Joseph Cornell Box - Critical Analysis

            I found many discoveries and techniques helpful throughtout the process. I found lots of my painting brush techniques useful while making my backround (ocean) of my box. For example, I used the wet brush technique to make the ocean look more like water. I used the dry brush technique to create waves in the ocean. I used the shading technique for my middle ground (shark). The shading technique helped me to create shadow on the shark and make the shark look more realistic. I found the pencil crayons techniques useful while creating my foreground (fish). I was reqired to implement the pencil crayon technique into my box, so I decided to draw my fish in pencil crayon. I did this because I would be able to use this technique to make my fish look more life like and the pencil crayons would allow the fish to be the first thing that caught your eye. I discovered that the sand at the bottom of my box would add more of an ocean feeling to the box. I also found that the placement of the objects in your box can create more of a sense of depth within the box.

            I learnt a couple skills while created my box. I learnt how to create movement of the ocean waves through brushstrokes. I was able to use the wet brush technique while painting in a wave motion. I also learnt how to create a foreground, middleground and backround in my art piece. I did this using colour, depth and positioning of the object in the box. The bright colours stand out, whereas the darker colours blend in with my backround. Depth helps to destinguish between the foreground, middle ground and background. The foreground is positioned closer to the front of the box than the middle ground, which is ahead of the even farther back background.
            I improved my cutting skills during the duration of the project. I was forced to cut the fish, shark and espically the coral very precisely. For the fish and shark, I had to cut around the fins of the animal, but make sure that I only cut out the fish and shark (not white around it). For the coral, I had to cut extremely close to the coral because many of the picture had a black backround colour. For some picture of the coral, I had to cut inside the coral (not only the outline) so that the background can't be seen.

            I have created a sense of depth and movement using many elements. Colour was a big way that I created depth between my middle ground and foreground. The shark (middle ground) is a dark gray colour, whereas the fish (foreground) are bright colours that attract the viewers eyes. Colour also helped to create depth between the fish because they are different colours. Line help me to create movement in the box. I used line in the ocean (backround) to made waves in the water. Value help to create depth with my fish and shark. I used shadow to make these animals more realistic. Value also help to create movement and depth in the ocean. I made the top of the ocean lighter in colour than the ocean floor. I used scale to create depth between the shark and fish. I made the shark bigger than the fish because that the way it's in real life. I also made the fish different sizes to create more depth between them.

            The overall process of creating my box was very long. Originally, I had to decided whether to doing an underwater or space box. I decided to do an underwater box. I thought that I would take blue clips from pictures in magazines and layer them to create the ocean. But, I decide to paint the ocean so that it would look more realistic. I made the top of the ocean lighter and as it descended on the page made it darker. I painted two pages like an ocean (one was the front backround and the other page was cut for the sides). I decide to made a few bends and folds in the ocean while glueing it because it created texture and waves. I then found, cut and glue on images of coral to the ocean. I decide to put sand at the ocean floor. I thought that wetting the sand would make it look darker, but when the sand dried it became light again. I glued the sand on the bottom of the box. Then, I found a picture of a shark (in reference photos below). I sketched the shark and I decided to shade the shark to create a three-dimensional animal. I shaded it because it was gray and we had previously using shading in the hand drawing project. After creating the shark, I found three pictures of fish (also in reference photos below). We were required to use the pencil crayon technique, which we had just learnt when drawing the tree, as a part of our box. I decide to use this technique for the fish so that I could use bright colours to attract attention to the foreground. I cut out the shark and the fish. I attached the animals with fisherman's wire to the box. I painted the wire blue so that it would camoflauge with the ocean background. After that, I attached the wire to the top of the box and the animals. I placed the fish closer to the front of the box because they are the foreground. I decided not to do anything with the outside of the box because the ocean in so vast and I wanted the viewers eyes to be attracted to the scene I selected.

