painting assignment

The strongest technical aspect of my work was the usage of the pen tool.  It took me so many weeks to finally complete this assignment. The piece was very complicated because it needed the individual effort of grouping each color value and giving it a certain look with the tool.  I wanted the original picture to highly resemble the textured paining assignment.  At the end what I did to to make it seem different was go back and use the pen tool to add pen tool textures to each color value.  The fur of Stitch is fuzzy and the skin of Lilo is a bit darker yet smooth. The technical aspect I could have improved upon was the use of certain textures.  I still am a bit fuzzy on what each pen tool can do and exactly how to use them to make my work look unique and dimensional.

The easy part of the project was coloring in the areas of the marching ants the pen tool created.  When you use the pen tool it is easy to segregate certain values from others so that you can make sure each value is being appropriately represented in the work.  The barrier also prevents from coloring outside of the lines and creates a clean style. The most difficult piece part of the work was using the pen tool.  The pen tool is actually an easy tool yet it requires a surplus of patience.  Patience is something you really need to posses to be able to complete this assignment.

I demonstrated the objective in this art activity because I have different pen textures for each color value.  I also used severe different layers to capture each shade of the color so that Lilo's face would just be a peach, it had shadows where her skin had circles. I also made it so all the work wasn't all on one layer and you could remove the original piece without just covering the single layer. I also adapted different opacities  so that the color layers wouldn't just be bold over another and blend together. If I could do this art activity again I would originally add the textures so I don't have to go back and  paint several strokes over my work.

pop art

The strongest technical aspect of my assignment was my use of the desaturation tool and the pen tool.  In order to isolate the portrait from the background the first step was to draw an outline around the picture then invert the selection. Then after desaturating the portrait it was important to use the masking tool to color in bright vibrant features for the pop art design. The weakest technical aspect in this image was the use of the threshold tool. It was difficult to accurately capture Marilyn's facial features along when the detail was made too dark. If the deatil was there the shadowy look overwhelmed the sapces to put color in.

The easiest part of the project was the coloring in of the picture.  All you had to do was mask each layer and add in the desired pop of color.  When i selected what colors I wanted I based my choices off of her actual attire and what normal popart images look like created by Andy Warhol. The hardest part of the project was the pen tool.  For some reason I stuggled with double clicking and finding the make selection option.  This may seem like a very simple step yet each time I had to have assistance in fixing the issue.

The objective of the assignment was to create an image that would resemble that of Andy Warhol's along with demonstrate the importance of the pen tool.  I learned that you can create multi layer masks like the landscape project. Basically the main objective is just to learn and explore new
unfamiliar tools in the program of photoshop. If I were to change anything in this project I might
have selected a different more iconic picture of Marilyn because this picture ended up being a tad too dark for my personal preference.

hybrid animal

The strongest technical aspect of this assignment was my use of the clone pattern tool and the opacity option.  In order for the two animals (dolphin and kitten) to combine to be something realistic the animal needed a similar texture between the two. I chose to use the fir of the kitten on the tail and face of the dolphin so that the face wouldn't look as if it was just a head placed on the body.  The opacity tool allowed me to work with the actual highlighting of the dolphins features so that I wasn't creating a non dimensional animal. The weakest technical aspect of this assignment was the use of the masking tool.  Before the directions were made to mask out what we didn't want to include in the animal I permanently eliminated the surrounding of the animals.

The easiest part of the project was adding in the background. I knew from the feeling of my animal that I was terrified by its presence. In order to convey my emotions for the species I created I searched for dark threatening environments that would take away from the animal itself. The hardest part of this assignment was to blend the tail into the body of the kitten.  I struggled to make the clone tool have the same style fur on the tail as the read end of the kitten yet it still looks a little bit off.

