Finals Week: Final Video

Craft

These are my final animations of a previous project and my final project. I made this by using Photoshop, making my own brushes, and then using animation. There were many steps in creating this. The first step for the making the first video with my previous brush layers was just adding the animation. When adding animation, I first had to resize the document. I had to change the size to 72 DPI. Once I had this, I opened the animation and for each slide, I clicked on one layer at a time. I changed the seconds to either no delay, 0.2, or 0.5 seconds. I also added more frames to slow down the animation and make the pictures more clear. In making my final video, I cut out pictures of my friends and I using the eraser tool, rectangular marquee tool, and polygonal lasso tool. Once I had all these cut outs, I defined them as a brush. I then made different layers with the brushes. Once I had this I added animation, using the same process from the first video.

Composition

 I arranged things this way using because I used different values of my two hues, order of layers, and animation. Before I could define each cut out of my pictures of my friends and I as a brush, I needed to adjust the brightness and contrast to separate the blacks from the whites since it was created using grayscale. When creating my new document, I made sure it was a 300dpi RGB document. Once I had this document, I created ten layers. On each layer I put one of my brushes. Each layer had one brush. I used two hues, pink and purple, but used different values of them for each stamp. I also used scale to make some of the brushes on one page smaller while others were bigger. When making each layer, I turned off every layer except the one I was working on. Once all the layers were created, I added each one to the animation process. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by using layer order, different values, and animation. Some pictures stand out because they are either large or small in scale or darkest or lightest in value. The viewers’ eye is drawn to either one of these. The viewers’ eye is also drawn to all of the moving animation of these pictures.

Concept

These are my final animations of a previous project and my final project. The video of my previous brushes doesn’t really mean anything because it is just a collage and animation of random brushes. The final video of my friends and I does mean something. The title for this is “A picture lasts a second, but the memory lives on forever.” I am not trying to say anything with the random brush animation, but for the final animation I am trying to say that these are my best friends that I have many memories with. We take many pictures which only show that very second, but the memory of that morning ,day, night, party, whatever it may be, will always be with us.

Week 15: Final Draft of Bike Lakeview

Craft

This is my final draft of the digital painting of Bike Lakeview. I made this by using Photoshop and a very few amount of tools. The necessary steps in creating this were very easy. Since I already had an idea from my previous draft I wanted to simplify my final draft. The first step was using the gradient tool and making the background rainbow because Lakeview has a gay community. Next, I used the text tool and wrote Bike Lakeview, I added in Bike because in my previous draft only said Lakeview. Finally, I used the brush tool to include my bike stamp.

Composition

I arranged things this way because I wanted to keep this project simple and I wanted to use repetition. I used scale and the lightest and darkest values of hues to draw attention to the viewers’ eye. I made some of the bikes very large in scale and some small in scale. I put Lakeview on the bottom of the document because since this is going on a pole, the bottom and middle are seen the most. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by making the background really stand out. The bright rainbow background draws the viewers’ attention but also makes the other layers of bikes stand out. The viewers’ eye is either drawn to Bike Lakeview since it is at the bottom in bright green or the various bikes which are in the lightest (white) and darkest (black) values. These bikes also stand out because they range in different scales and are repeated within this document.

Concept

This is my final draft of Bike Lakeview. This means that I combined the idea of bike and the neighborhood Lakeview to create “Bike Lakeview.” I am trying to say that the biggest concept I took from the neighborhood was the gay community, therefore I used this as the main idea of Lakeview then incorporated the idea of bike. 

Week 14: First Draft of Bike Lakeview

Craft

This is my first digital painting of Bike Lakeview. I made this by using Photoshop and creating my own different bike objects. There were a few steps in creating this. The first step was creating the blank document which was 180 by 24 inches 150 dpi RGB. The second step was creating a rainbow bike (gay community). I created this using the rectangular and elliptical marquee tools. Next, I made a bike helmet using the same marquee tools and adding in text. I made the Chicago Cubs symbol since Lakeview has many Cubs fans. Once having the bike helmets and rainbow bikes on to the document, I changed the background color using the gradient tool, added the word “Lakeview” using the text tool, and then finally added my bike stamps I previously made in the last project. I added the bike stamps by using the brush tool. All of the color was added by using the paint bucket and gradient tools.

