I decided to take a few lessons on painting online and then went on to create two paintings using the skills I learnt.

LO1: I realized that to paint with good detail and precision I had to develop technical skills which I did not have to a great degree. I also saw that I did not have complete knowledge of art and why and how different techniques work for different paintings. I could identify that my sketching skills were good but displaying transparency or glass was something which I could improve on. Henceforth, I begin practicing a few painting skills and watched tutorials to improve upon my weaknesses so I could successfully create a painting.

LO2: Painting was a huge challenge for me. It required a great deal of patience and calmness to create sketches, colors, decide shades and slowly paint to avoid mistakes. To do this, I had to learn new techniques as to minimize mistakes during the painting, taking breaks, and develop concentration skills. I also develop a number of skills–from maintaining and using the canvas, shading, perspective, etc. I also decided to focus mainly on glass paintings, such as bottles and glasses in order to strengthen my skills.

LO3: Because this can be time-consuming, and I have academics as well, I had to create a plan in order to be able to successfully complete three paintings. This allowed me to be more efficient and manage my time much more effectively. Although, I was only able to create two paintings. This is because it was too time-consuming and I was not able to give enough time after the learning and tutorials to the paintings themselves, suggesting that I could improve upon my time-management skills.

LO4: As I said, painting is a very delicate task that requires mental effort. I often found myself exhausted and tired because of the precision that the painting required, but it was necessary for me to produce some work from the skills that I had learnt, so I committed to the task and decided to finish it. Also, sometimes I would make mistakes for which I would have to begin again, where I was able to show my perseverance.

At the end, I was happy that I was able to create two paintings and was able to successfully develop a greater understanding of visual art, and improve upon a range of technical skills during this CAS experience.