Storyboard Panel Midterm

(This doesn't have the best lighting.. merp...)

For Action Analysis, we have to find an article in the art and design section of the New York Times that we find interesting. We critique the work of said article whether it be painting, drawing, photograph, film, etc and then make a "storyboard panel" that would come before or after the image that goes with the article.

For this project I found an article about a couple, an artist and a historian, who are opening an exhibit in New York from April to July of this year displaying the artwork that was long archived from the expeditions of early 20th century scientist William Beebe.

William Beebe had gone inside a blythosphere (or steel sphere that went underwater) as a way to observe the scary, glow-in-the-dark creatures of the deep. Over time, he brought a long more people on his team, all artists, scientists, photographers, and historians alike.

The article included a photo of Beebe in his wet gear taking notes on his observations underwater. One of the other images featured was an illustration of a giant squid made by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van. These two images and where I drew my inspiration from for this storyboard panel.

I was honestly really nervous making this and I drew it 3 times. The third time because I drew it in the wrong orientation. Nervous because it feels like it's been years since I've done "scene" drawing like this. I have done little things for my concept art class from last year, but nothing that was really good.

I'm also intimidated because of the majority of the people in this class are really good and confident with drawing so I feel like my work isn't going to be so hot by comparison.

That's the unfortunate part, that when I lost my love for drawing, I stopped doing it. I stopped doing it regularly after high school and so that's where my skills ended. My skills are at a high school level at this point. I should work on this.

But here's the process of my drawings from the first sketch to the final. And yea... I ended up needing to start over because I realized it wasn't in the correct orientation as the original photo.

EDIT: I was surprised today during the critique in class how much everyone liked my drawing. I was the 2nd to present as the professor asked us which ones stood out to us the most. First people said a watercolor one and then they said "the squid!" And before that I heard people commenting on how cute they thought the squid was.

As for the critique, what I mostly had to work on was the clustered look of the composition.

I was a little disappointed to get my grade back for my sketchbook and getting another... "eh"... grade. But looking over the work I had done for that assignment I understood why I got what I got. In just a matter of a week or two, I can see myself improve greatly, so I'm glad that I will have the opportunity for re-submission. But I feel like this big midterm grade should boost my numbers a bit. (hopefully)