Composition

I arranged things this way because I wanted to include many aspects of bike but still include things that relate to the neighborhood of Lakeview. I used order of layer, different hues and also different values. I arranged things this way because I also wanted to use repetition. For the rainbow bikes and Chicago Cubs bike helmet, I made them repeating by duplicating the layers. I changed the scale on my bike stamps because I wanted them to be smaller compared to the rainbow bike and helmet. I put Lakeview on the bottom of the document because since this is going on a pole, the bottom and middle are seen the most. I am controlling the viewers’ eye in many ways. The bright hue of orange and yellow in the background really stands out and also brings out the other images on it. The small bike stamps that are in white and black also stand out since they are of the lowest and highest value. Lakeview stands out because it is in bright green and the helmet also stands out because it has hues that are not used in the rest of the document (gray, dark red and blue). Although all these things stand out and can draw attention to the viewers’ eye, I think the main thing the viewers’ eye is drawn to is the rainbow bike because of all the colors it contains

Concept

This is my first draft of Bike Lakeview. This means that I included the idea of bike but also the aspects of the neighborhood Lakeview such as Cubs fans and the gay community. I am trying to say that there are many ways to incorporate different colors and objects for one document by using very minimal tools on Photoshop.

Week 13: Second Draft of Digital Painting

Craft

This is my second draft of my digital bike paintings and my final draft of the random brushes paintings. They were both made by using Photoshop and the brush tool (brushes). For the top digital bike paintings, I made this by using my previous brushes I created for my first draft. The necessary steps were simple since I already made one draft and heard others opinions on them. Since my brushes were preset already, I made another collage with all the brushes using the brush tool. For the bottom random brushes paintings, the necessary steps were first by using the brush tool as well. When picking new brushes, I clicked the Brush Preset Picker down drop which gave me various brushes to choose from. Once I chose a brush type, I clicked Append which combined all of the brushes. After creating two paintings of different brushes combined together, I titled each one. The bottom left painting is called the Singin’ Birds (has birds in the background and also in the middle with music notes) and the bottom right painting is called the Shoot Out (looks like the person is trying to shoot the other). Once I was finished with all four paintings, my signature stamp was added to each.

Composition

For the bike paintings, I arranged things this way because I used order of layers, two hues, and scale. When creating my new document, I made sure it was a 300dpi RGB document. Once I had this document, I created ten layers. On each layer I put one of my bike brushes I recently created. Each layer had one bike brush. I used two hues, blue and green, but used different values of them for each stamp. I also used scale to make some of the brushes on one page smaller while others were bigger. When making each layer, I turned off every layer except the one I was working on. Once I had all ten layers created, I turned on and off layers to see what stood out the most. For the bike painting on the left, I am controlling the viewers’ eye by making the pedals and wheels stand out. I did this by using the darkest value of green and blue which was black, the lowest value of green and blue which was white, and also by scale and layer order. I made sure the pedals were large in scale and closest to the viewer. Although the wheels are small in scale, they are also close to the viewer and stand out because of their value. The viewers’ eye is drawn to either one of these. For the bike painting on the right, I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the many wheels and white bikes. The wheels are in the darkest value and are large in scale while the bikes are small in scale and are in the lowest value.  For the random brushes paintings, I arranged things basically the same way as the bikes. I had twenty layers with a different brush on each. I used a pink and purple hue with different values for each stamp. Once all twenty layers were created I turned on and off layers to see which stood out the most.  I made two layers in each that would stand out the most which is how I am controlling the viewers’ eye. In the Singin’ Birds, the birds (lowest value, scale, and closest to the viewer), music notes (repetition, darker value), and black spots (darkest value) stand out. The viewers’ eye is drawn to either one of these. In Shoot Out, the people (darkest value, scale, closest to viewer) and the leaves (lowest value) stand out.  

Concept

These are digital paintings. For the bike paintings, they don’t really mean anything because they are just collages of bikes and bike parts. For the random brush paintings, I think that their meaning is in their titles. Their titles are what I believe the brushes and layers together mean. For both sets of paintings, I am trying to say that just by turning on or off a layer and having a wide selection of different layers; you can create a variety of combinations. Not one painting is the same because there were so many different layers that had different brush stamps on them.



