LO 1 Identifying own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
LO 3 Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Over the past term, a group of students and I have been working on our cardboard city. We followed through with our plan, to used up-cycled boxes instead of making new ones as they are widely available and more sustainable for the planet. To make this more personalised, we all used our own art styles to embellish the buildings.
I started painting some boxes and tried to use new techniques. First, I started something similar to an art style I’m familiar with by recreating a graphic illustration using pen instead of drawing one using a drawing tablet. This was an interesting experience as I was able to draw similarities and differences between the two processes. For some buildings I tried to be spontaneous by doing doodles as I go along without planning ahead. However, this still did not feel out of my comfort zone enough. So I decided to start painting some boxes. I incorporated some techniques that I learnt from other members of the group. For example, using masking tape to create straight edges. This is most evident in our Mondrian inspired wall on the pentagon building. Using a palette knife, we created texture in the sea harbouring our city. Although different art styles are used on each buildings, the colours used in the city harmonise by using the same colour scheme.
In terms of delegation of tasks, we all agreed to do equal amounts however this was not the case in practice. Some people were more detail oriented and spent more time on certain buildings and therefore had little time to complete their other assigned buildings. But we made up for it by being flexible and completing their tasks for them. Additionally, some of us finished earlier than others so this was not a big issue as we had time anyway. Another obstacle was the base of our city went missing and we only had the buildings left. So instead of creating a city, we just created a big conglomerate vertical building by stacking all of them on top of each other.
Through this activity, I was able to not only consolidate my existing art skills, I was also able to experiment with different techniques that I learnt from my peers. I also learnt that things do not always go as plan even when tasks are delegated. However, if we are open-minded and adaptable then we can handle unforeseen situations better.
