Photo Realism Project

For the photo realism project, I chose to use BedHead For Men Daily Shampoo. This was a great way to further my understanding of the gradient mesh tool. 

If I were to perfect this piece, I would definitely spend more time on the gradients on the bottle as well as the text on the bottle. I felt that the photo I took for it was satisfactory, but I could have taken one with slightly better lighting. The comb is definitely the strongest aspect of this piece, but I was glad I chose to use it as my accent piece because it complements the composition nicely. 

Clucks & Moos Website

For our final project we had to design a home page for a children's website that would teach them all about farm animals.

I chose to use simple shapes and crisp colors that would draw kids in. I put the animals in the foreground since the focus of the website is on them, and I incorporated the navigation bar into a country-like street sign. 

I feel that this project turned out very well, and I was pleased with it. Just like I did with the Literary Illustration project, I sketched it first, then the scanned the sketch and used live trace. I definitely favor this approach. Even though I didn't end up going for a hand drawn look, drawing it ahead of time proved to be very helpful. 

Lyrical/Book Illustration Project

"Nothing's gonna change my world."

Song: Across the Universe by The Beatles

For the Lyrical Illustration project I chose to convey an abstract song from the Beatles because the lyrics allow you to use you imagination.

 I chose to use a hand drawn look for my design and gave it a watercolor feel. At first I was having trouble achieving the surrealistic style I desired, but then I used Live Trace to bring my sketch into Illustrator, and it helped me a lot. I also used a pen tablet which I have never done before, but it was perfect since I am more comfortable with pen and paper.

I chose to use very pale and neutral tones, so that the little color that I did use around the guy in the foreground pops. My idea is that although there is hardship, disaster, and darkness all around him, the figure is still able to maintain and protect the happiness that he has in his "world." The light around him acts as a forcefield, repelling the rain, and allowing the plant life to thrive, just as he too is thriving in the light.

Overall, I was able to convey the image I had originally sketched, so that made me happy. The key to a design like this for me is layers. I love using layers and labeling them all because it keeps my design well organized and manageable.

Demoss Group Project

 This assignment was to choose a section of wall in Demoss and figure out an aesthetically pleasing design for the space.

My group came up with several different approaches for how to fill the wall space we had chosen near the A La Carte in Demoss. We decided to try to create a theater feel by focusing on The Arts, and we were inspired by a photograph that one of our group members had taken at Liberty's Hairspray play.

We took this basic design that I created and ran with it, and eventually ended up doing six canvases as opposed to our original three. We stayed with our theme of The Arts so that it would be more focused.

 

My process was to take an original photo of a person in each pose, and then I traced each wit the pen tool in Illustrator to create the silhouettes. I used different transparencies for the circles in the background, and used a gradient mesh for the background color. I also used the 'transform again' command to rotate the line bursts behind each figure. 

It was difficult portraying the singer and photographer in silhouette form, so we had to reshoot several of those photos. It was also difficult for me to pose as a ballerina, since I have absolutely no ballet experience and am far from graceful. 

 This was a fun project to work on because it actually prepared me for what it would be like to work for a real client. I learned how to apply my artistic abilities within specific guidelines and how to take critiques in a positive way. I learned teamwork which is important in the design field, as well as good communication.

Crazy Creeps Group Project

This was a group project in which we designed character representations of ourselves in a creative way and came up with a group theme and group name.

We decided to do a cartoon look and to create monsters that had certain elements that represented each of us. We called our group "Crazy Creeps."

My character is in the middle, and I gave it brown eyes and curly hair like mine, as well as a necktie which I often like to wear. I wanted to choose a monster that depicted my goofy personality, and I think the teeth helped do that.

In order to improve this design, I would definitely try to arrange the characters in a more interactive way, since they seem rather stagnant on the page. Also the shadows underneath them are harsh and distracting, so I would adjust them and fade them a bit more.

Recognizable Shapes Project

We were expected to make ten separate recognizable objects using only the basic shapes such as circles, squares, and triangles.

I tried several different methods for this project. My favorite one is probably the mug. I used many tiny circles to create the steam, and it ended up having a pretty neat effect.

After we finished the ten separate objects, we were told to take one of these and expand on it.

I chose the heart from the document above, and turned it into the image to the right. The main thing I focused on stylistically was layering black and white objects to create a fake "stroke."

To improve this piece I would have the person holding something or posing slightly differently, because his hands seem a bit awkward. But I successfully portrayed the emotion I was going for, which is sorrow.

Zoo Icons Project

For this project we were asked to design signs for a zoo, in which we could only use two colors.

Rather than simply placing each animal stereotypically in the middle of the sign, I tried to have them popping out of various sides of each sign in an interesting way.

I had a common theme of eyes, and used the pen tool for bold lines and edges for a crisp recognizable image.

I traced parts of images for some of the tricky images, but mostly I just looked at a photo and created the animal from what I saw.