Layered Project
For this unit in Digital Media, we worked primarily in Illustrator and After Effects, delving deeper into both programs, with the end goal of creating multilayered art. This art would be inspired by the world building project in English. We spent time learning how to design art in Illustrator so it could eventually be given to a laser cutter and how to use 3D effects in After Effects in order to better represent our creation in a virtual space.
Illustrator
The first part of this project was to create the original art in Illustrator. I worked with Kyle on this and it was interesting to figure out how to correctly visualize what would eventually become a 3D project in 2D form. We ended up drawing a lot on scratch paper to make sure that the spacing would be correct for all of the various layers. Doing art in Illustrator did require a lot of concentration and we had to go through multiple times to make sure that various things were attached correctly, vertexes were where they were supposed to be, and that all the layers would be cohesive once transformed out of 2D space.
Physical
Once we finished in Illustrator, our teacher used a laser cutter to create all of our layers on separate sheets of paper. We glued the paper to spacers and then combined the final stack into a box. This was not without issue, as at one point, I glued the spacers to the wrong side of the paper, which would have caused spacing issues, so we had to recut the paper. Once everything was stacked and put into the box, we added lights to the backing board behind the parchment paper and then chose what color we wanted the lights to be. Kyle and I settled on a teal blue, and with that, the physical portion of the project was completed.
After Effects
After putting together the project in the physical world, our class learned how to use After Effects in 3D so we would be able to put our project together in there too. This was probably the longest and hardest portion of the project if I am being honest. Even working with 3D a lot in animation, using it in After Effects was still confusing. It took me a while to get the hang of using it.
Reflection
This unit was a lot of work, especially with learning more about After Effects, but I am very grateful now for the skills that I have learned in both of the programs. Not only was it really cool to see the final product that was created, but when it comes to using both of the programs, I have a lot more confidence in my ability to work with both of them. My newfound After Effects knowledge came in handy nigh immediately when I was asked to animate end cards for a performance I was a part of, so I was really grateful because it made my life a heck of a lot easier.
Personal Stationary
This project was actually chronologically the last project I did at Freestyle, but it didn’t fit into any of the rest of the web pages, so it is going here. I loved working on this, but it was kind of bitter sweet. For inspiration, I decided to go with an art deco style because I love the geometric shapes and it looks like something that I would doodle in my math notebook. I found a cool color palette and put it together to create a plaque, resume, letterhead, and business cards.