Through Project 1, I learned about composition, the value of negative space, and how the two work together. Observing negative space can inform the composition of the positive space, and bring out hidden themes you might not have even realized. My project, which represented the ancient Mesopotamian goddess, Ishtar, explored extremes such as love and war, life and death, darkness and light, and more. Putting the positive and negative space versions of my image next to each other evoked these extremes even more powerfully. I payed a lot of attention to detail on the lion emblem and the intricately tangled cord, but if I were to do this project again I would spend more time on the charcoal. I would have made sure it was smooth and even across the page in the negative space drawing, and I would have found a better way for it not to smudge on both drawings. I sprayed them with fixative but it didn’t seem to work. If I had to approach the entire project differently, I think I would have experimented with shadow and light because I think that would give the necklace more life. This time, I used the draping, twisting shape of the cord to do that; to add softness to the stiff charm. Maybe another time I would focus even more on the chord.

Because of this project, I am so much more informed about composition. In the future I will be able to put more thought into where I am placing things and why, because now I have learned a few basics (like how having something coming off the page allows our eyes to be brought in…), and observed many different compositions from my peers. It was also really empowering to put make a project about something that’s meaningful to me.