Week 12: First Draft of Digital Painting

Craft

These are my first draft of my digital paintings. I made this by using and creating pictures of bikes and bike parts, using Photoshop, then making my own brushes. There were many steps involved in creating this. The first step was creating my signature stamp. This was done by using the brush tool or pen. Once I wrote my name, I preset it as a brush. Next, I had to take pictures of bikes and bike parts such as the wheel, horn, and bell. Once I had my pictures, I needed to crop them in order to make a new brush. I used the rectangular marquee tool, polygonal lasso tool, and the eraser tool. Once I had six cut outs of bikes and bike parts, I defined them as a brush. Making the last two bikes, I made a bike and a wheel using the rectangular marquee tool, elliptical marquee tool, and the brush tool or pen. I defined them as a brush as well. Once having all the brushes I had to create a new document and combined all the brushes together to create a collage with bikes and their parts. Once I finished, my signature brush was added.

 Composition

I arranged things this way using because I used different values of my two hues and order of layers. Before I could define each bike cut out as a brush, I needed to adjust the brightness and contrast to separate the blacks from the whites since it was created using grayscale. When creating my new document, I made sure it was a 300dpi RGB document. Once I had this document, I created ten layers. On each layer I put one of my bike brushes I recently created. Each layer had one bike brush. I used two hues, blue and green, but used different values of them for each stamp. I also used scale to make some of the brushes on one page smaller while others were bigger. When making each layer, I turned off every layer except the one I was working on. Once I had all ten layers created, I turned on and off layers to see what stood out the most. For the first painting on the left, I arranged things this way because the viewer is able to see not only the bike but also the bell. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by using layer order and different values. The bikes stand out the most because they have a darker hue but the bells also stand out because they are large in scale. The viewers’ eye is drawn to either one of these. For the second painting on the right, I arranged things this way because the viewer can see the wheels, baskets, and also the bikes. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the lighter hue baskets which I think stands out the most. The viewer can see the large scaled one but also the small scaled ones. Once my signature was added in a completely different hue, pink or red, the viewers’ eye is also drawn to that because the color greatly stands out.

Concept

These are digital paintings I made using my bike brushes. They don’t really mean anything because they are just a collage of random bikes and bike parts. I am trying to say that by using two hues but different values within them, it can really make one item stand out the most. Turning off the layers also helps when trying to make a painting using only two hues. I am also trying to say that you can make anything into a brush.

Week 11: Paintings and Drawings

Craft

The image on the left is of two tea pot drawings. The image on the right is of five paintings. I made both of these images using Photoshop. The necessary steps in creating these images were very different. The tea pot drawings were much easier to create and had fewer steps to follow. I made this by first using only the pen or brush tool. I made the tea pot on the right first, using the brush tool. As for the tea pot on the left, I changed the type of brush to the Smoke Brushes. Starting off with black I changed the colors to red and yellow using the paint bucket tool.

For the five paintings, the necessary steps were first by using the brush tool as well. When picking new brushes, I clicked the Brush Preset Picker down drop which gave me various brushes to choose from. Once I chose a brush type, I clicked Append which combined all of the brushes. After creating five paintings of different brushes combined together, I titled each one. Starting at the top left, the paintings titles are The Love for Crazy Music (different actions of people with music notes and hearts behind them), Army of the Birds (looks like the birds on the bottom are stern soldiers and are attacking the other birds who are hiding behind the flower fences), Mama Leaf (large leaf with little baby leaves surrounding it), Subliminal Messages (looks like the bubbles are covering hidden words), and Paint Over My Heart (the paint splatters are covering the mini hearts).

                The similarities between the paintings and drawings were that the brush tool was used. The difference between them is that the paintings consisted of using only different brush stamps while the tea pots used only the Smoke Brushes and the other tea pot was made by using the pen.