The objective of the assignment was to create a hybrid or morphed animal that shares features of both animals.  I strived to complete this goal by not only putting the head of a dolphin on a cat but giving the dolphin the cats fur.  I wanted the animal or the Ditten as I call it to look natural.  The realism of the result actually terrifies me.  If I were to change anything in this assignment I might use an animal that didn't have a tail because it was actually very difficult to work with adding that in to appear natural.

marquee tool

The strongest technical aspect of this project for me were the marquee tool and the opacity.  In order to create 11+ different layers of rectangle shapes I needed to sort my squares into a radial symmetrical pattern and adjust the opacities. The marquee tool was fairly easy to use.  All you have to do is click and drag to your desired size and shape until you have a variance of rectangles.  The weakest technical aspect of my work was the lack of elliptical tool.  My computer didn't allow me to use the tool without creating a gradient color so I ignored the tool.

The easiest part of the project was duplicating the layers and putting my work into groups.  The skill set is actually very simple all you have to do is go under layers and click duplicate over the selected layer.  Once you have created the initial patter with that select shape and color and duplicated it, it is important to group your layers.  Once you group your layers you an adjust the position and opacity of them all together. The hardest part of this assignment was making sure the shapes were all symmetrical.  Even if I am just duplicating the layers my shapes alignment takes a lot of time to line up accurately.

The objective of the assignment was to learn how to use the marquee tool.  I accomplished this objective by learned how to use each type, rectangular and elliptical.  Although I didn't use the elliptical shape because the gradient coloring I still learned how to incorporate it into my assignment if I so desired. If there was anything I would change about my assignment was maybe I would make the design a different color scheme.  I typically gravitate towards the cool color pattern.  Next time I will use a warm pallet.

polaroid

The strongest technical aspect in this project was the use of the eraser tool, lasso tool.  I was able to make my polaroid collage look as if a random assortment of photographs fell onto a table and layered themselves.  To make the work more interactive I included several points in the picture where body parts are breaking the plane and going outside the photo.  By using the lasso tool i was able to clean up the surroundings of my picture and install.  The weakest technical aspect of my work was the background.  I tried my best to capture the essence of friendship but The overlaying images seem to disappear into the picture. 

The easiest part of this project was erasing the overlapping layers of the frame.  I like using the eraser tool because it seemed painfully easy how I could chose which photograph I wanted to come to the front and which one would be tucked behind. I liked being able to decide how my pictures looked. The hardest part of the project was dealing with the frustration of my image pixelating.  I had to restart my picture three times before I figured out how to shut the eyes off and replace my picture when it ruined itself.

The objective of the project was to have the photos to appear as if they are both popping out of the 2D realm and lie scattered on a table.  I completed this objective by randomly placing the polaroids on the original image.  To clean up the frames I used the eraser tool to make it seem as if it was layered over each other.  If I could change anything in this project I would select a picture off the internet so my pictures wouldn't pixelate so much. 

tattoo assignment

The strongest technical aspect of my tattoo assignment was the change in opacity and usage of the warp tool.  By bending the design to wrap around the body I was able to create a realistic tattoo for the girl's frame and body.  The opacity had to be adjusted in order to seem more worn in and natural. The technical aspect I need to work on is the burn and dodge tool.  I needed to highlight brighter parts of the body and darken the shadows so the tattoo would be contoured better. Then my work would appear to be even more natural as if i never even photoshopped a design on her body at all.

The easiest part of this project was desaturating the photograph and finding a part of the body to place the tattoo on.  The girl I chose had a lot of open skin to work with but the shoulder blade specifically had a highlight to it surrounded by shadows.  Desaturating the image was simple because it was just a matter of locating the tool bar and choosing the level of brightness and darkness I wanted by grey scale to be. The hardest part of the project was warping the tattoo to resemble an actual tattoo.  The way the skin bends and folds means the design needs to follow the natural look of the skin.  I struggled in dragging the tattoo around the shadows to look as if it was sinking into the skin.

