Design and a Brilliant Mind

Natalie's 2-D Design Blog

[nattie24]

Experimenting With and Discovering Color with Watercolors!

Today in class we were able to connect and paint together over zoom! It was such a great opportunity to slow down and explore color, especially through the use of the high-quality Kuratake Watercolor Set! 

Above: Color Gradients! (through the use of added water)

Above: Vibrant Full-Color Color Wheels (of both Warm and Cool Colors)

Above: Light Color Wheels (of both Warm and Cool Colors)

[nattie24]

Exploring (Water)Colors!

Today I got to play around with, explore, and express color using my Kuratake watercolor set for the first time! The color was so rich and smooth on the watercolor paper I used and it was a great experience to simply be creative and dive into what makes the “color” in watercolor! 

Above: The watercolor workspace used today! (featuring the howtoartbetter blog and the Kuratake watercolor palette!)

Above: Color “wheel” #1, using each color of the Kuratake watercolor set!

Above: Color “wheel” #2/Art piece, utilizing each color from the Kuratake watercolor set and incorporating a combined use of both the “wet on wet” and “wet on dry” techniques!

[nattie24]

What Does it Mean to be a Christian Artist?

To be a Christian artist I believe is to fully embody the aspects of creativity, expression, and experimentation that art involves while also incorporating thoughtful and intentional acts of Christian principles, faith, and ideas. As a Christian artist, one does not need to make art that explicitly depicts a cross, Jesus, or his disciples (but it could most definitely be if the artist so chooses!). However, I believe that through their work, artists of faith must further engage with the aspects and values of what it means to be Christian, how such belief can be integrated in a visual and creative way, and address the moral, ethical, and responsible implications of and when creating and representing their work. As Christians, I believe we are held in many ways to high standards of consciousness and awareness and, when considering the practice and production of art, it seems appropriate that the art that we make should reflect such values. This is not to say that art created by Christians is limited or selective in any way, but instead that as Christians, greater attention and intentionality can and should be paid to what we are creating, how we are creating it, and how we might be representing ourselves, our faith, and God by doing so. We are created by creative and loving God, and we are called to be creative beings. We are made in the beautiful and creative image of God. Thus, our work must reflect that same attention to beauty and craftsmanship. Art can be both experimental and disciplined, and the combination and use of both are what an artist can use to create and express their talents, techniques, and ideas in their work. As Christian creatives, we are called to honor God through our talents and creative ventures; therefore, our art should follow suit. As the creative beings of a creative God, we must discover and illustrate purpose, passion, and thoughtful intentionality in our work, seeking to distinguish as individuals that question reasonably, express ideas faithfully, and bring to fruition principles of life, faith, and the light of Jesus himself in whatever form we may chose and to all we or our art interacts with.

[nattie24]

What Makes an Artwork Good or Bad?

