http://s873.photobucket.com/albums/ab296/eahalliday/Elements%20and%20Principles%20of%20ART%202010/?albumview=slideshow
http://s873.photobucket.com/albums/ab296/eahalliday/Elements%20and%20Principles%20of%20ART%202010/?albumview=slideshow
I chose not to have a particular theme to represent my photographs for the elements and principles of design. I am extremely interested in photography and bring my camera with me every chance it get. I like to focus on nature, buildings and people. I find the most captivating shots to usually to candid approaches. I used my digital camera for all of the shots. Some of the elements and principles were more difficult for me to represent than others. I took a more abstract style to my work. I enjoy seeing what different effects you can create with the camera. For some of my pictures I moved the camera as I was taking the shot to get a blurred look. I think it is really cool when the colors blend together and create a product that looks like it has been manipulated, however, it has not.
I liked this project a lot because we were able to pick the subject matter. I think if the teacher gave us a theme that we had to focus on it would have narrowed my creative thinking. I am sure all of our photographs will be very different, which will make them more fun to watch. I think using your own photographs is a great way of experimenting with the camera and your creative thoughts. I would definitely use lessons on photography in my class lessons. I think most students will have or be able to access a digital camera.
When taking a photograph I always am thinking about the picture as a whole. I want their to be a balance created, however, I tend to use asymmetrical balance. I find asymmetry to be more intriguing and unique. You also have to plan out how you want the style of your photograph to look. Many times I blur the background of something and then have my main focus very clear. I have taken several photography classes in high school as well as college and feel that my strengths are in finding ordinary objects are making them eye-catching and appealing. I am happy with my final slide show and feel that it really comes together in the end even though the photographs are of vastly different subject matter.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Logo Inspirations
http://www.logolounge.com/
I have several LogoLounge books that I use to help me with inspirations for making logos. I decided that I would check out their website since I knew that they were a credible source. LogoLounge contains many modern design approaches to making logos. The ideas are often conceptual, eye-catching and innovative. I am mainly interested in these new age designs. I felt this website gives great tips for beginners on how to make an effective logo and keeping in mind all of the essential factors such as, who is the target audience, why you choose certain colors and when you should combine text with image.
I thought it was helpful how they have in the archive on the right the trends of year dating back to 2003. It is interesting to look at how design trends have changed over time. I am drawn to the design style that is called Encrust this style incorporated the swirls and flower patterns. The like who the colors create such contrast when the artist uses a bold color against white. This also creates a flowing pattern since the object then seems to have openings around it, which creates a unity with the white of the background.
Another style that I think is neat is the Candy Stripe. If this is done right I feel it could be very effective, however, you have to match it up with the correct product or company. For example a company for medical supplies or a more serious product would probably not work well. I think it would be fun to pick out of color palette that works together and see what you can come up with.
I was also drawn to the Doily style. I an intrigued by how many different Doily styles you can create and how unique each can look. Sometimes it is okay to make a detail logo, however, it depends of the scale you will be using it for and the message you are trying to create. This effect could be made by turing your drawing into a brush pattern so it will repeat itself around the circle. I will try several different approaches for my own logos design keeping in mind the styles that I thought were effective.
I would definitely recommend this website to anyone interested in logo design. There are so many possibilities that this site helps you decide what you prefer and explains that meaning of different kinds of logos. What is also is is the fact that you are able to see all of the different Logo books if you click on the left hand side. It lists the price and lets you purchase them directly from Amazon.
I have several LogoLounge books that I use to help me with inspirations for making logos. I decided that I would check out their website since I knew that they were a credible source. LogoLounge contains many modern design approaches to making logos. The ideas are often conceptual, eye-catching and innovative. I am mainly interested in these new age designs. I felt this website gives great tips for beginners on how to make an effective logo and keeping in mind all of the essential factors such as, who is the target audience, why you choose certain colors and when you should combine text with image.
I thought it was helpful how they have in the archive on the right the trends of year dating back to 2003. It is interesting to look at how design trends have changed over time. I am drawn to the design style that is called Encrust this style incorporated the swirls and flower patterns. The like who the colors create such contrast when the artist uses a bold color against white. This also creates a flowing pattern since the object then seems to have openings around it, which creates a unity with the white of the background.
Another style that I think is neat is the Candy Stripe. If this is done right I feel it could be very effective, however, you have to match it up with the correct product or company. For example a company for medical supplies or a more serious product would probably not work well. I think it would be fun to pick out of color palette that works together and see what you can come up with.
