A portfolio of my artwork

1. Table of Contents
A Life Through My Eyes
My Old Pieces
My Series
A Story From My Fingers
My Blog
My Magazine

2. My Emotions
Graphite pencil on
paper
2010

3. The Resurrection
Graphite pencil and
watercolor on paper
2010

4. The Crow
Oil pastel on paper
2010

5. That Ruby Ring
Scratchboard and
watercolor
2010

6. Flower Still Life
Graphite and colored
pencil on paper
2010

7. Kitten
Scratchboard
2010

8. Winter Scene
Pen and Ink on paper
2010

9. Sister Self-Portrait
Inspired by Van Gogh’s Self Portrait
Craft - The tools I used to make this piece were water
color paint on paper. First I drew out the image of my
sister on the paper and then applied a pink wash to start
off the tone of the overall painting. I then added more
layers of slightly thicker paint with water and painted the
background with natural curved swirls. After that I applied
a pink wash for the hair and a pinkish-orange wash for the
face. Again I painted the hair with slightly thicker paint with
water and used quick dashed strokes to give it the same
effect as Van Gogh's Self Portrait. I used the same tech-
nique with the face but with orange toned colors. I also did
more blotching when painting the face than dashes. Last,
I outlined the hair with a dark blue to stand out like Van
Gogh's red hair in his blue Self Portrait.
“Her expression may show that she is
content, but what is going on inside of
her begs to differ.”
Composition - The layout of this piece is of a traditional
three-quarters portrait pose. I used the same swirly three-
colored lines in the background as in Van Gogh's Self
Portrait. I painted the hair straight to contrast the natural
swirly lines and keep the viewer interested throughout the
whole piece. The face overall consists of straight vertical
lines and some straight horizontal lines. The swirls on the
other hand are seem to flail around the entire background.
Because of this, the viewer may then follow the spiraling
lines and stay interested for a longer time.
Concept - I wanted the viewer to see the portrait of a
woman as her seemingly happy self. Her expression may
show that she is content, but what is going on inside of
her begs to differ. The swirl shapes in the background
may portray the disorderly life she is living. They are in
the background to symbolize the fact that she temporarily Watercolor paint on paper
pushes her problems to the back of her mind in order to
show the public the joyful mask she unwillingly puts on.
December 2011

10. P
Craft - To make this piece, I used sharpie marker on
paper. I sketched out the image of a man shouting and then
began to make small dots with the sharpie markers. I made
the dots more concentrated in areas of that particular color
and added darker shades with each other to make a darker
e
a
tone when looked at from far away. Areas with highlights,
or lighter spots, I only added a few dots just to give a hint of
that color.
Composition - I arranged the man's image in this piece
c
to be cropped to his face to focus on his expression. I made
the face in all warm colors and mostly red shades. I put his
open mouth at the bottom of the page to make the viewer's
eye travel from top to bottom of the piece. The background
is in cool blue tones to contrast with the foreground which
e
is all warm tones. Also, to make the man's eye stand out, I
made them blue as well.
Concept - The overall feeling of this piece was to be
anger, depicted by the red tones in the man’s face. He is
the man whom the previous woman is married to. Unhappy
and completely furious, the man expresses his anger which
foreshadows the abuse he means to portray towards his
wife. He doesn’t get everything he wants, which brings him
to this state of being. Having ultimate control is what he
yearns for and proceeds in trying to obtain over his wife.
Sharpie on paper
September 2011

11. Graphite on paper
October 2011
Craft – The tools I used to make this piece consisted of a photo-
graph, pencil and paper. I drew out the photo of the girl plastered
to glass. I made the highlights as white as I could by erasing all
traces of graphite. I did the opposite by making the dark parts as
dark as I could by using a softer pencil and my pressing harder and
applying more layers of graphite.
Composition -While drawing the image, I made sure to keep
highlights as white as possible to accentuate the fact that it is
skin against glass. I made the dark parts of the picture as dark as
possible to show that the girl is in a secluded place and definitely
trapped. I wanted the viewer to see the girl’s hands first, so I made
them take up the majority of the piece. The fingers pointing up-
wards direct the viewer’s eyes to the face of the girl in the piece.
Concept – The meaning of this piece is that the woman feels as
though she is trapped in the abusive relationship with her husband
and there is nobody there to help free her. She is pressed against
the sheet of glass almost as though she is in a box and suffocating
to death. Her hands beg for freedom and are faced in that direc-
tion. She can see through to that freedom, but is not able to reach
it just yet.
“..trapped in the abusive relationship with
her husband and there is nobody there to
help free her..”
Let Me Out

