Sketch Book - Front & Back Cover & Reflection

I started with my Reflection, which led me to the theme of spring and flowers for my front and back cover. The colors are beautiful and they remind me of the blooming flower season. I like the looks of cursive writing, which fits perfectly with the girly look. Not only that, but I also drew these sketches during my Spring 2011 semester.

Writing the reflection really made me realize how far I've come. My drawing skills have definitely improved, and I feel that I am not the same anymore when it comes to art. My critical thinking about concepts and details are stronger now, and I want to continue to further my understanding.

Front Cover

Back Cover

My Reflection

Sketch - Outside Macro Sketch

The purpose of this sketch was to draw 4 vignettes of different objects close-up and turn each object into a work of art. I chose to sketch a pinecone, a plant, mushrooms, and a rock. I feel that this sketch was successful, and there would be nothing that I would change. I focused more on the layout of my 3x3 boxes because I believe that it is what makes this drawing stand out.

Sketch - Building Construction

This sketch was something of your choice that must be real. I chose my drawer in the studio. I used a lot of contrast to show the shape and form of the object, but by using only one color was quite challenging. I think that this sketch is successful because I was able to show the form through the light and dark areas.

Sketch - Kitchen Still-Life

The purpose of this sketch was to create a still-life on a table using kitchen/eating items and an unexpected item, considering the different textures, value changes, and volume of each. Sketching a still-life have always been a challenge for me because it is difficult to make sure everything is in perspective. I started building the still-life with a cupcake, then I added the wine glass and chopsticks. For the unexpected item, I chose a pair of pearl earrings to represent a girl. Since the chopsticks is very Asian and the wine glass is very American, I decided to capture the mood of the drawing as "Cute Asian American Girl." What I found quite interesting were the textures because I had to figure out how to color and shade each object to make it look like it's the right texture. I feel that this sketch was a success, but what I would do to make it better would be to try to draw it from one perspective.

Sketch - Value Study in Line

The purpose of this sketch was to draw two sketches of the same place on the same sheet of paper, but different ways of showing line weights and contrast. The place of the building needs to show a window wall, back wall, floor, and ceiling. I chose to draw our studio room. The top sketch shows the value of the space by using line weights, and the bottom sketch shows the value by using high contrast as the shadow. I think that I wouldn't change anything because it has fulfilled the purpose.

Sketch - Erased Negative Space

The purpose of this sketch was to use only shading and erasing of any object that has interesting voids. I shaded the background and then erased the graphite to show the frame of the flowers. This sketch was pretty difficult because it was not easy to erase the graphite off. Therefore, it doesn't have a clean look to the drawing. What I would do to fix this is to erase the graphite more to show the figure clearly.

Sketch - Still Life Cross-Section

The purpose of this sketch was to slice a fruit or vegetable that has an interesting interior and place it with two other fruits or vegetables as a still life. I chose to use bell peppers and a lemon. I used the scribbling technique, which I think was successful to show the details of the vegetable's shape and figure.

Sketch - Napkin

This sketch was drawn on a 5x8 white napkin of the floorplan and elevation of where you live. I drew the floorplan of my apartment and my kitchen as the elevation. I also annotated the drawing to indicate which part was which. It actually took me a few tries to make this drawing turn out right because if you don't press gently, the napkin will rip. I thought that this sketch idea was pretty creative because if there wasn't a paper anywhere and you have an idea, it's great to use whatever that is in front of you.

Sketch - Chair Negative Space

I selected a chair from a magazine that had an open back to the seat, in order to show the shape of the chair in a negative form. As you see, the negative space is shaded in and it outlines the chair. What I would have done differently was to challenge myself by sketching the chair at the same time while shading because what I did was that I sketched the shape of the chair first and then shaded around the chair second.

Sketch - Black Paper

The objective of this sketch was to create an illusion through the use of colors and a sketching technique of an architectural element on a black sheet of paper. I chose to draw a hinge on a closet. It was a bit confusing and challenging at first because I didn't know how to create an illusion by using so many different colors that are nothing like the original piece, but I figured it out my second time. I'm actually satisfied with this sketch because I feel that I fulfilled the purpose of this assignment.

Sketch - Figure Tracing from Photograph

We had the opportunity to choose a random picture with a person sitting, running, standing, or walking. I chose one of my favorite celebrities and traced the her figure position. What I could have made this better was to use different size ink pens so it would differentiate the parts of her body so it would be easier to understand.

Sketch - Figure Tracing

The purpose of this sketch was to trace two figure drawings and then freehand the rest to fill up the page. This was my first time drawing anthropometrics, which I thought was a great experience as an introduction to these type of figures. These figures were also quite a challenge for me because I couldn't draw them in proportion. I need to practice more so I can sketch these faster and look neat at the same time.

Sketch - Room Corner

The objective of this drawing was to sketch an interesting corner from an angle that does not show too much ceiling or too much floor. The technique I chose to use was cross hatching. The closer lines show the darker areas and it also adds shadow and contrast. What I could fix about this sketch would be to use thinner lines and add more lines. I think it would look much better and more professional.

Sketch - Mind Map

The purpose of this sketch was to think of a word that interests you in the design field and center it in the middle of the paper. Then, you were to connect the word to whatever comes to your mind and continue for about 15 minutes. I chose the word 'beauty' because it is what I see when I think about design. I think that this is a great way to express my mind, thoughts, and feelings. What I would change about this sketch is the layout that I chose. I didn't see the other examples on Angel besides the first one, and I think that the other examples are more aesthetically pleasing to me.

Sketch - Chair

The chair I chose was one of the chairs from our studio. I was curious about why we use these kind to work on projects. The adjustments of the seat height that are available can be helpful and convenient to a person. What I could have done better was to draw the chair more in proportion to match the perspective that I observed from. I think if I were to use a smaller tip sharpie, it would be easier to see and understand the details.

Sketch - Fruits

In order to bring out the shape and forms of the fruits, I used the technique called "Cross-hatching." I also used it to differentiate the relationship between the surface and the wall. This was the first time I tried the cross-hatching technique, so it was challenging for me. It was hard for me to show the different values of shading and to create a 3-Dimensional figure. What may have helped me was if I used smaller and more strokes.

Sketch - Keys

The purpose of this sketch was to draw clean lines with no erasing, and to enlarge the keys to fit the size of the paper. No specific technique was mentioned, therefore, I used the scribbling technique in different directions for the shading. I feel that this sketch was a success and there's nothing that I would change besides centering the keys more.