Final Exam

1.What is a technique you used in your artwork that worked well? Explain what technique it was and why it was successful.
A technique that worked well and that I enjoyed very much was relief. We did a few projects at the beginning of the year that included relief: a clay tile, cardboard, and then I made a larger cardboard one. I think it was successful because it was more 2d and that is more my style. But the point of relief is to make something on a 2d platform appear 3d, as you carve around it and the shape pops out.

2.Which project was your most successful? Describe the theme and or topic and the process you went through to complete the project.
One of my most successful projects that I was very happy with was my map-weaved basket. I cut out strips of maps and weaved it into this basket. It was pretty difficult but I think it looks so cool. There are so many things happening at one time when you weave a basket and its hard to keep track of it all but I think this was my most successful project because I was able to complete this hard task.

3.Do over: If given the opportunity, which project would you do over? Describe why and how you would redo this project. Reasons might include choosing a different theme, using a different medium or creating a different idea completely.
The project I would do over is probably the foil saggar project. I was happy with how mine turned out but I would like to make another one and try to see if I can make a better one. I think it just takes practice.

4.Sketchbook: pick any warm-up from your sketchbook that you found beneficial, interesting or simply felt you handled well. Describe the activity and reason for selecting it above the others.
One of our illustration Fridays was "sound". So I drew a Harp because I play the harp, and I think it's one of my best drawings. I am very happy with it and how it turned out.

5.Pick two pieces that show how you have grown as an artist.  Compare and contrast how you’ve grown, how the projects are related, and what you thought of each.
Two projects I did are the animal head (owl) and vessel (box). They were both made out of clay and I think it really shows how I grew and how much better I got at handling clay. I don't love my owl- it's cute but not very realistic. I think I did much better on my box which I enjoyed making and really love. I didn't spend enough time on the animal head.

Dwelling

My dwelling is made out of pipe cleaners. I used pastel-ish colors that went together. I bent them together and twisted them around each other to create a house. I weaved the floor and created windows, a door, and a roof (which I also weaved). I used thinner pipe cleaners to make details like the siding on the side of the house and on the door. It was pretty fun to make and relatively easy. The only problem I ran into was making all the sides and lengths proportionate.

Pit and Can Firing

1. What is a pit firing? Pit firing is when a hole in the ground, or pit, is created and pots are placed in the pit and burned. Items that are also in the pit turn to vapor and will swirl around the pieces in the pit, creating color and patterns on the pot. You put things like wood shavings, sawdust, grass clippings, dried leaves, banana peels, and newspaper into the pit.

What is foil/paper saggar? Saggar firing is the method of creating a confined atmosphere within a container (saggar) The saggar can be made from anything including clay, newspaper, aluminum foil, tin cans, and grocery paper bags.You then put it in a kiln and cook it.

2. What makes the techniques special? These techniques are special because you can get really cool looking pots because of the color by the way it is cooked.

Free

Link to pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliajj2/art/ (scroll down some to find the free project stuff)

I made a basket out of maps. I took maps, cut them into long strips, and then weaved them together to create the basket. It was really fun but also challenging because I have never done anything like this before. Also it was hard because the paper is delicate. I liked the concept of making a piece with something you could get for free. It forced me to think outside the box which is always fun.

Vessel

Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/juliajj2/art/ (you have to scroll down some to see the vessel pins)
I am very happy with how this project came out. I started out cutting and putting the slabs together and then carving out the designs on the clay. I also made a top which doesn't fit completely right but it still looks good. It was then fired and then I painted with acrylic paint and did a shiny top coat. I think it was a very good project and I enjoyed doing it

Animal Head

For my animal head project, I made an owl head. It's pretty cute but I think I could have done better with it. I could have made it more realistic and made the glaze more even. Other than that, though, I think it's pretty good and I did well.

Styrogami

I created a styrogami piece. It is kind of like a twisty-swirly thing made out of a styrofoam cup. It was a little rough because it was the first art piece I had done in a while, but I think it's pretty good, considering.

The biggest problem I had was it staying to the spine I created in the middle. It held for a good 10 seconds, I would take the picture, and it would come loose again.
If I were to do this again, I would make smaller but more spirals, and work on that spine a little more.