Composition

For the tea pot on the left I arranged things this way by using layer order. I used three different layers which were all arranged to look like the tea pot I was giving to create. The first layer had the tea pot made with the smoke brush in black. The second layer was made with the smoke brush in red and the third layer was made with the smoke brush in yellow. I arranged things in this order because the black stood out the most on top. It also goes from darkest to lightest, black to yellow. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the darkest tea pot which is the black one on top or in front. The viewer notices the red and yellow but the black stands out the most. I think the viewers’ eye is also drawn to the very bottom of all three pots because it has the ends of the smoke brushes which are very sharp and pointy. For the tea pot on the right, I arranged things this way by trying to use only vertical lines. I used larger lines for bigger parts on the pot and smaller lines for the lid and bottom of the tea pot. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by making many lines which shows more definition. It’s basically a repetition of vertical lines. Their attention is drawn to the many lines.

For the paintings I used a mixture of pink and purple hues, changing the value in each. For the painting, The Love for Crazy Music, I arranged things this way by also using layer order. The people, being the most important were placed closest to the viewer. The hearts were farther away because they were less significant. I arranged the people this way because I wanted to include different people doing different actions but having them all be noticed. None of them are overlapping or are hidden. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by having the people in a higher value of purple. This makes them stand out on the lighter pink background. The Army of Birds was arranged this way with layer order. The birds in front showed more dominance because they were all together. I added the layer with the flowers because it seemed as if it were a fence, covering the birds behind it. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the higher value of pink birds that are all together and also to the flowers that are all stuck together. Mama Leaf was arranged this way because I wanted to use different scales of this one leaf. They are all of the same hue and value but their scale is different. I made one large one to show dominance and a lot of smaller ones to show they are surrounding this large one. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the one largest leaf. It overpowers the smaller ones. Subliminal Messages was arranged this way by using layer order and having the bubble layer on top because it seemed to cover the other layer in a way that was making the layer underneath blurry. Although there are not words or letters underneath, when first looking at this it seems as if they are actually words hidden. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the lower value of purple behind the higher value. This stands out. The viewers’ attention is also directed towards the few white patches. Paint Over My Heart was arranged this way because the paint splatters have a higher value of pink which completely covers the heart background. This is also how I am controlling the viewers’ eye. Their eyes are drawn towards the dark pink splatters. They are bright and in front which shows their dominance.

                The similarities between the painting and drawings are that layer order was used and they used different hues. The difference is that the drawings were only arranged to look like a tea pot while the paintings consisted of different arrangements of brushes and layers which allowed for many different arrangements.

Concept

                For the tea pots, these are simply two different paintings of the tea pot that I was looking at. It doesn’t have meaning because it is just a tea pot. I am trying to say that by using any type of brush, you can create, for example, a tea pot. For the five drawings, they are just different brushes combined together. I think that their meaning is in their titles. Their titles are what I believe the brushes and layers together mean. I am trying to say that just by turning on or off a layer and having a wide selection of different layers; you can create a variety of combinations. Not one painting is the same because there were so many different layers that had different brush stamps on them.

                The similarity between the paintings and drawings is that I am trying to say that by using the brush tool, many different things can be created. The difference is that the tea pots don’t really have meaning while the paintings do.

Week 10: Digital Version of Sketches 2

This is the final version of my digital sketch. I made this by using Photoshop and also by listening to other peoples’ opinions on how they seen and interpreted my sketch. There weren’t many steps because I basically had everything made from my previous sketch. First, I made a background behind the tunnel the person was escaping from. I made this by using the rectangular marquee tool. I made the tunnel or escape route longer by using the polygonal lasso tool. I made more music notes and arrows by using the custom tool shape. I changed the direction of the arrows and the person by rotating them. The colors were added by using the paint bucket tool. I arranged things this way to make it seem as if the person is escaping the ordinary or older radio to get to the newer radio which has on 88.3. I added a layer style to the newer radio and the tunnel by using Bevel and Emboss, changing the structure by increasing the depth and size and softening it. I moved the barbed wire fence and made it smaller by using scale. I moved the layer on top of the older radio layer. I also moved the person who is escaping and the white “explosion” the man is escaping from. This layer was placed on top of the fence so it stood out more and showed the most importance. The person dancing was also moved to the newer radio where he is shown dancing to 88.3’s music. There are white music notes coming from the older radio to show plainness, and there are colorful music notes by the newer radio to show uniqueness. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by making the newer radio, which has 88.3 on, bold, large, and colorful (bright colors). I am also controlling the viewers’ eye with the arrows. They follow them up to the bright radio which has 88.3 in bright red. This is my final version of my digital sketch. This means that this is my interpretation of the escape from ordinary radio. I am trying to say that this version relates to 88.3’s slogan, “The Escape from Ordinary Radio.”   

