Cracks Along the Commute

Paul Cifarelli

Media Design Studio

Cracks in the Sidewalk

9/17/2019

I chose these cracks in particular to draw because they are along my morning commute.  As I walk from my apartment to my T stop, it gives me time to observe the surroundings and be on the look-out for cracks in the sidewalk.  Most of these cracks are either as result of wear and tear naturally over time or can be a deliberate pattern.  The cracks are also accompanied by landmarks I see every day and thought stood out to me.  Those landmarks are my first apartment, a small corner store called Vivant Vintage, a bridge over the Mass Pike, Regina Pizzeria, the Harvard Ave stop on the B Green Line, the videogame café Balance Patch, and the Engagement Lab.  These cracks are linked together by all the route I take in the morning to get to Emerson.  If I had to give these series a name, it would be “Cracks Along the Commute”. 

When it came to creating the pieces, I kept things relatively simple.  Some pieces just focused on the basic linework of the crack while others were accompanied by something surrounding the crack, such as graffiti or train tracks or patterned bricks.  The pieces that involved more than just the crack needed color to properly illustrate the surroundings because I thought it would make the pieces more visually interesting.  The pieces that had color were all done with pencils while the ones without color, just the crack, were done with pen and marker.  I used a pencil to sketch out each piece, then added the colored pencils and marker/pen on after.  In addition, a ruler was used to set up perfect straight lines so I could be precise as possible when drawing the cracks.

My experience with the different mediums was familiar, since I’ve done work similar to this before.  During my undergrad program, I was tasked with these kinds of assignments every week.  The process of exploring, taking pictures, and then drawing with different papers and tools all reminded me of previous art classes I’ve taken.  Aside from class assignments, I also try to find time to draw in my spare time, so this assignment was right up my ally.  I honestly preferred pencil over pen and marker because I like being able to erase and correct my mistakes, unlike pen and marker.  Overall, the experience was fun because I enjoyed exploring more on my commute and being more observant of the smaller details in my surroundings.

Sidewalk in front of my apartment on Franklin St, pencil sketch then marker

Sidewalk next to Vivant Vintage, a small corner vintage store on Lincoln St, Pen

On the bridge over the Mass Pike, pencil sketch and colored pencil

Parking lot of Regina Pizzeria in Allston on Cambridge St, pencil sketch then pen and color pencil

Green Line B Harvard Ave stop, pencil sketch then color pencil

Sidewalk in front of Balance Patch on Commonwealth Ave, pencil sketch then color pencil

Side walk in front of the Engagement Lab on Boylston St, pencil sketch then marker