Exploring Line - Hand Drawing

Using my own hand was definitely something different in regards to subject matter for a drawing. It was more difficult than I thought simply based on the fact that I needed to try to keep the hand that I was drawing at the same angle it was at when I started the drawing so that I could get the angle of the fingers correct. I found myself seeing lines in my hands that I haven't really noticed before and also tried to take note of the slightly different shape of each of my fingers within the sketch.

I selected a pencil as my media simply because I have always liked sketching with a pencil. With the pencils that I have, they blend very well, so I was able to use my pointer finger to help blend my sketches which was very simple and easy. 

If I am being 100% honest, I absolutely hated using my non-dominant hand, which is my left hand, to sketch my right hand. I felt as though I was having trouble getting the correct line forms on paper and couldn't quite get the shape that I wanted.

I definitely think it is obvious in my sketches as to which hand is the dominant hand and which hand is not. Looking at the comparison of the two hands, my left hand looks more natural and has better shading, whereas my right hand looks slightly off in my opinion. I do think that in general, this was a successful sketch based on the fact that I was able to mock the different lines that are on my fingers and the palm of my hands, although determining where to shade within my fingers and hand was a little difficult for me.

I would absolutely not consider using my non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future! I feel as though my drawings are very unstable and based on this, that my left hand does not naturally do what my brain is thinking in regards to a drawing or sketch.

Video Reviews - The Renaissance Period

The first video I selected was The Drawings of Michelangelo. I selected this video because I love Michelangelo and think he is absolutely genius with all of his pieces of art, especially his sculptures. I thought this would be an interesting video and something I would enjoy since it focuses on his drawings, which I don’t know as much about. The second video I selected was Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance. I chose this video simply because I also love Leonardo as an artist. The Renaissance period is one that I think is very cool, especially with the garments that women wore. 

The Drawings of Michelangelo video was definitely helpful when it showed how Michelangelo started his drawings. He started with the torso, as that was the center of the body. This was intriguing to hear about and is something that I know I will think about whenever I am sketching. The use of cross-hatching that Michelangelo uses in his drawings showed that it made certain parts of his drawings, like the drapery on someone, much more dense and full looking. Cross-hatching is a really fascinating concept within his drawings. The Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance video showed how Leonardo created correct facial proportions within his drawings, like the boxes and lines he drew around human and animal heads. I wasn't surprised to see the box he drew around the human face to make it proportional, but I was surprised when I saw a drawing of an animals head from the side, where he still drew a box around this head as well to make it proportional. 

The Drawings of Michelangelo video related very closely to the text seeing how the text featured many of his pieces, like the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and it also had a section dedicated solely to Michelangelo and his life history. As for the Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance video, Leonardo is also talked about a lot within our text, in addition to the Renaissance period. Some of Leonardo’s pieces represent this time period, like his Madonna and Child with St. Anne piece. Interestingly, the text states that this piece's composition is not meant to look realistic, but is meant to suggest theological meanings. An example of this within his Madonna and Child with St. Anne piece is that the three figures form a single unit because they are a single lineage. For someone who doesn't know much about Leaonardo's style, they (like myself) would not catch this hidden meaning. 

The Drawings of Michelangelo video absolutely added depth of understanding not only on Michelangelo as an artist, but also how he created his drawings and made them so lively. The video gave off many tips as to how his drawings were so successful and realistic, like starting the drawing of a person with their torso or the cross-hatching concept that I previously spoke about. Also, as I started talking about in the last paragraph about Leonardo, the videos help viewers understand hidden meanings that the artist creates within their work, which is very helpful in understanding the true meanings behind them. 

Video Reviews

I chose the Late Gothic Art and Architecture: England, 1400-1547 video because I have travelled to England before and I think it is absolutely beautiful. The buildings and art that I saw in England were breathtaking, so I chose this video because I thought that I would find it engaging to watch. 

The More Human Than Human video intrigued me from the start when it stated that nothing intrigues us humans more than images and pictures of the human body. I think this is so true nowadays, seeing how people have become obsessed with looking at other bodies and and even with taking pictures of their own bodies. Human bodies are used in all forms of advertisement. Human bodies in art forms are also very prevalent today. The video stated that all the human body images within art do not ever resemble a real human body, seeing how we do not walk around looking like the images that are portrayed within art and most advertisements. The video questions why this is, making it an interesting video to watch.

The Late Gothic Art and Architecture: England, 1400-1547 video discussed many historical buildings and pieces of art that have continued to survive throughout all these years, which some believe is because they revolve around Christianity. The monarchy was the most important patron during this time, so the visual arts helped promote the monarch. Yet, not only noble households owned visual arts. Many middle-class families owned paintings and carvings of religious subjects as well. Art in England strongly revolved around religion. 

The More Human Than Human video relates to the text in regards to all the paintings and sculptures of the human body. It’s interesting because the text shows images of sculptures that are not complete resemblances to the real human body, which was talked about in the video. The Female Figure from Willendorf is pictured in the text and was also featured in the video. The figure shows no face, no arms, extra large features like her stomach and breasts, and overly exposed to genitals. This figure does not represent a real female body. 

Just like the Late Gothic Art and Architecture: England, 1400-1547 video, the text also speaks about the religious art in Europe and how it revolves around Christianity. Stained glass was also discussed in both the text and the video. The Gothic cathedrals consisted of beautiful stained glass that is different for every cathedral. Both the text and the video show images of stained glass that are awe-inspiring. 