I believe artwork’s capacity to be “good” or “bad” can, in large part, be subjective, with the artist themself and those who view it each rightfully and influentially having a role in determining what is art and what art is. Nonetheless, I believe aspects that can contribute to an artwork being good can include thoughtful purpose and craftsmanship as well as a significant impact and influence on its viewers. While each piece of art can hold its own forms of excellence, beauty, and artistry, I believe artwork that is consciously created, thought about and purpose-driven can hold a greater sense of quality and meaning. Begin with and drawing a great portion of its value from the hands and mind of the artists, I believe art that is created with purpose (even if the purpose is to have no purpose at all) and is intentional can add tremendous worth to the work. Not to say that artwork that wasn’t planned or was unexpected doesn’t hold value (for these types of art are extraordinary and can form the basis for experimentation, exploration, and creative nature of art-making), but I do consider art that is thoughtful, methodical, and well-crafted to elicit its own sense of uniqueness and beauty that is treasurable. In addition, I believe art that is influential and mind-provoking also constitutes a work as “good”. While art that doesn’t also has invaluable worth, I think art that has a way of connecting people with new ideas, questions, and contemplations has effects that go beyond words in terms of their value. Being a form through which people can express ideas, construct thoughts, and promote change, art that does this well in terms of its reach and range holds especial “goodness”. Art that allows us to feel, think, and wonder I believe is an effect so powerful and ever so incredibly valuable. While art that is considered “bad” is significantly subjective in numerous ways, I believe art that alternatively lacks thoughtfulness and passion can definitely impact its consideration as a “good” piece of art. As a form of creativity that is so dynamic, expressive, and hold limitless potential, I think art should, in one form or another play off of such aspects. Having purpose (or a lack of it) in what you do can significantly alter your creative process as well as the final product that is produced, with some that appear rushed or with less intentionality placed into them at times conveying little direction or investment into their value. Art can in many ways not have a purpose and still be magnificent and beautiful, however this was the direction (presumably) that the artist consciously chose to take that work. Art that lacks such thought I believe can certainly take away from its “goodness” and hold it to a lower degree of worth. While not seeking to categorize explicity what is “good” and what is “bad”, for I believe much can be said and varied depending on who you talk to about said work(s), art, at is simplest definition, should certainly have meaning, purpose, and, with great hope, expression, creativity, and influence on those who witness it.

[nattie24]

Project #4-A Visual Update!

For our final project of the semester (can you believe its almost over?!), I have the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with one of my fellow classmates Brice (who I also shared the experience of Drawing I with last fall!). In our zine, which incorporates aspects of expression, space, and rhythm, we decided to explore and bring to visual life the objects and trinkets that bring us joy, are meaningful, and add vibrance, comfort, and happiness in our lives.

Being a project that is collaborative and shared between us (with a little help from USPS!), I look forward to the  opportunity this project does and will offer. By engaging through both art and the mail, I believe this project will not only inspire creativity and thoughtfulness, but also think it will allow new, unique conversations to be had through paper and pen, and enable beauty to come forth through both of our artistic visions, talents, and minds.

Above: Initial cover sketch!

Above: First few subjects/objects of inspiration

Above: USPS receipt!

[nattie24]

Why Would Artists Choose To Collaborate? What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Collaboration?

I believe collaboration can have profound benefits and result in work that is beautiful, diverse, and perhaps even greater than what a single artist could think of or do alone. I believe artists choose to collaborate for many reasons, one of which I believe encompassing the joy and formation of community and relationships. Through collaboration, ideas can be expressed, voices can be heard, new perspectives and talents can be discovered. Collaboration invites community and allows communication and making to be at the forefront of meeting and engaging with those around us in an actively positive way. I believe artists also choose to work together to develop their skills and open their minds to new techniques, forms of making, and personalities. By working on a piece in community, I believe artists not only have the opportunity to showcase and enhance their talents, but I also firmly consider collaboration to be a place in which an artist can be exposed to and enlightened by those they work with and the styles, input, and skill that they--perhaps widely different than theirs--can add to the piece. Here, I believe a great deal of learning, observing, and open-mindedness can take place and thrive. Aside from the community, exposure, learning, and personal development that can beneficially arise from collaboration, there can also be drawbacks that one might consider as well. While collaboration is a group effort with combined ideas, it is exactly that. While an artist alone may have a straightforward trajectory of how they want a piece to look and how the process of completing it must be accomplished, collaboration naturally facilitates compromise, causing those individualized plans to be altered, stretched, and grown to encompass the voices, hands, and skills of those other than yourself. While this detracts from individual liberty to a certain degree of truth, it gives so much more abundantly in overall creativity and expression. Through collaboration, one must expand their limits and broaden their mindsets of what they think “is” or “isn’t”, and proactively integrate their ideas in ways that can add to, rather than consume, the group. While collaboration may lean away from the individualized creativity that much of art can live, I believe it can simultaneously open doors to new ways of thinking, making, and interacting with others--if you choose this to be so.

