Book Binding Workshop: 4/23/10

Today we brainstormed ideas for our bigger book binding project. I figured at first that i would just make a sketchbook, but the problem was the word, "just" haha. So i thought about it a little more, and came up with something. While in Ecuador, I didn't journal that much, unfortunately, and a lot of my journals were addressed to my ex, who i'm clearly no longer with. Not only that, but for my journal, i also used a book him and i bound together, which would, under normal circumstances, be okay, but he's refused to speak to me over the past four months, and i kind of resent that a little. But anyway, i want to make my own post-Ecuador journal about my experience and for me completely. I want to include photos and my own synoptic stories of my experiences. I think it's going to be really cool and definitely really intentional and useful.

Book Binding Workshop: 4/21/10

Today we finished making the small books by gluing the folio to the cover. I was so excited to see it complete. I've made my own sketchbook and i think that's truly amazing. I created something I never even thought of making. Ever. It's stuff like this that makes me want to explore things I've never done before in college, because perhaps i haven't done the one thing i like doing more than anything in the world yet!

What I'm Doing Fourth Quarter

I'll be painting! I'm really looking forward to this. I don't really like using acrylic, and water based oils apparently don't function anything like them, so i'm excited to use this form of paint that i've never used before. I'm so used to drawing, and i think painting with either challenge my drawing ability and growth or support it. Or rather, my drawing will support my painting. I'm not quite sure what will happen, but i'll blog about it when i come to any realizations.

Book Binding Workshop: 4/16/10

In Friday's workshop, we created the covers for the books. They're really starting to come together. It's kind of awesome. I love seeing progression and seeing my work build up. And even though book binding is somewhat of a mechanical, technical process, it's still a release of creativity, i think. Creativity encapsulates two types of creations: creations for production purposes (like crafts, i guess) and creations for originality and one of a kind-edness. And this book binding is the former, as of now (the plumbing), but I think will gravitate more towards the latter upon making the second book.

Book Binding Workshop: 4/14/10

In today's workshop, we bound a small sketchbook. It was a lot easier than i thought it'd be. I had no idea a needle could go through several pieces of drawing paper. Which might sound silly, but whatever. I got really excited when he said we'd be making our own sketchbooks...so i can use this book for my own sketches and i made it from scratch. And Karl is REALLY cool and when i was drawing he was giving me advice, which is awesome. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this set of workshops.

Book Presentation

Over all, i thought my oral presentation went pretty well. I sufficiently spoke for five minutes about Molecules of Emotion and got across to my fellow STACies what i wanted to get across. On the other hand though, I should have done more preparation. I should have taken notes while reading or used post-its for what information i thought i'd use in my presentation so that I would have been more prepared and collected.

Realization

Last night, i drew Vincent Gallo half asleep using pencil. Pencil is probably the most controlled medium of all mediums. I haven't really drawn with pencil in a while...i've been using soft pastels, watersoluble graphite, charcoal, and brush markers. Those are pretty hard to master and control. Over time, with lots of practice and some screwing up, i've gotten better at all of them. It started off with charcoal..I did a LOT of charcoal drawings [i was in love with it]. Then from there, i got a good sense of control and i learned proportions pretty well. i was able to wrok with brush markers after that, which i fell in love with also. But i learned a good deal of...eyeballing things..i don't know what you'd call it. But i learned how to see things and how to replicate proportions at first attempt. Then i did a couple of watersoluble graphite drawings and soft pastel drawings, and those are more like paint, which is really cool. I imagine that if i ever start painting, it will make a nice segue.
So anyway, my realization was this: while drawing Gallo and this random dude the following day, i realized that i have SUCH control over my pencil now. These drawings are not realistic, but they show realistic factors and proportions. Not only that, but they greatly resemble the original subjects. It kind of blew my mind when i realized this. Because i was able to make a mere few strokes of my pencil and it suddenly already started looking like the person! IT'S SO AWESOME! I can't believe it. I love how so much practice with so many different mediums has made my drawings become so....easy and so accurate. I'm not tooting my own horn, here. I'm really just observing my progression and feeling very proud of how far i've come. This is truly amazing. I'm blown away. I reccomend this to any artist in any discipline using any medium. DO ART EVERY DAY.

Weekly Post

So i've been drawing portraits for 16 days now...today's will be my 17th. I like it, i like feeling proud of myself. I like watching my progression. You can really see how my art has been getting better and changing. Although it is a little tedious to draw every day, I think it's good for me. Not only artistically, haha, but mentally too. It's a good habit to get into. And i feel like i "have" to do it every day, but even when i don't really feel like i want to, i still want to because i like to draw, and when i get into it, i really get into it. which is why it's good for my brain, haha. So anyway, it's really coming along and i really, really like and appreciate the entire discipline thing. :)

Interesting

So i was just sitting here thinking about how much i like black and white cookies. They're balanced. hahhahaa.