Week 9: Digital Version of Sketches

This is my digital version of one of my sketches. I made this by using Photoshop. The process in making this required much time and patience. The necessary steps in creating this were first making the radio where I was showing the man escaping from. I made this by using the rectangular marquee tool and also the elliptical marquee tool. Creating the radio, I made different size rectangles and then adding circles for the speakers and buttons. I also added a text box into one of the rectangles to show a different radio station other than 88.3 (XX.X). Using the polygonal lasso tool, I made a place in the radio where the person was escaping from. Next, I made the barbed wire fence. I made this by using the line tool to make the top and bottom. I then used the rectangular marquee tool to make long parts of the fence. Using the pen or brush tool, I drew the top of the fence or the wire. After this, I made the path that led the person escaping to the other radio by using the polygonal lasso tool. I then made the radio in which the person was trying to reach. I made this by using the rectangular and elliptical marquee tool. I also used the text box to create 88.3 in other circle on the radio. Making the music notes and arrows I used custom tool shapes.  I used the text box again to put in 88.3 within the arrows. I also rotated to arrows to face the other way to show the direction in which the person is going. Finally, I created the people or stick figures. I used the same tools, elliptical and rectangular marquee tools. I rotated their arms and legs where I wanted them and also to make them follow the path going down. All the color was added using the paint bucket tool. I arranged things this way to make it seem as if the person was escaping the ordinary radio, finding a path to the unordinary radio, and then finally reaching it. I used many layers which allowed me to have order. I also put many layers into groups to move the whole image I created. For everything in this digital version, I used scale to make things either smaller or larger. For the speakers on the newer radio or ordinary radio, I made them pop out by adding a layer style. I increased the depth and size, and softened the structure within Bevel and Emboss. I am controlling the viewers’ eye by drawing their attention to the speakers of the ordinary radio then to the arrows which show the path the person is going down and the arrows also have 88.3 in bright red. The 88.3 in the old radio and the music notes also catch the viewers’ eye.  This is a digital version of my sketch. It means that this is my interpretation of escaping from the ordinary radio. I am trying to say that this version related to 88.3’s slogan of “The Escape from Ordinary Radio.”

Special Edition Blog: Classical (1500-1900)

To the left is a picture of me at the Art Institute and to the right is a picture of Professor Nathan Peck, also at the Art Institute in the Classical Wing.

Craft

This painting is called Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish and was created by Joseph Mallard William Turner. This is oil on canvas. Most of his career was devoted to abstract effects. He made this by his subject being derived from his exposure to 17^th century Dutch sea paintings. The picture consists of men, boats, threatening and dark skies, and rough seas. The necessary steps in creating this were making enormous waves. In some spots on the waves, there are chunks of paint which I think gives this painting an abstract effect. It seems as if the waves are rough and as if the water is splashing up from them. This also gives the painting texture. In making this he created smaller boats in the back of the isolated larger one to notice the struggle of getting as far as the large boat did because of the enormous waves. He also added in people on the boat. Some are noticeable but in some spots on the boat, things are smeared or blurred but it is still possible to notice what Turner was trying to depict. Overall, I think that there were many steps in making this because of the abstract effect.

Composition

This painting is called Fish Still Life and was created by French artist, Edouard Manet in 1864. It is created with oil on a canvas and shows composition. In this painting, there is a carp, red mullet, eel, oysters, lemon, stockpot, and a knife. Manet arranged things this way to make it seem “alive,” even though the translation of ‘still life’ in French is “dead nature.” He balanced the positioning of each element in this painting. He precariously balanced the knife and still-slithering eel along the diagonal of the tablecloth to make it seem as if they were coming towards the viewer. I also think that he arranged everything in a way where the viewer can notice everything in this painting. It is close together but also spaced out just enough to notice exactly what food is being prepared and that there is only one pot. Manet is controlling the viewers’ eye by making the colors very similar except the yellow lemon. The viewers’ eye is mainly drawn to either the large fish or the yellow lemon. It also gives the viewer a sense of smell and taste by the arrangement of everything on the table. Everything on the table is normally cooked separately but this painting draws my eye to the one stockpot which makes me think of all that food mixed together.