12. Untitled
Love
Craft – The tools I used to make this piece were pencil, paper, and
a photograph. I wanted something with a romantic theme, so I found
a photograph of a couple holding each other. I drew the outlines of
both figures, but only shaded in the figure of the woman. I left the
man’s figure a contour drawing with empty white space inside of him.
I made the background a smooth black.
Composition – When planning out this piece, I wanted the viewer
to look directly at the man’s figure so I left him white while I shaded
in the female with great detail, and made the background black. The
reason for this is to contrast the man’s white figure from the dark
background. I also wanted the viewer to notice the natural beauty
in the woman’s features, so I drew her hair to be wavy and natural-
looking. I made the hands go on either side of the man’s figure to
create interest in the entire piece. I wanted the viewer’s eyes to go
from hand to hand and along the arm up to the woman’s body. From
that I wanted the viewer’s eye to travel along the man’s body since
he is holding that of the female.
“..his absence in the life of his
wife.. She is left to hold onto
nothing..” Concept – This piece is about when the woman remembers the
intimate times she had with her husband before he turned into her
abusive partner. He used to love her and their connection was the
strongest at that point. The empty space in his body represents his
absence in the life of his wife. She is left to hold onto nothing. The
white outline may also signify the empty feelings he now portrays to
his wife; putting her aside and listing other things as his priorities.
Graphite on paper
October 2011

13. Finding
Craft – The tools I used to make this piece were a pen-
Myself
cil, paper, and a photo of holding hands and handcuffs. I
drew out the image of the hands and shaded the man’s
hand completely and as realistic as possible. I used a
sharp tip on my pencil to get crisp edges to make the
hand look real. I made the arm of the man very soft by
using my finger to smooth it out. I added some detail to
the fingers of the female hand but left the rest of her arm
blank and white by drawing only the contour of her arm. I
also made the top right corner of the piece a gradient.
Composition – I wanted the viewer to first see the white
female arm, so I made the background behind the arm
a dark shade to contrast. I left the background behind
the male arm to contrast from its shading. I wanted the
viewer to look down along the man’s arm, concentrate on
the holding hands, and then veer off on the handcuff and
its chain as well as along the blankness of the female’s
arm. I made the hands a bit lower than the center of the
page to make it more interesting for the eye.
Concept – In this piece, the woman is yet again trapped
in her relationship with her husband and longs for free-
dom. She is emotionally and physically attached to him,
yet she is obviously unhappy. She finds someone new
with whom she can be her true self. For this reason, the
woman’s arm begins to take form into a real hand rather
than a flat contour. Her bare finger where her wedding
ring used to be represents her transition from the control
of her husband into the life she wishes she had chosen
with the one she had always loved.
“..her transition from the control of
her husband into the life she wishes
she had chosen with the one she had
always loved.”

14. Glimpse of Freedom
Graphite and colored
pencil on paper
September 2011

15. Craft - The tools I used to make this piece was
Change
of
graphite pencil, colored pencil, and paper. I took a
photo of my sister’s friend on her wedding day and
used it as my subject. After drawing the couple, I
decided to change the bride’s hair color from brown
to blonde. After that, I drew a knife being stabbed into
the groom’s back. The background came last and the
Heart
only color that felt right with this image was red, so
I added a gradient red and lightly added a red heart
glow also. To finish it off, I colored the dripping blood
in bright red.
Composition - The first thing I wanted the viewer to
see was the knife stabbed in the groom’s back. I ac-
complished this by adding red blood at the bottom of
the knife to bring attention. I also drew the knife a bit
darker than any other object in the piece to stand out.
I made the composition interesting by placing the hand
in the bottom right corner which ends up going off the
page. The head of the groom also goes off the page to
crop the focus onto the knife.The direction of the lines
of the hands are opposite of the lines used in the knife.
In a way, the fingers seem to point or lead in the direc-
tion of the knife to bring more attention to it.
“..doing what your gut feeling
Concept - By drawing the image of a bride stabbing tells you, rather than following
her husband in the back, the message I wanted to send
is that a person may think they know someone and trust
your heart”
them, but be ultimately betrayed and only being able to
find that out the hard way. The betrayer may not have
had those intentions at first, but as the relationship pro-
gresses, they begin to wonder why they are there and
what the future holds. Confusion leads them into mak-
ing mistakes and hurting the other person, even though
they meant well in the very beginning. This piece is
about not knowing where to go when in a relationship,
and doing what your gut feeling tells you, rather than
following your heart.
Graphite on paper
September 2011

16. Far Too Late
Double Portrait
Craft - The tools I used to create this piece were my
camera, a pencil and paper. I took two photos of myself
making two different expressions and using my hands to
accentuate those expressions. I drew out the photos and
added lots of shading and detail to make them look as
realistic as possible. I also flipped one photo upside down
and connected all the arms at the bottom of each photo to
make one large image.
“She definitely was not ready for what was
on the horizon...”
Composition - To avoid any boring composition, I chose
to make one portrait below the other, rather than side by
side like usual. I wanted the viewer to look from face to
face, and then from eyes to eye in each face. The con-
nected arms also create a path in a circular direction that
helps move the eye around. Having the bottom portrait
upside down forces the eye to try to flip it right side up.
I wanted the viewer to feel compelled to turn their head
upside down to view the face right side up since their eyes
won’t be able to do so.
Concept - The meaning of this piece is that the girl in the
story just realized that what she had done was something
that would change her life forever. She was aware of the
outcome, but still proceeded in doing her deed. If this
piece had a dialogue, it would be “Oh shit! Oh shit..” The
reason for this is the top face portrays the feeling of shock
and surprise, while the bottom face depicts that of realiza-
tion and shame. The bottom face also shows the girl not
wanting to believe the situation she was currently in and
the situation that would soon approach her. She definitely
was not ready for what was on the horizon.
Graphite on paper
December 2011

