Leaving our Artistic Impressions
By Maricelis Torres
The project that we are creating is something we see in the world that not only affects the class, but also everything surrounding us. We were able to choose the subject that we wanted our project to be based on. For example, some students chose violence, bullying, gun control, gang violence awareness, and abuse to list just some examples.
The subject that we choose can be drawn on either canvas paper or regular paper. We can draw whatever is affiliated with the subject, but we must incorporate at least two patterns in the background. We first started this project by discussing street art, graffiti, and murals. We analyzed different murals and the message the artists were trying to convey, how people look at them differently, what our perspectives are on it and the issues that are important to us.
Our next step was to think of an issue and start to draw out our plan on a piece of paper. Once it looked good, we finalized our final sketches. If something was wrong with the original quick sketch, we were able to change it. After that was done, then we began to sketch out our portrait on the paper we chose. We had to create a pattern in the background to make the art come alive before we sketched the portrait.
The issue I chose was bullying and suicide because I have seen how it affects people in our community. I decided to choose this issue because it can affect a lot of people in a negative and drastic way, leaving a burden that can cause pain forever. I drew the Earth with two arms; one arm with hearts, flowers and butterflies and the other with cuts, bruises, and drops coming down the arm. I also drew a noose, a cigarette, a broken heart, a pill, a gun, a bottle of alcohol, and a razor. These things symbolize side effects that can come from bullying. This project is for us to voice our opinions through art, create something that people can look at and get what the big picture and issue is. We are voicing our words into creativity and beautiful art.