Photoshop Piece

I liked this too much to not finish it. Here's the complete piece. I posted this on Facebook and had so many requests for prints. Wow! I really liked it but I half believed that it wasn't that good due being rejected for a final art project. When printing this in our digital media center I had several students passing by give me compliments, that makes ya feel pretty good when your fellow students (that you don't know) just randomly compliment your work, thanks guys!

One of my friends near Nashville saw the piece and asked for a copy. I had 3 prints extra laying around so I sent one down to him. The next thing I know he's posting this picture after he framed it. Once again, WOW! This may find it's way to my own wall now.... It's funny how networking gets you noticed. I'm, by far, not ready (I think) to be doing any works professionally but I have a couple of folks asking me to do some things for them and I'm very nervous but a little excited as well. I'll try to put up some work that I do this summer.

“Final Project: Revisions and Progress”

PART 2;

This took almost 4 hours to cut the heavy poster board cutting in between the very tight corners... I rough sketched the board then after I cut it out I flipped it so that the lead doesn't show.

Thank goodness for exacto knives! This took alot longer than I thought it would.

The finished part. Well this is only a part of what I'm working on. I have a "frame work" to go behind this but it's kind of unusual. I'm shooting for a tiny bit of industrial feel but with heavy paper stock. I'm adding color and I want to keep it light so I'm thinking light blue with a light orange so that they will compliment each other. I like bright color too so this will satisfy that for me as well. Another thought I'm having to paint this is use a small roller or just brush it.....   we'll see soon! It's due Thursday afternoon.

“Final Project: Revisions and Progress”

PART 1;

Ive gone through the thought process and have changed my project three times. I have settled on something like this and I will use photoshop to complete my composition. The size of the piece is 11" x 14" due to the original shot I found wasn't all that big so I had to scale it up alot. 11" x 14" was a big as I wanted to go without really distorting everything.

I like the monochromatic blue as a base and I really wanted to keep this simple and not add alot of things to it like some artists do. After showing my instructor in my last class time she wanted to see more. I've added some planets and things in the composition but it really went past what I actually wanted to do with this piece. I didn't take any screen shots of my progress but I do have some pics of my other project that I'm working on so I will post those up in part 2. Yes, I may have a bonus to provide with my final....

Reflections on Sketchblogging

This is assignment #18. I have a #17 to do but I want to get this finished first since the week ahead is filled with finals. We are to answer a series of questions so;
 1) over all experience? = I like blogging and it's nice to read some of my classmates thoughts on our projects outside of class. So I think it's a postivie experience all around. If you don't like writing papers then I suppose you wouldn't like blogging. I have a blog I maintain about my bike racing so this was a plus when it was assigned to the class. A+

2) Have you ever kept a personal sketchbook? = Yes. If you are in any type program where art and digital media is taught instructors will ask to see a sketchbook at sometime throughout the classes you attend. This is the first sketchblog though.

3) What are your thoughts about blogging? = I like jotting my thoughts down for people to read. Sometimes I get great ideas while I'm writing in it.

4) What did you find hard about the process? = I found it to be very easy because I have experience blogging.

5) What did you enjoy most about the blogging process? = probably just jotting down my thoughts. Getting one's thoughts down on paper or "blogging" and then going back and reading them seems to help me sometimes.

6) Was creating a sketch-blog better or worse than creating a physical sketchbook? = I think the blog is added work because everything we worked on in class and project wise had to be scanned or pics taken and posted. A sketchbook could just be turned in for grading, IE; less work.

7) Was the pace of the assignment schedule ok? = I think it was ok. A week to get your things posted was sufficent time.

8) Do you feel comfortable with the techy requirements? The "techy" part didn't bother me at all. I already have these skills. I think if one has not acquired the basic skills of cropping, scanning, etc it would give that student some experience in doing these tasks giving them experience for future projects.

9) After using it this semester do you like it? Hate it? = I'm on the fence about this. I think the instructor used it to our benefit making every students work available for everyone in both classes. If we had not used this it wouldn't have mattered either way to be honest.

10) Will you continue to use the sketchblog? = with a super cool title like "quiteFish" I have to! I probably won't use it every day but I think I'm going to try to post monthly with some of my digital projects.

11) Suggestions = I think that Mrs. Levacy uses the blog quite well. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to art classes. I think that one project or sketchblog post per semester should be about letting the students do anything they want and not be given any direction just to see what they create or throw out there. Also, take one day every two weeks or so to discuss what everyone has posted. Briefly go over the blogs on the big screen. I know that after the semester got busy in the last 3-4 weeks of school I haven't had much time to read fellow students posts like I wanted to. Going over them twice a month would make sure students are seeing the other students ideas and project work. I would bet that some students do not read any of them!!!

Final Project INdecisions...

Start with this and .............

get this as a base to start the composition...




My other idea is this......  I've spent 4 hours meticulosuly cutting out all the "in between" pieces for this so I really don't want to waste this and not use it.

Now just to figure out how to make the back of this work in a composition....  I just used orange as a contrasting color to bring out the bikes more.

Yes I have a passion for bicycles! If  I'm not directed to do anything specific my art WILL have something to do with a bicycle. Why? I think the bicycle is a piece of art in itself. The spokes, the frame geometry and all the little pieces that propel you forward.... that's art to me. Every part relies on every other to make it whole so it can do what it was intended to do...

“Cultivating Creativity”

How do I come up with ideas? I have a passion for bicycles, I always have and I always will probably. Everything revolves around the bike wheel (no pun intended, ha). So basically I start thinking how does this coincide with bikes? Next color comes into mind. I like color. How can I use color? If I don't come up with something quick I defer and wait til something just pops into my head. I usually get an idea when I'm not thinking or trying to think about it actually.

I would think my way of creating is like Cleese's. I don't break downthe process like he explains in the videos but it seems to come to me when I'm "playing" and not serious. When I "try" to come up with something it feels like I'm pushing against a big solid wall. When I stop to rest and lean on the big solid wall it seems to move without effort - silly analogy but....

After watching the videos in class Tuesday I tried the thought exercise and when I awoke Wednesday morning I had something totally different in mind for what I want to do. It doesn't require any digital media only razor, cardboard, posterboard, paint and brushes. I dislike painting very much but my vision has this being something I can hang on my wall at home! I'm a little excited!

Gestalt Corpse

When we began this assignment I started with triangles on the far left and right in this composition. I thought I started with something simple for the other students in my group. I was surprised to see what had been added when it returned to me. I thought I was leaving the paper readily available to add more shapes and design. In the end it didn't look as a whole but scattered shapes and lines in my opinion.
I have no idea how or where to put color since the design is all over the place so I'll opt for no bonus points. I would probably do more damage than good if I try.

In project 1, above,  I don't think the Gestalt theory would have helped me since I was using a mountain range but the flowers in the foreground, grouped together, could have been modified possibly to help the composition using this theory.