In my work, I am trying to evoke a contrast of different shades ranging from black to white. I tried to balance my composition using the value scale. In both photographs, I used value to draw a center of interest at the diamond. The diamond has the lightest value and was placed next to dark values to stand out. A diamond has changing values when one moves only slightly, so I attempted to express that through my photographs by standing in different places to take the pictures. When I get back from break, I'd like to improve the focus of my photographs, as well as continue to show a wide range of shades in the value scale. The images to the left seem to have more dark values than light, so I may experiment with closing my aperture more to create lighter values in the photograph.
For the charcoal drawing portion of the project, I tried to continue to explore having a complete value scale, and showing movement through the charcoal. After much trial and error, the fabric began to look realistic and 3-D. In regards to shadows, a white line next to the shadow makes it stand out. These habits pushed me to further develop my artistic practices that I can use in the future such as contrast and movement. My work in the darkroom is similar to my drawing because the diamond has a lighter value than the background, but it is different because the diamond is shone at different angles. My drawing took more going over my original sketch, and was more difficult for me. I am more comfortable with the photography portion. I believe the drawing allowed more medium for expression because each stroke impacts the drawing, whereas the dark room has more technical features. I could improve my drawing by making the diamond look a little more realistic, and standing out more than the background. With the photo, I could show a larger value scale. Overall, I learned a lot of skills through the value project that I can use in the future.
