Samples of Life

My artwork is a divided circle filled with various patterns. The subject matter of my art piece is African patterns and zentangle drawings. I titled my drawing “Samples of Life.” The title is inspired by the song “Symptoms of Life” by WILLOW. Elements that are obvious in my piece are the use of different lines, shapes, and space.
For my piece, I used a sharpie to outline the circle and divide it. Furthermore, I used a black pen to draw the different patterns within the divided parts of the circle. I rarely used the sharpie to draw patterns as it seemed to bleed over the borders of the circle. The patterns I drew took inspiration from Cameroonian fabrics I saw online and patterns I had created before. When trying to make parts darker, I used my pen to lightly shade it in order to create a cooler effect.
My art piece was inspired by my love for Cameroonian fabrics. It was also inspired by things I had seen in my daily life like flowers, clouds, eyes, etc. Though it doesn’t express any issues, it is meant to show off the patterns you see in life, hence the name “Samples of Life.” The piece is like a community quilt, the only difference being that it was made on paper by one artist. The emotion I hope my art would bring is a sense of longing. Community quilts are usually full of color while my art piece is in black and white. I hope my art piece makes people want to bring more color into their own lives.
As an artist, I strive to be as creative and unique as possible. In this piece, I wanted to share some of the unique patterns that I had created. I also wanted to make each section stand out on its own. I believe that this piece is a good representation of my creative side. Though there are some parts I wish I could change, I believe that I did a good job of making my piece unique.
With this piece, I learned how to create my own patterns. To be honest, the final piece did not come out exactly how I wanted it to. There are parts I wish I could erase and there are parts I wish I could shade in completely. Still, I am proud of it. In the future, I hope that this piece will influence how I draw fabrics in art. I also hope it will help me if I ever choose to get into fashion design.