Queen Emma

Queen Emma

Perspective Project

Brainstorming and Experimenting

I absolutely abhor perspective drawings where you take the ruler and spend ten days drawing the same stupid details on the same stupid buildings. I'm downright terrible at it. Perspective drawings are the only art projects I've ever failed. And perhaps in the future when I have room for error and stop avoiding my problems, I will fix my aversion to perspective drawings. But for now, I will simply hunt for a different interpretation of the word "perspective". I briefly considered doing a forced perspective photo, but I have done quite a bit of photography throughout Art III and I wanted to do a bit of painting, since it's been a while since I've worked with a canvas. I started thinking of my different perspectives/views on things, like philosophies and such, but I liked the simple "how do I see the world"? I see the world through my friends. They make my whole world light up and I feel worth something when I'm with them. Like I'm needed. It's a very codependent relationship, my friends and I. So I began sketching out a bunch of my friends, thinking I would do a conglomeration thing of a bunch of my friends grinning, because that's when I think they look the most beautiful, and that's when they make me the happiest, by being happy. But I really don't have all the time in the world to paint several of my friends, let alone five, with my perfectionist self. In the end, it came down to a promise to my mother. I promised I would paint her a new painting for each of my elementary school paintings if I truly wanted them off the wall in the sitting room. One of the paintings, done in fourth or fifth grade, is a classic brunette princess in a castle. I decided to do a repaint of that, but put my friend Emma (previously mentioned in the Fly to Paradise project) in place of the princess, as a queen. Because she's queen of my song. However, once I started the project (and after I wrote everything above this), I completely changed part of my idea and decided to do just a portrait, surrounded by shadow, but lit up because that's how friends affect my world. *throws a bunch of emotional, sentimental things*

Arrangement

Presentation

My final product. Or the final-ish product. I'm still unhappy about some of it. I also think the painting looks ten times better in person. I will probably go back and work her face some more- something off about it is making it so it doesn't quite look like Emma- perhaps something about her cheeks isn't right...those things are some of the most ridiculously difficult things I've ever had the pleasure to draw. Love you, Emma. Had lots of issues over shading because her picture is so ridiculously white that I had near to no shading to do. And the shadows of the picture were gray. So it kind of resembles a zombie painting now. Lovely. Still love you, Emma.

Q. How did you demonstrate Perspective in your work?
A. Explained above.

Q. Why did you choose this solution over the others?
A. Explained above.

Q. What techniques did you use to create this work?
A. Believe it or not, this is the second time I've ever painted a portrait. The experimentation with Zoe seen in the first picture of this post was my first. Yay for firsts. But I tried to use some of my vast drawing experience in it. Looked for contrast, shading, tried to get all the angles right. Color in my drawings still makes me uncomfortable. But I didn't do too bad. I'll probably draw Emma a million more times and maybe eventually get her face right. But you know what they say- if you love someone, it'll be harder to draw them. I've found this to be completely true.

Q. Did you take any risks with this project or were you trying to perfect a previously learned skill? Why did you decide to take this path?
A. Kinda already talked about this above. But, yeah. Super risky doing this from ten to two last night when normally I need more time than that for drawings, let alone paintings. Despite it being my second portrait, you could say that I was trying to perfect a previously learned skill as well as the risks because I have painted people a couple times before. One of these days I'll get it right.

Jan 13, 2014