[nattie24]

Studio Project #3- A Visual Update!: Part 2!

Continuing on with the experience of printmaking, I began to think of the paper and overall design that I wanted the print to be placed on. From this, my mind went right to what I enjoy drawing--ink pen flowers on paper. I then went to my sketchbook to find some of my drawings (pictured below) to use as a reference and experimentation as to what my print would look like with such a backdrop design. I drew up a sample of what the background could be and one that I could scan and replicate to make identical prints (pictured below)!

I also began thinking about size. Briefly experimenting with this as well, I decided that the 9″ X 12″ max. size would simply be too large, and opted instead for a smaller 9″ X 6″ piece instead. This coupled with the design I believe will add character and whimsical visual interest to the piece while placing the print center-stage and highlighting what I enjoy creating in the process.

I also decided to cut my print to fit the shape of the main subject--a choice that I believe will enhance the overall print and allow both it and the background print to shine together!

Above: Sketchbook drawings (inspiration!)

Above: 9″ X 6″ paper sketch for print to be placed on

Above: Lino print block and paper sketch!

Above: Lino block (newly cut!)

[nattie24]

How Does Context--Where We See and Engage with Art--Affect the Way We Perceive its Value?

Context, or where we see and engage with art, most surely affects the way we perceive its value--for better or for worse. When thinking of a high-class, expensive, expert piece of art, my mind draws to the clean-cut, extravagant galleries home to famous artists around the world. When I think of a sketch someone may have drawn in their sketchbook, however, I may consider it belonging in a personal collection or posted on a social media platform. While neither work is necessarily more important or excellent than the other, the areas, ideas, and perceptions that surround them play a significant role in how they can reach viewers. As social media has continued to develop, even within the past 5 years, consumption, display, and sharing of art has expanded tremendously, making it not only easier to interact with artists but also to view, save, and distribute the work they create. On the other hand, in galleries, interactive works such as those that you can feel or those that you can witness in all their depth and dimension can also inspire new ways of thinking and looking. While perhaps not quite as readily available as art on an Instagram page, Tumblr blog, or personal website to those who pull out their cell phones on a given day, work to which you need to drive to, fly to, or make a trip to go see can also hold its own significance and forms of interaction within itself. Sure, it might require more planning, but art that you can physically witness can draw you, in many ways, that closer to the artist, the piece itself, and the themes, stories, and characters it embodies. Needless to say, both digital and physical art, despite any preconceptions or stereotypes, must both be valued and each hold unique contexts that shape how we as creatives and individuals communicate about, interpret, and share the art around us.

[nattie24]

What Makes Something a Work of Art?

I believe what make a work art most definitely has to do with the value that the artist, the creator of that work, places, devotes, and assigns to it. Beginning and ending with the ideas, strokes, and movements of the artist, art and what defines its overall excellence stems from who creates it. While viewers, critics, and on-lookers alike may also assign social and public value to the piece--coining it as a work of art, a masterpiece, or the like--the artist, I think, has the ultimate authority in claiming a piece’s significance and worthiness of being a “work of art”. While at first glance and instinctual thought a work of art may be something that may be considered beautiful, complex, and deep in meaning, this is simply not the case for all. What defines a piece as a work of art is not a “catch-all” classification, and I believe that this type of value can vary and change from piece to piece, audience to audience, and, most profoundly, artist to artist. What is created surely has the potential and capacity for value; the question is whether it will be assigned such value by the one who makes it those who view it, or perhaps (and a likely possibility in today’s growing online and social media world) the likes and shares it accrues. While I believe art’s worthiness to be considered a work of art can be highly subjective, it nonetheless doesn't take away its ability to be or become one.

[nattie24]

Studio Project #3--A Visual Update!: Part 1

For this studio project, I am diving into the world of printmaking, particularly through the carving of linoleum blocks and the practice of lino-cutting. Aspects of line, value, and emphasis are believe are majorly in play during the design, creation, carving, and printing within this project, from knowing where to carve so the ink will fill and darken specific points of visual interest, to creating implied texture through the implementation of carved lines on the lino “canvas”.

