Semester 2 Final Blog

S2 Final Blog

Low-Poly Vector 

My favorite project this semester in graphic design was the low ploy vector. I spent around a month working on this project. I started this project finding a photo of a subject. I chose my dog to be my subject. I was out of town for some of the in class work days so I had to find extra time to work on this project. I learned how to better use the pen tool throughout this project. I asked my peers at times which color looked better and for overall feedback once I was finished. The project turned out how I had imagined it. I think my work on this project turned out quite well which I especially wanted for this project.

Event Advertising

My second favorite project this semester was the event advertising project I spent a little over a month working on this project. For this project I had to choose a band or artist and create a poster, postcards, a tickets for the event. The band I chose was Green day. I learned more about the pen tool, as well as more about colors and fonts throughout this project. I asked peers what colors and fonts look better as well as if the colored or black and white graphic looked better. Originally I was going to try to combine graphics based from 2 different albums but settled on just one because of time. I think my work overall was good. I think my tickets were the best and my poster could have used the most improvement.

Logo Design

My third favorite project this semester was the logo design project. This project took around 2 weeks to complete. I first sketched 30 different logo possibilities on paper, then began making vectors of my favorite 5. Once the logos were made into vectors, I added many color variants. I learned about using the pen tool to make vectors of sketches during this project. I asked my peers which color schemes looked best for my final designs. Originally the T and S weren't connected on the top and the hair didn't overlap the T. I think my top 2 logos turned out great but I could've worked to make the other 3 look better.

Graphic Design Overall

I think this year overall I have been very productive. If I finished projects early I began work on an upcoming project or went back and improve on old projects. If not I tried to find tutorials to learn new or interesting things. When I could I asked my peers what I could change or improve on with my projects. Outside of class I tried to research interesting topics if I had the time. 

I think that I can focus well during in class work times. I think for the most part I make deadlines well. I think I give good feedback when asked. I think I manage my time and projects well and do my part during group projects.

I think I could improve on leadership and communication skills. When working with others I almost always let them take the lead. I could also provide and ask for feedback more often than I do.

During graphic design this year I enjoyed getting a lot more comfortable with both Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as learning a little bit about Indesign. I think I could've been more interactive with my classmates during class. I hope to continue improving my work and learning new things in the coming years. Overall I am happy with my work throughout this year and am excited to see what's next.

Vector Illustrated Portrait

Pre-Production

I started by selecting a photo I wanted to use for the portrait. I had to do a family member so I decided to use one of my favorite photos of my dog. I pull the photo into photoshop to resize and posterize the photo. Once I did that I made a new Illustrator file with 2 art-boards, one for the photo and another with the photo to use the pen tool on a layer above it.

Production

I started but making outline of my whole dog and then outlines to split up the photo up into main sections. Once I had my outlines I used shape to create triangles of different sizes inside of the outlines using the pen tool. Doing this give the photo the low-poly look it was supposed to have.

Post-Production

For the most part I liked how it turned out. I wish there was a little more color or something else I could have changed with the eyes but that is all I would change.

Typography

Pre-Production

When choosing quotes, I had two before hand that I planned on doing, and found the other two on the Internet. For fonts, I downloaded a bunch so I would have many to choose from, and some specifically I thought would work.

Production

Once I got into Illustrator, I began by typing all the quotes out in to text boxes. Once I had the text typed out I began moving it around to try to find a layout I liked. I went through the fonts I had and chose fonts I thought fit the quotes. Working in black and white was a lot simpler, but I enjoyed working in color more as it opens up more options.

Post-Production

I think 2 of my quotes show how impactful color can be, as the J.R.R Tolkien quote changed a lot when going from black and white to color, while the George Strait quote was barely changed when using color. I wish I came up with more I could change when adding color to the George Strait quote, but other than that I am happy with how my designs turned out.

