Line Assignment

Here is my line assignment, all created in illustrator, using the pen, pencil and paintbrush tool with various brushes applied.

Emotions:

Verbs:

Dry Media- Mug:

Wet Media- Mug:

Hellooo!

This is the portrait of myself that I chose because I think it captures my spirit on a bright day, wearing my favorite jacket of all time, in one of my favorite places.  I took it where I lived in Alaska for a while- in a one room cabin that contained nothing but an awesome guy, a little bit of a electricity, a wood stove and an old golden retriever.  Simplicity is my mantra- from religion, to relationships, to my favorite chili recipe.  I think it is just so important for every human to know what its like to live in sync and connection with the earth.  To have a reminder that we are just a small part of a massive ecosystem, a blip in the radar.   What it all really comes down is that not much really separates us from other animals; we are instinctual beings, no matter how hard we try to fight it.  What we do have as humans is the divine ability to recognize the amazing beauty we are surrounded in every day.  That's why I love design- what better reason to be put on earth than simply be able to appreciate and create the amazing aesthetics of life. Back to the picture...I think what also makes it appealing to me are the colors- the warm tones, the afternoon light.  Although my head is the obvious focal point, I like the background behind me- an extension cord and homemade stairs.  The framing creates unity within the photo, with equal space on either side of my head, giving it a fair amount of rhythm.

Rhythm and Touch

Here is my take two for the rhythm assignment. I took a photo of a finger after it was snapped by a crab because everything about the image reminded me of touch- from the textures of the different elements of the photo (the crab, finger and water) to the hand itself.  The hand's proximity to the crab also implies that the accident occurred from the human instinct to want to touch things . 

 Wet

 Rough

Icy Cold

Hot

Touch through Progressive Rhythm

A Balanced Kitchen

For this week's assignment, I traced random items found in my kitchen on black paper and than cut out the pattern with an exacto knife.  I used the negatives to make a second piece.  This project was a blast and really easy to get into!  It really got me thinking about negative space when I was first laying out my design and I found myself purposely trying to "shape" the space so it would interesting for my second design. 

This was my first piece- the postive.

This is the negative.

These are the two together. 

Attack of the Giant Fish

For this week's assignment, I attempted to create an essence of surrealism by altering the proportions in what might otherwise be a "normal" fishing scene.  Using Photoshop (which I'm just learning...), I pasted two images of fish onto a background and used multiple effects and opacity settings to make them appear to be part of the picture.  I wanted the fishing raft to appear small in comparison to the large fish lurking around it, giving it a spooky, fantasy-like feel. 

Emphasis and Focal Point

For this assignment, I chose all of my examples from my favorite fly fishing magazine, The Fly Fish Journal.  Their photography, art work, and layout is fantastic!

Contrast:

 

I chose this photo of the salmon jumping out of water because the color in the fish contrasted abruptly with the drab color of the water, making it the obvious focal point of the photo.

Isolation: 

To me, the angler in the bottom right corner in these photos was a great example of isolation.  He and his action were emphasized by being isolated in the sea.

Placement:

This image of men sitting at a bar reminds me of placement in that the framing of the photo, the lines created by the wide camera lens  and objects in the room (the table and chairs, beams) all point in the direction of the bar.  

One Element:

To me, this photo represents a strong, single focal point.  In the magazine, the rafter was a brighter blue than it came out here, making it pop against the monotone colors of the river.  Your eye is instantly drawn directly to raft, demonstrating the boaters being alone in the wilderness. 


Absence of Focal Point:

This picture has no focal point on purpose.  By framing just the grass repeating in the water, the entire composition is emphasized rather then just one singular object. 

Unity in through my Eyes

Proximity: This is a photo I took of my boyfriend and his parent's pups (up on Camel's Hump).  I think it is a good representation of proximity because Jake and the dogs are all grouped together, giving the viewer the idea that there is some unity- that they belong in a photo together.

Repetition with an Emphasis on Similarity: This poster design is a good representation of repetition with similarity because it repeats the image of a fairy playing the keyboard in order to suggest unity and make a statement.  (Source: Poster Art by Charlotte Rivers) The magazine page with a spread of photographs does the same. (Source: Frequency Magazine)

Repetition with Variety: This image demonstrates repetition with variety in that it repeats similar shapes (squares and rectangles) and ideas (signs) along with a cohesive color palette while using different shapes, sizes and types of signs. (Source: Poster Art by Charlotte Rivers)

Continuation: This poster design uses continuation to create unity by using lines to connect different elements, thus allowing the eye to move smoothly across the page.  It also uses a grid pattern to create organization. (Source: Poster Art by Charlotte Rivers)

Grid: This magazine spread of a snowboarder (who happens to be my boyfriend...I think I might like him or something...) uses a grid pattern to organize the sequential shots of a pow slash. (Source: Frequency Magazine)

Chaotic Design: This is a friend of mine's painting and to me it is chaotic and difficult to follow.  In my opinion, the eye isn't really drawn to on particular area and nothing stands out as trying to convey a message or feeling.  What do you think?

 Non-objective Expression of Unity: This wood block by one of my favorite artists, Sabra Field, portrays unity by using similar colors in the sky and landscape.  The blue, yellow and black tones make sense in the picture and bring everything together beautifully.  I also love the unity between the stars in the sky and lights in the house- two things so different but very much the same.

Figurative Expression of Unity:  To me, this is a great example of a figurative expression of unity because it using similiar shapes (rectangles) in the same column pattern throughout the page, giving the impression of unity.  (Source: Poster Art by Charlotte Rivers)