We see art in everything. In the shadows the sun makes, in the way our clothes fall, in the color changing of leaves (at least outside of Santa Barbara). Yet here at San Marcos we especially see art in the flourishing art departments, yet more so in the students. Ms. Garibay class is just one of many examples of places on campus where students have the opportunity to create.
“We had to contour drawing and our teacher said you should do one of yourself just in case you are going to college you can use this in your art portfolio to show who you are,” said Sophomore Gabrielle Hilary Tejano. “I thought it was kind of cool to draw myself in a portrait since I usually draw other people. It was kind of nice to have something for myself. We had to do watercolor but I had fun doing it.”If you look closely you can see each brush stroke and line intentionally made by Gabrielle. This intentionality gives a feeling of true dedication and passion.
“We did a contour drawing,” said Gabrielle. “Basically we have to draw without lifting our pencil. We have to draw everything in one line… It’s hard if we don’t have the grids to help us with the proportions.”
Another stunning piece of artwork was done by senior Natasha Vargas. Nataasha explained her process of creating her portrait.
“First I had to choose an image with nice lighting and not any odd shadows on the face so it wouldn’t look distorted,” said Natasha. “But I didn’t want to do myself… so I thought of my best friend, Sydney.”
Natasha explained that she chose to use the color green because it is her friend’s favorite color. As well as being her friend’s favorite color, green also symbolizes life, perfect for painting a person. Her painting, like Gabrielle’s, done in the contour style.
“…With some practice and understanding it [contour painting] is kind of easy to get the hang of it but it’s also still kind of hard to get it right.”
The style of contour drawing is one that takes skill and concentration. What’s more is that this technique focuses on the connectedness of an art piece, choosing to connect all the lines rather than separating them. This method could not be any more fitting for the portraits made. Recognizing that as people we are connected, a continued line wrapping up our insides and out can be perfectly symbolized in contour art. Natasha and Gabrielle’s art work were perfect reminders of this message, creating an appreciation for ourselves and art.
