SARAH NOONAN

                                      

 

 

            Mostly all of the work I do is pencil or pen drawings. I like to create artwork that looks realistic and I prefer doing portraits. The reason I use pencil when making portraits and other artwork is because I like the way pencil looks and the different values you can make. Pencil can create beautiful shadows as well as crisp lines. If you ever make a mistake you can erase it to fix your errors, which makes it a great asset when it comes to making artwork because it is very forgiving. When wanting to use another medium for a piece of artwork I can use pencil to create an outline for a picture to help give me a starting outline. I hope to be able to create precise and realistic portraits someday, and with that takes time and practice. I have started to do more painting and photography and have grown to love it because it allows me to use color and take vibrant images. A goal of mine is to come up with my own unique style of painting and drawing, and to write and illustrate a graphic novel. The reason I make artwork is because it allows me to express my thoughts, and think about all that I face in the outside world. It allows me to challenge my thoughts by putting them onto paper.

            When I pick a picture to draw or paint, it is usually something I feel connected to or find visually appealing. When finding the image or idea for my artwork, I like to imagine the amount of detail I want there to be in the drawing. I never really care about the way others will view my artwork, I just try to make it the way I envision it in my mind. During the process I like to try using deeper or softer shades and lines, depending on if I want the picture to appear bold or subtle. I’ll also think of whether the idea would look more effective using color or pencil/pen.  After I finish my artwork I usually look at it to see how the final result turned out and will continue to mess around with it until I am fully satisfies with it. When using pencil I like to make the lines and shadow look realistic by making shadow look smooth and by making softer or scratchier lines depending on where it’s needed. When picking a theme for my artwork I think about things that inspire me or represent my emotions I am feeling at that time.  For example, if I was listening to music and I was feeling sad, I might be inspired to create a piece of artwork about the kind of scene I would imagine in my head while listening to sad music.

            My current work consists of portraits and landscapes drawn with pencil, pen drawings, watercolor paintings, and photography. I feel most comfortable when I use pencil and more confident about my capability when it comes to what I can make using pencil. For this reason I still continue to use pencil, as it challenges me to create more detailed images. That being said I have slowly been making my way towards using color and working with pen, as I find they both give a stronger effect than pencil to certain pieces of artwork.