some advice to students, work on something you are passionate about. If you dont love it, there is no point. I know what finishing a work that you dont like feels like. If the assignment is something you aren't interested in, find a way to make it interesting. Do your work on time. That means starting before the night before it is due. It makes it better quality and it lets you change your first idea. Lastly, learn from others. Looking around at some of the talent in the room is how you become inspired.
I began my art career very unsure of what I liked to do and what I was good at. When I got to art 4 everything seemed to click. I started the year similar to what I had done in art 3, with detailed drawings and precise skill. After the junk mail project, I started to experiment more with design. I started falling in love with the exactness and perfection of design centered work. I made magazine cut out work mostly, sometimes on masonite board and sometimes on paper. I made more work this year centered on one topic than ever before. I am very glad that the junk mail project introduced me to a subject that makes me enjoy making my work.. This school year I have cared more about my work than any other year. Once I realized I was interested in design, I cared more about the process. I have even stayed up until 3 am perfecting a work until it was just right. I painted three masonite boards with primer and sanded them each three times and re-primed them until they were perfectly smooth and white. I care more about my work now. I display it in my room since it now matches my style. If I could re-live this past year, I would have made more work. I made a lot, but it never hurts to make as much as possible to learn from your mistakes. I am most proud of my accomplishment in the junk mail design project. This piece was the break through to learning about design. It is my favorite work and I love how it looks. My most memorable experience in art 4 was when we were discussing the midterm group project ideas. I have never felt like part of such an innovate idea before. I talked more than usual and put in my ideas. It was cool to see the final product as well. I liked learning more about everyone and letting the seniors teach us. Some advice to students, work on something you are passionate about. If you dont love it, there is no point. I know what finishing a work that you dont like feels like. If the assignment is something you aren't interested in, find a way to make it interesting. Do your work on time. That means starting before the night before it is due. It makes it better quality and it lets you change your first idea. Lastly, learn from others. Looking around at some of the talent in the room is how you become inspired.
Junk Mail Design Project
Through this project, I learned a lot about design and how to place objects to make the eye move through the work.. Looking at famous designers really helped me to grasp the idea of "good" design and how it can appeal to the viewer's eye. For this project in the future, I would make sure to tell the students that they cannot copy one work exactly. Instead, just borrow ideas from multiple artists after studying the website and chose one that they feel they could make a design from. Many people chose one and copied it, leaving out the personal connection, which I felt made this project work so well. I didn't copy the design, I just borrowed aspects of the design and then transformed them into my own. Before this was assigned I had never really experimented with design, but I want to continue it because I thoroughly enjoyed the process and outcome. I love being extra careful, aligning everything exactly in the right spot, and practicing good craftsmanship. I think this opened a door for me to explore different types of media and take a break from detailed, time-consuming drawings. Making this was a release, not a stressful process. If I could change one thing about my work I would make the black lines a little longer so they take up some of the empty space on the left side or make the extra small text a little bigger.