value appreciation

This assignment was actually quite frustrating. I tried to keep the shading equal with no gradation, but the slightest difference in pressure on the lead made a large difference. It took a little patience and a lot of concentration to keep the shade consistent with itself. I also ran into other problems making the grey scale. After the eigth shade I would realize that I couldn't make it any darker, and so I would have to begin again.
I thought the shape assignment was a little more fun because there was more freedom to create a larger, more incorporative design. In the scan below, some of the lighter greys did not register, but they are there. I tried to draw more than four different shades of grey, but it gets difficult to make the difference noticeable. I thought this design was more aesthetically pleasing than the grey scale, but if I were to redo it I would possibly leave negative space around the whole image.

At first, I thought lines and shapes were easily distinguishable, but after a while I found the boundaries between them to blur. Some very thick lines might be considered shapes and some thinner, slinky shapes might be considered lines. I find it hard to distinguish the difference. In terms of the string project, I thought it seemed silly in the beginning, but it turned out to be a pretty arduous assingment. At first, I was just concerned with covering the greatest amount of space with the string, but I later decided to focus my attention on a particular chair. I thought about how I could make it look "pretty", but it turned out to be a chaotic mess. This was definately something I've never done in class before and I apprecaite novelty, so it wasn't a bad time, even the unwrapping. If I had to do it again, I would have put more planning into it so that it would be easier to unwrap. If I had a lengthy amount of free time, it would be nice to map out a design with the string as well. This assignment did make me think about the relationship b/w line and shape b/c many shapes and lines were made with the intertwining string.

1.) A, B, and C are lines.
2.) D is a shape.
3.) A line is the continuation of a single point. It can vary in thickness. No point on a line can touch itself.
4.) A shape is a closed form that is two dimensional.

Assignment # 1

Description: This painting is composed of a yellow horizontal band than gradually fades darker into the left-hand side. The various figures create another horizontal plane that dissects the middle. The figures are surrounding by a pale green hue. The figures on the right side are generally darker than those on the left. There are also green, red, and white figures that contrast with the mostly dark figures. The right side consists mainly of women who gaze in the same direction, while the men stand on the left side. The men do not look in the same direction and have varied postures. In the center a brown, darkish hole appears and rising out of the left hand corner is a cross.

Interpretation: The pale colors suggest a dismal atmosphere. They also bring a foggy, unhealthy feeling to the air. There also seems to be a division between the darker, predominately female figures on the right and the more colorful, predominately male figures on the left. Some of the figures on the left are obviously of the cloth, and since my eye is drawn towards to them it suggests a hierarchy. My attention is also drawn towards the cross in the left hand corner. The clumping nature of the crowd gives the painting a chaotic feeling, but the uniformity of the women on the right side balance some of the chaos. The flowing horizontal planes do create a calmness though.

Evaluation: I don't really care for the pale, depressing colors. This painting seems really heavy and the subject matter isn't that interesting to me. None of the people seem to be really affected by what's going on around them. It seems to be a funeral, but only a few people seem like they belong there. The way the artist obviously put emphasis on the clerical people doesn't suit well with me either.