Art diary and final reflection

Art Diary and Final Reflection
My final artwork project was divided into two phases. The first was an experiment on mixing paints and what the effects would be. The second part was the final reflection where I recount my main project’s entire process.
Part 1: Experiment on Mixing Paint.
Test Light Glow Effect.
For this part, the desired effect was to achieve a light glow effect on the painting I had done. I began by testing a bit of yellow colored ink and mixed it with acrylic. The ratio of mixing was about 80% of the yellow ink with 20% of acrylic. I then added a glow to the solvent at a ratio of 1:1 with the paint. The results were incredible and could be adequately seen when in the dark once lights were turned off. The biggest advantage of this glow paint was that it could stay as such for up to 72 days. This was according to the instructions that I used to combine the mixture. Below is the result of the experiment.

Test Flame Color Effect with ink and Light Glow
Next, I wanted to achieve a flame color, and this would be accomplished by mixing acrylic paint. The colors combined were orange and a light glow solvent. They would be mixed in a ratio of 50% orange and 50% solvent. The result, however, was not what I expected.

Test Mixture of Orange color Ink with Light Solvent.
I made a mistake by using a ratio of 50% to 50%, as the mixture was “too liquid like” and could not produce the desired effects. I thus realized that apart from the solvent, I also needed to use gel so that the mixture would be stable and ultimately create a thick texture.

Test the texture by adding gel to ink
Once I added the gel, the mixture appeared as such.

Test clear orange ink with gel
Upon mixing gel and the orange ink, the resultant combination was a very smooth texture, and the mixture became thick. It could stand on the surface of the canvas.
Test with both gel and light glow solvent
The painting looked like this after.

Test mixture of red and orange acrylic, ink and gel.

Test mixture red, orange and yellow acrylic, ink and gel.
I found the best results once I mixed the color, ink, and solvent. I thought of adding yellow ink to make the painting even more real than it was before. Once I did this, I had my desired flame effect just like a chemist. To achieve this glow I used the following formula:
4% gel 76% ink 20% acrylic of red, orange and yellow colors. I then added a small amount of lemon juice to reduce the time it would take for the painting to dry. I poured the mixture on the canvas and allowed it to dry. This took about 24 hours, as this time would make sure that the painting dried properly. Lastly, I added a layer of reflex gloss to give it a shiny effect when exposed to the light.
The Skull Eye Meaning and Design
My love for games inspired this design and playing around with words and artwork.

The game represented the contrast between the past and future. The phrase GAME OVER spoke of what I felt about the past. It was done and over with, and I no longer live in that period. Now I changed it to CAME OVER that represented the future. I also designed it as a clock to show that time had moved and I no longer lived in the past.
The idea of “Transmigration” and the design of the skull eye.
Transmigration refers to move from one state of existence to another, spiritually rather than physically. Many understand it to mean the renewal of life. On a personal note, I find that growing up brings with it the ability to trust people and gain confidence that I previously did not have. I became emancipated, felt free and was able to think on my own. I chose to use the chronometer as the eye of the skull rather than the clock. My thinking behind this decision was that I saw the clock as a timing device that kept track of how time went by. The time clock is something I am unable to control. Therefore, the chronometer was easier to control as I could start and stop time whenever I wanted. I used the rhinestone to attract the viewer’s attention. The stone is not actual stone but plastic that I bought from an art shop. Once light is shined on the rock, it tends to reflect light in our eyes. This reflection of light is comparable to memories flashing in bits and pieces in my mind and through eye contact with all those who viewed the painting and would lead them to their imaginations.
Eye of the Soul
The saying goes that “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”

