During this semester I have improved a lot as an artist. I gotten much better at portraits and sketching and came to realise that is something I really enjoy.  I have learned a lot of styles and techniques that help me to improve my work and I’ve tried a lot of new things during the semester.

 

Art history and culture was a big focus this semester.  I learned a lot about native woodland art.  I loved their unique style and the use of colour in their work and also the grandfather teachings and symbols because it gives you a feeling of the story behind each piece. There is a certain style that is unique to these paintings and to me it is very bold and sharp rather than soft and happy feeling.  Another culture we talked about was the Greek architecture. I think the different types of columns and the realistic statues are very beautiful. I never realised how important detail and structure was to the Greeks. Lastly we found out about our Zodiac Signs and what they represent. I am very into astrology and it was cool to be able to base my work on my sign. When we read the personality traits of the zodiac signs I was amazed at how many actually seemed like me. I think that knowing about art history can make things more interesting and inspire you.

 

I used a variety of mediums in each of my pieces this year.  My favorite is defiantly just simple paper and pencil, but it is fun to try new things once in a while. I enjoy sketching as I like to add lots of detail and depth to make things very realistic looking.  A fun material we used this year was clay. I liked how I could make the texture so smooth and I was able to sculpt tiny detailed figures which turned out pretty well.  Paint is fun to use because of the huge variety of colour. For my Culmination piece I used paint on canvas for the first time and I really liked how that turned out.  Many times we used other mediums like pencil crayon, scratch paper, water paints and other decorations.

 

I used many art terms and techniques this year.  The elements and principals of art were used throughout all of my pieces.  I feel like they help me to produce better art since I know how to plan my work and make it more visually appealing. I have gotten a lot better at things like drawing, painting, and sketching.  I put the elements and principles into use with critiques and reflections on my own pieces.

 

Overall I think that I have become a lot better at art this semester. I hope to continue to pursue art throughout my high school career and keep improving.