AP Art Portfolio
Gezellig
Gezellig is a Dutch word for comfort, home, and company together. One morning in California, the weather reminded me of the Netherlands, where I was born. I wanted to know what makes a place feel that way. This series is my answer. I drew the couch my family has had since Europe, the shelf in my bedroom, and a canal I remember from Amsterdam. Some pieces took several tries. Two of them I started over completely.
Portrait of my father
Height: 11”, Width: 8”
Ideas: Meant to highlight the multifaceted-ness of my Dad’s character.
Materials: pencil & pen
Processes: Sketched with pencil, and then used pen to create all the shapes that make up the face.
Our Couch, Europe to California
Every night, my family gathers on this couch and drinks tea before we go to bed. When I was little and couldn’t sleep, my mom and dad comforted me here. The couch is bright red. That’s the color of Amsterdam’s flag, and in Chinese culture it’s the color of luck and happiness. It was the right color for the place where we always come together. It’s over 15 years old, and it has moved with us from Europe to the United States.
I started with sketching a fisheye view to show how big the couch feels. Then I took some pictures of the couch, one with my father on it. Then I drew my family on it, each person in a moment I remember from that couch. I painted it in bright watercolor. Then I used pen to correct the features I had gotten wrong.
Sizes of artworks: Height: ~7.5”, Width: ~7.5”
Materials: pencil, pen, and watercolor
Processes: Sketched with pencil, tried a version with water color (bottom right), final version (top right) is a combination of watercolor and pen.