Concept

This painting is called Cupid Chastised and was created by Bartolomeo Manfredi. This is oil on canvas painting. The people in this painting are Mars (the god of war), Venus, and Cupid. This painting means that Mars is beating Cupid for having caused his affair with Venus. This exposed him to the ridicule of the other gods. Manfredi chose not to interpret stories from the Bible and classical mythology as ideal subjects but rather as events that happened, or could have happened to ordinary people. He is simply trying to tell this tale of domestic struggle which symbolizes the conflict between love and war.

Special Edition Blog: Modern (1900-2011)

To the left is a picture of me at the Art Institute and to the right is a picture of Professor Nathan Peck, also at the Art Institute in the Modern Wing.

Craft

This painting is called Head and was created by Pablo Picasso in 1927. This is made with oil and chalk on canvas and shows craft. The necessary steps in making this were fairly simple and it shows Picasso’s constant experimentation with style and technique. To make this, he painted a surface on the canvas. He laid the canvas flat and sprinkled powdered pigment, similar to Native American sand painting, onto the still-wet painted surface. In some areas he left layers of the powder untouched, making a rough surface. In other areas, he scraped the pigment off which created a flat and blurred effect. Picasso added on three different sized rectangles and a strange depiction of a head.

Composition

This painting is called Lincoln and was created by Robert Rauschenberg in 1958. This is printed paper and stamped metal with oil paint, fiber – tipped pen, and silkscreen ink on fabric. In this painting there is a photograph of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., with passages of paint and items such as a scrap of damask, a rectangle of brown wrapping paper, and an illustration of an eroded cliff. He arranged things this way because he joined found objects, postcards, and other printed materials to bond the gap between art and life. To me, it seems like he arranged it by putting the picture of the Lincoln Memorial in what looks to be a white frame then on the side has the rest of the items which can have some type of relation to the photo. He is controlling the viewers’ eye by using light hues except in the left and right corners and scale. The picture is larger than the other items but is very light and is in black and white. The viewers’ eye is either drawn to the large picture, the left corner which has yellow paint dripping down, or the right corner which has a splash of red paint.

Concept

This painting is called Ceci n'est pas une pipe and was created by Belgian Surrealist painter Rene Magritte. This painting shows a pipe with a saying beneath it. This saying is in French and it means ‘this is not a pipe’. The saying seems like a contradiction but it is actually true which is what he is trying to say. This painting is not a pipe, but rather an image of one. Magritte commented on this painting saying "Just try to stuff it with tobacco! If I were to have had written on my picture 'This is a pipe' I would have been lying."

Week 8: Sketches 2

These are three different variations of my previous five sketches. I made these by using my similar ideas but adding more detail to better understand exactly what I was trying to communicate. The necessary steps in making these were fairly simple. First I picked out my three favorite sketches from the original five in which I drew. Next, I added more detail and changed a few things. In the first sketch of all the radios, instead of putting an actual radio station, I put X's. I also made one of them have 88.3 with a smiling face which is supposed to be the speaker part of the radio. For the second sketch, I added more detail to the prisoner himself and also to the prison.  In my next version of this sketch the prison in which he is escaping from will actually be a radio. This will relate more to the slogan, "The Escape from Ordinary Radio." For the third sketch I made the man escaping from the plane larger while the parachute has 88.3 very large and bold. The plane is smaller and has a broken wing to suggest that the man was escaping from a broken or crashing plane. In the next version of this sketch, the plane will be a radio so it relates more to the slogan as well. For the first sketch, I arranged things this way because I wanted to make all the radios similar except one, which has 88.3 as their station. I am controlling the viewer’s eye by drawing their attention to the one radio that has 88.3 on. For the second sketch, I made sure that it was obvious that the person was escaping but could hear the music from 88.3 playing. I am controlling the viewer’s eye by making it clear that it is a prisoner who is escaping. I think that the way I drew the prisoners escape route makes the viewer follow him until the end where he reaches the radio. For the third sketch, I arranged things this way because I wanted to make it look like the man is escaping the plane. I also wanted to make it seem as if the music was in the water from the 88.3 station. I am controlling the viewer’s eye by making the parachute large so their attention is drawn to the station on it. These are sketches for a radio station. It means that these are my ideas and images I think connect to their slogan.  I think that my images are saying “The Escape from Ordinary Radio.”