S1 Final

1st Semester Graphic Design

Info-Graphic

The goal of this project was to put together an Info-Graphic about a topic of our choice. This project has taken around a month to do. I started by doing research on my topic, which ended up being centered around music listening. Then I made several smaller sketch mock-ups and then a larger, more detailed final mock-up. Once those were all done I began create the graphics for the Final Info-Graphic. Once the graphics were finished I began piecing together the final Info-Graphic. Some of the graphics were hard to make initially and finding colors that both worked together and made the words easy to read was somewhat difficult. During this project I learned how to use the pen tool much better than I ever had before. When working on my final sketch I was told that I may not have enough color which I thought was true. I ended up adding more and different colors and arranged it differently than some of my original sketches. I think my Info-Graphic looked pretty good at the end.

Challenge 2

For this project we were given the challenge of finding many different photos form Unsplash.com and putting them together into one photo using Photoshop. This project took around a week to finish. I think the hardest part of this project was finding the photos and making the colors look consistent. This project gave me more good practice using Photoshop. I started out working with a color palette of purples and ended up going with blues. I really liked the final product of this project.

Panorama 

For this project we had to take 10 photos around a theme and put them together in photoshop. This project took around 2 weeks to complete. It was hard to get all ten photos into one while still keeping the focus. Since I did used sunrise/sunset I only had certain times I could get photos as well. I learned that it is better to have more picture than needed just incase some that I thought would work don't. I was told that it would look better if the transitions were smoother that it would look and flow better. I originally wanted to have more main photos but I thought that the focus was better with fewer main photos. I thought that this project look alright but could have been better.

Final Thoughts 

Almost all of these projects took up all of the time we were given to do it so I didn't finish up earlier than expected a majority of times. The few times I did finish early I tried to do touch-ups or find tutorials or other things to learn from. Outside of class I took or found photos that worked for some of these projects.

I think some of my strengths as a graphic design student would be flexibility and listening to feedback. I change my thoughts around a lot while working and enjoy implementing feedback I am given into my work.
I think I could improve in communication and leadership by asking for more feedback from others and offering feedback on others work.
I enjoyed learning more about graphic design and photography and learning how to use Photoshop and Illustrator way better than I knew how to use them before. For next semester I would like to continue to learn more about using Photoshop and Illustrator better and to also continue to make my projects better and better.

Behance:https://www.behance.net/tystockwel3ece

Water Color Transfer

1. The Process

To start this process you must print off a picture and cut it out. You then need a piece of water color paper. You then water color the paper however you want to. They you apply mod podge to the back of the picture. Generally the more mod podge the better. You then put the picture on the water color paper and press it down. You can use a squeegee to push out and bubbles under the picture. You then need to let it sit out for a while and dry. Once it is dry you can start to remove the printing picture to show the transfer print. To remove the picture you can put your fingers into water and rub the water across the paper. once water has been rubbed across the paper you can start to push down harder keeping water on your fingers. It is easiest to start pushing it off from one of the corners. You have to push hard enough to get the paper off but not too hard to where you remove parts of the transfer. You might have to rub it a couple times to completely remove the paper fuzz. Once all the fuzz is gone you will just have the water color paper and transfer left.

2. My prints

I think that I should have applied more mod podge at the start so that the picture transfer would have been better. When I went there were no clean squeegees left so that made removing bubbles harder. But I think I did a good job removing the paper with water.

Printing Processes

Relief Process

The Relief Printing Process uses wood or linoleum that is carved onto to make white areas. The grain of woods can give the blacks a different look then plain linoleum. Ink is then applied then a paper is pressed on top to get the final print. The relief process begins with either a wood block or a linoleum block. When using wood you begin by toning the block with an Indian ink wash or jet black film ink. This is used to make a black ground area so that when pieces of the wood are removed it is very clear and distinct. A drawing can then be transferred to the wood with the help of an iron oxide or carbon paper transfer. Once the drawing has been transferred the artist can carve pieces of the wood out to create white spaces. Ink is applied evenly on the wood and a baron is used to push down a paper with even pressure onto the wood to get the final print. When using linoleum, you can use a marker to draw straight onto the plate or use the same transfer strategy used with wood. You can carve into the linoleum just like you would with the wood except it takes less pressure. The inking process is the same.

