Reflections

 

Introduction

This unit was mostly focused on exploring ourselves and answering the question “who am I?” through different projects. In Digital Media we looked at how to incorporate elements of ourselves in art like the Mandala project, and how to utilize softwares such as Adobe After Effects to express ourselves. In English, we drafted a College Essay describing ourselves and our experiences, and read the novel Citizen, inspiring us to make a lyrical essay based around identity. Animation was focused around several different projects where we developed our technical skill and started to learn about art in a 3D space. The following list was an assignment in English where we had to brainstorm different items that represented us, called the Essence Objects Brainstorm:

• • Earbuds(very important, I listen to music and watch stuff on my phone, these are very worn out and slightly broken but they do their job; Update- they have now broken and I have purchased a new pair)
  • Jeans(I wear the same two pairs of jeans every week, I feel it’s part of my style)
  • Pink eraser(make a lot of mistakes, as an artist it’s an important tool to me)
  • Sweatshirt(I wear this very often, it’s comfortable and it makes me feel comfortable when I’m not feeling great)
  • Guitar(given to me by my dad, he encouraged me to start playing)
  • Sunglasses(bring on trips and when I go on outings with family)
  • Pencils(like to carry them around, much more preferred than pen)
  • Tiny keyboard piano(played it often as a child, it’s what peaked my interest in music/piano)
  • Laptop(not only do I use it for schoolwork, but I like to type, and I even used to program games on it)
  • Backpack with wheels(rolled these things around school for like six years of my life, made me feel pretty dorky)
  • Hat(used to wear all the time at middle school)
  • Blank piece of paper(I always have with me in case I want to doodle something)
  • Mints(would always buy these at a gas station during trips, reminds me of traveling)
  • Horchata(classic hispanic drink I’m really fond of, comes from my culture)
  • Gorillaz Now Now shirt(got it at my first concert)
  • sandals(wear them all the time at home, and when we go to the beach, reminds me of just relaxing)
  • A Round 1 game card for the arcade(I go to the arcade sometimes with my brothers, and it’s always fun)
  • Library card(I love reading, finding new books there)
  • 3DS(a video game console which holds some of my favorite games, sometimes I just like to sit and play)
  • Pin collection(my mom sort of had me start it as a kid, and now I have a variety of pins from all the places we went)

Personal Museum

One of the annual field trips for Freestyle is a trip to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art(SF MOMA), in which we look at different pieces of artwork and complete certain tasks. For juniors, it is to find an art piece and write an ekphrastic work. For seniors such as myself, it is to find several different pieces of art and identify which we respond to most and why, with a few that strike a relate with us and a few that do not. The following is my own Museum curation.

I would display this piece because it reflects the values of inspiration and art, and I think those values are essential since I love to create stories, and it is an important aspect of who I am. Creating an environment such as the one above, which includes contemporary country music from a radio, immerses viewers in the world, which is what I strive to do when making my own stories. It really stuck out to me as I passed by, and felt like the most unique out of all the pieces. I could already tell a story from all the details and how it all came together, and that sort of cohesiveness is important to me. I really like that they even used an actual lobby with real signs for it’s unsettling atmosphere, and took direct inspiration and tried to recreate that feel. 

I would display this piece. I really appreciate the flow of this piece, and the contrast between the white and the exploding colors. It makes it seem like the squares are almost floating, and I could not help but think of creativity bursting from the back of one’s head when I first saw the art. Thus, it demonstrates values of creativity and ingenuity, which I think are fairly important, since I am very keen on storytelling.The blending of all the colors is also very appealing to look at. Overall, an excellent picture of self expression, which is something I think is important in art.

I would display this piece. This piece uses a lot of dark colors, but looking closely, I am able to see a shipwreck, which succeeds in communicating a story to me. While it is soothing, it also feels ominous, and I like the way the atmosphere is portrayed. This art represents values of experience with the way it is demonstrating the scene, and experience is important to me since that is a good source for inspiration in making stories. I also think it’s important to learn about the experiences in general, and the art helps me get a sense of the emotions from the particular experience depicted. Communication is key.

I would not display this piece since I do not really identify with it. I feel it reflects natural, raw, gritty values, and it does not speak to me. I also do not like the way it looks, and while I am aware it is supposed to resemble a landslide, but it looks unappealing to me.I like more artistic pieces that include a mix of attractive colors that flow together. The mud does not really work for me, so the lack of flow and appealing colors. It does not feel creative for me.

I would not want this in my museum because it feels more stiff, and more rigid. It is supposed to display a feeling of progression, demonstrating values of adaptability and evolution. Those are values I somewhat identify with, but I don’t particularly respond with the way it was represented. Perhaps if it was more fluid it might be more appealing to me, achieving that using less sharper shapes and smooth lines or shapes like circles. But with the way it is, it does not really show who I am.