Week 7: Sketches

These are sketches for a radio station with a slogan saying “Escape from the Ordinary Radio.” I made this using computer paper and a pencil.  I needed to make five sketches and the necessary steps were coming up with an idea than simply making a sketch of them. For the first sketch, I arranged it to seem as if the tower was transmitting music to the radio than to the person who is listening to 88.3 and dancing. The second sketch is two people escaping from an airplane that is going to crash in a sea of music. One of their parachutes has their radio station on it. For the third sketch, I drew eight radios, seven of them having 96.3 as their radio station. The unordinary one out of all of them is the red one which has their radio station. The fourth sketch has a man escaping from prison and thru the tunnel, in which he is escaping from, there are music notes coming from the radio in which he reaches when he gets out and dances, listening to their radio station. For the fifth sketch, I drew a train with three different carts. The people are all listening to their radio station. It is supposed to go from the past (boom box) to the future (I Pod).  I am controlling the viewer’s eye by making some objects larger and a different color. These are sketches relating to this radio stations specific slogan. It means that there are many different ways in which I can portray their slogan and many ways to grab the viewers’ attention on something specific in my sketches. I am trying to say that something in these drawings, if not all of it, describe the escape from the ordinary radio.

Week 6: Final Collages

For my final collages, it was easier to understand what and how I needed to change my chicken nuggets to point out the constants and variables. I made this final collage by keeping my third collage from week 5 and making the other two similar to it. There weren’t many steps in creating the final two collages. The steps necessary were keeping the same background that’s in the first collage (actually the third from week 5) and using it for collages two and three.  Next, I clicked on the layer that had the one different chicken nugget, went to Select, then Select All, and copied it. For my second collage, I pasted the chicken nugget and placed it in the middle. Going to Edit, then Transform, and holding down Shift, I was able to make the nugget bigger, medium size compared to the nugget in the first collage. Keeping the lightness at +23 and the saturation at 0 from the original copied nugget, I changed the hue. I picked a hue that was a light orange, close to yellow and red. For the third collage, I used the same steps. The only differences were that I placed the copied nugget in the middle and to the right of the collage, I made this nugget larger than both collages, and finally, I chose a pink hue, which was closer to orange and red. I arranged things this way because I wanted to make the nuggets go left, middle, and right. I also wanted to make them go from small, to medium, and large. I wanted to use hues that were similar to each other as well. It went from yellow, to light orange, to a light red or pink. I am controlling the viewer’s eye by making them look from left to right. They notice that it goes from small, medium, and large. This is a collage of chicken nuggets that have one significantly different one in each. This means that I am controlling the viewer’s eye on that specific nugget. I am trying to say that it is simple to make such a small change in one collage to easily catch the viewers’ attention.

Week 5: Collages - Composition Focus

I made these collages by cutting and pasting my cut out of a chicken nugget. The necessary steps were copying, pasting, and then figuring out what size and shape I would make each cut out on the collage. I arranged things this way because it is easy to point out which chicken nugget is different from the rest. The chicken nugget, which I changed, grabs the viewers’ attention and draws their eyes to it. For each collage I had constants and variables. Within my three collages, the constants are that they are all the same chicken nugget (a chicken nugget painted to look like Ronald McDonald), they overlap, the hue of the image is at +180, and the lightness of the image is at +23. Within my three collages, the variables are that the locations of the saturated and hued chicken nugget are in different places, the quantity of chicken nuggets, and the saturation (collage 1 is +16, collage 2 is +100, and collage 3 is 0). I am controlling the viewer’s eye by drastically changing the hue, saturation, and lightness of one nugget. This one nugget will draw the viewer’s eye directly to it. This is a collage of chicken nuggets which really doesn’t have a meaning. I am trying to say that by simply adjusting the hue, size, saturation, and lightness of one picture, which is among the exact pictures in a collage, it can easily grab the viewers’ attention.