Being my first experience with printmaking I am so excited to be learn about and having the opportunity to create and experiment with carving, soft linoleum, and, of course, ink!  I was inspired for my print through my love for flowers and floral prints, which was magnified through a magazine image (below) that I had found for a previous art activity. I knew I had to make it!

Although discussing in class that a printing press can perform the actions of lying down ink and pressing our carved images onto paper, I believe this project is an experience that not only teaches me about printmaking and the value of hand-crafted work, but also allows me to slow down and value art that, like this, has many steps, processes, and creative duration! I look forward to seeing how it turns out!

Above: Magazine image inspiration (as referenced above)

Above: Tracing of subject and tracing sheet (following imprint on lino block)

Above: competed print on Lino block

First 3 prints! (getting better over time :) )

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Above: A LITTLE something extra! (another print I made in class!)

[nattie24]

Must An Artist Have an Identifiable Style? What are the Benefits of Having or Not Having a Style?

No. As artists, I believe that one should not (unless it is of their choosing, specialty, and/or preference) have to be confined to a specific style. Art itself is dynamic in its design, movement, medium, and impact, and I believe artists should similarly have the ability if they so choose to create in this multi-faceted, non-defined way. While having an identifiable style may add to viewer-artist recognition and or may bolster a relationship between an artist and its work, it is not necessary and should be a requirement of an artist to incorporate and base one’s work off of. I do, however, believe that there can be benefit in having a identifiable style, for this can express what an artist can be truly passionate about, enjoys creating, and seeks to ultimately display and communicate to its audiences. A style can provide an artist with a sort of consistent identity--a clue that allows a viewer to pick out and know who an artist is by simply looking, and forges a powerful association between an artist and their work. On the other hand, there is also considerable benefit in not having a style. Just as art continues to advance and breaks barriers in what it is and can be, an artist with no particular style can also effectively participate in this endless-change of art culture. Incorporating various mediums, messages, and techniques to their work, artists can continually develop themselves and their craft, testing, like art itself, the boundaries (or lack thereof ) of what they can or thought they could create. By not having a style, artists can actively take part in the various forms of art that define it, keeping viewers constantly looking and wondering, and possibly even surprising themselves through pieces that they have never done before or had yet to make. Style or no style, I believe both practices of art are valid and equally profound, each, while different, giving a clear view as to who the creative makers are behind the galleries, buildings, and online threads we witness now and in the future.

[nattie24]

Studio Project #2: A Visual Update--Part 2!

I continued to refine my ideas and began constructing my zine! Page 1--accomplished! 

Above: In-depth zine sketch accompanied by initial research/sketch

Above: Close-up of in-depth sketch

Above: Page 1!

[nattie24]

What Are the Subjects, Issues, and Themes Important to Artists Working Today?

When considering the subjects, issues, and themes important to artists today, I believe there are a multitude to speak of. Today, specifically, I believe artists may especially responding, replying, and recollecting on the current status of the world, one presently enduring a global pandemic, an American presidential voting year, and one seemingly faced with newfound obstacles and circumstances that have made all of us pivot in one way or another. To these, I think there can be a lot to say, especially through art, whether it be a painted or photographed reflection on our current social distanced culture or the bustle of the political atmosphere, or quite perhaps the opposite, seeking to express or find creative outlets to what might otherwise (and would most probably) be overwhelming to endure, let alone all in one, nearly-9-month sitting. In addition to the current events of the world that most surely could be on their minds--and canvases--, I believe artists may also be seeking to define and redefine what art can convey and be composed of. Continually utilizing and experimenting with new materials, mediums, and techniques, I believe artists are most definitely proritizing exploration as well as analysis. Just as artists constantly test, refine, and reinvent what art is and could be, I also believe they also take time to depict and make sense of the world around them--a theme that I believe has been, and will never cease to be, in art. From the illustration of a city street on a rainy day, to the faces of people of a specific culture, religion, or region, to the everyday representations of nature, I believe artists continuously seek out and alter their muses. From this, I’m sure, so does the art they make.

