Blog Post #1 Practice Drawings

Blog Post #1
Shoe Practice
9/15/16

Blog Post #1 Shoe Practice Drawings

The first step I took to draw my practice shoes was sighting/measuring to make sure when I gestured that the proportion would be accurate. Then I lightly gestured in the outline of my shoe. When doing that I made sure that I used the measurements I found by sighting to make the drawing precise. I have done gesturing and pencil drawings before so I wanted to try to capture all the unique angles and details. Before going onto the contouring I double checked all my gestures and all the lines I made. I then took the time to carefully look at all the small details and started to contour. I tried to mostly look at the shoe so I could make it the most precise as possible for me. I also compared the size and shapes of the different parts of the shoe to make sure I was making the contouring lines in the correct area. After doing the first drawing (the side view) I wanted to take on an angles that I would really need to focus with (the front view). At first I struggled to get the overall shape of the shoe from the front view. The next day I took the shoe back out and having a fresh mind helped me narrow in on the right shape for the outside of the shoe. I took the same steps as the first drawing after completing the outline of the shoe.
The technique, sighting, is an important aspect when doing art. Before art exploration I had never used that technique before. I even messed up on my proportions in art class before we learned it. Sighting helps make sure you get the correct proportions for your drawing. It also helps to make sure that when you gesture you know how much room on the page you can use without cutting the drawing off or not being able to use the right measurements.

       The most challenging angle for me was the front angle. When thinking about a shoe the first thought that comes to me about the shape is that it is horizontally long and has curves just like feet. I looked at the shoe from the from angle and it wasn't like that. Since I have an simple idea of a shoe in my mind, when I saw it differently it was hard for me. I looked over the drawing many times and was constantly erasing and reconfiguring.

       The overall she was the main problem and like I talked about before, I solved the problem by coming to class the next day with a new positive mind set about the drawing. This made me optimistic and when I sat down to draw I had more confidence. I still had to gesture many times before getting it right however, I managed to overcome the problem. Another challenging aspect of the shoe for me was with the side view. As I drew the correct shape my eyes tricked me into slanting the whole shoe instead of just trying to get the illusion of an angle. I realize know when I do my final project I need too watch out for that.
       As we work on our projects one aspect that is standing out o me as improving is my proportions.  I know that countless time I have stared something and had to erase the whole thing because my proportions were off. I am grateful that we learned sighting because it has really helped me improve as an artist. 

       When first staring the final project I worried that because it was my first time using charcoal that I would not know how to use the materials properly. This made me think that I was going to mess up my project but as I practiced I realized it was just going to take time to get better at it. Like all other thing practice helps you improve. As I continue to us charcoal I find new and interesting ways to use the materials.