Winter Final Blog Post

My Takeaways

      Throughout my time in e-Comm, I have learned so much that I wouldn't have learned had I not been a part of e-Comm.  In the category of technology, I have learned how to use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design.  To be honest, I didn't even know that Adobe In Design existed until I came into e-Comm.  With Illustrator, it took a bit of time for me to get accustomed to working in vectors.  The curve tool took awhile to get the hang of, but I am satisfied with my improvement.  With collaboration, I have definitely improved.  When I came into e-Comm, I was extremely shy and unconfident in my ability to work with others.  I am still shy and prefer to work on my own, however, I feel much more comfortable working with others when required.  This also goes for communication.  When I came into e-Comm, I could not communicate my ideas or designs fluently.  Now, though, I am able to pitch an idea much clearer than before.  With project management, I could still improve on this.  When working on a project, I get carried away trying to make my design as intricate as possible.  However, this sometimes makes me miss my deadline.  I need to work on making good-quality projects while also keeping within the time constraints.  Finally, with leadership, I definitely still need work on this aspect.  I am not a leader.  I always wish that I could take charge, but it scares me to do so.  I will continue working on my confidence in leadership in the future.

Strengths and Weaknesses

      I think one of my strengths in e-Comm is being able to create many different design ideas for the same project.  That way, I can choose which design is the best to move forward with.  One of my weaknesses is color.  I am never sure how to choose colors that set the mood that I want and that go together well.

What I Will Do With My Skills

      I do not plan to go into the field of graphic design.  However, that does not mean I will not use the skills I have learned.  I plan to be a scientist, and I think it will be very helpful knowing how to make clean visuals that can help explain my research.  If I need to ask for research grants, I will be able to provide helpful visuals to convince the person I am asking to provide the grant.  However, I also plan to do art commissions as a hobby.  I will be able to use the skills I have learned in graphic design in this aspect of my life as well.

Changes

      If I were to change one thing about my experience in graphic design, it would be that we learned more about the basic aspects of graphic design.  Because they are the basics, it seems like we should know them, but sometimes it feels like we just gloss over them.  For example, we never really covered color theory in class.  And we only briefly covered fonts.  Other than that, I enjoy graphic design. 

Conclusion

      In conclusion, I am very happy that I chose to go into graphic design rather than animation.  It was a close call, but I know I have enjoyed graphic design more than I would have enjoyed animation.  We have learned about line-meanings, patterns, and production of a physical object.  The line projects were boring, but I found them ver valuable.  The pattern product was fun, and I learned so much from it. I also enjoyed client work, as it gave me real world experience.

Sophomore Graphic Design Final

      My first favorite project from second semester was the vector illustration.  I did the illustration on my cat and I'm proud of how it turned out.  It took about a week to complete.  Due to my cat having a lot of fur, I had to make a lot of layers which complicated it a bit.  I learned how to better use the curvature tool during this project.  I added more details to my illustration after receiving feed back from peers.  I stayed pretty close to my original idea.
      My second favorite project was the logo project.  This project took me about a week to complete.  I had some trouble coming up with enough logo design ideas to meet the requirements.  I learned more about color schemes.  I didn't get feedback on this project.  I think I stayed very close to my original idea.  I am very proud of how my logos came out, and I can't choose a favorite.
      My third favorite project was the concert project.  This project took about 2 weeks to complete.  I was challenged by the time constraints.  I learned how to format a ticket.  I didn't receive much feedback on this project.  I stayed close to my original idea.  I think it turned out okay, but it could have been better.
      I think, on average, I stayed pretty on-task during second semester.  I watched tutorial videos to improve my technical skills in my free time.  I critiqued my projects before turning them in, and usually found ways that I could have improved them.  In my free time, I work on my drawing and art skills.
      I think my strengths as an eComm student are vector illustrations, logos, and 2D animations.  I feel like vector illustrations come naturally to me, and I have improved at them as well.  With logos, I found the logo project very fun and I enjoyed the thought process.  With 2D animations, I wish that we had focussed more on 2D instead of 3D in animation class.
      I think I need to improve my communications skills.  I don't enjoy working in groups, and it is sometimes hard for me to communicate clearly what I need to.  If I improved my communication skills, I think I would benefit from it in my eComm classes.
      I most liked learning about Adobe Illustrator this year.  It was very informative because I only knew how to use photoshop before.  If I could change anything, I would have liked to learn how to make more digital illustrations in Photoshop.  I would like to set the goal of putting even more effort into my graphic design projects.  I conclusion, I think I had a better 2nd semester than 1st semester.

Vector Illustrated Portrait

Pre-Production

      I chose to do a vector portrait of my cat, Emma.  I chose her as my subject because she is very precious to me, and she's very photogenic.  I started out in Photoshop and resized my image.  I also altered the colors slightly.  I then took it into Illustrator and pated it to 2 8x10 art boards.

