Reflections Project Introduction
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Introduction to Mandalas
The Senior Reflections Unit asks student to consider who they are, and what kind of imagery reflects them. By diving into our various identities and aspects, we can truly let our creativity thrive, and by looking towards our past, we can pave our own futures. Students strengthen their skills on platforms such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Substance Painter, Avid Pro Tools, Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, WordPress, and Google Apps.
My Personal Mandalas
For my personal mandala, I learned to use Adobe Illustrator to automate a circular-design pattern. At first, it was a struggle to figure out how to get the platform to work the way I wanted it to, and I ran into several bumps along the road. However, I eventually learned how to program each individual section, and to make my mandala look the way I wanted it to.
For this project, I took my original black-and-white mandala and added color to it. This version differs from my monochrome one because it includes more creativity and detail than the previous. I was able to add a lot of things that I previously was not able to, such as unique fills and gradients. This allowed me to make a piece that felt fresh and was a reflection of me as a person.
I wanted to include lots of different colors, including ones that clashed. It was important to me that my piece included pinks, reds, blues, purples, and more. I see this mandala as a reflection of my mood and mindset, which are ever changing. I wanted a unique mix of hot and cold colors, which contrast between the lines and background.
Working with color forced me to think more deeply about my patterns and how I wanted them to look. When it was just black and white, I could just draw however I thought looked good, but color required more pre-planning. I’m really happy with my final project and really enjoyed the process of coloring it!
I created this black and white mandala on Adobe Illustrator. I programmed the repeating patterns and then freehanded designs using the Wacom tablet. I really struggled at first to think about what might represent me. Ultimately, I chose to create flowery swirls, scribbles, and dots to represent my creativity and freedom. I am not someone who confined themself to arbitrary standards, and thus neither does my mandala.
I found the pressure-sensitive brushes to be really fun, since I usually stick to very basic tools when using Adobe. It made it a lot easier for me to put my ideas down the way I wanted them, and overall contributed to making my piece much better. I became more confident in my digital art skills after completing this project.
I am very proud of the work I put into my mandala, and think that the end result really represents me as a person. I have gained knowledge in my Illustrator skills which I will continue to apply to future projects.
Mandala Reveal Video
For my reveal video, I used Adobe After Effects to construct a walkthrough of each step of making my drawing. This was one of my first times using After Effects for a larger project, and my very first time using it to create a whole video since my default is Premiere Pro. It was a lot of fun to program the different parts of the video, and I had a lot of fun using a new platform to do it!
I was really excited when I saw the final result of my laser mandala. After putting in so much hard work and having to learn a brand new set of skills, it was really cool that my project ended up looking so good. I think that both versions of my art contain different aspects, but overall my engraved art was very similar to the digital version that I rendered for printing.
I chose acrylic because I wanted my mandala to be lit up. I had also seen other seniors make their mandala this way in the past, and it always turned out really good. I really like having the option of customizing the color, and how it glows in the dark.
This project was a lot of work, but I think I took away valuable skills and perspective on it. I gained new knowledge in Photoshop and Illustrator, which I can utilize on future projects. I am the most proud of my lasered final product, product, since it is a physical reflection of all of my hard work. It changed the way that I view digital art and repeating patterns, and I would love to continue making mandalas someday!