College Life

Spring Semester - Freshman Year (2024-2025)

In Session

Observational Drawing and Color

Unpopular opinion: This is my favorite class so far!

Actually, this is probably the most tiring class this year, but I have found it the most rewarding. If you know me, my art tutor used still life drawings as a training for everything. It is so tempting to think an observational drawing class as purely a boot camp, but there is so much more to unwrap.

Did you know that, back in the day, still lifes were narratives, and the objects included will alter the meaning of the piece? Also, a painter can use different lighting scenario to accentuate different narratives!

In an Illustration major, narratives are right up my alley. I challenge you and I today - in the beauty of the mundane, let's imagine! Together, let’s look beyond the belief that still lives are boring; they are not!

Figure Drawing 2

I'll be honest - this is still my weakest class. The hardest battle right now is that I'm not where I know I can be. A professor once told me that my eyes will always be miles faster than my hands! Having said this, I am learning so much more from when I first started. Even though I'm not enjoying it right now, I think I've come a long way. Past Isabelle would not even dream of drawing the skeleton let alone the whole muscle anatomy!

3D Design

A lot of my friends are massive fans of this course which I completely understand why. It's very hands on, which I think is great for stress relief. :) However, I think at the moment my favorite class is still Observational Drawing and Color. I loved making the pastries more than making the pig. :") To each their own!

Film and Narrative

I wish I have work to show but this is a fun course where I learn from watching movies! The goal is to summarize the tricks we learned from each movie in a worksheet. It’s very laid back and enjoyable. The only negative is the quizzes and take home assignments. Other than that, pretty easy! Yet, I have learned so much about storytelling, composition, props, and color that I can definitely apply for illustration!

Fall Semester - Freshman Year (2024-2025)

Completed December, 2024

2D Design

This course gave birth to all my favorite projects that I felt the most rewarding. Being new to digital art, I had no idea that it could be so exciting. It's still a challenge for me as I still prefer traditional, but it's definitely a door leading to new adventures and excitements!

My Favorite Projects

I'm definitely going to miss this class and the creativity exploration. However, I didn't get here overnight. There have been times in this class where I really had to learn to trust the process. Sometimes in order to make good art, I have to start out as not-so-good.

Navigating Digital Art

These were my first attempts doing digital art. I only drew a pear once when a friend taught me. But this time was for real! It definitely paid off to keep going even when things didn't look quite right at the start! I'll share the messy starts in my next blog post!

My First Ever Project :")

Looking at this awful project to laugh together, you will know what I meant. This was the first project that we had to do, and I struggled massively. It was very disheartening at the time, but I think I improved much more since then. :) One horrible project is not the defining moment of your life. Just keep going and you might surprise yourself!

First time everything! (Vectors, digital painting, and pen tool!)

Perspective

This was another one of my favorite courses this semester, yet you may see I struggled so much. I'm so grateful that I ended up with a wonderful professor that was always so empathetic and so patient with me!

One-Point Perspective

Looking back now, I see my mistakes especially through the second still life which was a mini introduction into two-point perspective later on. :) I still enjoyed the "100 Cans of Soup." For this unit, this drawing was the most satisfying in my opinion. :)

Two-Point Perspective

Oddly, this was the unit I struggled the most. I had never touched perspective before so locating the vanishing points threw me off. We also began to draw from life which I never done much before. Let alone my first time ever drawing cars. Looking back now, it was definitely worth it. (My professors helped me a lot!)

Three-Point Perspective

This final unit was my favorite unit. As a late bloomer, it was until this unit where everything began to click for me. I finally understood how vanishing points would affect the narrowness of the object. In the end, this understanding really helped me with the final project. My favorite one!

Final Projects

These are the final projects that I did to showcase what we learned in each unit. Unfortunately (or Fortunately), we had two major hurricanes during my first semester so we skipped a project where I would have designed my own car! Maybe when I get better at drawing cars, I'll do it one day on my own!

Two Still Lifes: Same set up, two angles

100 Cans of Soup

Vehicle and Building Observational Drawings

Observational Drawing of Ulla Building with Four Thumbnails

Figure Drawing 1

This was the course I struggled the most as there were numerous "first times" for me, but it was through this course, I learned about grace, patience, and the importance of believing in myself. Even though I didn't improve as much I would have liked, I now see that I have stepped up a level. My favorite was the skull! I also learned more important lessons such as how to pick myself up from failure and to keep trying regardless of what others think. In the end, I was able to get better through the final assignments that I'm more than happy to share with you all! They're not perfect, but it's better than my past drawings! ^^ I realized that it is not my strength that's going to bring me through, but God's grace alone.

Illustration History

I had so much fun in this class that I decided to minor in art history. One of the biggest advice I received was to look back to see what’s done. Knowing our past can help with the present which can bring a better future. The projects were a breeze, and I had so much fun with them. I can’t wait to learn more in my years to come.

Project 1: Infographic

All projects were connected to an artist we picked at the beginning. I went for Tyrus Wong! The infographic was definitely the most laborious, but I felt so accomplished at the end. I learned so much from one of my heroes in the art world.

(Tip: I recommend doing this project as soon as you get settled with your other classes, this is the one you definitely do not want to wait on as it becomes a backbone for the last two.)

Project 2: Illustration

Even though digital art is something I am still learning, I decided to try out Procreate! In the end, it was so much fun! There are definitely a few things I wish I spent more time on to resemble Wong’s original more closely. Having said, being a newbie to digital, I am quite proud of this. I still have a lot to learn but it's better than my past digital paintings! ^^

Project 3: Presentation

Finally, the presentation was a scary experience. I have always loved sharing what I've learnt but public speaking always makes me nervous. I was extremely grateful to be the first presenter. Thanks to my mom's coaching, the presentation went by super-fast. :)

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