Semester 1

Semester 1 flew by. I'm quite shocked but when I look back at all the weeks of work I've done I can see why it's flown past. I feel since week 1 I've progressed well in my art and in 3D. My last assessment before the Christmas break showed this. I was very pleased to find all my classes had moved up one grade. I hope to do this again by the next assessment. Slow steady progress. It's been a really long time since I've had to work like this and it's a struggle to keep my mind focused on it but I hope during this second semester I can improve on that. I thought I'd post the final pieces of each week to see how I've progressed. 

Week 1 was the one point perspective. We went down to the canal by the University and drew along the canal. There are several bridges we were able to draw but for my final I drew the stone bridge. I felt it was more interesting then the other metal bridges and also gave me more of a challenge to draw the brickwork properly which is off at the front but considering I hadn't really been taught perspective this turned out pretty well for me.

Week 2 was again continuing with one point perspective. This week we were taken to the old Turret, Medieval Gate right behind the University. It's a very quiet, picaresque area. I wanted to include the lovely garden just before the gate. I think perhaps on reflection I should have gone closer so the gate is more visible. I really enjoyed doing this despite the massive amount of detail I put in it. I think it overwhelms the drawing so I think I'll do a lot less detail the next time similar brickwork is drawn.

Week 3 was learning 2 point perspective. We walked about Leicester picking buildings to draw. I thought it was quite easy on some buildings but I found it more challenging when you could see the roof of the building. I enjoyed getting used to 2 point. It was an interesting experience to see how my buildings looked compared to not using this method. I think a little more practice with this would be required. It's not quite there in places but overall I'm pleased with it.

Week 3 was drawing cars in perspective. This week was...a real challenge for me to enjoy. I understood the method of how to draw the cars and what I needed to do but when it came to me doing it myself I just failed time and time again. I did extra work over Christmas to try and get myself better at it but I still find myself struggling with it. I can draw cars a lot better with a horizon line and length line which is how I did this drawing. I really just can't wrap my hand around the box method. I'll keep trying to get better at it but right now it feels like an unbeatable war.

Week 4 was rendering dinosaur bones. We ventured to a near by museum and sketched all the pretty bones in their glass cases or the gigantic figures dangling over our heads. I enjoyed this. I'd never attempted to draw dinosaurs or dinosaur bones so it was interesting to see how I did first time. It's quite complicated it some areas of the skeletal structure which threw me off a little. I settled on something a little simple for me to do as a final piece. I did this in photoshop and it took me a very long time. I need to improve on how fast I work in photoshop. I'm used to taking my time in there. I really enjoyed this though and I'm super happy how it turned out. There are a few areas that are too big, too small but it over all thumbs up!

Week 5 was a cold, rainy day in Bradgate Park. It's a really beautiful place and I'd never been there before so I loved seeing all the oak trees and rocks everywhere smooshed together or just placed randomly in the grassy hills. I chose to do this area in Bradgate Park because it seemed the most fantasy to me. Trees growing out of a rock face on a slope. Tilted slightly by the hill the grow from. I had a go at painting this. I have painted in a long time so this was fun. Again it took a really long time and something I should improve on. I enjoyed painting the trunks. They were so detailed and contrasting in color I hope I painted it well enough. The grass and bushes are a little flat but I don't really know how else I would have painted it without taking away from the trees.

Week 7 we went to the National Space Centre here in Leicester. This was a fun day out. I enjoyed shading all the metal and smooth surfaces in this place. I think my rendering really improved from this week. This is in the entrance when you walk in. It simulates a take off every now and again and it bellows out smoke and glows orange to pretend it's taking off. I think I might add an orange tint inside the engine to give it a bit of interest. I enjoyed blending this and using my putty rubber to make the smoke. Still off with my ellipses but hopefully I'm improving on them.

Week 6 was a test week so I don't have a final piece for that but it consisted of a lot of objects on a table that we had 1 hour to draw. I think I had a brain fart during this because when the time stopped I found myself with a half finished piece. The day before I made sure that I was working fast enough so I would struggle but I think my mind just gave out and did it's own thing. It was a good lesson. Made me realise I really need to think about my time more wisely which I hope I can pull off in Semester 2.