Intaglio Process

The Intaglio Process uses metal which is either moved to create burrs that hold ink or creating a soot that can be scratched off. Once that is finished, ink is pushed and a press is used to put high pressure on a paper above for the final print. Artists like this technique as it gives off a sculptural look.

When performing Dry Point you move away parts of the metal with etching tools to create burrs that hold ink. Once the artist is done Steel Facing can be performed which increases surface strength to help insure none of the burrs break during printing.

Another technique is Etching. A ground is applied to the plate, then it is heated to become soot. Once this has occurred the surface will be a jet black. To draw, the artist barely scratches the surface so that the copper becomes visible as the soot moves away. This provides an area for the ink to go into. Once the artist is done drawing the plate is submerged in a bath of acid this eats away at the bare copper areas so that they can more easily hold ink. This is done for 15 minutes then it is taken out and washed off then bathed again for 15 minutes. Ink is then wiped on the image. After that, the access ink is wiped off. Then paper is put over the metal and put under a press at high pressure.

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Lithography Process

The Lithography Process is very intricate process using grease and anti grease to get an image. Lithographic pencils and Lithographic crayons are used to draw on the lithographic stone. The drawn on parts can be easily removed with things like razor-blades. The inking process is longer and takes a lot of trial and error.

In this process the artist draws directly onto the stone to start. Once the artist is done drawing Gum Arabic is applied. Once the stone receives the Gum Arabic, acidified Gum Arabic is applied, Tapem for example, which helps keep the Gum Arabic bonded to the stone. Some of the material is then removed and then Gum Arabic is reapplied. Cheesecloth is then used to push the materials into the stone. Asphaltum is then used to replace the drawing material. This creates a greasy base which the ink will be able to replace. The image with then disappear slightly to become a ghost image. If the image is etched properly the ghost image will still be somewhat clear. Then the surface is wet down slightly, dried, then sponged, and immediately inked. Before inking paper, the ink is pushed down into the stone. The softness of paper can give off a different tone. A good inking is found when you can see the hand motion marks on the paper.

Testing One

I would like to try Intaglio Process, because it seems more simple then the others, and I like the general look it gives off. It seems like it would be fairly similar to normal drawing as well. I think some of the looks and feels these types of printing gave off are still trying to be captured by modern artists even if they aren't using these processes.

Personal Narrative

I get to a spot where I can see the sun rise or set. It is relaxing to just sit and watch. The fresh air outside feels great. I hear nothing but wild animals and trees in the wind. The weather outside is perfect.
I relax and watch as the sun comes up over the horizon, into view or while it slowly fades away as the moon comes up on the other side. It is a beautiful sight to open up or close out the day.
I relax and watch. For a view moments I forget about the worries of the day ahead of me. As the time passes I think of nothing else. Once it has past I continue the rest of the day.

I chose the main pictures I liked the most and put them in the foreground. I then layered many other pictures behind the main ones to create a different color and feel as well as define the horizon and give the sun rays. I like how it turned out. I like how there isn't too many pictures in the foreground so it becomes crowded. I also liked what the other pictures looked like with the different and somewhat more exaggerated colors.

Pop Art

Pop Art Project:

I started by going outside and taking pictures of my partner that could work. Once we got back inside a picked the picture I thought looked best and started working. I used a black and white adjustment layer and used the color blending mode to make the colors stand out more. I used a layer mask to sharpen the edges of the shirt and used the halftone filter over my partner. I used bright green, blue, and red in parts of the picture, as well as blacks and whites to make the bright colors pop more. I used the brush tool when adding colors back but I also used a splatter brush with the brush tool to add the blacks and whites that make the colors pop. I used the rectangle tool as well to add more color to the background and a slight pattern.

