Final Studio Art Exam

50%

make the hands darker

enhance details (fingernail)

make the woodgrain darker

contrast with the pen and hands is good

darken pen and hands

make the shadow darker

add something to the background -- a crease?

good detail

proportions are good

too much negative space?

line use is good

perspective is a little off

dark shadows is good

adjust value to make it look more cylindrical

difference in value is good

sharp

shading is good (gradation)

100%

Final Reflection

Something I struggled with the most during this project was the backgrounds. In the top image, I found that I liked the image as it was, without the background. I felt that having something other than the hands and the pen would take away from the overall image. In the end, the background was/is too similar to the hands. I wasn't sure how to fix this, as I feel that making the background darker would take away from the stark difference the pen has. However, its current shade is quite similar to the hands. I went around the edges of the hands, trying to make them a bit darker. While some of the feedback I got was to make the hands darker, I liked the tones they currently possess, and I didn't want to risk messing something up, especially so close to the due date. I am happy with the hands themselves, as they are very similar to the reference photo. The pen, while a bit crooked, also turned out well, in my opinion. Overall, I personally like that piece the best, though the background could use some tweaking.

Going back to the background, the close up picture of the pen has a very empty background. While there is some subtle shading in areas, it is difficult to see, especially in the picture. I had originally planned to add a crease to the page to take up some of the space, but I had difficulty seeing it turning out well when I began to sketch it out. Again, not wanting to potentially ruin the pale background so close to the due date, I abandoned the idea. I instead resorted to adding writing to the page. While I would've preferred to leave it blank, as with the first picture, I was happy to be able to add a bit more story into the piece. This picture still has a lot of negative space, however I wasn't sure how to fix that without taking away from the main component of the picture; the pen. As with the first image, I am mostly happy with the end result. 

With the background of the last picture, I had almost the opposite trouble. There was too much detail. Some areas of my pencil case have a thick canvas texture. The way the light played on this texture was rather complex, and I didn't have the time nor the skill to make it look real and not cartoonish or 2D. I was also worried that the background would take away from the pen too much, though that doesn't seem to be too much of a problem now. I did take a few artistic liberties, though I tried to limit the amount I did that. I simplified the shading in the areas most complex, adding just a faint texture underneath to hint at something more. In the end, I do think that the details are not missed, and it allows for more attention to be aimed at the pen. 

Overall, I am mostly happy with the outcome of the project. If I had more time, I might have gone back to change the backgrounds, or at least add more to them. The main elements of the pictures, however, are mostly pretty close to the reference pictures. Looking back through the year, I think that I have improved in technique and ability, and I think that some of that shows through in these pieces.