Fort Zumwalt North High School - O'Fallon MO
2017 - 2018
---
Breadth Section
---
Concentration Section
The focus of my concentration is illustrating the emotions and themes in Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die album. She construes the joy of youth combined with the glamour of Old Hollywood, juxtaposed with the gloomy feelings of heartbreak. I wanted to keep my color palette consistent to convey the vision of the album. “The Red String” portrays a complicated relationship. The string references a Chinese fable about a red string that connects two soulmates. In my interpretation, the man is holding the string rather than being connected to it, and her hand is made of string, expressing how she sees him as her soulmate, but he does not feel the same. He has the power to unravel and destroy her, yet she can do nothing because of her love for him. In “Carmen”, the subject is depicted as being both lively and devastated. The symbol of Yin and Yang delineates the contradicting aspects of the subject’s life: dismal yet balanced. Red and yellow were mixed together to create a feeling of elation versus red and blue to illustrate the more poignant emotion. Through my investigation, I was able to advance my understanding of mixing skin tones, as well as the undertones that are present in order to add depth and richness to the painting. Overall, I want the combination of the ideas of elation and devastation to create a feeling of melancholy apprehension.
---
What are some of the most important skills you draw upon to create your work?
When creating a painting, I always make sure to make the initial drawing as accurate as I can. This ensures that I will get a result I am happy with. I then mix the colors I need, and try to make the application as smooth as possible to create the correct texture. By understanding the basics, you can create anything you want.
What are the most important aspects of your work? Why do you believe it to be successful?
I think the most successful aspects of my work is my ability to create portraits. That is something I am most proud of, as I have improved so much since the beginning of the year. I now understand the shape of a face and how to utilize shadows and highlights to create dimension.
What are some of the most significant things you learned through your AP Studio experience?
Overall, it is great to see my progress throughout the year, and even just my concentration section has evidence of improvement. But I think the most significant thing I learned was how to create skin color. It was something I had never done before this class, and with lots of practice, I finally could mix accurate colors.
What advice would you give other artists coming into AP Studio Art to help them find success?
For incoming artists, I would definitely recommend utilizing the time you are given. Personally, I would procrastinate constantly, and it made my life a lot harder than it needed to be. Of course it is easier said than done, but time management will make the year go by smoothly, and you will have enough time to get the results you want.