Landscape Man Challenge

Landscape Man Challenge

For this project I was given a normal picture of a man and told to do whatever I wanted to do using layer masks, adjustment layers, and blending modes. I started by finding some pictures on unsplash.com that I wanted to use. I decided to use two different city-scapes, one for the jacket, and one for the undershirt. I decided to use a night sky to cover his hair. I wanted to change the background color to a darker color to make the man pop out more so I changed it to a gray background and while doing that I thought that the white outline look good so I ran with it.

I came into this without much of an idea of what I wanted to do but when I got on unsplash.com I found the picture of the city I used for the jacket and liked it so I went with it. I found a second picture of a city to add more variety and differentiate the jacket from the undershirt. I thought a starry night sky would look good over the hair so I searched for a picture to use. I used layer masks to put the pictures I found over the places I wanted them to be over. I used a dissolve blend on the hair to change the texture slightly. Finally I used an adjustment layer to make the night sky-hair slightly darker and slightly less saturated. I think that the photo came out the way I was expecting it to.

Photoshop Editing Basics

Photoshop Basics

For this project I watched a handful of different videos to learn about some of the basics and tools used in Photoshop. From Content Aware Fill to the Healing Brush to making a Portrait Collage using some of these tools.

1. Content Aware Fill

Content Aware Fill was the first and easiest tools to use. It allows you to remove parts of the background or remove things such as logos from flat surfaces. In the first picture I removed unwanted items from the frame. In the second and third I removed the logo and moved the logo up further respectively. Lastly in the fourth image I removed marks and other objects from the wall in the background.

2. Patch Tool

If the surface isn't big enough, there isn't enough for Content Aware Fill to take from, so it doesn't work. The Patch Tool allows you to select and area and move a similar part of the image in place of that area. I used it to move an image off of the man's shirt. However sometimes the color doesn't match perfectly or a crease duplicates so you have to make slight edits to make it look better.

3. Clone Stamp Tool

The Clone Stamp tool allows you to take a target area and color it somewhere else on the image. I used this to color over tags on this woman's jacket with a sample area from a different part of the jacket. In the second image I used the Clone Stamp Tool to color over a pillar that looked like it was coming out of the man's head by taking samples from the sky.

4. Healing Brush/Spot Healing Brush

The Healing Brush and the more accurate Spot Healing Brush helps remove marks from smaller areas by using other parts of the image automatically. I used this tool to remove dirt and other marks from this boy's face.

5. Portrait Collage 

While creating this portrait collage I used most of these tools. I pulled the images on the right and left in and removed the background from the middle image so that the three images had one uniform background. I used the Clone Stamp tool to remove branches from trees in the background, and to make the sky match up better, and go over the middle image. Lastly I used the Healing Brushes to retouch some smaller sections of the images.

Final Project

Q4 Project

For our 2nd Semester Final for e-9 me and my group had to come up with an idea, a product that doesn't already exist, then make a commercial, logo, 2d and 3d animation, and a website for that product. We worked on this project for around 5 weeks and presented our product on the 6th week. When we presented our product the computer we had to present on couldn't pull our animations or commercial up and we had to use a different commercial then we wanted. I learned to make a copy of a finished project so it doesn't disappear and to try to prepare for anything that could go wrong later. We were told that the audience interaction in our presentation was good. I changed and improved on my commercial and animation whenever I had free time in class. I think this was an interesting and fun final project for e-9.

When in class I helped come up with ideas to start our project, I helped make the commercial and edited my own version of the commercial. I helped come up with ideas to make our logo and with Ethan came up with the final color scheme. I made the 2d website animation and when I had free time improved it and the commercial. When I finished early I improved my own stuff and tried to help with the website or give ideas on what we could improve on. At the start I tried to come up with ideas for our project and later sketched ideas for our logo if I had extra time. 

I think I am best at graphic design and animation and I enjoy them the most. I used these strengths to help design our product logo, and make the 2d website animation. 

I could improve these areas by becoming more familiar with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. I could also get better at sketching and find other things to make better projects.

