Reflection Prompts
Reflections and artist statements are ways for artists to document their thoughts, think about how they accomplished their objectives, and share their process with their audience. All reflections and statements must be in paragraph form, not numbered.
Artwork Artist Statement: Artist reflection for a specific art piece. Aim for Level 3 (examples below)
1. WHAT did you do? (Subject matter, idea)
2. HOW did you do it? (Media, techniques, style)
3. WHY did you do it? (Why did you choose to do this particular thing? Why is this important to you?)
4. Any other information that is relevant to your piece.
5. Advanced Classes: Include a general artist statement. http://www.kostichart.com/artist-statement.html
Need more ideas? Click here for a helpful flow chart.
Artwork Artist Statement Instructions:
1. Open a new Google Doc and start at the top of the page
Then, in no particular order:
2. Write your specific artwork artist statement (about your specific art piece)
3. Advanced: Write an general artist statement (about your artwork in general). Can be copy/pasted from another statement. http://www.kostichart.com/artist-statement.html (Focus on #1 and #2)
4. Print and attach each statement to each piece.
Artwork Artist Statement Levels & Examples (Aim for Level 3!)
Level 1 (Too basic; doesn’t give your viewer much information. Sounds like an assignment.)
I like to draw animals. I use pencil and pen. I drew a lionfish with pen because I thought it looked cool.
Level 2 (A little more information, but very choppy. Still sounds like an assignment.)
I draw animals and plants because I like them, and I usually use pencil or pen to get more detail. This piece is a drawing of a Lionfish that I saw in a zoo in Bermuda. I used brown Micron pens. I chose the Lionfish because the designs of this poisonous, deadly fish stood out to me, and I remembered it after I got back.
Level 3 (Detailed information, and written in a personal voice.)
Animals and plants are naturally recurring subjects in my artwork because of my fascination with their unique colors, patterns, textures, and proportions, as well as the challenge of portraying these unique features accurately. I primarily use Prismacolor colored pencils and Micron pens in order to increase my control of the media and capture a high level of detail that is necessary for a more realistic illustration. While I was in Bermuda for my honeymoon, I visited the aquarium and saw this lionfish in one of the exhibits. I was particularly drawn to the intricate detail and pattern of its stripes and venomous spikes, which I captured in my drawing by using brown Micron pens. I decided to leave the background blank in order to focus on the subject and to create a graphic, two-tone vignette.
Friday Reflection
Reflect on what you accomplished each week, and post the answers to these questions in the caption on your Friday Instagram post. Answer in any order and feel free to combine questions.
1. What did you accomplish this week? Did you accomplish your original goals, or did they change? Elaborate.
2. How do you feel about what you accomplished, and how do you feel about your work in general this week?
3. What feedback (glows and grows) did you receive from your peers? (On weeks with peer reviews)
4. Ideas for next weeks goals?
5 POINT BONUS: How did you go above and beyond this week? Choose at least one. Be sure to elaborate! - Did you work harder than usual? - Did you exceed your expectations on what you thought you could do? - Did you discover something new and use it in your work? - Did you teach something new to one of your peers or the teacher? - Did you do something that was outside your comfort zone? - Did you think outside the box and/or and come up with a creative, unique idea that you haven't seen before? -OR... anything else?
1/2-way Reflection (Reflection about your overall progress/accomplishments so far in the class and where you want to go from here; no particular order)
1. What are your current glows and grows? What has been successful so far, and what do you want to work on or improve?
2. What have been your overall goals for the past several weeks? Are you making progress towards these goals, and how so?
3. What useful feedback did you receive during your peer review? Do you agree/disagree? Explain.
4. What are your overall feelings about your whole body of work at this point?
5. What are your goals for the next several weeks (or the final weeks of this class)? What do you hope to accomplish?
Final Reflection (Reflection about your overall progress/accomplishments in the class and how you did; no particular order)
1. Look back at your first open studio Instagram posts, and look at your work now. How has your work changed or grown over the course of the term/semester? Use SPECIFIC examples.
2. What were your most important, overarching, or memorable goals for this class, and do you feel that you were successful in accomplishing or approaching them? Use SPECIFIC examples.
3. What are your personal glows and grows? What has been successful this term/semester, and what do you need to work on?
3. Describe some of the helpful feedback you received during the final critique/review. Do you agree? Disagree?
4. How do you feel about your body of work overall? How so?
Artwork Artist Statement: Artist reflection for a specific art piece. Aim for Level 3 (examples below)
1. WHAT did you do? (Subject matter, idea)
2. HOW did you do it? (Media, techniques, style)
3. WHY did you do it? (Why did you choose to do this particular thing? Why is this important to you?)
4. Any other information that is relevant to your piece.
5. Advanced Classes: Include a general artist statement. http://www.kostichart.com/artist-statement.html
Need more ideas? Click here for a helpful flow chart.