We use our eyes for a variety of purposes including seeing other people. These people are seen from different perspectives. The most important thing to remember is that what people think of you or how they see you does not matter. Instead, you should always remain true to yourself. The two paintings are very different. On the right, I drew two eyes. One of the eyes is one my face and the other is on my shoulder. However, they serve the same purpose, and when I grow up, there is a tendency to see things differently based on what I have learned and from experience. The eyes that I drew tell the viewers that I am acutely aware of my surrounding and I have the ability to see things as clearly as possible. I also have the capacity to understand and accept things as they are.
The Chinese word “Sealed.”
For this project, I endeavored to use several Chinese symbols to analyze the self. After much thought, I settled on the symbol that translated to “sealed’. My reason for selecting this particular symbol is that it had much meaning in my life. I had two sides, one dark inner side, and another light outer side. The inner dark side made me feel sealed and restricted, and I felt like I was hiding from the rest of the world. I felt as if I was unable to set myself free and my soul was locked-up. The only way I could change this was by accepting who I am with all my flaws and imperfections. It was the only way that I could be free.
I also used a drawing where I depicted myself as half skeleton and half human. I preferred to use a paintbrush rather than a pencil to bring out the essence of the characters correctly. It is hard to pull it off because there are so many similar Chinese symbols. Thus any slight difference would create a symbol with a very different meaning. I used the chain and metal in my painting for the very first time, and I came up with the idea of putting a chain on the wing to highlight what the lock meant.

Incompatible effect (Blue vs. Red) cloak

Warm and cool colors would be used to bring a wider contrast. Blue brings a sense of coolness and calmness and is indicative of how my past has subsided, and I am now cool. Red, on the other hand, shows aggressiveness, energy and the desire to keep on going. This is the idea of the present and how I am now. It has long been known that fire and water are two elements that can never mix and are very incompatible. For my next painting, I sought to dispel this idea. The art advances the notion that my past is not entirely useless and that I can learn so much from it. The blue cloak is my past, and it bears some unhappy memories such as a lack of confidence and being bullied. The red cover is my present and potential future.

The painting depicts blue (water) and red (fire) meeting to form clouds and storm. Once the problem is over, then good times lie ahead. I used 70% ink and 29% acrylic with 1% gel to come up with the effect.

A better look at the final product.
Part 2: Final Artwork Reflection
I always thought of art as an abstract concept. I will also admit that it was not something I ever thought would interest me. However, artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso intrigued me with their works. It took time but eventually, I got around to liking art and even fell in love with it. Therefore, when I embarked on doing this project, I was acutely aware of what I was doing and wanted to undertake on doing a project that was related to me and told the story of my life. I thought long and hard of what would be the best project and settled on telling the story of how I have evolved. Throughout the course of my life, I have always felt like I have been held back. A lack of confidence marred the formative years of my childhood, and I was bullied a lot. This made me develop a kind of shell and never opened up to anyone. I developed a tough exterior and learned how to deal with such issues by simply not talking about them. I felt that I hid many things from the people that were around me and those that I did talk to only saw the good side of me. In truth, I also had an inner dark side that was not always clear to everyone.
I saw art as the best way to express myself and found it to have a very calming effect. The process of developing the artwork was not as straightforward as I first thought it would be. It took me a while to develop the idea of two conflicting sides to depict my past and my present. I also had to settle on a specific way of creating the artwork. It was a tussle between using crosshatching or pointillism. Both are excellent methods, but each required some degree of expertise. I experimented with both and found that for painting, crosshatching was the best method. It started out okay and drew the image and even managed to give each part of the drawing a symbolic meaning. However, when I was halfway done, I was forced to alter my design because of the difficulty that would be occasioned by using a canvas A2 paper. Fortunately, changing it would not be the hardest task because the changes I needed to make were minimal. Throughout the project, I made several other changes depending on the need and what meaning I wanted to be associated with the artwork. Although some were minor changes, others were quite difficult to execute. All of the changes presented different advantages and disadvantages.
The last part brought all the different elements together, and this was done through painting. I used different colors and selected those I thought were the best. I even conducted research on warm and cool colors to know which were best placed to fit into various parts of the artwork. It was a tough project which was equally inspiring and which told the story of how I have evolved and contrasted my past and present life. The complete project looked as such.

References
Chijiiwa, H. (1987). Color harmony: a guide to creative color combinations (Vol. 1). Rockport Pub.
Galow, P. (2016, October 24). Hurricane warning. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://airman.dodlive.mil/2015/09/hurricane-warning/Gear – definition of gear in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (2016). Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 23 October 2016, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gearGwenn Seemel’s artist blog: Crosshatch. (2009). Gwennseemel.com. Retrieved 23 October 2016, from http://www.gwennseemel.com/index.php/blog/comments/crosshatch/Mayer, R. (1991). Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques: Revised and Updated. Viking Books.
USGS New Jersey: Summary of April 2-4, 2005, flooding in New Jersey. (2000, August). Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://nj.usgs.gov/hazards/flood/flood0405/