Conclusion

I definitely think I have my own tastes and biases which factor in heavily to my selections, and I did choose bearing in mind that this art would need to reflect values of myself. I think I was successful. I am a creative person who turns to art as a way to express myself, often finding my ideas in story form and communicating ideas and emotions that I feel. The art I decided upon really resonated with me, and I was able to pick up on a story or a message right away, and it stuck with me. The pieces I didn’t like so much did not appear to be presented in an attractive way, and I was left desiring more, and felt a lack of communication with the art. They presented different values that I also did not feel resounded with me. I think I really strive for communication in my art, and making it as appealing and entertaining for the viewer as possible. It needs to have a flow, but also stick out, inspired from experiences and displayed in an interesting way.

Lyrical Essay

In English we also worked on a lyrical essay, which is to say a poetic type of narrative of sorts, surrounding a person’s identity. We had to interview someone and learn about their challenges and struggles. I interviewed my father about his experience moving here to the United States from Mexico. This is the first finished draft:

 

 

 

You step off the Greyhound, an almost 21 year old, with a technician degree and strange, foreign streets in front of you. You’re overwhelmed with the sensation of uncertainty, but you feel safe. Your family is waiting for you. 

 

Your dad, though you haven’t seen him for years, has been working silently but diligently in the United States. He is commended for his punctuality and effort, so he is rewarded with a green card, for him and the rest of your family. As soon as you step off the bus you go to sign the papers so that you can begin living in the United States. But since you don’t know the language too well, and you don’t have experience in your field, so you have to start from the bottom. You don’t mind, since you have a lot more opportunities than you do in Mexico. You start working right away.

 

You’re washing dishes and cleaning tables. Your brother in law works in a restaurant, and he was able to get you this job as a busboy. Wiping the counter clean, you hear an elderly man call you. 

 

His mouth moves,

 

But the noises are indistinguishable.

 

You can’t understand his words. No one else is around to help. You’re only able to give him a blank look of confusion. He starts to realize your dilemma.

 

He responds with an understanding tone, yet he repeats 

 

those odd words 

 

that don’t translate in your head.

 

“What?” You try to respond with the limited range of vocabulary you have, still unable to distinguish the sounds.

 

He speaks again and points to the machine, the coffee machine. The gesture finally clicks in your mind and you pick up his empty cup. He points to the kind of coffee that he wants, and you struggle a little, but he seems to understand your struggle. You finally hand him the cup of coffee, but he doesn’t drink from it.

 

“You know, I’ve been watching, you’re doing a good job… just uh- 

 

you need to speak English.” 

 

You are able to pick up on what he’s saying, and you nod. “Yes,” you reply. He speaks again.

 

“Just remember this phrase, I want you to learn this. Just repeat it: 

 

if you want to do it, 

 

you can do it.” 

 

So you repeat it for him, 

 

“If you 

want to 

 

do it, 

 

you can

 

 do it.”  

 

It’s the first phrase you learn. The words come out a lot more different from your mouth than his, but he looks to be satisfied.

 

“Just keep working hard, and I’m sure you’re going to do better, and you’re going to make it. Just remember that, what I showed you, what I taught you.”

 

You take up a new job as a janitor, and you’re put to clean restrooms. You haven’t mastered the language yet, but you can clean the bathrooms really good. You leave it spotless and fresh every night, and your manager starts to notice. He praises you and offers you a promotion to work and supervise in the night crew, and report to him.

 

“I don’t 

speak English 

 

very well,” you tell him. He gives an understanding smile.

 

“That’s okay. We’ll manage to understand each other.”

 

You go to school to learn English, but it’s hard to focus. You’re working two jobs, sixteen hours a day, and you have to drive your sister to school. You sleep very little between the homework and all your responsibilities. 

 

You quit school after a couple months, deciding to experience the world beyond the books.

 

Wearing a uniform, keys jingle as you park the cars in the hotel’s lot. You blink and you are removing the sticky tape from your fingers and using it to seal up the box, dropping them off in the van. It doesn’t last for long. You finally find your place working as an electronic technician, as time progresses you have a warmer, less timid approach. 

 

Someone mentions the weather to you. You respond, 

 

and you ask them out 

 

for a coffee sometime.

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Mandala- Perceive

In Digital Media we were asked to create a mandala. The mandala appears as a circle containing repeating shapes within it that go around the center. For the Mandala Project, we learned how to configure the program Adobe Illustrator so that it would be possible to repeat the shapes we drew on different slices that evenly divided the circle. It was easy afterwards, and I just tried to use shapes and organized it in a way that I thought represented myself. These decisions involved making more complicated things kept towards the center and space on the outside since I keep to myself. After the black and white mandala was done, our teacher Mr. Flo used a machine to laser print it out on the material we liked from the options available. I chose wood, since that I feel suits me better than anything too flashy. We also made an additional colored mandala and created a video showing the process of creating the mandala. Then we had a reflection on the project as a whole, and integrated it into an augmented reality(AR) image using a program called Zappar. That is the lightning symbol that is seen in the corner of the image of the engraved mandala.

