Rachelle Mae Ragasa

AE-303: 4ARTAPP 4231

FINAL EXAM OUTPUT

THINKING ABOUT MY ART: A REFLECTION

In this subject, we are tasked to create our own version of art. To be honest, I am not that

good at dancing and singing, and I can’t even play any musical instrument. Therefore, since I have

a background in painting, and arts and crafts, I have decided to draw my dog. My love for my dog

motivated me to draw him. It can be seen in my previous activities that I love Vincent van Gogh’s

Starry Night so much that it inspired me to create a spiral drawing of my dog. It seems impossible

to draw using a spiral pattern, but I made it. My art encourages people to appreciate unique things,

envision things in a broad way, and for people to love their pets as their own family.
 In creating my artwork, I have maximized the use of lines since I used them in the shading

of the whole artwork. I also incorporated movement in my art, as you can see, the artwork has a

spiral movement that starts from the middle that creates a pattern until an image is already visible.

For its color, I only used black shade to emphasize the image that I want to show. Since I used a

pen as a medium, it already gave a texture to the artwork.

As I have said previously, I am not good at singing or dancing, but creating art is what I

am good at, so I made a drawing of my dog since it is my way of showing love and so that I can

display it in our home. The reason why I choose to draw my dog’s portrait is that he is my best

friend, my confidant, he knows when I need some comfort, and greets me every time I come home,

gives me happiness. His name is Rocco Skye, he is a four-year-old male Maltese. I got him when

I was in senior high school, he was still two months then. I have seen him grow up and he has seen

me during my happy days and even on my sad days. They say that dogs are man’s best friend, and

I believe that is true. Since the day that I got him, I knew that he will be with me for a long time,

so I have considered him my best friend and he became part of our family. “A dog is the only

thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” – Josh Billings. Having a dog, means l

coming home from school to a fuzzy little bucket of love who is so glad I’m home, that he can

hardly contain himself. When I cook, my dog treats me like the greatest hunter ever. When you

feed him, he treats me like a god. His heart beats for me. When I scratch him behind the ears or at

the base of the tail, he will almost turn himself inside out. And there is nothing you have ever done

in your life to earn this kind of unquestioning loyalty. Your dog is going to give you unconditional

love. You can’t prevent it. That’s just what dogs do. There is only one thing we, as humans, can

do about it: Try very hard to be worthy of their love. Try to be the person your dog thinks you are,

and even if you fail, you will be a better person for it.
 I made this artwork because I think no one has done this before. Van Gogh’s Starry Night

has a movement as a principle of art, and this inspired me to come up with this spiral artwork. The

difference is that, in Starry Night, colors are very abundant, while in my artwork, I only used black

to give a simple yet broader outcome of the drawing.

The most interesting discovery in myself while working on this project is that I realized

that I can create unique art even if I am only using pen and paper. Also, while doing this, I kept

thinking about my dog, and even all the other dogs, hoping that their masters treat them well as

well as part of their own family.

The most challenging moment in creating this artwork is that it tested my patience and

determination to finish my artwork in just one sitting. Since I already created my template ahead

of time, I allotted my remaining time to shading the artwork. It tested my patience in a way that,

making this artwork is not a joke, you need to be focused on shading to have a presentable outcome

and so that the image that you are trying to show will be accurate and visible. I made it during the

night and there was a tendency where I almost give up and just continue doing it tomorrow, but I

chose to finish it because I was so excited to see the finished outcome even if I am already sleepy

and my back is already hurting.

My most powerful learning moment is when I was shading the artwork. I realized that

beautiful things take time and I believe that this work of mine is beautiful in its own way for I have

made it with love and passion.

Personally, I have learned how to express my feelings through art. Another learning is that

I have created unique and creative artwork. In my drawing, you wouldn’t realize that it is an image

of a dog unless you see it from afar, you will then be stunned that as you go farther, the image of
a dog gradually appears. Another learning is that it stimulated my curiosity while doing it because

I was so elated when I’m almost done with it. Lastly, a dog changes your life. He enriches it, turns

it upside down, and suddenly you can't imagine it without your furry nose. In many years as a dog

owner, I have learned that life with a dog demands compromise and sacrifice - but it strengthens

your personality development and lets you grow. A dog will never fully meet your expectations,

fulfill your wishes or fit seamlessly into your plans but he will offer you exactly the challenges

that you might need at this stage of your life. Among four-legged friends, there is just as much

variety of characters as there are among us two-legged friends. In my life, I have met many dogs

and was allowed to call some of them my family members.