This project may be my favorite project in Art 4, not just because it granted me the excuse to draw my dog but also because the entire process in creating this piece went smoothly. When I originally heard that we were doing a pet portrait I immediately knew I would somehow draw my dog, Cole. The only problem was that I didn't know which picture of him I wanted to draw. Luckily, Christmas was right around the corner and I soon developed the idea that I was going to give this piece to my mom. After all, Cole was her 'best and most precious child'. So I later grabbed a Santa hat, balanced it on my dog's head, and began taking pictures.
I can happily say that after I picked the photo I wanted to draw and began working, I didn't come face-to-face with many obstacles. Although I had never used chalk pastels before, drawing with them came to me naturally. I believe that because chalk pastels share some similarities with prisma colors, learning how to properly layer colors was somewhat easy to me. When trying to illustrate fur I learned that I had to draw each individual strand if I wanted to make the drawing more realistic. I also would draw the white highlights first, such as on his eyes, because unlike prisma colors certain chalk pastels (mainly black or white) could not trace over other chalk pastels and wouldn't layer properly. I also struggled with constantly brushing off the top layer of chalk pastel on accident, making the image less pigmented.
Overall I feel that this project helped me grow as an artist because it gave me confidence. Most of my pieces make me feel embarrassed or insecure and that only results in me wanting to give up. However thanks to the support and compliments of my peers and family I began to feel more confident in my abilities. I wouldn't prolong illustrating a challenging detail or avoid working on the piece altogether because I had faith in my self. Due to the success in this piece I feel that I want to venture more with chalk pastels and do more animal drawings.
I can happily say that after I picked the photo I wanted to draw and began working, I didn't come face-to-face with many obstacles. Although I had never used chalk pastels before, drawing with them came to me naturally. I believe that because chalk pastels share some similarities with prisma colors, learning how to properly layer colors was somewhat easy to me. When trying to illustrate fur I learned that I had to draw each individual strand if I wanted to make the drawing more realistic. I also would draw the white highlights first, such as on his eyes, because unlike prisma colors certain chalk pastels (mainly black or white) could not trace over other chalk pastels and wouldn't layer properly. I also struggled with constantly brushing off the top layer of chalk pastel on accident, making the image less pigmented.
Overall I feel that this project helped me grow as an artist because it gave me confidence. Most of my pieces make me feel embarrassed or insecure and that only results in me wanting to give up. However thanks to the support and compliments of my peers and family I began to feel more confident in my abilities. I wouldn't prolong illustrating a challenging detail or avoid working on the piece altogether because I had faith in my self. Due to the success in this piece I feel that I want to venture more with chalk pastels and do more animal drawings.