Art Journal

Did you try something that you weren’t sure about as part of this project?
 Yes. I'm not use to the layering of the materials that I used. Using oil pastels over the paper that was glued down was really weird. Also, not only using the one, also having marker blended in is really odd because I normally don't mix things like that.

Did you pick a material or technique that was new or different over something that was familiar?
   Yes. I decided to layer with multiple things like I said before. I wanted to just stick with one and figured I could just add a ton of detail so it seemed busy and creative and all that jazz. Instead I used many things and tested it out.

What is this artwork intended to say?
(lets get deep here)   It's suppose to be for the word grow. It's meant so kind of show nature and how it's always growing and how humans strive for such a thing. From the beginning we want to grow, grow taller, grow mature, grow older, always growing. While nature constantly grows at its own pace, we become adults in only 18 years legally, and even when we're old and society see's those as frail and done with growing, nature still grows on taller and bigger, far more than any human could ever be. I hope it subconsciously would bring the thought of us wanting that,  that's a piece of why we love nature, it's a constant growing thing that's always there throughout our short life of 'growing'.

What issues are you examining through your artwork?
   *sigh* Basically exactly what I said before. That we rush growing up from such an early age, and we should take a lesson from nature. The lesson to just grow as it comes and not to force something that the world doesn't force.

How is this artwork about who you are or what you like?
    I like nature and a lot of different colors which I showed in this piece.

Nature Art

How did you use your own unique ideas in your work?
   We did multiple different colors and there was no pattern to it. Not all the color blocks were the same size or next to the same color as it was before. I tried to make it as colorful and bright as possible, putting warm colors next to cool colors and darks next to brights.

Did you use a source for inspiration, then combine it with your own ideas to make it original?
   Yes. The source was the stereotypical yarn bombing. Yarn bombing is often seen when the yarn is crocheted and then wrapped around the tree. We used this as an idea for the subject and what we should actually do. Instead of crochet, we just wrapped yarn tightly with as little gaps as possible. 

  How did you respond to challenges that occurred as you worked? 
     We just worked around them. For example when there were tiny branches/leafs we would just wrap around the branch. Also another example is the gaps, we would look and see that we left gaps so we would just re-wrap a few times until it got covered. 

Did your work take an unexpected turn due to a mistake or did something happen that was unplanned?

  No. Though we had some obstacles, we tried to stay as close as we planned as possible. If there were gaps we would re-wrap or weave it through the gaps. If there were branches we merely went around them. We tried to make it look like exactly how we hoped. 

Sculpture

Did you try something that you weren’t sure about as part of this project?
Yes. I tried the book carving, but I attempted multiple layers; the layers of the tree knot. I wasn't really sure how to make it pop out but still look like it was in the hole itself.

Did you pick a material or technique that was new or different over something that was familiar?
 Yes, I picked a new material and technique. I"ve never done carving or anything with a book. I had a lot of fun though and liked the idea of it. I really like the look of it and how it looks normal from the outside but when it opens it's like the story isn't just written on pages, it's 3D. 

What is this artwork intended to say?
 It's not really intended to say anything, but represent a story. I used the book 'To Kill A Mocking Bird', and used the tree that the kids and Boo traded stuff with. I really like the side story of Boo in that book, and the mystery and innocents of the whole situation. The tree was a turning point in the kids perspective of Boo, and that's one of my favorite parts. 

What issues are you examining through your artwork?
 As I said above, the tree represents the situation between Boo and the kids. He's seen as a mysterious maniac, but this tree gives an insight to Boo's life to the kids. I added gifts that Boo had left in the tree knot for the kids, because the gifts are what changed the kids thought about him. It also showed how shy and odd Boo was. 

How is this artwork about who you are or what you like?
  This artwork is about one of my favorite books. I've read this book in 5th,8th, and 9th grade. I think it;s a good book to read at different points in life because every time, something new shows itself and has a different meaning to you.