ARCH 29B MIDTERM PORTFOLIO BASIA CARROLL FALL 2017
KEY Narrative: Which drawing is it Strengths: What was good from the exercise Weaknesses: What did not go as planned Opportunities: If you were to do this in the future, what would you have done differently Risks: What problem(s) do you foresee if you are to do it differently
What is drawing to you? When asked what drawing is to me, I was a bit speechless. I have never really thought about what drawing is to me, it mostly has been something I did because I was told to do. I was never someone who doodled in class, not because I didn’t want to, more so because I could never just draw to draw. At 25, I still find myself with the same thought. When I put pencil to paper, with no set thing to draw, I’m hesitant, my mind races with known objects of life, I completely lack any bit of creative fluidity. My mother was always an amazing drawer and painter. She was especially great at portraits. I grew up watching her create these amazing sketches and compositions with envious eyes. She could sit and sketch not only what she saw, but what she felt. That is my downfall, I can sit and sketch for hours if I have an object in front of me, but when it comes to expressing myself emotionally through my pencil, paintbrush or whatever other device I am using, I am dumbfounded. I strive for the day I can draw or paint or sculpt as a cathartic release, or just to do it freely with no creative limitations. Currently, my level of creative fluidity is drawing a cow and consciously drawing the spots. While it is no where near what I want to be able to do, it is a start. All I can do is practice and hope one day to be able to draw just to draw. Thankfully though, this lack of ability does not transfer into other creative outlets.
WEEK ONE N: One Point Perspective S: I have done one point perspective drawings in other classes and was able to apply my previous experience and knowledge to this assignment W: There were no weaknesses O: If I were to do this drawing again, I would change the placement of the one point perspective to somewhere other than the center, as well as draw something more challenging than a room’s interior. R: If I were to do a more challenging idea, I could see myself focusing on tiny details as opposed to the drawing as a whole
N: Two Point Perspective S: I have done two point perspective drawings before an was able to apply my previous knowledge to this assignment W: I had no weaknesses O: I would draw something a bit more complex than just boxes at different levels R: I foresee myself focusing on the minor details instead of concentrating on the drawing as a whole.
WEEK TWO N: Objects In Shade S: Doing this exercise gave me more practice with shading to create shape rather than using outlines to create shape. W: My shadows could use some work, the direction in which the shadows fall do not all line up. Spheres have always been difficult for me, I could definitely use more practice with shade gradation as well as how to create an appropriate shadow for the sphere. O: For the future, I would go out and actually buy the shapes, create the direction of the “sun” with a lamp, and draw from what I see rather than what I’m imagining. R: I do not feel there would be a risk or issue if done the new way. I feel it would only increase my ability to draw shade and shadow appropriately.
WEEK THREE N: Greek Column – Corinthian S: Using graph paper definitely helped in keeping everything straight and proportionate. I feel certain shaded parts of the capital are done well and I believe I did a decent job making it appear a bit more 3D instead of flat 2D. W: My leaves, I feel, came out poorly, some of the shading feels flat, and overall I am not very pleased with the final product. O: I would probably choose a capital with different detail, preferably something with different leaves, maybe a capital where the leaves are accents and have a different main focus R: I foresee me having the same issues; trouble with shading and spending too much time focusing on minor details as opposed to the drawing as a whole.
WEEK FOUR N: Notre Dame Composite S: My only strength I feel was making it the correct size in order to line up my portion of the church with my classmates’. W: I had a very difficult time with this drawing, I feel like I was not able to recreate the image on to paper. I was constantly erasing and retrying the same parts of the drawing; it was getting to be obnoxious. O: In the future I would spend less time focusing on the minor details and try to focus on the drawing as a whole. R: I foresee myself focusing on the minor details and becoming frustrated.