This journal is all about my final piece for an art coursework project with the title 'Botanical Illustration'.
Do you think that it's alright for an art teacher to take something that a student has spent six hours or so on and scribble in new (ie there was already one there) background in pencil and then go over it in acrylic paint? Keep in mind that this picture was a delicate watercolour.
The background was made up of six or seven washes which were sponged on over an hour and a half. I would like to point out that the background which was origionally planned wasn't used because the same teacher decided to paint on the background in the middle of the art exam. This background wasn't planned, as said, but linked to an artist that was studied so he said that was alright.
What was done was showed to him about half an hour before the exam and he was asked if anything should be changed, if the background was alright or if the leaves in the photograph. He said no, it wasn't to be touched because it would spoil it and that it was perfect as it was.
Because of these comments, it was handed it with the sketchbook with a positive feeling, he said it was perfect. The mark recieved for the final piece was 8/15. For those of you who don't know, that's the same as a stick figure would get. A very good stick figure which related to the project maybe, but a stick figure none the less.
The reasons on the mark sheet was that the background wasn't finished and that it needed the leaves.
Upon asking him about this he proceeded to explain that "Final pieces are meant to have emotion and clearly show inspiration and inteligence, this doesn't. There's no inspiration or emotion in this. It's just a rough copy of a photograph." Upon asking him what he would recommend changing he took up a pencil, scribbled leaves into the background and got white acrylic paint and painted areas of what he believed to be light, going over part of the flower that six hours had been spent on.
It doesn't matter if it looks better now, which it doesn't. It's the fact that an art teacher, who paints in a completely different style to a delicate water colour painting, made irreversible changes to an exam piece twice and on neither time did he have the student's permission. This destroys any kind of trust and belief that the student is meant to regard the art teacher with and replaces it with suspision and makes them less inclinded to show them their work for fear that it will occur again. The student needs to show the teacher the work to recieve passive feedback on how to improve. I can't believe that I'm crying writing this.


I have a plee here, as well.
Please do not smoke.
My friend's dad died day before yesterday from lung cancer (he was 40 something) and my granny is set to die within the next three months.
I don't want any warm words or "I'm sorry"'s on anything related to cancer, dying or smoking. I'm also not looking for a debate here. Smoking is bad for you; It Fucking Kills You. If you don't understand that then you've something wrong with you. It just... Ahaha, I'm crying again now. It just destroys people's lives, seriously.
"Everyone has their time and everyone must die." It's true, but you neededn't hasten your parting. It kills me watching so many people suffer and I can't do anything about it so I'm asking you all here, please don't smoke.
If not for me then for yourselves; for all those people out there who've died because of it; for all those people who wish they've given up sooner.
Don't do it, please.
I just... It's... It's bad, can't you see that?