I'm all caught up in my classes!  Even ahead in some.  I think I'm starting to do well in painting, while I seem to be getting worse in drawing.  Ceramics I'm starting to like more, too, even though it is soo super messy.

Painting:  The still life is nearly done, I just have to do some cleaning up and touching up this weekend.  This is the scene we had to work with:

I cut it down a bit, and the professor said we can mess with the colors and even make up the shadows.  My view is slightly different because I stood farther back.  But this is what I've worked on so far:

So, obviously I changed the colors.  But I'm really happy with how the pots turned out.  The shading is pretty good, I think.  I have worked on it since I took the picture, but nothing big has changed.  I'm still working on the flowers and the bottle.  Hopefully I can get another A on this and finish strong.

Drawing: We spent so much time drawing skeletons and bones, and I absolutely hated it.  There was just something about it that I couldn't get, and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get it down.  These are the best ones I ended up with.

And everyone else did sooo well.  Again, I felt like crap in this class.  I've started to really hate it and dread going in the morning.  

We just started on working with ink, so we'll see how that goes.

Ceramics:  I've finished my big piece that I was working on.  All set to be fired, and then I'll glaze it.  Here's how it turned out.

I still don't really like the supports, but I tried to take them out and it nearly collapsed on me.  It was a bitch trying to put them back in, but it turned out alright.  I think it was pretty successful.  I put some slip paint on it before it gets fired, so then the glaze I put on will turn out in different colors.

Speaking of glaze, I finally glazed a piece and got it fired.  Remember one of the original pieces, the manipulated slab?  Well, I dipped it in a really cool blueish green glaze.

 

It's kind of metallic-looking, and pretty cool if I do say so myself.  You can see in the second picture that it must've gotten stuck to or burned by something in the kiln.  Geez.  Thanks, professor!

3D Design: Today in class I made a vase for the flowers.  It took a lot longer than I planned because the first one I made was terrible.  So I made it a simpler design, and it looks much better.

The reason it took so long is because of the side.  I had to cut out a strip, then score, break, bend, and fold every half inch so it could twist on the sides.

     


But basically the whole point of this is, I'm all caught up in everything!  Hmm, I feel like I should find some wood to knock on or something.

Why My Drawings Suck

You guys want to see why I feel so inadequate in my drawing class?  This is why.

Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?  

Still Life

I know you've been dying to see how my still life turned out.  Here it is:

Well, it's done, I'll tell you that.  And it's hanging in the hallway in the art building.  But before you get excited, I'll tell you that everyone's is hanging up.  And this is what's getting me down.

I was actually pretty proud of my work on this still life.  I thought I made some good progress and it definitely ended up better than when I started it.  I was really happy especially with the pitcher on the right side, the one with the handle.  I wasn't in class for the critique, so I didn't get to hear what others had to say about it.  But as I was walking into my painting class on Monday, I saw them hanging in the hall and my heart just sank.

Why does everyone in my class have to be so good??  I'm naturally pretty competitive, so I immediately compare what I do to what everyone else does.  Ugh.  I know I shouldn't look at theirs and compare it to mine since everyone is different and has a different point of view, etc. etc. all that crap to cheer you up.  But I can't help it.  That's just how I'm feeling.

Our next assignment is soooooooo dumb I literally cannot get over it.  We have to make a design using only ten horizontal and vertical lines and one diagonal line, and then use a black Conte crayon to create shading and textures in the different areas.  Conte crayon is kind of like charcoal, only it doesn't smudge, you can't erase it, and it's harder to wash off your hands.  This is our "abstract" assignment.

I HATE abstract art.  Honestly, I just don't get it.  You throw a bunch of slop around on a canvas and I'm supposed to marvel at your artistic genius?  I'm looking at you, Jackson Pollock.  If a seven-year-old could recreate your painting, I'm not impressed.