Personal Projects

Drawing

One of my favorite ways to express myself and create art is with a simple pencil and paper. In looking at past projects, I have seen a lot of growth with my abilities to communicate on paper as well as the speed at which I am able to do it. Part of my love for drawing comes from its accessability as I do not need to have much and am able to draw almost anywhere. It doesn't even have to be pen and paper but can even be taking chalk to concrete.

Most of my drawings have been made as gifts to other people or as classwork, but I am trying to make more art just for myself, and, simply, for practice. I also have many mixed-media pieces which I concider drawings as well. I hope to continue to progress in this skill, especially with perspectives. In my nature, I am very competitive and want to be the best I can possibly be and that definetly applies to creating art and drawing. So, I try to use my free time practicing my skills.

Ceramics

I was able to take a ceramics class at Blinn community college. Here, I started from scratch at an art form which I found to be pretty addicting. In this class we practiced hand-forming sculptures and making things with the wheel. Personally, I much preferred making things by hand vs using the wheel. By the end of the class, I learned how quickly I could make things and different techniques in coloring my pieces. We used normal glazes and also coated it in reactionary glaze which we set on fire and let the ash color the piece. It was a very interesting, somewhat frustrating, but ultimately rewarding process. Before taking the class, I did not know many of the limitations you need to work within in ceramics which made me have a much deeper appreciation for ceramisists.

In this lab, we learned how to make a section based on a plan view. At first, it was difficult for me to understand and I took a long time to simply draw the lines down from the plan view. However, after some practice, I began to understand what I was making which really helped in my section view of the Courtyard Project. Although technology has streamlined this process, this skill will enable me to better read a paper version of the plan and make one if the technology is not an option.
This lab focused on one-point perspectives and color rendering. I was able to play with some alchohol-based markers and see how vibrant the colors are. I enjoyed the color but understand how it can be overwhelming at times. This was the second time I was able to do a one-point perspective and it took me far less time than the first. I was also able to see how different shapes such as the roof line and trees would play into this perspective.
For this lab assignment, we were asked to color render a pre-made landscape with up to five colors we were not comfortable with. I do not tend to go for such bold colors but still thought they looked nice together. When completing this, I was in a time-crunch but, next time, I would like to take more time to add texture with the colors. I think color pencil, although time-consuming, is a very nice way to render and gives more freedom than the markers do with regard to pressure and blending of colors.

Fabric Arts

Crocheting

I have always been fascinated with those who could make a simple ball of yarn into a tangible sweater or stuffed animal. This led me to want to try it myself in which my first project was a slightly deformed horned frog which I gave to my boyfriend who went to TCU. Since then, I have continued to make Christmas stockings and a tote bag. The better I get, the more I realize my previous project was not as good as I thought but it encourages me to keep improving. Recently, I attended a knitting workshop in which I learned how to stitch on, stitch off, and do continental and english styles of knitting. In this workshop, I found myself seeing what to do next before I had been instructed due to its similarity to crocheting. Once I finish my tote bag, I hope to pick up my knitting needles and start on my first project so that I can officially add it to my repertoire.

Sewing

My grandmother was the first person to introduce me to sewing. It was her lifelong passion and, when I was about ten years old she taught me how to sew. We worked on a little pot holder. After this, I did not work on another project until this past year when I wanted to customize a jacket for a concert I was going to. I spent my entire spring break leading up to this concert working on sewing and beading this jacket and it made me realize why she loved the craft so much. Since then, I have also made a dress and started on a tank top. It is a time-consuming craft and one that I can not say I am particularly skilled at right now, but one that I hope to continue to progress in.

Photography

While I have had a camera for a long time, it was not until I joined Texas A&M’s photography club that I really started to use it. When joining the club, I did not think I would have as much fun as I did, but the passion of others in the club was contagious. Now, when I walk around campus, my neighborhood, or really anywhere, I see things from a new perspective. I think of the principals of photography and see beauty that would have previously passed me by. Recently, I have been taking senior photoshoots for some of my friends which I also did last year. The difference in quality was eye opening to how much progress I have made as a photographer.

My favorite thing to photograph are insects. I think people don't always notice them but, after taking an entomology class my freshman year of college, I have grown to have a deep appreciation for them and their ability to survive in such large, harsh envrionments. They are also really fun to shoot because they are almost everywhere you look if you seek them out, creating endless photo opportunities.

These tree sketches were made to practice quick communication. It is based on a YouTube video we were assigned. I found this very useful and quite the step up from the classic bubble tree that I did as a kid yet still quick and easy. This is another way for me to speed up my communication and work on more projects.
Further practice of the tree sketches
This sketch was my introduction to one-point perspectives. Althought I knew how to make a simple cube structure, this exercise helped me realize the logic behind it and increase the visual accuracy of the image. It also gave me a new, simple, quick design for a figure.
For this assignment, we were supposed to draw something that we appreciated the form of, I picked the monstera due to its beauty and the practicality of its design. It has developed its lobes as a way to let in the sun to its lower leaves and defend itself from the harsh winds that can occur in its natural habitat in the tropics.
In this weekly sketchbook assignment, we were told to create a garden or landscaped space. I was very excited to do so and took a lot of time to plant things out, thinking about flow, plantings, materials, and usage. It was a good excercise to get my brain thinking about landscaping layouts and how to use the key elements of design when planning it out.