Sustained InvestigationIdentify the questions or inquiry that guided your sustained investigation. I have always been fascinated by fashion and film. This curiosity led me to a passion for costume design. In my sustained investigation, I chose to explore ways in which I could artistically demonstrate the costume designing process. I wanted to incorporate my own experiences with costume design and costume construction into each piece. I analyzed different ways to represent a costume developing from a script analysis to a finished garment. This led me to create a chronological sequence of events where each vision shows a step in the costuming process. Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your questions or inquiry. The first piece I created was #3, but after finishing this work I realized that I needed to add a piece before it. I chose bright and vibrant colors in piece #1 to show the hopeful feeling I have during a script analysis, but the theme I established in #1 differed from the theme I previously established in #2,3. After finishing #1, I removed the elements I attached to the canvas in #2, and replaced them with new elements that would continue the theme I established in #1. The variety of materials in #3 are used to demonstrate the changing and chaotic atmosphere of the early stages of costuming. Piece #1Title: Real Imagination Size: 9" x 12" Materials: Prismacolor pencils, toned paper. Processes: Exploring shapes and colors of different solar systems, visual scene emerges from movie script. PlanningIn progressFinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? For this work I wanted to create a blended piece to show a blurred relationship between reality and imagination. Originally, I thought I might want to use watercolor to best convey this. However, I also wanted the colors to be really bright and vibrant. I really like the way prismacolors blend, and I knew that I could make the colors as bright and vibrant as I wanted with prismacolors, so I decided to use prismacolors for this piece. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The idea of this artwork is to show what someone would imagine while they are reading something. In my portfolio specifically, the purpose for this piece is to set the tone for what the rest of the portfolio would look like. This is a similar process to costume design, and how the script is always the starting/reference point throughout the creative process. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? I had a clear vision for what I wanted to create for this piece, but I spent most of my time finding an interesting composition that would be able to fit everything I wanted to incorporate. I also already knew how to use prismacolor pencils which helped me understand how to layer and blend the colors to get the finished product. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. To create this piece, I started with my compositional sketches. When I found the composition that I liked best I made a color sketch to help identify what colors I wanted to use in different areas. Then I started the outline of my piece on toned paper. After I finished my sketch I started with the prismacolors and I worked in three different sections. I began with the top portion of the page that shows outer space before I worked on the middle sky and then the bottom of the page. Finally, I added in some lighter highlights and darker shadows to help add depth to the work. Piece #3Title: Inspiration Point Size: 16" x 18" Materials: Pencils, fabric swatches, sketchbook paper, canvas, oil paint, magazine clippings, zipper, button. Processes: Experimenting with different scenarios, color combinations, and materials for piece #3. Planningin Progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? For this piece, I wanted to show how a costume designer would take what they read in a script and create a mood board out of those ideas. My plan was to sew on different items a designer would put on a mood board. In order to accomplish this, I knew that I had to be creative with what type of surface I chose. If I used paper, it would tear and bend due to the weight of the items I wanted to use. I decided to use a canvas instead because I knew that it was strong enough to hold the weight of the items I was planning on using. I also debated whether to attach an actual cork board to my canvas, or whether I should paint a cork board. In order to keep with my original idea, I realized that it would work better to sew items onto a canvas rather than sewing through a cork board. This is why I decided to use paint on the canvas for everything except for the items I attached to the board. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work of art is to show what a costume designer would create after reading a script. The first piece of my portfolio demonstrates what a designer would envision while reading a script. My first piece connects to this piece because it turns the tone of the script and the designer's imagination into a mood board that serves as a guide for the rest of the designing process. These first few pieces are critical to the rest of the portfolio because they set the overall mood of the works as a whole, and serve as a guide to keep everything unified. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? The materials I chose to incorporate on the cork board are pinned and sewed onto the canvas making it very easy to take off and add something new. I wanted to incorporate this changeable aspect into my piece because the artistic process is full of revision and changes. I also wanted to show that a costume designer may start out with one idea, but tweak it throughout the process of creating the costumes. This is also what I ended up doing to my piece. The second piece I made goes before this one in the order of my portfolio, and originally I had different items sewed onto the canvas. However, after creating the piece that would go before this one in my portfolio, I realized that the two did not connect very well. I then re-designed the items I put onto my canvas in order to match the tone of the first piece. This helps add a unified aspect to my portfolio, and it works better in demonstrating the connections between the steps in costume design. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started out by researching examples of mood boards costume designers would create. I then drew different compositional sketches to find what composition I thought would best convey the meaning of the work. Next, I painted the background of the canvas to get the scenery for the mood board. Finally, I used my second piece to serve as a guide for the items I would attach to my canvas in order to keep a consistent tone throughout my portfolio. Piece #4Title: Sketching a Plan Size: 4" x 5" Materials: Camera, paper, pencils, fabric, thread, pin cushion, sewing pins, thimble, scissors, measuring tape. Processes: Sketches formed from vision of piece 2, sewing materials add to the costuming atmosphere. Planningin progressfinalReflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? This piece took a lot more research and planning than my first two because I did not have a clear idea of what I wanted in mind. I did a lot of research, looking at different costume sketches and how a designer would work with a director to choose which ones fit the tone of the film the best. Originally, my plan was to create something like my mood board where I would attach the sketches I made onto a surface I had created. However, I liked the idea of photography better because I would not have to scale down any of the items. I still created multiple different costume sketches to use in my photograph, and I incorporated some of the same fabric pieces from the mood board to show consistency throughout my portfolio. I also added in different sewing items a seamstress would use to sew to change the composition and add some variation to the work. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work of art is to represent how a costume designer will create multiple different sketches of different costumes, and revise them to get the final costume they are working towards. I also wanted to show how a designer may take inspiration from other materials like the colors in a spool of thread, or the shapes of different types of fabric. The pencil in the front of the photograph is also purposefully so close to the camera because I wanted to emphasise that the pencil was all that was used to create the sketches, but also that I was able to take inspiration from the things around me. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? I took a lot of different pictures, with the sketches and sewing items all in different arrangements. Balancing out the colors was also a difficult part of finding a good composition because all of the sewing notions at the bottom of the picture have color, but the sketches are all in black and white. I had to experiment with where I should add color to create a unique balance between the black and white, and colored elements in my work. When I found a composition that I liked, I started experimenting with the cropped and wide lens options on my camera. I was drawn to the bent look of the wide lens option, so I worked more with this style and I ended up taking my final picture with this option. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. With this work, I started by working on the sketches I would include in the photograph. I used my script imagination piece to help guide me in the creation of these different costumes, so that they would fit into the theme of my portfolio. When I finished my sketches I started gathering different objects to include in my picture. I started experimenting with different items and different compositions until I was able to find an interesting arrangement. Then I worked with different settings on my camera to take different pictures from multiple angles. Finally, I went through all of the photos I took, and I edited them until I liked the final product. Piece #5Title: Counting Lines Size: 12" x 8" Medium: Graphite Pencil Planningin Progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? In my AP Portfolio, the first piece is really vibrant, and the pieces after gradually lose saturation. In keeping with this loss of color pattern, I decided to experiment with graphite for my piece. Using graphite would also allow me to create a black and white piece, which gives the work an older tone. Having something that has an older feel to it communicates the idea that even through all of the technological advancements there have been with sewing, we still use an old tape measure to take measurements. Before I started my drawing, I was debating between two different compositions. Both of them had an interesting perspective; however, I thought that the one I ended up choosing was better at conveying my of measuring. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this piece is to show a step in the costume designing process for a costume designer. This piece focuses on taking measurements, which are then used to properly construct a costume that will fit an actor. Measuring is an important step in the costume designing process because it ensures that the costumes will look and fit in the way a costume designer originally intended. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? I started this piece by taking photos of different compositions that I was interested in. I narrowed it down to two different photos, and I created a sketch of each. When comparing these two sketches, I liked the composition of the piece I chose because I was able to show measuring in a clearer way. These practice sketches helped me decide which composition would best fit in the overall theme of my portfolio. While I was creating my work, I focused more on the shadows of the image I was creating. This flattened out my piece and left it with little contrast. In order to pull some of the highlights back into my work, I used a kneaded eraser to add in more highlights and create depth in my piece. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this work by roughly sketching different compositions I would like before I took my reference photos. Planning my photos ahead of time made it easier for me to get the compositions I wanted. Then I took a variety of photos from different angles with different compositions. I sorted through these to find the top two I liked. I then created loose sketches of each photo to help me decide which one I would do for my final work. Once I had picked the photo I liked, I started my final piece by outlining the basic shapes. Then I started filling in the piece, adding shading and darker values. My last step was to use a kneaded eraser to lift some of the highlights and add more contrast in my work. Piece #6Title: A Pattern Piece Size: 9" x 18" Medium: Prismacolor pencils Planningin progressfinalReflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? With this piece I wanted to incorporate a pattern into it. Originally I was going to show a pattern within the artwork, but then I started to brainstorm different ways I would be able to incorporate an actual pattern into my piece. I decided to use a pattern piece to draw different stages of sewing because I thought that this best represented how important a pattern is. Since the pattern paper is thin and easily breakable, I wanted to use a medium that would work well with the paper. I also wanted to use vibrant colors, so I chose to draw with prismacolor pencils. This choice ties in with the first artwork of my portfolio which I also used prismacolor pencils for. I incorporated some elements from that piece into this piece in order to tie my portfolio together. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this piece is to show the role patterns play in the sewing process. There are different stages of sewing represented in this piece that range from drawing a pattern, to cutting fabric, to fitting fabric, to sewing fabric. The last stage shows someone wearing the final piece, which started from the beginning of the process. I drew these stages on a pattern piece because my portfolio is in chronological order and I wanted to show that with this work, the pattern is the main focus. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? I drew different compositional sketches to help me decide what type of pattern piece would best work with the composition of the stages I wanted to include. I thought that the curved pieces added an interesting dynamic to the piece, so I chose to use this for my final work. After I had a base level for all of the colors, I went back in to add more shadows and highlights into the piece. Then I started to revise the final garment I had drawn in order to match the theme from the first piece in my portfolio. This helps connect the different pieces in my portfolio, and shows a consistent theme throughout all of the works. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. With this work, I started by creating different compositional sketches of the stages of sewing that I wanted to incorporate on different types of pattern pieces. Once I had decided to use a curved pattern piece, I chose a pattern piece that had a similar shape and that was large enough to fit everything I wanted to include. Then I sketched out the elements in my piece before I started adding color. After I had my base layers of color, I added in shadows and highlights to bring depth into the scenes. I also changed the final scene by altering the garment to match my other pieces, and by adding in more colors to the plants in the background. piece #7Title: Purples and Blues Size: 3" x 5" Medium: Photography planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? Something that interests me about sewing is the way that different types of fabric take different types of shapes, and how these shapes can blend and change. I wanted to show this idea in the shapes and colors of this piece, while also keeping a realistic look. I chose to use photography because I knew that I would be able to capture the various colors and shapes fabric makes, while also emphasising these qualities in Adobe Illustrator. While I was planning for this piece, I used both the picture editing tools on my iPhone as well as the image tracing tools in Illustrator. This helped me find the right balance between the programs, and this helped me figure out which software I could use to edit the picture in a certain way. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this artwork is to emphasise the role fabric plays in the sewing process. I wanted to show the various shadows, highlights, shapes, colors, textures, etc. that come from fabric, so I decided to use different types of patterns with different types of fabrics in my piece. I also chose to alter the color pallette of my original photo to include more cool toned colors because I wanted to help connect the pieces in my portfolio to one another. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Before I started working on my final piece, I took various photos with different fabrics in different arrangements and tried editing them in different ways. From this, I found the style I wanted to stick to, the fabrics I wanted to use, and the software that would help me accomplish the look I was going for. I spent the most time editing the colors in the picture because I wanted to keep some of the original colors while also bringing in new colors. Practicing with color palettes before I started my final piece helped me work more efficiently when I was working on my final artwork. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started with some loose compositional sketches of different ideas I had for my work. Then, I took some practice photos where I experimented with different lighting, fabrics, and editing techniques until I found a style that I liked. After this, I set up the fabrics that I wanted to incorporate and took many different pictures that had different compositions with different fabric placements. Once I found the picture I wanted to use, I went back and forth between the editing software on my iPhone and Adobe Illustrator until I was able to find an alteration of shapes and colors I liked. piece #8Title: Supplies Still Life Size: 4" x 6" Medium: Chalk Pastel planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? With this work, I wanted to explore materials that differed from what I had previously used throughout my portfolio. Since this work was intended to be a still life, I wanted the materials to convey a soft look and feeling for the piece. I chose to work with chalk pastels because I liked how limited the color palette was, and how soft the application is. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work is to show the different materials that are used for sewing. I wanted to highlight the importance of these materials because they are essential for effectively constructing a garment. I used a variety of items to create height and depth within the piece, and I used the measuring tape to add an interesting dynamic. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? First, I experimented with different mediums before choosing to work with chalk pastels. Practicing with the application of the chalk pastels and recognizing how they differ from other mediums helped me understand how to effectively use the materials prior to starting my final piece. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this process by setting up a still life and finding a composition through photography. Then I experimented with different mediums to find one that would work best for this piece. The chalk pastels had a limited color palette, so I had to make a plan of color adjustment before starting my final piece. piece #9Title: Cutting Lines Size: 3" x 5" Medium: Pen on Fabric planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? Since this piece was suppose to represent the fabric cutting stage of sewing, I wanted to use fabric as a part of my materials. I experimented with using paints and pens to see what would work best on the fabric. I chose to use only a black pen on cotton fabric because I liked how vibrant the colors looked. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work was to show the stage of cutting fabric in the sewing process. This chronologically connects my portfolio because each piece follows one another in the stages of costuming. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? In order to find what materials would work best with the cotton fabric I had chosen, I had to practice with different mediums first before starting my final project. This helped me identify what materials I could use for my piece, and which materials would look best with the fabric. I also experimented with different compositions before I started my final piece, and this helped me find a viewpoint that was interesting and had different dynamics. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this work by photographing different compositions with my fabric and my scissors. I then experimented with different mediums to find what would look and work the best for my piece. While creating my piece, I looked for the differences in highlights and shadows to represent through different types of lines. I also had to draw over the lines I created multiple times to ensure that the color would be vibrant enough to show the contrast between the black pen and the white fabric. piece #10Title: Red Pin Cushion Size: 6" x 8" Medium: Prismacolor Pencils on Grey Paper planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? With this piece, I wanted to have bright and vibrant colors because I wanted the red pincushion to stand out. I experimented with different fabric colors to see what would help the pincushion stand out the most before I started my final piece. I chose to use prismacolors because I like how vibrant the colors look, and this would help the red pincushion stand out against the blue fabric. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work was to show the importance of the pincushion and pinning in the sewing process. One thing my apparel teachers emphasize the most is how important pinning is for successfully constructing a piece. This is why I wanted to include this process in my portfolio in an interesting and dynamic way. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Since I was familiar with the properties of prismacolors, I did more color experimentations to see what would help the colors pop the most. I also used photography to capture different compositions that included different hand and pin positions. I was able to use these photos to help identify what composition would work the best for the purpose of this piece. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I first experimented with different compositions through photography. I used different fabrics to capture different colors and evaluate which ones worked the best for my piece. I then chose the photo I liked the best to use as my reference for my final piece. The prismacolors I used slightly differed from the actual colors of the photo, which helped me create a larger contrast between the red pincushion and the blue fabric. Piece # 11Title: Blue Machine Size: 6" x 8" Medium: Oil Pastels on Blue Paper Planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? With this work, I chose to use oil pastels because I wanted the strokes to look wider and heavier. I used these strokes in order to represent the size and weight of a sewing machine. I also had a limited amount of colors to use with the oil pastels, which helps bring the attention to the areas of red and blue. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work is to show the next step of the sewing process. This step involves using a sewing machine to sew the fabric. The sewing machine is an important part of sewing large items because it is faster and the stitches can be more precise. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Since I didn't have a lot of experience with working with oil paints, I practiced using the materials before I started working on my final piece. I also originally intended for this work to only include the blue as a pop of color, but after seeing how this looked on my piece, I decided to add the red to help balance out the color. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this work by setting up my sewing machine and finding a composition through photography. Once I found a composition that I liked, I started practicing with the oil pastels to understand its properties. Then I started sketching out my final piece before I started adding the oil pastels. piece #12Title: Fabric Under Foot Size: 7.25" x 9.75" Medium: Prismacolor pencils on toned paper. planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? I created this work last semester and part of the project requirements were to use prismacolor pencils. I was already familiar with prismacolor pencils, so I only did a few color sketches to practice before starting on my final piece. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this work was to show something that represented my interests, and that had reflective qualities in it. Since the main interest of my work involves sewing, it fit in well with my portfolio which revolves around sewing. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Since I already had practiced with prismacolor pencils, I was familiar with the application techniques needed to successfully accomplish the piece. This previous experience helped me more accurately and realistically create the work. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this work by setting up my sewing machine and and taking multiple photos with different compositions. I then chose the composition I liked the best and used it as my reference photo for the creation of my final piece. Piece #13Title: Fabric Point Size: 8"x 10" Medium: Oil paint on canvas. PlanningIn progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? Since I was nearing the end of my portfolio, I wanted to circle back around to using oil paint which I had only used once in my portfolio for my second piece. There was also a lot of different colors in the fabric I used, and I wanted to ensure that I would be able to capture the vibrancy in my final piece. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The purpose of this piece is to show that typically once you have finished using the sewing machine, you then move on to the intricate details with hand sewing. It was important for this piece to follow the two pieces before it because those pieces both involved using the sewing machine. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? I started my piece by painting the blue color of the background, but after I had finished the colors in the bottom half, I went back and changed the color of the blue. Changing the color of the background helped connect all of the colors together, and made the contrast between the top and the bottom half of the canvas more appealing to the eye. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started this piece by setting up different fabrics with my hand needle before deciding which fabric would look the best. I then photographed different angles to capture different reflections of the fabric in the hand needle. Once I had chosen a composition I liked, I started by sketching out the shapes on the canvas. Then I worked from the top down to the bottom before going back to the top and changing the background color. Piece #14Title: Red Jacket Size: 7" x 7" Medium: Prismacolor pencils on toned paper. planningin progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? With this work, I wanted to return to the materials I worked best in because it was one of the last pieces in my portfolio. I also wanted the colors to look bright and vibrant, and I thought that I would be able to capture this best with prismacolor pencils. The red color of the fabric also connects back to the red fabric used in piece 10 of my portfolio. The colors are also bright and vibrant in piece 10, so I wanted to ensure that this would remain consistent in this piece with different materials. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The idea of this work is to show someone trying on the costume that was sewn together. This piece is near the end of my portfolio because it is one of the last steps of the entire costuming process. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Since I had used prismacolor pencils before, I was already familiar with their properties. This experience helped me successfully create my final piece because I knew how to accurately layer the colors in order to make them bright and vibrant. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. I started by finding different zippers with fabric to see which colors I thought would best fit into my portfolio. I then chose to use the red fabric, and I took different photos from different angles to find a composition that I liked the best. Then I started sketching out my final piece before I added in the prismacolors. piece #15Title: Dressing Room Size: 6" x 8" Medium: Prismacolor pencils on toned paper. planningin Progressfinalreflection1) Describe your investigation of materials? How do the materials you chose relate to or effectively communicate the idea behind your work? Since this was the last work in my portfolio, I wanted to use the materials I liked working with the most. I chose to use the prismacolor pencils because I could add in all of the details and the vibrant colors I wanted to include in this final piece of my investigation. 2)Identify the purpose, meaning, or overarching idea of the work of art. The idea of this piece is to show the last stage of costuming in the dressing room where actors are put into character before the performance. This piece concludes the chronological series of events in my portfolio, so it was important for me to bring back some of the elements I used throughout my investigation. 3)How did practice and revision guide your end product? Since I had used prismacolors multiple times throughout my portfolio, I was already experienced with the medium. This helped me work more efficiently on my final piece because I had already built up the techniques I needed to create the piece. 4) Describe your process when creating this work. With this work, I researched many different types of dressing rooms before finding some that had the qualities I was looking for. I used a combination of these pictures to create a sketch that I used to help guide me in my final piece. Final reflectionMy experience this semester with AP 2-D Design was really beneficial and helped me grow as an artist. Having the ability to come up with our own ideas for projects was both challenging and liberating. I had a lot of different ideas for each of my pieces, but I struggled with the reality of creating my visions. Since we only had one semester to create 15 works, I only had about a week to make each piece. This was a big challenge for me especially because I like to take my time on my pieces and I don't work very quickly. Because of this, I didn't feel like some of my pieces were as strong as they could have been if I had the ability to spend more time working with my ideas and working on my piece. I liked how College Board only gave us 100 characters to explain each of our pieces because I felt like it really pushed me to get straight to the point of each work I created. Writing about my works also helped me explore my decision making process, and helped me make more thoughtful decisions with each work I started. Overall, I am very proud of what I was able to accomplish this semester. I think that having Art 4 last semester to help me explore my skills and find which mediums I like working with the best was really helpful in making this semester run smoother. However, since we had a lot of time to work on each piece in Art 4 I wasn't truly prepared for how fast this semester would have to go. I understood that we would really only have a week to do each project this semester, but I didn't really grasp that concept until I had finished my first few pieces. I think if I would have been better prepared for the lack of time this semester, I could have adjusted my working pace a little in order to create some better pieces.
0 Comments
|