I was also drawn to the Doily style. I an intrigued by how many different Doily styles you can create and how unique each can look. Sometimes it is okay to make a detail logo, however, it depends of the scale you will be using it for and the message you are trying to create. This effect could be made by turing your drawing into a brush pattern so it will repeat itself around the circle. I will try several different approaches for my own logos design keeping in mind the styles that I thought were effective.
I would definitely recommend this website to anyone interested in logo design. There are so many possibilities that this site helps you decide what you prefer and explains that meaning of different kinds of logos. What is also is is the fact that you are able to see all of the different Logo books if you click on the left hand side. It lists the price and lets you purchase them directly from Amazon.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Adobe Illustrator
I have had several courses on Adobe Illustrator; however, I am more familiar with CS2 than CS3. I have worked with CS3 when I was at my last internship, but I only have the student version of CS2 at home. I found that watching these tutorials was helpful in picking up certain details that they changed with the new version.
I will summarize what the presenters when over in each tutorial. The regular selections tool is for selecting objects and the direct select tool lets you choose anchor points. You are able to select certain anchor points and apply effects for only the selected points if you wish. In order to have all the tools on the screen at once you can tear it off and have the palette with the options available for you. You are able to click on a tool and then click on the page where you want your shape to be. By holding shift this will constrain the proportions. If you hold the option key it will start from the center of where you first clicked. And if you are working with the premade shapes you can use the up and down arrow to adjust how many sides you want your shape to have. The eraser tool can erase only a certain area if you select that object or you can erase anywhere by not selecting anything. With the pen tool you can click and drag for softer edges and you can modify your anchor points the direct select tool. You are able to convert your anchor points to corners or smooth them out. With the pen tool you can use add or delete anchor points. When you are using the brush tool you can adjust the fidelity. With having low fidelity you will create more anchor points as you draw. Or you can change it to high fidelity if you are looking for a more smooth flow with less anchor points. You are also able to adjust the smoothness of marks. Something that I found really interesting was that you are able to rework over paths by having both keep selected and edit selected paths checked. This is something that I would use frequently. This also goes for when you are using the pen tool. By holding shift you can scale objects proportionately. If you double click the scale tool you can change the numbers around and do a preview of what it would look like. If you are using the shear tool and then free transform the object you can distort the objects perspective by holding the command key. There are two types of text; point text and area type. With area type you will see a frame defining it. You can look under options and align the text and add things such as drop shadow. With typing on a path you have starting and ending points. This enables you to control where the text falls. You are able to create different effects while typing on a path.
I am familiar with all of the tools that the presenters went over, however, I did learn a couple new tricks. I found that the presenter in the beginning tutorials was much better than the later ones. I found the speaker in the Point and Type tutorial to be extremely fast and hard to understand. Since I am familiar with most of what was explained I didn’t really find one tutorial more helpful than another, but I was able to pick up different tips that I will use from many of them.
Illustrator is my favorite computer program. I find myself creating drawings and logos often in this program. I feel the hardest thing to do when first using this program is to learn how to control the pen and brush tool to get your anchor points exactly where you want them. With time you are able to pick up on mastering this and incorporating the adding and deleting anchor point tool. One of the best things about Illustrator is that it is vector based and you are able to make objects or type larger or smaller and it won’t look pixilated. We can’t say the same for Photoshop. I remember one of my first mistakes as a beginning designer was creating text in Photoshop and resizing it. We all learn from our mistakes.
I will summarize what the presenters when over in each tutorial. The regular selections tool is for selecting objects and the direct select tool lets you choose anchor points. You are able to select certain anchor points and apply effects for only the selected points if you wish. In order to have all the tools on the screen at once you can tear it off and have the palette with the options available for you. You are able to click on a tool and then click on the page where you want your shape to be. By holding shift this will constrain the proportions. If you hold the option key it will start from the center of where you first clicked. And if you are working with the premade shapes you can use the up and down arrow to adjust how many sides you want your shape to have. The eraser tool can erase only a certain area if you select that object or you can erase anywhere by not selecting anything. With the pen tool you can click and drag for softer edges and you can modify your anchor points the direct select tool. You are able to convert your anchor points to corners or smooth them out. With the pen tool you can use add or delete anchor points. When you are using the brush tool you can adjust the fidelity. With having low fidelity you will create more anchor points as you draw. Or you can change it to high fidelity if you are looking for a more smooth flow with less anchor points. You are also able to adjust the smoothness of marks. Something that I found really interesting was that you are able to rework over paths by having both keep selected and edit selected paths checked. This is something that I would use frequently. This also goes for when you are using the pen tool. By holding shift you can scale objects proportionately. If you double click the scale tool you can change the numbers around and do a preview of what it would look like. If you are using the shear tool and then free transform the object you can distort the objects perspective by holding the command key. There are two types of text; point text and area type. With area type you will see a frame defining it. You can look under options and align the text and add things such as drop shadow. With typing on a path you have starting and ending points. This enables you to control where the text falls. You are able to create different effects while typing on a path.
