It would be interesting to see how you would've responded to the questions on the reflection forms for Drawing II and Painting II. I feel like I have to be careful not to be too hard on you because I have higher expectations for you than other Intro Drawing students. Your "sketches" with less effort and investment are more convincing and effective than pieces many other kids would need more time for or would be more stressful for them to complete. That said, I wonder how best to push you beyond your capacity, beyond your comfort zone, into even greater levels. Are you willing to do the hard work to "break personal records" like a track athlete? Great job. great hair. Nice shading. One of the best things is the angle; from slightly above and 3/4 view. It feels very 3D. Be that as it may, I think you're coasting. It's like a portrait studio image with a vignette. It's beautifully done, but how much more are you capable of? It could have more contrast, more depth. This may not make sense, but if you really wanted to make her look like she's smirking, you may have needed to draw attention to that more or exaggerate it a little. You're good at playing the notes correctly, but if you're gonna improve a solo, you've got to OWN it, make it your own. Add some volume, some soul, some funk, at least some vibrato or even staccato if it helps you stand out. Are you ready to even hear this, let alone act on it? I'm not trying to be mean, I'm trying to be real. You've got 3 more years and maybe music is more valuable to you than visual art, but kid, wow. But even Hercules needed Philoctetes. I can't challenge and push you and expect even greater things out of you if you don't let me. You're good, very good but you could go beyond great toward phenomenal- but you can't coast to phenomenal.
