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Alexander Barnes

— Portfolio —

Blown Away

Junior Conceptual
Image of my junior conceptual project.

Concept

For the assignment, I drew two words from a bowl: a feeling and an action. The words I picked were guilt and standing up for myself, to create the prompt:
"I am exploring the feeling of guilt through standing up for myself."

Production

I incorporated an illustration made with Illustrator onto a burlap texture using Photoshop. Then, I inserted the newspaper clippings and shaped them using the warp tool. I drew in shadows, created a vignette, and tweaked the colors.

21st Century Skills

Creativity
Visual Literacy
Technological Literacy
Self Direction

Red Balloons

Senior Surreal
Image of my senior surreal project.

Concept

The goal for this project was to create an image that could never be seen in reality. Using a combination of my dreams and childhood memories, I created the image after drawing it in a notebook.

Production

I compiled four separate images (the background, balloon, cloud, and tree trunk) and blended them using various photomanipulation techniques.

21st Century Skills

Creativity
Visual Literacy
Technological Literacy
Self Direction

Growth & Reflection

Freestyle

What I Have Learned

I have grown many ways since the Conceptual Unit. You can see that I have implemented a multitude of new skills and ideas that I've picked up along the way. For example, I have learned to use blend modes and masks in photoshop that has helped me to blend multiple components of an image together. I figured out how to use Adobe applications in unison to further my creative abilities. I learned how to effectively use javascript and javascript libraries to improve my websites, and how to create animations using CSS transitions. Through my work at Freestyle, I have grown both artistically and intellectually.

Reflection

Freestyle has been one of the best decisions I could have made during my high school career. Working with the staff in a more adult way has prepared me for college and what's to come in my future better than Mountain View High ever could have accomplished. Being able to select my courses along with the friendly community has allowed me to expand past my comfort zone and to explore new options. Throughout Freestyle, my attitude and perspective on countless issues has been changed. I am leaving Freestyle with a different outlook of what I want to be doing and where I want to be that I couldn't have gotten from anywhere else.