““What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” – Karl Lagerfeld
Hello again everyone! I’m back again to discuss the fun (and relaxing) activity we did this week in Art 110. This week we went to the Japanese Garden on CSULB’s campus to sketch and take photos. I had never been to the garden before and I must say it was breathtaking!! Plus there really is nothing better in life than a bunch of koi fish.
Our assignment was to draw 6 sketches, 3 that were realistic and 3 that were abstract, along with taking 6 photos to a similar extent; 3 realistic photos and 3 abstract photos. I love abstract photography so I knew I would have a lot of fun with this project.
So without further ado…let’s look at some sketches and photography!
My Three Realistic Photographs:
I don’t know why it tends to happen this way, but in attempting to make photographs look as realistic as possible, they tend to be less realistic, blurring at the edges while remaining vibrant in color. The first image is of the sand garden, it was so beautiful to look at with its many textures and curving lines. Next up was a photo I took of one of two waterfalls in the Japanese Gardens, it was really nice to just listen to it and relax, as well as look at the many koi fish who would swim up to it and back out into the pond. My final realistic photo is of an adorable little koi fish that I saw multiple times. I love koi fish so much and I couldn’t help but try and take a great photo of this colorful little guy!
My Three Abstract Photos:
Fun fact about me, I love abstract photography!! I love examining textures and shapes and trying to determine what the subject of a photo may be when in fact the true concept is that there is no definable one. So here are three of the abstract photos I took in the gardens, see if you can determine what the subject of each photo is!
“Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
My Three Realistic Sketches:
Oddly enough when it comes to actually drawing realistic subjects, I prefer realistic drawings so much more than abstract drawings. My first realistic drawing is of the Japanese Garden itself and more specifically the pond in the center. Sitting on a rock and looking out over the water was very relaxing and tranquil. My second realistic drawing is of a koi fish! More specifically a very large koi fish that my friend Brian affectionally dubbed ‘Big John’. The koi fish was so adorable and I had a fantastic time sketching him. My final realistic drawing is of a duck. There were so many ducks in the pond with the koi fish, and most of them were constantly trying to steal the koi fish’s food. This duck in particular I named Henry, because he sat with me a while to let me draw him, and he followed me around for a bit as well, and I must say I grew a bit attached.
My Three Abstract Sketches:
Just like abstract photographs, when it comes to abstract drawings you are not supposed to truly know what you are looking at when you first view it. That’s what I tried to achieve with these sketches, to what avail, that’s entirely up to you. Try and see if you can figure out what each of these sketches is a part of!
Compare and Contrast: Photography vs. Drawing
When it comes to my experience drawing in the Japanese Garden vs. taking photos in the Japanese Garden, I have to say I preferred drawing in the garden. There is nothing I love more than being able to sit in a tranquil place and just draw. Being able to repeatedly look at a subject as I draw it is really rewarding and fun to me, so I really enjoyed the realistic sketching portion of this project. Now that’s not to say I did not like taking photos in the garden, I think there is just a major difference between the two forms of media. When it comes to drawing, at least with a pencil and paper, I can shape what I am drawing into something easily recognizable, something I can easily look at and understand and enjoy. Photography, on the other hand, tends to require a more in-depth look into your subject. When I was attempting to take photos in the garden, all the koi fish were constantly moving all over the place, so they were blurry in most of my photos. Also, with the intense sunlight in most shots, it became hard to determine what I was necessarily taking a photo of in a lot of my pictures. Never the less, both forms of media were really fun to work with and I had an excellent day for my first time in the garden!
Compare and Contrast My Experience Realistic vs. Abstract:
I have always been someone that when it comes to being either more realistic or romantic I am far more romantic. Constantly choosing fantasy over reality. Yet the interesting thing is that this part of myself does not apply to my art. When it comes to drawing I will always prefer doing realistic pieces. I love the challenge of trying to replicate a subject to the best of my ability. With this experience in the Japanese Garden, having the opportunity to make realistic pieces was so exciting for me. I immediately knew that I wanted to draw at least one koi fish, and that honestly made my entire day. I must say though, that realistic drawing can be very stressful, always feeling as though you won’t be able to properly replicate a subject, as if it will never be good enough. But I have recognized that it shouldn’t matter if someone else can recognize what I am drawing as long as I can, and I had a blast. Realistic photography is the same, I always try and replicate the concepts I learned in art class in my photos, to what success I still don’t know, but there is nothing better than getting a great shot of a subject and feeling like you are actually succeeding as a photographer!! That might be exaggerating my skills a bit, but taking photos of other people and landscapes makes me truly happy, and actually having the ability to take decent realistic photos is so rewarding.
Abstract wise, I have always been interested in abstract drawings, as I feel like they are so hard to make. It just seems so difficult to draw microscopic details of a piece, and show the textures and shades of that small section of a larger subject. Nevertheless, attempting to do so was a lot of fun, and finding subjects to draw in such intense detail may have been a struggle, but definitely worth it in the end. Abstract photography, as I’ve said, is so incredibly fun to take, high definition cameras can truly get all the little cracks and grooves of a subject. Nothing is better than crystal clear focus on a subject’s tiny inner workings, expanding upon ideas that a viewer may not have considered before. There is something truly rewarding in making a viewer really think about one of your pieces, causing them to question what the real difference between real and abstract is as they try to make sense of an undefinable picture.
And that’s how my experience in the Japanese Garden went! It was so much fun to have the chance to visit, and I hope to go again soon. I’m looking forward to what we might being doing this week in Art110, and I’m even more excited to share what we did with you all! Thank you all so much for reading about my adventures, and I will be back with another post soon. I hope you have a fantastic week, now go make some art!
Art and Those Who Make It 