20x30 Finished w/ add on

This is the completed version of the 20x30 final project. I added on the bottom portion at the last minute because I wanted to include some statistics involving bullying but I didn't find an appropriate way to integrate it into the original picture. I focused a lot on using Outer Glows on the parts of the picture that were supposed to attract the most attention. I used a variety of Layer Masks in different places as well, such as the pictures in the thought bubble. There is also an ongoing theme of red in the areas that are supposed to attract the most attention. I adjusted the texture on either side of the walls and then used the Perspective tool on some of the words in order to make the whole picture look more 3-D. The rainbow that is used in the flag is also used in the bottom right corner and as a glow on the words "Take A Stand". I originally had a lot more color in the background and less texture but I decided that minimal color would draw more attention to the featured parts of the picture and also more depth. The two signs on either side differentiate each other and create balance with the words being opposite. The "Enter Here" sign was originally a "Do Not Enter" sign but I rearranged it so the words were different. The overall concept of this picture is a student about to enter school, wearing a gay pride flag and worrying about the bullying that he might encounter if he enters. The message is to take a stand against homophobic bullying and the statistics along the bottom introduce the idea that both students and teachers can stand up for those who are being bullied.

Scanner Texture Warp

20x30 Progress

A Blocks Edit

Used the smudge tool to attract more attention to the main focus, the blocks.

Way Outside The Box

Drawn from non-traditional materials: Assembled with pieces of grass         

Made out of non-traditional materials: Using tape and balancing skills, made out of blocks

Floating in space: Hanging from a piece of string in front of the window

Distortion in a reflection: Looking through a pair of glasses at an angle causes distortion

Cast shadows/light: Roll of paper towel casting a shadow with light behind it

Screenshot Project

I had a lot of fun with the layer masks in this project. I originally selected the coffee from it's background image and made a layer mask and began crafting the background from there. I placed the different textures in various places, played with the edges of their layer masks, and adjusted the opacity. I used a couple of filters on the textures to add different effects as well like a pixelating tool. The graffiti on the coffee cup has streaks of color from the Adjustment Layer. I also chose to bring back a few parts of the original background that the coffee cup had by using a layer blend and erasing certain parts of it. I would probably title this work something along the lines of "Brick Wall Coffee Shop"

David Carson Research

The most interesting part of David Carson's artwork is the use of typography. There seems to be a consistent theme of "Don't mistake legibility for communication". This is due to the fact that a lot of the typography that is used in his work is very scattered and at times hard to read, which is what many people criticize about it. However, if you take the time to look closely and read everything in his artwork, you will understand the clear theme and message that each piece has. His use of variety in the size of the letters and the fact that often some words will overlap others is very interesting.

Irony Design

The message of this design is speaking out against censorship, and how supposedly there is freedom of speech yet everything still needs to be censored. I used the picture of a man who looks like he is about to ask a question (which is represented by the question mark on his forehead) but he is interrupted by the hand over his mouth, which is supposedly "free speech". I used a simple black and white color scheme with reds in the sections that were supposed to draw the most attention. I used a lot of different filters, such as the Stamp and Photocopy ones, on both the image of the hand and of the face in order to make them more simplistic and straightforward. The font I used was Trajan Pro, which is also very direct and serious, as opposed to using a goofy font to convey a serious point. I also threw in the sunglasses on the man's face as a bit of an inside joke (it was meant as a reference to the movie "They Live" which I was reminded of while doing this project).

Examples of Irony

Cat Animation Print Screens

Cemetery Animation Print Screens

Also, Finished Cemetery Animation

Added a couple of finishing touches like the chandelier and played with the direction that the ending pieces moved.

Finished Cat Animation

For the completed version I added a background, more movement on the dream bubble, and a zoom effect on the curtain at the end.

New Animation

Decided to make another quick animation after finishing my other one. I tried to make this one seem silly and cartoony since the last one was so creepy. The basic shapes and bright colors help convey that mood. One technique that was the most useful in this animation was drawing shapes and only making them visible on certain frames. While I was creating this animation, I could not fix an issue where the purple oval would disappear for one frame even though it said it was visible on the frame.

First Animation

My first attempt at making a gif. The whole mood of it is very creepy, which you can tell by the graveyard, the skull, tombstone, font, and also the bright quickly flashing colors of red and white.

Home Security Logo

I used the Halftone Pattern filter a lot in this project to create the striped look of the house and the lock. I played around with another version where the windows were tinted red but decided on this one because it put more emphasis on the huge lock on the door.

Little Shop Of Horrors Finished

Little Shop Of Horrors Poster

Used a lot of the Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, and Gradient tools in this project.

New Ideas (Mess With The Web)

Warm To Cool

Mess With The Web Project

10 (8) Page Book [Finished]

I based my project off of the Of Mice & Men album Restoring Force. I used 6 of the songs from the album as well as making a front and back cover. The front cover is very similar to the album artwork: 

The back cover contains the list of songs on the album (not all were used in the book). There is a themes of the aesthetic of the album such as oceans, shells, and movement. I implemented a lot of these into the different pieces of the booklet. Each page for each song represents the song's emotion and relate to the title of the song. I used a lot of motion blurs and text arches in order to express some of the feelings of movement. For the songs that were more aggressive and heavy, I used more of these effects, and the gentler songs had less of them. I also used a balance of black and white and color on the pages (3 vs 3) to express the balanced feeling of the album. I think the highlights of the booklet were the front cover; where a mistake with which layer to put a brush tool on resulted in the interesting shadow effect of a couple of the words, and the 'Glass Hearts' page; which I feel is very balanced and enjoy the overall design of it. That page had two versions originally because I couldn't decide between a lighter one or a darker one. This was the lighter design:

I felt that the darker piece represented the darker feel of the song and also just thought it visually looked better, so that is why I chose it. Overall I am happy with this project and how it turned out, although if I could do it again I would implement the use of the grids in InDesign more.

Mr. Woodstock Ticket

4 Page Magazine Imitation

I recreated 4 random magazine articles in InDesign to test out the program and some of its features.