I am familiar with all of the tools that the presenters went over, however, I did learn a couple new tricks. I found that the presenter in the beginning tutorials was much better than the later ones. I found the speaker in the Point and Type tutorial to be extremely fast and hard to understand. Since I am familiar with most of what was explained I didn’t really find one tutorial more helpful than another, but I was able to pick up different tips that I will use from many of them.
Illustrator is my favorite computer program. I find myself creating drawings and logos often in this program. I feel the hardest thing to do when first using this program is to learn how to control the pen and brush tool to get your anchor points exactly where you want them. With time you are able to pick up on mastering this and incorporating the adding and deleting anchor point tool. One of the best things about Illustrator is that it is vector based and you are able to make objects or type larger or smaller and it won’t look pixilated. We can’t say the same for Photoshop. I remember one of my first mistakes as a beginning designer was creating text in Photoshop and resizing it. We all learn from our mistakes.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Helpful Lessons
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson.htm
This is the website
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/lesson_plans_elementary_middle_arts.htm
This is what I focused on in the website
I have already went over how to write lesson plans in my classes and feel comfortable doing so, so I decided to search for a site that would help me with future ideas for lesson plans. I am focusing on elementary and middle school students because this is the age range that I would like to teach. I was able to find a site that had several lessons plans to choose from. You were also able to choose what grade level you were interested in. I went into elementary/middle and then chose art. I focused on the first lesson called A Mask for All Seasons. I was drawn to the way they laid out the lesson plan and explained how the activity related to what they were studying. Also towards the end of the plan there was section called evaluation, which was a series of questions the students would have to answer about the project. I feel it is extremely important for teachers to make sure children understand the lesson that we are teaching and that they are able to understand how it relates to them and why it is important. If children do not understand these then they may not be motivated to do the project or will not put their full imagination and effort into it.
I also looked at lesson two called, Pintura: Art Detective. This lesson was interactive and made the viewer become the art detective. I feel something like this would work well to keep the children’s attention and to have them thinking along as well. This would be a good idea was a WebQuest if you wanted to focus on a mystery theme.
The lessons that are shown are all very different and use various types of materials. I think it is important for teachers to create their lessons over the school year in many different medias so students can try a broad spectrum of materials and figure out what they are drawn to.
This is the website
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/lesson_plans_elementary_middle_arts.htm
This is what I focused on in the website
I have already went over how to write lesson plans in my classes and feel comfortable doing so, so I decided to search for a site that would help me with future ideas for lesson plans. I am focusing on elementary and middle school students because this is the age range that I would like to teach. I was able to find a site that had several lessons plans to choose from. You were also able to choose what grade level you were interested in. I went into elementary/middle and then chose art. I focused on the first lesson called A Mask for All Seasons. I was drawn to the way they laid out the lesson plan and explained how the activity related to what they were studying. Also towards the end of the plan there was section called evaluation, which was a series of questions the students would have to answer about the project. I feel it is extremely important for teachers to make sure children understand the lesson that we are teaching and that they are able to understand how it relates to them and why it is important. If children do not understand these then they may not be motivated to do the project or will not put their full imagination and effort into it.
I also looked at lesson two called, Pintura: Art Detective. This lesson was interactive and made the viewer become the art detective. I feel something like this would work well to keep the children’s attention and to have them thinking along as well. This would be a good idea was a WebQuest if you wanted to focus on a mystery theme.
The lessons that are shown are all very different and use various types of materials. I think it is important for teachers to create their lessons over the school year in many different medias so students can try a broad spectrum of materials and figure out what they are drawn to.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Animation in PowerPoint
http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/powerpointtips/powerpoint_tip_animation_tutorial_best_practices.html
I was able to figure out the basics of PowerPoint through the class presentation and my playing around with it. I was really interested in how you could add animation to the lesson. Animation works on several different levels. It can grab the viewers’ attention (especially with children), it can illustrate a progression or it could be strictly for amusement purposes.
I focused on the tutorial at the bottom on animation that shows progression. Ellen shows us an example of a seed starting out very small and growing larger and larger. I felt this idea was very interesting and could be used to show many different progressions in the classroom. It looks like it would be very difficult to do, however, the steps did not look too complicated. Rather than using Clip Art as she suggests, I would do my own drawings in Illustrator and import them into PowerPoint to make them more personal and unique. I think using animation takes the lesson to a whole new level and I am positive the students would love it.
