Skull Drawing

Our latest project in art was to draw several white items on white cloth - one of those items being a skull. I am very happy with the outcome of this project because I think the shading was done well (mostly on the teacup handle). I really focused on keeping my work very faint at first and not adding too many outlines as there are no outlines in real life - just light against dark and vice versa.
If I had to choose my favourite part of this drawing it would be my teacup handle. I thought the handle looked real and the shadows were perfect. I really concentrated on adding the darker shadow towards the end of the project and keeping it lighter in case I messed up. I am happy with the whole teacup, however I like the handle the best.
I had a lot of trouble with the left side of the skull because it had a lot of details and gaps on it. As time ran out I decided to simplify it instead of struggling and having it ruin the drawing. I am satisfied with what I did because I was still able to show the dark and light areas of the skull. I had a lot of trouble with not smudging the piece - especially when it came time to draw the background. Drawing the shadows of the cloth was very difficult for me, however without them the piece looked as if there was something missing.
The skull drawing project is my favourite from the year thus far. The movement of this drawing is nice because the cloth shadows at the top lead the eye into the centre of the drawing. The shadows are balanced and shapes create a dynamic repetition. Overall, I am happy with this work and glad we were able to do this project.

AGO Trip

At our recent AGO trip we were required to write about two pieces that made us think/had an emotional affect on us, one from our tech class and one from art.

Contemporary Art Exhibit:

Younger by Kori Newkirk was astonishing. It inspired me because I know these materials were items I would play with as a child, I'd wear them around my neck and wrists while not knowing they could make such wonderful art. I thought NewKirk's design was absolutely brilliant, she took ordinary objects and made them into something original and beautiful.

Canadian Art Exhibit:

The Bird Shop, St. Lawrence Street by Maurice Cullen was my selection for the lower level. This one was fairly similar to the pieces around it, but something about this painting caught my eye in a way no other painting on the floor did. Part of my attraction to this piece was seeing the shapes form the entire image, as I thought about this I also visualized what the process of painting this would be like. I thought of the shapes that would form the houses with the windows, doors and roofs. Also the outline of the figures and horses interested me. One thing that I also felt while looking at this piece was a type of nostalgia. It was like I felt nostalgic for a place I've never been to or seen in real life. The painter made the image so beautiful and calm that I would personally want to see where he set up his canvas to paint such a stunning scene.