Reference Photos:



Process Photos:



Final Photo:

Process and Final Photos of Art Box Piece - Backround Collage

Process Photos:

Final Photo:





Reference Photos for Box Art Piece - Backround Collage

Joseph Cornell Inspired Box Art Piece Proposal

Theme One Topic:

Underwater

Through my art, I will express a life under the sea. My piece will be either a peaceful scene of fish swimming in front of seaweed (sketch 1) or a shark chasing down its next meal (sketch 2). The first sketch would show the calm side of marine life and would have a relaxing theme to it. The second sketch would show the violent side of marine life and would have a thrilling theme to it.

I will accomplish this in my piece by having a background of an ocean, middle ground being either seaweed (sketch 1) or a shark (sketch 2) and a foreground of fishes. The ocean will be a dark blue to attract the eyes of the viewer to the main part of the piece (foreground and middle ground). The middle ground for the first sketch will be located closer to the bottom of the piece to let the foreground in the centre of the piece. The middle ground for the second sketch will be located in the centre of the piece because the shark represents the excitement of the piece. The foreground will be fish in either of the sketches because the fish can be part of both a calm scene and an exhilarating one.

The resources needed for this piece will be pencil crayons and paints, sandpaper (used for the sand), blue paper or felt and string or pipe cleaners.

Sketch 1:

Sketch 2:

Theme Two Topic:

Space

            Through my art, I will express the wonders of the outer world beyond our atmosphere. My piece will be either a spaceship exploring outer space (sketch 1) or Mars and Saturn floating against a starry sky (sketch 2). The first sketch shows the adventurous spirit of human exploration of the unknown while the second sketch shows the amazing beauty of two of Earth’s neighbouring planets (Saturn with its colourful rings and the dusty red planet, Mars).

            I will accomplish my piece by having a background of black sky showing numerous shiny stars in the background.  The first scene would have the Earth in the middle ground and a spaceship sailing along in the foreground.  The second scene would have Saturn with its rings in the middle ground with Mars in the foreground.

Some resources needed for this piece will be pencil crayons and paints, black paper or felt, ‘stars’ (cut from silver paper or tin foil) and string.

Sketch 1:




















Sketch 2:

Refenence Pictures:

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

My interpretation of my song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamond, is that it is centered around a girl named Lucy. This girl is in the sky and is wearing diamonds. Around Lucy, there is beautiful, imaginary scenery. This scenery includes a boat on a river, tangerine trees, marmalade skies, tall yellow and green flowers, and a bridge by a fountain. The song is describing a fantasy world that Lucy lives in.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds had a lot of influence on my painting. I painted most of the beautiful, imaginary scenery. Like the song, I also centered Lucy in my artwork, by making Lucy the only drawn image (drew her in pencil crayon). Adding to the imagery from the song, I also incorporated the mood of the song, which was happy and calm, by using longer brush strokes and warm colours. 

I found that many things were helpful through the process. I found the wet-brush-technique to be very helpful, especially when I was painting the grass. I also found the sandpaper technique to be of use because it added texture to my painting. I used the dry brush technique when I merged the grass and the sky at the horizon. I discovered that I had to listen to my song repeatedly to comprehend the lyrics and understand the mood. I also had to listen carefully to extract the key images from the song.

I learned a couple skills while doing this project. One skill that I learned was how to transfer a drawing onto a wood painting. I learned this skill when I added Lucy to my painting. I also learned the skill of using tape to help you paint shapes on your painting. For this skill, you have to follow a particular process. The process is taping over the part you want to paint on, cutting up the shapes, painting the cut-out shape and then removing the tape. I learned this skill when I added diamond to the sides of my painting.  

The area that I felt that I improved my skills the most was painting a landscape (specifically a river, grass and the sky). I felt that I improved the details of the landscape. I learned more about showing the texture of land, using the sandpaper technique. I also improved how I paint a horizon (between both water and sky and land and sky).

Side view of the painting:

 By: Jory Birbrager