I was able to figure out the basics of PowerPoint through the class presentation and my playing around with it. I was really interested in how you could add animation to the lesson. Animation works on several different levels. It can grab the viewers’ attention (especially with children), it can illustrate a progression or it could be strictly for amusement purposes.
I focused on the tutorial at the bottom on animation that shows progression. Ellen shows us an example of a seed starting out very small and growing larger and larger. I felt this idea was very interesting and could be used to show many different progressions in the classroom. It looks like it would be very difficult to do, however, the steps did not look too complicated. Rather than using Clip Art as she suggests, I would do my own drawings in Illustrator and import them into PowerPoint to make them more personal and unique. I think using animation takes the lesson to a whole new level and I am positive the students would love it.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Vist to Albright Knox
Which artworks do I feel a connection with and why?
Georgia O’ Keefee
Green Patio Door 1955
Oil on canvas
I feel a deep connection with the painting Green Patio Door. I like the fact that the painting has a minimalistic quality to it, however, it seems as though there is much more meaning to it. When I look at this work it reminds me of the sky and sand. The turquoise square in the center makes me feel as though we are looking though an opening and viewing the sea. I think several metaphors are being portrayed here.
Gotham News 1955
Oil on canvas
I fee a connection with Gotham News because of the raw style. De Kooning seems to be very open with his thoughts. I like the abstract style of the work and the variation in line quality. This piece makes me feel a sense of self-expression. I am instantly pulled into this work because of the unique quality of the application of the paint.
Convergence 1952
Oil on canvas
I have always felt a connection to Pollack’s work because he was breaking away from the normal and experimenting with new techniques. Not only am I in awe by the significant size of the piece, however, I am fascinated by his thought process and desire to create.
Orange and Yellow 1956
Oil on canvas
I am connected to the work of Rothko because I love how he brings deep associations to his work and the world around him. Many people don’t fully understand his pieces and feel that they could make them. However, I understand that the orange and yellow work has much more meaning behind it. I am interested in color field paintings for their beauty and meaning behind them.
Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34
1953-54 Oil on canvas
I feel connected to Motherwell’s paintings because I am captivated by his use of extremely large brush strokes. I think it is most interesting not to paint in a realistic manner, however, for you to interpret events and emotions through your own abstraction. Motherwell is able to communicate and document important events by using his own imagination.
Composition No. 11 with Blue, Red and Yellow
1940-42 Oil on canvas
Mondrian has always made a great impact on me. I am drawn in by his use of white space and primary colors. His work reminds me of stain glass windows. I like how the piece is broken up in such a way that I am able to find unity in the asymmetrical layout.
Fragment 2 for composition V11
1913 Oil on canvas
Kandinsky’s work makes a definite impression on me. I am mesmerized by his bold use of colors. I enjoy looking at his abstract forms and trying to figure out what they could be. Kandinsky has a great energy to his work that I find captivating.
Salvador Dali
The Transparent Simulacrum of the Feigned Image
1938 Oil on canvas
Dali seems to leave an impact on almost every person who views his work. The surreal quality is so unique that it creates an almost dreamlike state. The viewer is then forced to use their imagination to enter this strange world that Dali created. He can create images that seem believable from afar, however, when you come closer you realize many things are out of place.
Paul Cezanne
Morning in Provence 1900-06
Oil on canvas
Cezanne’s work leaves a lasting impression. He creates a beautiful flowing sense of real life scenes. I am intrigued by his idea of using the small square strokes. He was starting what came to be known as Cubism. I like how he was breaking away from the traditional Impressionism style and creating his own views.
Spirit of the Dead Watching 1892
Oil on burlap and mounted canvas
Failed Back 2004
Enamel on aluminum
I would like to learn more about Woods approach to her work. What kind of process does she go through and how does she execute it? I see a resemblance to trees in the work and would like to know if she finds herself with this theme often?
Untitled Mylar 2007
Mylar and glue
I have never seen anything like Donovan’s Mylar pieces. I would like to know what inspired her to create these and also how many has she created? I really like how they have such an organic quality to them.
Reckless 1998
Synthetic velvet and fabric dye
Apfelbaum’s work Reckless is so unique and beautiful. I thought it was interesting to see it on the floor. I would want to know if she places her instillations in various different areas such as ceilings, walls and outside. Also I would like to know if she gets her pattern ideas from animals.
Untitled 2008
Silkscreen on MDF
I really like the colors and overall shape of Pardo’s piece. I would like to know how he creates the star forms. Does he use a tool to make them so precise? It is so interesting how these forms create three-dimensional illusions.
Drowning on Dry Land 2007
Acrylic and latex on wood
I would like to know how long it took Perez to complete this piece. It is such a monumental work of art. Also what inspired her to create her images? And was she references the sea?
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