Poster

For this project, we had to make a poster of by using the image trace option on the top tool bar of Illustrator.  I ended up making 2, because while I liked the first one that I made, I wasn't in love with it.

The first poster I made is the one with the quote "BLESS THIS HOT MESSS."  My favorite part of this one is definitely the saying, because that basically describes my life.  I think this one was a good first try.

The second poster I made is the one that says "Life Is Short. Make Each Hair Flip FABULOUS."  To get this shot, I took a video of me flipping my hair, took a screenshot of one of the still frames that looked good, and used the image trace to posterize myself.  I really like this one, and think it turned out great.

Overall, this project was fun and not stressful at all, and I think my posters turned out pretty good.

Poster 1: First Attempt

Poster 2: Second Attempt

Greyscale Emotion Paintings

In my ART204 class, we had to create paintings that conveyed three different emotions (calmness, agitation, and happiness), and we had to use the same theme throughout the paintings.

To start, we had to choose a base color to use in all three paintings.  Mine was the medium purple color shown throughout.

Next, we had to pick a theme.  For mine, I wanted to keep it simple, so I used lines.  To convey calmness, I created a symmetrical pattern using vertical stripes.   For agitation, I used overlapping, asymmetrical, slanted lines.  To portray happiness, I tried to create lines that resembles sound waves.

In order to create a painting that portrays a certain emotion, it is easiest to put the colors into black and white, as shown by the first picture.  An image is calm if the base color has the darkest greyscale value when converted to black and white, agitated if the base has the lightest greyscale value in black and white, and happy if all colors have the same greyscale value in black and white.

The first image is showing the greyscale and how I was able to tell if the image would convey the correct emotion, and the second is my actual color painting.

Poster Research

When researching different ideas for my poster project, I found that I most liked the posters that were minimalistic.  That is, their message is portrayed without an excessive amount of content own the poster.  I found myself drawn to posters that stuck to a color palette consisting of 3-4 colors, and without an abundance of "stuff" on them.  I think these examples are the most powerful:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bpx/136056560/in/album-72057594117941491/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bpx/sets/72057594121519817/show/?rb=1

http://pinktentacle.com/2010/03/yusaku-kamekura-posters/

http://pinktentacle.com/2010/02/vintage-japanese-industrial-expo-posters/

http://pinktentacle.com/2011/02/japanese-graphic-design-from-the-1920s-30s/

http://pinktentacle.com/2009/09/design-x-japanese-graphics-from-the-early-90s/

Mesh Tool

For this project, we had to pick an object from our room and recreate it in Illustrator using the mesh tool.  For my object, I used my ukulele, and by the end when I was creating all the little details I was hating myself because it got very tedious, but it was worth it because I think it turned out pretty good.

The first picture is the picture of my ukulele that I based my mesh tool recreation off of.  The second picture is the process of creating the image using the mesh tool in Illustrator.  The third image is my final product.  And the last picture is a blurry picture of me with my ukulele because we had to post a picture of us with our objects to prove that it was ours and not just an image we found online.
After coming to class for critique, Santi showed me how to create an image in Photoshop with the selfie and the mesh tool recreation, which is now the last picture shown

Mesh Tool Tutorial

This video is extremely helpful in learning how to use the mesh tool in Illustrator effectively.  It's really interesting to see how you can use the mesh tool to create such realistic looking objects.  This video has also shown me that using the mesh tool is going to be a time consuming process, so when that project comes up, I'd better have headphones so I can listen to music while I'm creating my object.

Using the Gradient Mesh tool in Adobe Illustrator

Marlie's Business Cards

For these business cards, I took five of the logos I originally sketched for Marlie and made them into business cards for different aspects of her life and personality.  For each card, I had to make the front and back design using the logo.  I tried to make them all a little different and unique.

I really enjoyed this project and had fun with it.  When making these business cards, I tried to use a variety of different colors and patterns to give each one its own unique look.  If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the top card - the yearbook one using the camera logo.

This project was really fun and surprisingly not stressful, and I truly enjoyed making these business cards for Marlie!

Also, go and check out her blog at http://mmarinodm.blogspot.com to check out all of her posts and projects!

Calligram Edited

During critique Santi gave me the feedback of changing the direction of the gradient so it resembled the sun rising (where I originally had the gradient coming in from the side).  I think it really helps pull the whole image together, so this is definitely the calligram that will be going into my portfolio at the end of the semester.

Calligram

For my calligram project, I had to choose a song or poem, and pick an image to associate with it. Then, I had to create the image using the words from the song.  

For my project, I chose the song "You Are My Sunshine"

The lyrics I used are:

You are my sunshine my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away

I'll always love you and make you happy

If you will only say the same

But if you leave me for another

You'll regret it all some day

You are my sunshine my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

I was peeping through the bars

You are my sunshine my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away

You are my sunshine my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away

So please don't take my sunshine away

The following images are my process for creating this calligram.  First, I chose my image via Google search.  Next, I created the outline in Illustrator.  Finally, I converted to outline into the lyrics for the final results.

http://www.happycactusdesigns.com/blogs/the-happy-cactus-blog/6528627-wednesday-doodle-you-are-my-sunshine

Marlie's Logos

These are the sketches of the logo's that I designed for Marlie.  I hope she likes them!  I'm looking forward to picking a few to perfect in Illustrator!  

Side note - You all should check out her blog: http://mmarinodm.blogspot.com

Calligram Examples

For my next project, I will be creating a calligram, like the ones I have uploaded below.  Santi asked us to look at Calligramme Apollinaire and upload three of our favorite examples that we found.  These are the three that I found the most interesting, and so I chose to upload them here:

http://fauvefashion25.skyrock.com/tags/cFNHNW3P1eT-Calligramme-de-Guillaume-Apollinaire.html

http://talent.paperblog.fr/1918859/calligrammes/

https://www.pinterest.com/enzedcher/art-carmen-figuratum/