I found these films to be some of the most interesting films I have watched so far this semester. I think that both films included excellent images of different artworks and explanations on how they were made and what they represent. The second film that I watched about art in England also included an immense amount of artists who created work and largely contributed to the visual arts during that time, so it was interesting to hear about all those other artists who were not brought up in the text. I think that it is always nice to just sit, listen and retain information in regards to what we are being shown, which is why I appreciate the films so much. 

Video Review

The two videos that I chose to watch and will be discussing are: Prairie Style and Architecture: The Science of Design

The Prairie Style video explained what prairie style is, which is something I did not know. Prairie style homes are designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, creating wide-open, horizontal living spaces. These homes have layered horizontal aspects to them, largely including horizontal windows and flat roofs. The Architecture: The Science of Design video discusses what is most unique and popular in concrete and steel. Something I did not know about skyscrapers is that they have two main parts: the super structure and the underground substructure. This makes sense when you think about it, although it is not something I would normally think about. It was very cool to watching how the substructure is made in the video.

The Prairie Style video largely related to the text because the text dedicated a section to Frank Lloyd Wright. This text gives a background of Wright and discusses how he refined the principles of the Prairie style house. “Organic” architecture was also brought up in the text, which refers to the interiors that were designed in an open plan. The text also talks about steel-frame construction and how it is used when building skyscrapers, which directly relates to the Architecture: The Science of Design video. 

To be very honest, the films have moments where they are a bit boring, but for the most part they are interesting and extremely helpful in understanding the true designs of the architecture that is being discussed. I think that without the videos, it would be harder to picture the architecture that is being discussed, although the text does include some excellent images. Based on the videos, I think that they may become slightly outdated as they were made back in the late 1900s and there are so many changes nowadays, but they are still very interesting and help the viewers understand what they are talking about, versus just reading it and not fully comprehending what is being stated. The films provide more visuals, which help provide more understanding. 

I chose the films that I did simply based on the title of them. The Prairie Style video was one that I was unsure of what it would be on, which is why I chose it. The Architecture: The Science of Design video was the second video I chose to watch because the title made it sound like it would explain the science and concepts that take place when making architecture, which I thought would be an interesting video to watch.

Peer Blogging Experience

Courtney- http://funart2825.blogspot.com/
Ashley- http://ashleys-art200.blogspot.com/

When looking at Project 1 of my peers, I think they did a great job at listing an element or principle to go along with the picture they took. Both Courtney and Ashley took their own pictures of the world around them, while I had went to an art gallery to take pictures of artwork that related to an element or principle. I like how creative both these ladies were in regards to making the connections they did.

Neither of my peer bloggers chose the same artwork as I did, which I liked! I enjoyed seeing what pieces they chose and how it related or didn't relate to them. I noticed that Ashley had a common theme of choosing pieces of art that were all outdoors, while Courtney chose a wide array of different pieces.

I think the biggest piece that piqued my interest was in Courtney's project 2 blog, which was the White Flag piece. This piece relates to me for the obvious reason that I live here in the U.S. and our flag is a very important symbol for our country. The piece was interesting to me because the artist chose to make the outlines of the flag very subtle. The whole piece was white, so this made me wonder why the artist chose to do white and not use any color.

I definitely think that reading our peers reflections was valuable because it made me look at the pieces through their eyes, not only my own. Everyone has different opinions and views on pieces of artwork, in addition to being able to relate to them differently and develop different feelings and emotions on them. I think this concept alone is the coolest thing about art because everyone see's things differently, so I enjoyed reading their thoughts on the pieces of art that they chose.

Unfortunately, I have no comments on my blog and considering the due date of this posting, I cannot wait any longer to see if I receive any to include it in this posting. I do think that reading comments would have been helpful and useful.

Video Review

Something that was interesting to me when I heard it was during the "Through the Eyes of the Sculptor" video, when it was stated that restoration carvers generally work on a specific area of a monument, like the hands, face or foot, not the whole thing. This was something I had never thought about, but it makes complete sense. The restorer isn't going in to completely resculpt a sculpture. They are going in to fix what has started to deteriorate in an attempt to preserve the piece of art. This is an awesome concept and one I am grateful for since it allows me to view sculptures that were made and created centuries ago. 

The "Glass and Ceramics" video was a reminder of how much glass we are always surrounded by. The process of making glass and designing its shape is something that was so entertaining to me. Colored pieces of glass are also an interesting concept considering the process that needs to take place in order to stain the glass. The lead technique is one of these concepts that result in staining glass. Each sketch piece is numbered, so the artist knows what color to make each piece. This reminded me of the color by number coloring books!

The videos relate to the readings in the text because the text also walks through the process of doing things, like the process of carving or casting within a sculpture. It was nice to see all the different images within the text and what the results were of certain artists in regards to their sculptures. Blowing glass was also talked about in the text, just as it was in the video. The text explains the process of blowing glass, while the video was able to actually show someone doing it, which gives the viewers a better understanding in my opinion. 

"Through the Eyes of the Sculptor" video showed the process of getting the stone that is needed to sculpt. I thought this was a cool process and was glad that they included it in the film, otherwise I never would have really known what it takes to begin the sculpting process. The "Glass and Ceramics" video also did this, explaining how glass is made, which is made of sand that is composed of silicon dioxide, which forms crystals when placed on a hot flame. After the mixture is heated, the glass can be shaped at will, which is where the concept of glass blowing comes from.