Best Drawings This Semester

I think these are two of my best figure studies done this semester. They really show my improvement in catching the pose and proportions. This semester I learned a new "robo-bean" method that was very helpful to me. The ink exercise was also very helpful, especially since I had never completed a figure study using ink. This study contributed to closer observation since I was unable to erase.

A Map of Corriente

This is a personal collage of what makes me who I am. It consists of my inspirations, family history, figures that spark memories and hobbies of mine. To complete my map collage, I used pencil and a black ink pen.

Final Project: An Ode to Sunshine

     My final piece is a dedication to my mother. I titled the project "An Ode to Sunshine" because Sunshine or Sunny is my mother's nickname. Her nickname plays a major role in the symbolism of this piece. To hint the viewer, I placed a sunflower in her hair and at the top of my illustration. There is also a very large sun in the background and a small sun on her dress and my shirt. The sunflower also symbolizes my youth. My mother always grew sunflowers in the yard of my childhood home.

    The flower doodles next to me are also very meaningful. They symbolize our close bond and are my interpretation of the flowers we used to draw together when I was young. I used mixed media for this project. I used a combination of watercolor pencils, graphite, pens, and colored pencils. I also used Photoshop to add additional details. This piece is 12 * 18 inches.

Skull Interpretation

The image shown above is a stylized skull study completed manually and in Photoshop. The 12 * 18 image was completed using graphite, black pens and sharpie marker. I lightly added some facial features to the skull. I also included a variety of my own floral patterns.

Tension (Abstraction)

This exercise is an extortion of an older ink wash model study. The extortion was done in Photoshop and is 11 * 17 inches. I titled the piece "Tension" because that is the feeling I get when I look at it. The sharp edges, contrast, and geometric shapes give off that tone.

1313 Kimberly Drive (with sound)

https://youtu.be/tMAGpW-cVYE

1313 Kimberly Drive Frame Animation

This frame animation displays a narrative based on a childhood memory. Here I reflected on my childhood home on Kimberly Drive. My mother used to have this beautiful yard filled with gigantic sunflowers. I used to sit under the sunflowers with my dog everyday.

Ideas for Animation Final

I plan on creating a rotoscope for my final. I am thinking of a scene of me walking through the park as the seasons change, or maybe just as other things past me by. (Ex. Bikers, birds, leaves, butterflies, etc.)

BEHANCE link

https://www.behance.net/tai_corriente

Final Self Portrait and Description 4/07

My self portrait is a 20 hour study completed on 22 x 30 white Bristol board. My final decision was to use a mixture of conte pencils, graphite, and vine charcoal. In the portrait I am sitting on the floor. A pot of flowers are in my lap. The flowers are meant to symbolize life. My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy around the time I began this portrait. My smile symbolizes joy. It is also very different from my other self portraits. I have never drawn myself with this expression. I usually portray myself in a more serious manner.

Self Portrait: Thumbnails and Description

The recurring theme for my final project is life, specifically new life. Here are three different interpretations of the theme. I have not yet decided what my medium will be. I am leaning more toward color.

Reaction to Portrait of an Artist: Bo Gehring

"Bo Gehring is an avid music listener, so naturally it is central to his portraiture. He feels strongly in the emotional power of music: that a song can tap into and help reveal a person’s deeper self. Before entering his camera contraption, a subject is instructed to pick a song—a track he or she loves and feels especially connected to."

This quote captured my attention because it is a description of me. Music plays a major role in my artwork. It sparks my creativity and brings back forgotten memories. I can relate to this quote because it is a music is a major part of me. I was also drawn to Gehring's project that goes on display this May. His style of portraiture consists of very up-close examinations of fabrics, people, etc. using the camera machine below. As explained in the quote, Gehring wanted the individual he was using for his project to bring a musical piece that was close to their heart. This give off a peaceful mood and tone. I was excited to see the author profiled Esperanza Spalding. She is one of my favorite musical artists.

Still Life Project 3/16

This piece is a 20 hour still life done at home on 20 * 33 water color paper. The project was completed using a mixture of colored pencils and water color. I used several complementary colors here for contrast. (Orange, blue, red and green are used here a lot for example.)

Reaction to The Implications of Still Life

"In order to assess the still life within the critical context of contemporary art we shall need to strip it down to the bare elements that run throughout its history. Once you have taken away any cultural or time based elements, the core of the still life that is left is the concept of a collection of objects that serve no purpose in themselves, but later have a process done to them, to make it art. Other than this basic construct, I will split the still life into its two most widely used treatments, the symbolic method (vanitas), and the abstract method (Cézanne)." 

This quote instantly caught my attention. Usually when one thinks of a still life, they think of objects, realism and accuracy. Though in most cases they are very important qualities of a still life, they are not the only qualities. Symbolism and/or abstraction ( the artist's style) give the observation life and meaning. The example below is one of Cézanne's still lives. Though it is very naturalistic and rendered, there is still a level of abstraction and personal style present in te piece. 

My Hand Animation: Countdown

This project was first hand drawn and then animated in photoshop. I did six gesture drawings of my hand counting down from five to zero. Then, i scanned them into photoshop and made a frame animation.

Gesture Drawing of My Hand

This was a gesture drawing of my hand done in the app Sketchbook Pro. The drawing was generally very loose. It consisted of five or more layers, with the drawing getting more specific with each layer.

Charcoal Analysis Done in Photoshop

Charcoal Analysis Animation

This is my charcoal still life in a six hour duration. 

Time Lapse Contour Exercise (Turn Down Volume!)

Blind Contour

Pure Contour

Gesture Drawing

Continuous Contour

Free Drawing

The time lapse exercise was done in the apps Explain Everything and Sketchbook Pro. This was a fun exercise and I really enjoyed watching the process.

Reaction to Vitamin D Essay by Emma Dexter

     "Drawing interconnects us with our ancestors in a larger sense: it is there in all traces of human activity and presence..." This quote stood out the most to me. It reminded me of how amazing art is and how it can be a form of communication. With art we can communicate with our ancestors and with others from different parts of the world due to universal images that we all recognize.

One example is "The Bull of the Lascaux Caves"