17. G
“..she is hiding something from the
l
a
rest of the people in her life..”
Craft - The tools I used to make this
m
piece were colored pencil on paper. I
decided to draw a page out of one of my
magazines. I drew out the image of the
woman with pencil and shaded some
parts to reference where the shadows
would be. Before I colored a certain
o
area, I erased any pencil marks, espe-
cially if the area was to be colored with a
light color. I made layers of color before
I was sure which shade I wanted to end
with. I put layers of different shades of
that color in the beginning and pressed
u
down harder later on.
Compostition - What I wanted the
viewer to see first was the blue scarf on
the woman and her sunglasses. I made
her skin and the overall color of the
r
piece in warm tones and constrasted
with the blue scarf in cool blue tones. I
also made the sunglasses a dark color
and her lips bright red to stand out
from the rest of the light image. To give
the portrait a non-traditional feel, I left
the bottom of the scarf and the blouse
sketched out without color to give it an
unfinished look to spark imagination
from the viewer.
Concept - The portrait of the woman
in a scarf and sunglasses portrays the
image of a glamourous woman who
works hard to keep her good looks and
show that she cares about how people
see her. She wants to give a good im-
pression on everyone she meets. The
sunglasses hide her eyes and the scarf
hides most of her hair, just like she is
hiding something from the rest of the
people in her life. It gives a mysterious Graphite and colored
feel to the viewer.
pencil on paper
September 2011

18. Free
To Be
Myself
Craft - The tools I used to make this piece were pencil, paper,
and a photograph. I sketched out the drawing on paper and
then shaded it to make it look as realistic as possible. I tried
to blend the graphite on the paper as smoothly as possible to
achieve a realistic look to the piece.
Composition - I wanted the viewer to focus on the kissing
couple, so I positioned the girl’s hand onto the man’s cheek.
I did this so the length of the arm led the viewer’s eyes to
their lips. The positioning of both figure’s arms go in a circu-
lar shape to ultimately lead the viewer’s eyes to the kiss. The
blank space around them only accentuates more focus onto
the couple holding each other. I also made the couple upside
down because the couple is laying down in bed. Also, it is
because the perspective from which the viewer is experiencing
the piece is more interesting that way.
Concept - What I wanted the viewer to think about is that the
woman in the picture is finally free to be herself and free to
be with the one she truly loves. The blank space around her
represents the absence of anything that could potentially get
in her way of pursuing whatever makes her happy. She finally
lets go of the past and whatever it was that was holding her
back, and welcomes the hopeful future with open arms.
Graphite on paper
November 2011

19. F
a
r
e
w
e
l
l
Encyclopedia, varnish,
sharpie, on cardboard
September 2011

20. About Me
My life, my art, and my series.
I have been interested in art ever since I was a young girl. I was always drawing,
coloring, painting, building anything I could get my tiny hands on. At the age of 6, my
kindergarten teacher was the first to notice my talent. Since then, my ability and passion
has only grown stronger. My older sister Barbara had always pushed me to get better
and work harder on my art. Her determination in her own work inspired me to strive for
something better in my own pieces.
Out of that, I began to have an interest in portraits, especially that of women. I am also
very interested in different facial expressions since they are the main portrayal of any
emotion a person may have. I, myself, am known to have distinct, and sometimes pretty
quirky, facial expressions to mirror what I am feeling inside. Because of this, many of my
pieces are self-portraits, one of which includes four different facial expressions that I usu-
ally show.
Another thing I really enjoy drawing are hands. Like facial expressions, I feel as though
hands play a huge role in depicting a person’s emotion. In general, I think hands are very
fascinating. Just by looking at one’s hands, you can tell what kind of person they are.
Whether it is their race, gender, age, and even some aspects of their personality, it can
all be determined just by examining the hands of that person. I also get really absorbed
in the detail in every one of my pieces. I feel as though very intricate detailing is very
important in my art. The meaning behind my art is equally important because there is no
greater satisfaction than when the viewer gets the same message out of my piece as I
intended to put in.
All of these aspects influenced me into choosing the story in my series. I wanted the
viewer to be able to relate to my story, yet I still wanted a sense of uniqueness with the
portrayal of it. To do this, I created my pieces from different points of view. Some of which
are from perspectives that aren’t usually seen but make the pieces all the more interest-
ing. This series is basically a window into my mind. Every aspect included in this series
plays a huge role in my life.
Childhood
Graphite on paper
2010