[nattie24]

In What Ways Can Art Be Political? What Does Political Art Look and Sound Like?

Art, having the capacity to emulate and embody several roles, forms, and ideas, can most definitely be political or express certain beliefs or stances within the realm of politics. Whether it be depicting a political figure, symbols, colors, a particular party or cause, or simply using words to deliver a position, declaration, or call to action, art, a tremendously influential force, can play a significant part in expressing, depicting, or rallying attention to or recognition for political issues, people, and events. Political art, just like art itself, can take on several forms. From the large murals that consume tall city buildings, electrical boxes, or the sides of shops, to the canvases, posters, and online posts that can be shared and distributed to thousands, political art can appear bold and striking, adorned with bright colors, notable text (if any), and perhaps recognizable faces or faces we should recognize, even if it is not a single individual in particular. Political art can also be bold in its sound, perhaps through the physical sound of musical or audio-based art, or loud in terms of its composition and its ability to grab and hold a viewer’s attention. Whether having a specific idea, agenda, or party in mind, or instead spreading awareness for more a general political topic or practice such as voting, art can surely expand its abilities to and become immersed within the political world. Just as artists and the art itself have a general responsibility to create art that is passionate, considerate, and meaningful, such holds true in politics and the creatively expression or depiction of it. 

[nattie24]

How Do History and the Passage of Time Affect the Meaning of An Artwork?

I believe history and the passage of time can significantly affect the meaning of an artwork, whether it be changing meaning through different cultural or societal lenses that have and continue to develop, or shedding light and providing greater emphasis on subjects and ideas that we there all along or were ahead of its time. As time passes and years become decades that form our history as a world, a nation, or as people, the relevance and meaning of art can change, or just as similarly, stay the same. Like 17th Century paintings, for example, depicting dramatically stylized faces, elegantly eccentric clothing, and the presence of live musicians perhaps had a much different affect and meaning in comparison to today’s high-tech, diverse world. While in those days a work like that might be a mirror-image reflection of life, trends and values that were important and implemented, today, such aspects and art, while hailed for their historical importance and value, may not be as significant in its ability to capture the modern human experience, trends, and lifestyle of the 21st century masses. While holding the same if not more value today through its craftsmanship, attention to detail, and historic storytelling, an art piece from the past may not hold as much meaning in terms of its ability to connect on as personal a level as one that encapsulates the technology, fashion, and society we see in our everyday lives. Nonetheless, a work can grow exponentially in meaning through the passing of time, such as the paintings of Leonardo Divinci or the work of Michael Angelo that, though having lived and made art several centuries ago, are hailed today as some of the world’s most significant and influential creators and artworks. As their work has been studied and seen, it appears that history and time is simply a number, with its prevalence and value never ceasing to amaze and capture those who view it and provide meaningful inspiration to many. While art may change in its overall meaning in today’s world, all art, no matter its age, who it was by, or its significance, all has a important role in shaping what was, what is, or what could be--the difference being what still or is yet to have and hold an impact

[nattie24]

Balance Compositions!

Photos from our in-class activity today focusing on balance in composition! 

#1: Asymetrical Balance

#2: Symmetrical Balance

[nattie24]

Zine Project #2: A Visual Update!

For this zine project I was given the tasks of “analyze” (the why) and color and movement (the design elements/principles). 

In thinking about something to “think about”, I had come up with the idea of analyzing hands, their use, and their importance. Being something that is more difficult for me to craft, I look forward to the ways in which I can push myself with this project and expand my artistic abilities!

Above: Initial defining research and layout sketches

Above: a few “Google” searches to begin analyzing!