Art 3 Final: Reflection Essay

This art class this year was a roller coaster of experiences! Comparing it to all my previous art classes, this one was definitely challenging. Art 3 opened me up to so many different ways of art that I didn't know I could do. Most of the time I was always painting in previous art classes always wanting more; and boy did Art 3 deliver. The new knowledge and experiences were amazing, and I enjoyed every second of it. Art 3 help me realize that I good at making other versions of art that I didn't think I would be good at like oil painting, sculpting, and charcoal drawing. Though this art class was challenging, it really helped me see another side of art to a possibility that I might want to continue as a career.

The most important thing that I learned during this amazing Art 3 class was to pay attention to every little detail you see when looking, painting what you can see instead of what you assume. For example, during our oil painting project, I was struggling a lot to find the details in my still life contrast, which caused my painting to lose it realistic trait and contrasting points. I was really struggling during this time from the detail all the way down to the slightest contrast in color. My painting at one point started to get really flat and dull. Fortunately, I was able to learn by taking my time looking at my objects. This way I could pinpoint little details in my objects and paint them on my canvas. This new learned skill really also helped me putting what I see on my object down onto my canvas in the best way possible. Overall, this helped my painting look more realistic and 3D, and when I was done, I was shocked that I was able to paint something so realistic, which made me really proud of myself.

Looking back on the year I think an area that I need to improve on is my color theory and vibrancy of my color. Throughout the whole year I think I struggled with using colors that was going to help me painting either look darker or lighter. I was never able to find the middle when I came to color theory. To improve on this problem, I probably would start to experience more with color in my paintings, that way I can see what works and what doesn't work. Soon, I would be able to fully grasp the understanding the idea of color theory, which will greatly help my works in the future.

Overall, I think the things that I learned in this class I will definitely carry with me towards future projects. Finding the little details, painting what I see instead of what I assume, and grasping the idea of color theory really well will help me greatly in improving my work for future projects!