I accomplished the object of the art assignment by selecting a picture, desaturating it and blending a tattoo onto the woman's back so that I successfully learned how to blend objects naturally together with the warp tool, dodge tool and burn tool.  Something I would change about this project is maybe I would have chosen a different design to work with that would have blent easier. 

landscape collage

The strongest technical aspect of my landscape collage was my masking tool.  I worked really hard to make sure that each layer would blend into each other so nothing would look too choppy.  In my first piece the contrast between the mountains and the sky was too intense so I went back and tried to soften the mask between layers and i was impressed how the appearance became more realistic. The technical aspect I need to improve on is how to use the contrast and brightness tool.  I did manage to change the brightness and contrast but I struggled on how to adjust individual layers.  

The easiest part of this assignment was selecting and combining layers. It was a lot easier than I though to find landscapes that match the same color shade and blend well with each other.  I was afraid that I would struggle to make the different layers try to look realistic but it was't that difficult.  The hardest part of this assignment was trying to proportion each layer so that there would be equal distribution of the foreground, middle ground and background.  I was concerned that my layers were so large that i couldn't fit anything else in the image without seeming out of place.

I accomplished the objective of this project by choosing three places and settings that I personally love to create one realistic landscape collage.  I chose the sky from an assortment of different sunsets because I am much more a night person and love sunsets.  My two layers below the sky were spanish mountains and the Lisbon mountains.  When I was in Spain and Portugal in April these were some of the most beautiful sights I saw on my journey.  What I would change about my work is that in the next project I would select thinner layers so I can have more than three different layers to work with and incorporate in one landscape collage. 

personal identity

          The strongest technical aspect of my work is color balancing and overlapping my art.  It took a long time to accurately balance the color schemes so that no color would be repeating or touching that shared the same value.  My overlapping was also a key feature because I needed to have a visually pleasing relationship between the background and the inside additions.  The technical aspect that I can improve on is the size differences in images.  I find it hard to sometimes made different images different shapes and sizes.  I like to have consistency in my work but I need to learn how to change my point of view on having different sized objects.

          The easy part of the art activity was adding new items to my collage.  In photoshop there are different techniques in adding pictures to a layer.  You only need to select a large sized photo so that it will have the best resolution for expanding and shrinking the image.  For removing background from an image there is a fairly simple technique of taking the selected figure and adding a background color to it.  From there then you have to just use the magic wand tool and choose the color and click delete.  The last step is simply to just deselect the object. The hardest part of the activity was close cropping the cleats of my collage.  It took me a full period to zoom in and use the polygon lasso to remove all the grass that was in the entire background of the background photo.  The work was pretty tedious so that it was frustrating to complete.  However, once it was all removed I could fill the center of the collage with all of my own personalities.  

      In this project I demonstrated the objective of reflecting my personal identity by basing my entire project on my favorite sport soccer.  I managed to incorporate all different elements of the sport to show what were the things I associate with the sport of soccer.  If I could do this activity again I would have picked a whole different theme. The soccer theme was hard to follow through with because I thought it would have more to it than it really offered.  I like the idea of having vaguer theme that would have functioned like an umbrella.  I should have picked an idea like Fall or Winter where multiple different contacts could have fit under. 

Typography -Brianna Chamberlain

The strongest technical aspect of my work is my symmetry. I worked really hard in order to balance each side of my project so that each letter would have a twin so that if you cut the image in half it would be the same picture.  The technical aspect that I could use improvement on is radial symmetry. The letter B was hard enough to follow normal symmetry with so trying to have the symmetry function like a circle seemed nearly impossible to me.  I need to work on radial symmetry so in the future I can balance my work better. 

The easy part of this activity was including different color values and changing opacities. I think that I have mastered the art of dispersing different values to different places on the work to balance out the color pallet. It is important to have both the negative space and different colors to spice up and make the work more pleasing to the eye.  The difficult part of this activity was learning the different tools and making sure that the art was actually symmetrical.  I could easily transform the shapes but placing them correctly aligned was difficult. 

The objective of this assignment was to include symmetry and layers.  I demonstrated the objective by duplicating all of my layers so that their shapes and sizes would all be symmetrical.  We learned how to use the transformation tools to flip shapes so they could reflect each other too. I made my B's all have different values and sizes too.  If I could do this activity again I would probably not chose this font or the letter b because it was really hard to accurately follow radial symmetry.