What is Still-life?

     Still-life is the showing of an everyday object depicted in a painting or drawing or sculpture. More importantly it helps an artist understand lighting and shading. Still-life can be tracked back to Egyptian art, but it is still used in the modern world. Some artists like to make still-life portraits traditionally, but some have taken a new approach to it.
     I chose this image, Made in China Blue painted by Gigi Boyle because I really like how the color of the white and blue stood out from the brown background. I also liked the amount of extreme, careful detail. I liked the way Boyle shaded it, it looks like the sunlight is shining into a darker room from a window. The bright blue and the stacked bowls drew my attention. I love the way Boyle shows the precarious balance of the stack of bowls. This could influence my work by making me want to use more detail, but still concentrate on the bigger picture and create a beautiful painting.

How might any aspect of this influence your work?

Imaginative Self-Portrait

1.

1. Triple Goddess Crescent Moon: This symbol represents the three phases of the Triple Goddess. This practically symbolizes my religion in a whole and it's a big part of who I am, so it only seemed right to add it to my drawing, it is an essence of me. It's in the middle because this is a central part of my life.
2. Box With Heart: Symbolizes the metaphorical box I've trapped my heart in. It is located to the back because it is protected by everything else.
3. Vines: Symbolizes the vines that protect the box, they surround the box, surrounding it in a black cover of protection.
4. ID: Infected Design "insignia", the concept I use in many of my drawings, and since I draw with it a lot, it was important to add.
5. Triskelion: This is a symbol of action and moving forward, this shows how I jump into things quickly, it is a part of my personality.
6. The Mark of Bendrui: Symbol of the High Priestess of the Triple Goddess, again references to my religion, it's towards the center because religion is a central part of my life.
7. The Sun: Symbolizes the light and goodness within me.
8. The Wisps of Wind: Symbolizes the windows that will open for me in my life, and how I will continue to blow forwards.
9. Design 1 (lines): The actual design of infected design. Shows the corruption within to balance out the good from the sun. Since I draw with it a lot, it was important to add.
10. Design 2 (swirls): The good that comes from the infected design pattern and the flower of life. The swirls are eye captivating and pretty.
11. Eye of Horus: A sign of protection, shows how I protect the ones I love. Also represents one of my eyes, which explains the placement.
12. Eye of Ra: A symbol of power, shows how I'll need will power and strength to get through the stages of my life. Symbolizes my other eye, although it is on the wrong side of my face.
13. Angel Wings: Shows the influence of goodness and moving forward and the wish to fly free.
14. Hourglass: This shows that my time is ticking, and to live life to the fullest before time runs out.
15. Heartagram: "Modern Yin Yang", and is meant to represent the juxtaposition of 'good and evil', 'light and dark', and 'love and death'. I love balance and this is a cute way to use it.
16. Upside Down Cross: Refers to curses and bad things I have to face in my life.
17. Flower: The flower of life, turns the corruption into good which fills the rest of the head and spreads everywhere. It was a good addition because it turned something infected into an eye catching swirly design.
18. Crescent Moon: Symbolizes that I'm in the first stage of my life, it is the first stage of the three of the Triple Goddess.

2. 

The spots of dark balance out where from far away most of it looks a medium grey. I used the white value to show my skin and hairline. I feel like I have an even amount of dark and light, and that it balances out, for example, the dark wisps of wind around the sun balance out the white and the lighter color around the sun.

3. 

The strengths I found while completing this drawing were the small details and the laying everything out. I had a hard time with the balancing of light and dark, because when I drew little details it looks like more of a grey. I wish I had had more time to make this better and turn it into what it really deserves to be.

Grading.

I think I deserve a 3.5 because I worked really hard on this one, and I made sure to balance it out and lay it out so it fit. It doesn't deserve a 4 because with more time I could have done much better.