 

 

 

 

 

I summed it up in the video, but I really did love the new and interesting way I was able to express myself artistically with the mandala. Learning how to use the softwares was important too.

Perspective Piece

We were given some freedom with this project to include either a Personal Essay, Perspective Piece or a Lyrical Essay and make it into a video. While we did write a personal essay and a lyrical essay in English, I did not choose to create either for a video because I was not finished with the lyrical essay and I felt that my personal essay was underwhelming. The perspective piece asks that we talk about an opinion we wanted to discuss that was school appropriate and at least a minute long. I wrote a perspective piece on how I am passionate about stories and the reasons why, since it is a big part of who I am. After writing my thoughts down, I recorded myself reading it. Then I took some photos and used the audio to create the video in Adobe After Effects. We had learned some neat tips and tricks in the program, and I tried to use that in my video. I added music to the background and finished the project. The bottom is the result of that work.

 

This project helped me hone my skills in After Effects, and allowed me to present my feelings about a subject that I feel is important to my personality. It was a good learning experience, and I feel satisfied with the final result.

Animation

Name Doodle

For the name doodle we were asked to create a design of our name that showed elements of our personality while incorporating elements of art and principles of design. I did take a lot of those into account when creating different sketches of my name, eventually settling for the one pictured below. I finalized the drawing in Photoshop.

I had to really think about the way I portrayed my name, so it helped me develop the skill of composition. I usually don’t think about that, so now that I see it I can see how helpful it is.

Freestyle Doodle/Motion Graphics

This project tasked us with creating a motion graphic animation that showed our experience at Freestyle, and how we perceived it. We had to make a loading loop that three to five seconds and the main Freestyle doodle that was ten to fifteen seconds. I focused on making it focused on storytelling, with the actual story, then drawing, then typing, and the mind opening up to show the inspiration. I think that describes my time at Freestyle, since I did those activities often here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was really proud of the final result, and that I was able to finish it. It wasn’t too simple, and I feel that there is a sort of flow from one scene to the next.

 

 

3D Modeling

3D Object Concept Design

We were asked to choose the object we felt represented us from our last, that would be made into a 3D model in the program Maya. I chose the mints, making it a sort of tic tac box, and had the mints spilling out of it. It’s a little artistic and interesting, and after drawing a basic sketch of different views, I tried to recreate it in Maya.

 

I learned a lot about Maya and how to use it in this project. Since I was able to somewhat acquaint myself in creating this project, it made the following project a little more easier to follow.

3D model weapon

The next project involved creating a 3d model of a weapon in Maya. I chose to create Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. I knew that it would be doable for me, since my experience with may was not really up to par with creating more complicated weapons. With a reference in the back of the actual hammer, I based the model off of that. The following image is the final product.

 

Again, this was really helpful in acquainting myself with the Maya interface even more. I learned new ways to mold and sculpt to fit the reference picture, and using the program became a lot easier.

Z Brush

Z brush is a different application from Maya, whereas Maya is helpful to determine the overall structure of a model, and Z Brush helps define models, and add details. We were to get familiar with Z brush by making a skull, using new skills and a reference to bring it all together.

I think I am very comfortable with using Z brush. I’m far from an expert, but I can see myself creating future projects with the software and improving on my skills

Notan and Chiascuro

Notan describes the way way light and dark elements work together in a piece, and identifying mostly patterns to portray an image. Chiaroscuro takes in the details as well and incorporates them into light and dark. I drew the following images based on screen captures of the Fox television show, Gotham. They are each notan, chiaroscuro, and a blend of both, in my notebook. While I drew ten, the three I chose to include as examples are some of the better ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ran into some issues while working on this project, such as constantly running out of ink even though I used a total of five pens. If I had the appropriate supplies, I think I could finalize it, but I think it was more about learning the process of notan and chiaroscuro. While I’m still a little unsure if my portrayal is accurate, I tried my best using what I understood. It was an interesting project, overall.

Conclusion

Animation this first unit was fairly interesting and I felt I learned a lot of new skills. I learned how to utilize 3d modeling software like Maya and Z brush, which was new and also exciting, but frustrating at times. Then I also learned about composition of art with notan and chiaroscuro, light and dark contrast, and designing my nametag. The freestyle doodle and the loading doodle were fun, and I learned about motion graphics in animation. It’s been a busy semester, but a fascinating one.