Week 4: Collages - Craft Focus

The process of making this collage wasn’t that difficult but it did require much work. I made this by taking a picture of a chicken nugget, which I painted, than used the picture of it to create a collage. There were many steps in creating this. First, my classmate chose a picture from my album that could easily be isolated. The picture chosen was of a chicken nugget I painted to represent Ronald McDonald. Next I opened this picture with Photoshop. My first attempt in isolating this chicken nugget, I used the rectangular marquee tool and the polygonal lasso tool. This made it easy to delete the edges and background around the nugget. After learning what different tools did, I redid my cutout. In my final attempt in cutting out this nugget, I used the magic wand tool. This allowed me to easily delete the background which was all the same color. After only having a few areas to clear out, I used the eraser tool. This allowed me to erase everything else I wanted to be out of the picture. I was able to make a circle out of the chicken nugget which I wanted to do. Once I had my final cutout, I clicked Select then Select All. This allowed me to copy the cutout. After copying this, I opened a blank file on Photoshop. Going to Edit, I clicked paste six times. This gave me six layers. Having to change the background color, I unlocked the title background and chose hot pink for the background color. Once arranging the cutouts in rows of threes, I picked the top, middle nugget to be the one that stood out. I clicked on the layer and drug it to the top so it could be on top of the other layers, standing out more.  I wanted to change the contrast, specifically the color of this nugget. I chose the color blue and raised the saturation of it which intensified the color and also gave the nugget a different texture from the others. I arranged it this way because I wanted it to be neat and in order but have one of them standing out. I am controlling the viewers by changing the contrast on one specific nugget which will draw the viewer’s eye straight to it. This is a collage of chicken nuggets. There is no specific meaning. I am trying to say that by changing one specific element in a picture such as contrast, lines, or scale, it will draw the viewer to pay attention to that specific change.  

Week 3: Re-Shoot

This is a picture of a rubber chicken sitting on the toilet bowl. I made this by buying the rubber chicken and chicken nuggets then using the toilet to put it out of place, somewhere you would never see a chicken or nuggets. The necessary steps in making this were very easy. First I had to find a rubber chicken which I did find at a pet store. Next, I bought chicken nuggets from McDonalds. I placed the chicken nuggets in the toilet then put the rubber chicken sitting on the toilet. I also added toilet paper next to the chicken. I arranged things this way because I needed to find a way to make the chicken nuggets inside of the toilet visible. Placing the chicken further away and the toilet paper on the side of it allowed me to do this. I am controlling the viewer’s eye with contrast. The white toilet bowl really makes the chicken and chicken nuggets stand out. This is simply a picture of a rubber chicken going to the bathroom, leaving chicken nuggets behind. This doesn't exactly have a meaning but it does grab the viewer’s attention because this is not typically something anyone sees every day, or even at all. I am not really trying to say anything, it is just more of a joke; a chicken pooping out chicken nuggets on a toilet bowl.

Week 2: Shoot

 

I bought these chicken nuggets from McDonalds. First I opened the box of chicken nuggets. Having extra room on the side of the box I put my honey sauce and ketchup in there. I arranged it this way for easier access to my dipping sauce and less amount to throw away. I am controlling the viewer’s eye by making this a clear image of exactly what I was eating. It is zoomed in and very clear to see. It is also separated so the viewer can get an idea of what food plus what sauce I was using. This is a simple picture of an order of ten piece chicken nuggets from McDonalds with honey and ketchup on the side. I am trying to say that this was a delicious meal and that you can arrange the food anyway that will accommodate you.

Week 1: Introduction

Hello. My name is Erin Edwards and I am a freshman/resident here at Saint Xavier University. First coming into school, I declared my major as Undecided. I wanted to explore what SXU had to offer. I took courses in different fields of study to see what exactly I would want to major in. I now decided that I will be majoring in Early Childhood Education. Academically, I know SXU will provide me with the right classes and knowledge which will help me in becoming successful in my field of study. I cannot wait to advance in my major and one day become a Pre-School teacher.