I’m about to put my crochet works in my very first craft fair (stay tuned for the next blog post to hear about how it goes). In the wake of this very real, new step where I begin to try to make money off of my art, it’s reminded me of the importance of looking back and seeing how I’ve improved. I’d like to go over some of my past works and critique them for this blog post. I’ll do this using some pieces from my AP art portfolio from 12th grade. I ended up getting a 5 on it (for improvement because the first piece was really rough), but the process really shows the ups and downs of improvement in your art. I’m hopeful that this may inspire whoever is reading this (hi there!) to pursue your passions and remember that we all improve at different rates. The improvement process is really one of ups and downs.

The next piece I made was this swing I had at my grandma’s place. I was trying to do this black outline with pen thing. In the end I eventually tie it in but my first few pieces didn’t really execute it well. I’m not sure if the turtle sandbox in the corner is very clear compositionally. I could’ve taken more time on my sketch to iron out those composition problems. You can see in the forest in the background that I’ve improved since the last piece. Even if it’s small, it adds up. The piece after this is a memory I have in a reversed car seat at dusk staring up out of the skylight. This one has a few strong points. I like the light and the tree, as well as the color I was able to achieve for the sky, but the shading on the inside of the car is really rough. The proportions in general are really inaccurate. Some of this helps create the idea that it’s an old, warped memory. Some of it is just skill issues. This next piece, my skill level went back to the beginning. My proportions aren’t awful and I think it’s pretty clear that it’s an animal cracker box, but my paint is streaky and I’m not happy with my contrast. This is a dip in my improvement, but that usually signals that it’ll go up way higher after. This held true.

The next piece I made is this image of a swing ride at a fair. In the pieces before this, I started using watercolor pencils to get the detail I wanted. I learned how to do a wash over the course of my portfolio, so the background is full of standard watercolor techniques. I finally got to a point where I was happy with what I was making. I was getting clear contrast and bright colors as I’d hoped. The lines for the swing chains are a little wiggly at times, but, overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out. My final piece is the one I’m most proud of. I discovered a love of watercolor pencils. I could get really nice blending without sacrificing detail. The water also brings out the pigment in the pencils to get really deep, rich hues. I’m pleased with how it turned out, and the difference between the first and last piece is stunning. There were 12 works in total. They’re a great example of the ups and downs of improving in your art.

I was so surprised when I got a 5 on this portfolio. I’ve seen ones that had incredibly well done pieces all the way through. I guess they really saw the improvement and graded based on that. I’m hopeful that someone sees this (especially the earlier pieces) and is maybe inspired to give art a try. It’s never too late to start. With each piece, you learn something new. Even if it’s worse than the previous one, your next will likely be even better.