Artist Statement

In my artwork, my objectives are subjective. I attempt to move myself. I strive to impact myself in the same way other artwork impacts me. I try to affect other people the way others have affected me. There’s nothing more satisfying and emotionally exhilarating than the feeling we get from absorbing a piece of artwork that encapsulates and relates to us completely. Pride consumes me when I am able to see that I can stir or have stirred people and how I can do the same to myself. My motivation is derived from this reality. It is the fuel to my fire.
Balance and contrast tend to be patterns in my work. In my photography, my photos are often slightly overexposed and highly saturated for a very high contrast appearance. The pieces of music I like usually have very distinctive beats and melodies creating contrasting sounds. My favorite subjects to draw are ones that are made distinct by intense lighting. Powerful shading and emphasis on shadows appeals to me most.
I was taught to draw individual features first when drawing portraits of people. I never really did this—I always found that when I did, the drawings would come out misshapen or plainly distasteful. I tend to draw the hard lines I see first—the outline of a cheek, a nose, a hairline, a chin, and things like that. I find this most helpful because everything on a face is relative to the things surrounding it. A portrait will end up looking most like a person if the features are properly positioned and proportioned in relativity to each other. Not only are my artistic objectives relative, but the content of my art is also relative to the subject, the media, and the matter itself.

DISCIPLINE BLOG

http://jessicasdiscipline.blogspot.com/

Recently

All I've wanted to do lately is draw. I have no idea why, but I'm like, having drawing cravings. So I'm taking advantage of this motivation and doing it whenever I get the chance to, really. I've been drawing faces and little random designs. I've noticed something about myself through my drawings...I like detail. I already knew that about myself, but it proves itself through my art. I like to draw faces and draw the little details that end up looking like a person when it's all done. I'm not good at seeing the whole picture. Like I'm not really good at drawing faces from afar...i can't seem to get the proper shapes of things. I focus too much on the little things, which become smaller as the face becomes smaller (being farther away) and those portraits don't end up looking as much like the people i'm drawing. Does this make sense? I kind of want to learn to see things more "wholistically," but is that possible? Or is that just how my brain works and sees things?

Enneagram Test

Type 2 - 11
Type 4 - 9.7
Type 9 - 9.3
Type 6 - 9.3
Type 5 - 6.3
Type 3 - 6.3
Type 1 - 6.3
Type 7 - 6

Wing 2w3 - 14.2
Wing 2w1 - 14.2
Wing 4w3 - 12.9
Wing 4w5 - 12.9
Wing 6w5 - 12.5
Wing 9w1 - 12.5
Wing 6w7 - 12.3
Wing 3w2 - 11.8
Wing 1w2 - 11.8
Wing 3w4 - 11.2
Wing 5w4 - 11.2
Wing 9w8 - 11
Wing 5w6 - 11
Wing 1w9 - 11
Wing 7w6 - 10.7
Wing 7w8 - 7.7



and, guess what? this is the first thing that the results said:

Enneagram Test Results

You are most likely a type 2.

Your wings seem to be balanced.

HAHA. BALANCED AGAIN. =)

Big Thing

I want my feat next semester to be a really long movie. Like a ten to twenty minute, extremely plot driven, intense movie. I'd have to write it first. But I don't really know anything about writing long scripts. Are there somethings I have to know? Or should i just go for it. I feel like it's kinda like how a short story writer eventually wants to write a book. Do they need to know something else about writing longer pieces? Are there any tips you can give me? I'd really love to get this done.

Core Values and Issues

I started off having a million words for my core values. Among them were balance, honesty, reciprocal care, reciprocation, detail, faces, shadows, lighting, depth, dimensions, measurements, trust, contrast, differentiation, relativity, subjectivity, distinctiveness, and definition. Of course, like last year, we narrowed everything down to balance. But if i had to choose three, they'd be balance, contrast, and detail. Balance because everything I do and want is balanced. I love symmetry, in fact most of my art is symmetrical. I adore balance in relationships--if someone does something for me, i like to reciprocate that action and if i do something nice for someone, i expect them to do the same for me. Contrast is found throughout all the things i like--i like music with contrasting sounds, a definitive and distinct beat. In my photography, i often overexpose my photos to get a high contrast look. I also often seek and create rich, saturated colors to create even more contrast and distinctiveness. My final core value is detail. I pay such close attention to detail, which is why i can get people to look like people when i draw them (i think?) and why i can remember small things throughout the day or about people, but not as a whole.

My issue is balance, but i don't really know how that's an issue. Perhaps, rather, imbalance is my issue. Balance is what I seek.