Production

      During production, I created several different layers.  Some of them included layers for the front, middle, and behind of my cat's face, two separate layers for her eyes, and several layers for her ears.  While creating this piece, I focused on my cat's eyes and fur.  She has very vibrant eyes in person and I wanted to bring that out in my illustration.  I also wanted to make her fur look like it was popping off the screen because she has very thick fur that sticks out in many directions.  

Post-Production

      I am very happy with the final results of this project.  I think it turned out really well.  My portrait turned out exactly as I had hoped.  If I did it again, I would use a brighter photo and go into more detail.

Typography

Pre-Production

      When deciding on quotes, I knew I wanted to take inspiration from a podcast I really enjoy.  The podcast is full of funny lines and I knew at least a few of them would work for this project.  It was a little hard finding quotes that I could relate to, but I think the quotes I chose relate to me pretty well.

Production

       Something new I learned in Adobe Illustrator was how to use the flare tool.  I also learned how o change the color of the flares created by the flare tool.  I wanted my type to be arranged in a blocky way, but I also wanted it to flow well.  I preferred working on my type in black and white, though I like how my colored versions turned out.

Final Product

      I feel like, for my first type project, these turned out well.  I feel they could be better though.  I wish I had made the drawings more intricate/eye catching.

Final Exam Self Performance Evaluation

The Projects

     A few of the projects I worked on over the semester was the Girl In Black Photoshop assignment, and the Autumn Graphics assignment in Adobe Illustrator.  The Autumn Graphics project took less time to complete than the Girls in Black assignment.  Some challenges I ran into in the Girl In Black project was the tools in Photoshop not working the way I expected them to.  I was trying to make the background behind  girl seamless, but the tools I was using only blurred the background.  I don't think I ran into any complications on the Autumn Graphics project.  In the Photoshop project, I learned how to use the tools we had previously learned about together.  In the Autumn Graphics project, I learned about shapes, lines, and fill in Adobe Illustrator.  I wasn't given much feedback during or after the projects.  My original idea stayed the same throughout the two projects.  I enjoyed my graphic design work, but I wish there had been more creative freedom.

Productivity

     During class, I stayed focussed by paying attention to the deadlines for my projects. 
 Deadlines are a big motivator for me.  Outside of class, I draw and watch videos of professional graphic designers to get inspiration.

My Strengths

      My strengths include being able to complete things on time and trying to look at things from a new perspective.  I think I could improve in my communication skills.  I liked learning about Adobe Illustrator most this semester.  I would like to do more open ended projects next semester.  My goal for next year is that I can be even more productive.

Water Color Transfer Printing Process

      For this project, we started out by watercoloring on paper.  We could choose any kind of water color design that we wanted.  Next, we printed out a copy of one of our Photoshop projects.  We covered the print out in Mod Podge and laid it face down on the dried watercolor page.  We made sure there were no wrinkles in the page.  We let it dry for a few days, then we worked on taking the paper off.  We dipped our fingers in water and rubbed at the paper until it came off.  We had to be gentle so that we didn't make the print come off as well.

Printing Processes

Relief Process

      With this method of printing, you can transfer images or print by hand.  You use a special block that you carve your design into in order to transfer ink onto your paper.  Instead of using a wooden block to carve out your design, you can also use a linoleum block.  The idea of having certain parts of the portrait fading into black or fading into white is to give it depth.

1) Carve your design into either wood or linoleum.

2) Cover your material in ink.

3) Use a baren to flatten the paper and transfer the ink.

Intaglio Process

      One of the ways of going about this process is dry point.  Dry point involves scratching your design into metal or some other material.  When ink is transferred, those scratches make a fuzzy line. You can also use different tools to make more diverse textures.  Etching is a very similar technique with just a bit more preparation in the beginning.  The main difference is that you cover the metal plate with a black ground and scratch that away to reveal the metal beneath.  

1) Wipe plate with ink, making sure it gets into all of the grooves created in the metal.

2) Clean up any ink on the edges of the plate.

3) Dampen a sheet of paper and lay it on the metal.

4) Put the design through the press.

Lithography Process

     This method involves taking a lithographic stone and drawing on it with a greasy material.  Then you use chemicals to cover areas water will be and remove acid on the stone, and use powders to get the etch further into the stone.  

1) Draw on the lithographic stone with some sort of greasy drawing utensil.

2) Pour talc and rosin on the stone.

3) Apply gum arabic, acidified gum arabic, and fresh gum arabic, then buff it in.

4) Apply lithotine and asphaltum. 

5) Go over the stone with a wet and dry towel, sponge the stone, then ink it.

6) Send it through the press 4-6 times.

      I think I'm most interested in trying the relief process, because Lithography sounds very easy to mess up, and with Intaglio, I'm afraid that if I were to scratch my design into wood or metal, it would make a noise similar to nail on a chalk board.  I think these processes have influenced designers because they can use these processes to incorporate negative space.

