My Life Movie Poster: 12/15/15

Image by: Me

The title “Connections” is warped text with blending options to make it look shiny and 3-demimentional like a lot of movie posters. The steam coming out of the flask was made with the paint brush and the most of the typography in it is warped. I used 4 groups to keep organized. The pen tool was used to create a custom shape of the girl with the bubbles and defined a custom shape of Chinese characters by converting selections into work paths. The circle shape was used to create bubbles and I added a radial gradient in a layer mask to make it look more realistic. I utilized the star shapes by making them into a layer mask over the circle and square selections of my eyes. The magic wand was used to make the selections to copy and paste the dancer silhouette and the flask. Many layer masks were used to create gradients, color changes, and non-destructively erase parts.

In a world just like ours it facing ecological threats created by its dominant species the human, this shy dancer must use the power of science to save the place they all call home. Her passion for math, science, and the world are expressed through her dancing. Actions speak louder than words and tend to do a lot of damage. In this original movie we explore the connections between all of us and all our actions that have led us to this very moment when you are watching a movie trailer. Experience this extraordinary story in a theater near you this summer, August 6th, 2016.

Movie Posters Research: 12/4/15

I chose posters from the movies Captain America, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Mission Impossible 3 because they are some of my favorite movies. They are all action movies with a hero of some sorts in them and I believe that actions speak louder than words. Which is why a dance to express myself, since I don’t talk much. These movies inspire me to be brave when fighting through life’s obstacles. The main characters never give up and use what they are good at to save the world. They relate to my life because I want to use science and math to help my passion which is the environment.

In the posters, dark colors like black and blue are used to create an ominous tone. They all include the main character as the focal point. The title along with any other words are at the bottom of the poster or in the middle. The titles are primary white or silver. There is often images hidden inside other ones. The graphically designed versions are a bit simpler than the real posters. The backgrounds are often simple, but they do not seem empty and hint at the plot of the movie.

The movie of my life would be based in the future, and have how my past shaped who I became. It would be when my past and future collide like how adopting my sister from China made me want to learn more about other cultures and the reason I decided to learn to speak Chinese. I plan to minor in it and I will travel to China with my sister in the future. Bringing in a stranger to your family creates a very special connection and it opened my eyes to the world. This fueled my love for the environment because I want to keep it safe for future generations to enjoyed and stop the human race from destroying it. I can use my love of math and science to figure out how to save it. Also, dancing allowed my to say everything I have ever needed to say. My compassion for it extends to everything and in the moment of dancing, I am not afraid to do anything.

 

 

 

 

Typography Portrait: 11/20/2015

Image by me

 In this portrait of Tom Hiddleston, the blue-green color creates unity and harmony throughout because it makes the words seem to blend together to show one picture. Different sized fonts were utilized to reveal smaller or larger details, like the fine lines of the face were made with very small fonts. Also, changing the distance between the letters or words to create different amounts of negative space to add details. I am very proud of this work and I think it turned out successfully. I decided to do Tom Hiddleston because he is one of my favorite actors and he portrays my favorite Marvel villain, Loki. The words I used are names of movies that he has been in and quotes from his character, Loki, along with a few of his personal ones. He is such an inspirational and charismatic person, who makes you want to cheer for his often disturbed characters.

I have really enjoyed this class this year. At the beginning, I did not know what to expect because I had never taken an art class like it and I am not very good with computers. I never knew that I was capable of creating like what I have this semester because it looks so difficult. This typography portrait is probably my favorite thing I have made so far, since I put so much work into it to try to make it perfect. I like typography because you can transform the letters into anything you can imagine and change their look with all sorts of fonts, colors, gradients, spacing, and boldness.

 

South Park Selfie

Image by: Me

In digital design I have had a good experience with Photoshop. When we first started in the beginning of the year it was really hard because I had never done anything like it and not knowing what each tool does did not help. I now know how to design full scenes and add things to make it look realistic. I honestly think I am doing very well in digital design considering that I am new to this. I figure out how to do new things everyday like taking pictures of the internet and turning them into shapes. It amazes me that I can actually do it because it looks so difficult and complex when it is finished.

I have learned how to use layer masks with the paint bush tool and it is probably my favorite tool. I used it on my character’s hair to make it in front of her head and behind her shoulders without having to create two separate layers. Also, I think I have mastered transforming shapes into what I want them to be. For example, on the curtains I made a rectangle and then transformed it so it would be wavy like a real curtain. In addition, in this project I learned how to make groups and that made finding thing so much easier, especially is you have over 20 layers. It made moving and exchanging items so much simpler.

