Year of the Tiger
Paige Z.
Watercolor and Colored Pencils
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During the pandemic, my art studio held all of the classes online, and although I appreciated being able to continue drawing at home, I wasn't able to experience the joy of being at a studio in the process where I could be inspired by those around me. This artwork was my first drawing after being able to go to the studio in person again, and the process of creating it was really memorable to me since I was finally able to connect with my teachers as well as my friends, which was something I felt deprived of while taking classes on Zoom. I started this drawing in early 2022, which was the year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac calendar. I enjoyed being able to illustrate my culture through a lively and colorful scene to represent the bravery and playfulness believed to characterize someone who was born in the year of the Tiger. I chose to use watercolors and colored pencils because they have always been my favorite mediums to use for my drawings. To capture the vibrancy of this scene, I first laid down a simple layer of watercolor, adding in shading and blending here and there, and then I went in with colored pencils to clean it up and define all of my details. Not only did I improve by skills in using these mediums, but I also felt the community and spirit of being back in the studio again, which is represented through this animated scene.
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Creativity to me is being able to express myself through any form of medium, such as dance or drawing. It is also being able to take inspiration from those around me and using it to incorporate into my artworks while still preserving the key components of my artistic individuality.