Personal Narrative for Multi-Exposure Panoramic

Personal Narrative

      There's a small lake near my house.  It's a short walk down a hill lined with richly colored trees.  The parking area is filled with gravel that can sometimes be a bit too slippery to walk on safely.  When I was a small child, I would wait until after dinner to ask me parent if we could "go feed the fish at the lake".  Of course, I didn't actually know what fish ate at the time, and just assumed that they ate the gravel in the parking lot.  So after dinner, either my mom or my dad would walk down to the lake to me, help me pick out a few handfuls of rough gravel, and lead me down to the small, white dock on the water's edge.  We would toss the bits of gravel into the deep, dark green water, listening to the pleasant sounds of splashes and animals.

      In middle school, I had a very close friend who I would always go down to the lake with.  Occasionally we would walk on the trail that goes around the lake.  But mostly we would just walk on the soft sand of the beach.  One day, we found a small, soft shelled turtle.  We decided to call him buster, and carried him back to my house in a cup that was laying on the beach.  I asked my mom if we could keep him, but she said no.

      Over the summer, I realized it had been awhile since I walked down to the lake.  So on one of the cooler evenings, I walked down to the lake to see a surprise.  There was a flock of brown ducks sitting on the beach.  I watched them for awhile, then brought back some bread.  I broke it into small pieces and tossed to them.  They ate the bread quickly and even came over to me.

Reflection

When making this picture, I wanted to make all of the pictures look like one seamless picture. I mostly tried to line up the edge of the water in the pictures.  For the dock, I used the quick selection tool, and got rid of the rest of the photo. 

Photoshop Pop Art Project

      In this project, I had to create a pop art version of one of the other students in my class.  I started out by getting a photo of the student I was paired with.  Next, I imported it into Photoshop and cropped our the background, creating a clipping mask. Using the clipping mask, I began adding different shapes with varying color and size.  I set the layers to overlay so that it would look like my classmate was made out of these shapes.  Next, I added a gradient to the background, and sketched some skulls.  Finally, I added sketchy lines all around my classmate.

Nature Man Photoshop Challenge Project

      When I first received the image of the man, I wanted to do something that involved images of the four seasons.  My idea changed when I realized I couldn't include all four seasons in my project, so I decided to make it woodland themed.  I started by adding the photo I wanted on the suit jacket.  I lined it up properly and created a clipping mask.  Then, I added an overlay effect.  I repeated the same process for the hair and the shirt.  I also used a brightness layer to make the suit jacket's color more vibrant.  The end result did not turn out the way I had hoped, but I still think it looks okay.  I was hoping for the hair to look like it had mountains coming off of it and to look more blended.

Basic Photo Editing in Photoshop

     Photoshop: It has many tools, but not a lot of people know what they are or how to use them.  In this lesson, I had to view tutorial videos and follow them closely to learn how to use the Content Aware Fill, Patch Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, Healing Brush Tool, and the Spot Healing Brush.  It took awhile to complete, but here are the final products and what I have learned from this lesson.

Content Aware Fill

      There were four images that I practiced using the Content Aware Fill on.  Pretty much the same steps were followed on each.  I learned that you use the Content Aware Fill for covering up small blemishes in photos that you do not want.  You could use this tool to get rid of unwanted titles of book in a photo, or to get rid of chips in the wall in the background of a photo.

Patch Tool

      When learning to use the Patch Tool, the image I was working on was a picture of a father and his daughter.  The father had an undesired logo on his shirt that he wanted to be removed.  In order to do that, I used the patch tool.  I used the Patch Tool to sample a piece of his shirt to replace the unwanted logo.  You could use this tool to get rid of unwanted items in the background of a photo.

Clone Stamp Tool

      The picture I used to practice was of a girl modeling a coat.  The coat had some tags on it that needed to be removed.  I used the Clone Stamp Tool to copy sections of the coat and paint them over the tags.  It took some time to get used to because it kept copying unwanted areas, but once I got the hang of it, it was relatively easy to cover up the tags.  This could be used for covering transparent areas in the background of a photo.

Healing Brush Tool

      For the Healing Brush Tool, I used the same image as I used for the Clone Stamp Tool.  I had covered up the tags in the image with the Clone Stamp Tool, but I still needed to add texture to the area.  I used the Healing Brush Tool to copy the texture of the coat and add it to the edited area.  You could use this to add texture to a sweater to make it look fuzzier than it actually is.

Spot Healing Brush

      The photo I used to try this tool out was of a young boy.  He had been plying outside all day and had mud speckled across his face.  I learned that you use the Spot Healing Brush for getting rid of blemishes.  I used this brush to get rid of the mud speckles, making the areas affected by the mud look like the clean parts of the boy's face.  You could use this tool to get rid of acne as well.

Portrait Collage

      In this part of the project, I used three separate photos.  They were all of the same woman in different poses.  My task for the last part of this project was to create a collage of the three pictures using the skills I had learned from using all of these tools.  I think the project went relatively well, though I did have some problems extending the sky in the background.