Although, I am getting a whole lot better at using Photoshop, there are still some tools that give me trouble. I have a hard time using clipping masks to adjust the colors and things like that. I do not feel like they make much a difference because you can just make it the color you want it to be in the first place, so when asked to you it I do not know what to do. Also, I am not very good at creating shapes with the pen tool because it is hard to trace the pictures to make custom shapes. Then, there is the radiant tool. I do not find it that difficult, but I would like to know how to use it for more things.

Ogres are like Onions

“Into MY World” by me

I used Photoshop to create this collage that is all about my life. I used the magic wand and the quick selection tool to cut out most of my layers from photos. Also, I utilized the eraser tool and the paint bush along with the color sampler to match the background color. Then, I took the smudge tool and made the album cover look like it is coming out of the water. The string of the kite was drawn with the pencil tool. I named the layers according to their meaning. I created unity with the blending options like creating shadows that would naturally occur from the sunset. I love how the ballerina’s arm guilds your eye up through the collage to the most important parts.

The background is a picture of the Flagler Beach pier in Florida, which is where I lived for 13 years. I have been dancing for 12 years, so there is a ballerina standing on part of my favorite band, Imagine Dragons’, album cover. It  is like her stage and the sun is the spotlight. It is a place where she can shine. The two girls on the pier flying a kite represent my sister and I playing because getting her was the most important time in my life. Right next to them is the date in Chinese characters of the my sister’s Gotcha Day and I love speaking Chinese. The kite they are flying is my favorite color, purple. I put the Michigan state flower, the Apple Blossom, in the middle since that is were I was born and where most of my family lives. Finally, there is the Florida sign with a plane travelling to the Indiana sign because moving was a huge change. Let’s see what happens next!

 

Melon Head: 8/25/15

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahgrzech/shares/2709ZB

Imagine by: me

In this lesson, I learned how to upload a photo onto Photoshop and used the tools to create a melon head. It taught me how to use the different tools to trace the sections and copy them onto a new layer. Also, the way to resize and move the selected parts somewhere else. I think the easiest part was renaming the layers and overlapping them by putting one higher on the list of layers. There were quite a few challenges involved, such as trying to find the correct tool to use when outlining a certain part or just finding them in general because some are kind of hidden. Also, at first I had a hard time copying something onto a new layer and then trying to move it. You have to make sure that you are clicked on the background to copy it and then on the new layer to move it. Anyway, I hope I get better at it in my future projects.

Flickr2WordPress: Collage 8/24/15

Imagine by: Kimama

The colors are all neutrals, so they look like they go together and create harmony. The lady is juggling music notes that are all the same circular shape. There is a variety of types of sheet music in the balls. It expresses a whimsical and circus theme as she walks across a tightrope. The way that she is juggling creates movement through the artwork because you can imagine them going around in a circle.

Flickr2WordPress: Collage 8/20/15

Imagine by: Evelyn G.

This collage of photos has a brown hippo stuffed animal with a purple flower, a book that is folded, a snow globe with a castle in it, two blurred pictures of lights, and bubbles. Along with three red ladybugs in a row, water drops on blue and white tile, a blue sky with white, puffy clouds, white columns, and a little charm with a yellow leaf on top. Soft colors are used to create a relaxing theme. The image is visibly balanced by having a large photo on each side and then four little one on each side to fill in the blank space. The light tone gives it a playful and innocent feel.

I think the creator is trying to communicate a child’s perspective of the world. A curious mind that is interested in tiny details. The little things are clear, but the big world is blurred. The mood is very fun because you can imagine a little kid at playtime exploring the world of bubbles and staring off into the clouds. There most likely is a history behind it, whether it is their childhood or they have a kid. I think it is a strong image and was successful because it makes you remember good times. It evokes my inner child.

Flickr post: 8/19/15

Imagine by: Jose Luque

I chose this logo because it is a very creative way to create the letters. It reminds me of the spring time, a time of new beginnings and warmth. It looks as if the word is blossoming and the dandelion makes me want to blow on it to make the seeds float around the room. I like how there is a variety in the flowers, so they are all unique like in nature. The idea of a meadow comes to mind giving you a warm feeling. Some might think it is a little girly, but I think it can appeal to everyone.