Artwork Artist Statement Instructions:
1. Open a new Google Doc and start at the top of the page
Then, in no particular order:
2. Write your specific artwork artist statement (about your specific art piece)
3. Advanced: Write an general artist statement (about your artwork in general). Can be copy/pasted from another statement. http://www.kostichart.com/artist-statement.html (Focus on #1 and #2)
4. Print and attach each statement to each piece.
Artwork Artist Statement Levels & Examples (Aim for Level 3!)
Level 1 (Too basic; doesn’t give your viewer much information. Sounds like an assignment.)
I like to draw animals. I use pencil and pen. I drew a lionfish with pen because I thought it looked cool.
Level 2 (A little more information, but very choppy. Still sounds like an assignment.)
I draw animals and plants because I like them, and I usually use pencil or pen to get more detail. This piece is a drawing of a Lionfish that I saw in a zoo in Bermuda. I used brown Micron pens. I chose the Lionfish because the designs of this poisonous, deadly fish stood out to me, and I remembered it after I got back.
Level 3 (Detailed information, and written in a personal voice.)
Animals and plants are naturally recurring subjects in my artwork because of my fascination with their unique colors, patterns, textures, and proportions, as well as the challenge of portraying these unique features accurately. I primarily use Prismacolor colored pencils and Micron pens in order to increase my control of the media and capture a high level of detail that is necessary for a more realistic illustration. While I was in Bermuda for my honeymoon, I visited the aquarium and saw this lionfish in one of the exhibits. I was particularly drawn to the intricate detail and pattern of its stripes and venomous spikes, which I captured in my drawing by using brown Micron pens. I decided to leave the background blank in order to focus on the subject and to create a graphic, two-tone vignette.
Friday Reflection
Reflect on what you accomplished each week, and post the answers to these questions in the caption on your Friday Instagram post. Answer in any order and feel free to combine questions.
1. What did you accomplish this week? Did you accomplish your original goals, or did they change? Elaborate.
2. How do you feel about what you accomplished, and how do you feel about your work in general this week?
3. What feedback (glows and grows) did you receive from your peers? (On weeks with peer reviews)
4. Ideas for next weeks goals?
5 POINT BONUS: How did you go above and beyond this week? Choose at least one. Be sure to elaborate! - Did you work harder than usual? - Did you exceed your expectations on what you thought you could do? - Did you discover something new and use it in your work? - Did you teach something new to one of your peers or the teacher? - Did you do something that was outside your comfort zone? - Did you think outside the box and/or and come up with a creative, unique idea that you haven't seen before? -OR... anything else?
1/2-way Reflection (Reflection about your overall progress/accomplishments so far in the class and where you want to go from here; no particular order)
1. What are your current glows and grows? What has been successful so far, and what do you want to work on or improve?
2. What have been your overall goals for the past several weeks? Are you making progress towards these goals, and how so?
3. What useful feedback did you receive during your peer review? Do you agree/disagree? Explain.
4. What are your overall feelings about your whole body of work at this point?
5. What are your goals for the next several weeks (or the final weeks of this class)? What do you hope to accomplish?
Final Reflection (Reflection about your overall progress/accomplishments in the class and how you did; no particular order)
1. Look back at your first open studio Instagram posts, and look at your work now. How has your work changed or grown over the course of the term/semester? Use SPECIFIC examples.
2. What were your most important, overarching, or memorable goals for this class, and do you feel that you were successful in accomplishing or approaching them? Use SPECIFIC examples.
3. What are your personal glows and grows? What has been successful this term/semester, and what do you need to work on?
3. Describe some of the helpful feedback you received during the final critique/review. Do you agree? Disagree?
4. How do you feel about your body of work overall? How so?
Develop Craft
I learn and develop skills, techniques, and processes.
Stretch & Explore
I take risks, step outside my comfort zone, and I try new materials or techniques that are not familiar to me.
Engage & Persist
I solve and work through unexpected challenges and obstacles that occur.
Express
I communicate my interests, opinions, ideas, emotions, or identity to my audience through my art.
Envision
I use inspiration and my own ideas to create original art; I make a plan for my artwork and think about my next steps.
Observe
I look closer and see things that are usually overlooked; I create art from direct observation.
Reflect
I step back and analyze my work; I consider what is successful and what I could do differently.
Collaborate
I create artwork with others; I share inspiration/knowledge; I give and receive critical feedback.
Understand the Art World
I use inspiration/reference from other artists' work, art styles, and art movements; I use my art knowledge (composition, color theory, values, perspective, Elements & Principles, etc.) to create a visually compelling piece; I understand the difference between inspiration/reference and plagiarism.
Modified from Ian Sands / artofsouthb.com and Melissa Purtee