I liked coming up with a product that could be anything even if it wasn't possible to make yet. I would have our group put all the finished projects in the server so that the presentation could have went smother. I learned that if you can work well with a group and combine ideas you can make great things. I think next year I want to overall improve my skill working with these applications and become more confident with my work. I think that this was a good year, it went fast but it was fun.

CSS VS. No CSS

For this project I was given a basic sample website without CARP or CSS. I had to take that website and add CARP and CSS. As you can see it makes quite a big difference.

In the first screenshot you can see more colors than just black and white. This makes for more contrast throughout the page. It makes the body pop and helps differentiate the headings for each other and the main section. The heading and paragraphs are in different fonts as well.

The two headings are found in the middle to show importance. Everything else is left aligned so it is easier to read and looks nicer.

The two headings are the same color and the authors name at the bottom is the same color as the headings. This gives the page a little bit of repetition.

The headings and main section have space in between to show they aren't the same. The paragraphs in the main section are closer together though, to show that they are part of the same section. This gives the page good proximity.

As these two pages show CARP can make a very big difference. I learned that in CSS you can hit the plus next to properties and add a lot of things as long as you know what to type.

Personality tests

I took a Myers-Briggs style test on Humanmetrics to find out my personality type. I was the type INTP. This stands for Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving. INTP's are generally quite and think a lot. They like to find their own way of doing things rather then doing what others do. They are often engaged in their own thoughts. Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln share this type.

I think that this type is pretty spot on for my personality. I find myself in my own head constantly and almost always look for the logical solution. I think it show some things I enjoy more as I would generally rather spend time alone or with a few friends rather than go to big parties or large gatherings.

I would tend to try to think of ways to accomplish things rather then being out in front. When I get this role in a group I will be more comfortable and probably more productive. When I don't get to fill this role I will be pushed out of my comfort zone and likely be more stressed or less productive.

I took a Lion, Otter, Beaver, Golden Retriever personality test next. My highest was otter and my second highest was beaver. I think that the description was somewhat accurate. I don't think I'm as social as it says the otter is but I think the goof around portion is accurate. I think the quality of the beaver to be a problem solver and curious to find ways to do things fits me but I'm not quite the perfectionist that the beaver is.

My Logo

For this project I was instructed to make my own original logo. I began by sketching out ideas I had. After I had several ideas and a few I liked I moved to the computer. I began putting my ideas in Illustrator.

These are the first few that I tried. I tried having my initials one in front of the other. I didn't think it looked great so I tried putting them side by side.

After those I tried more ideas I had. I tried typing out my name in different shapes. First I tried my first name then my last name.












I tried putting the ideas together. I tried putting the diamond in front and the rectangle in front. Then I had another idea. I tried a diamond but used shapes to cut out small sections.

Once I had come up with my two favorites I started adding color. I wasn't sure what colors I wanted to use so I tried a few different colors and mixes.












After I had tried different colors I began using mock-up images to see what my logo would look like. I ended up going with simple black and blue for my logos as that is what I preferred.












This is the logo I decided to go with. I liked the simple colors. I also thought it looked more professional and cleaner than my other logo.

The Wizard of Oz

Contrast

• I used color contrast in this poster to split the poser into sections.
• I used size contrast by making the important things bigger and the less important things smaller.
• I also used different fonts to help show importance.   

Alignment 

• I left aligned all of the top half, and right aligned the bottom half 

Repetition 

• I used the same 3 colors throughout.
• I used the same font for a lot of the important parts.

Proximity 

• I put things that went together closer and split sections by moving them farther away

Letter Anatomy

Typography

For this project I had to take my name, in a serif font, and label all the parts of the font. Serif fonts add many parts to each letter. I labeled all the parts added to my name by a serif font. I labeled the base line, x-height, and caps height along with the other parts. There are ten parts labeled not including the base line, x-height, and caps height.

Before and during this project I learned many things about typefaces. I learned that serif means the extra lines add on the end of letters. I also learned sans-serif means without serifs. I learned that typefaces can mean as much, or even more then the words themselves. Lastly, I learned that fonts fit in certain situation, one font is not good for every situation.