The Reflections class was to figure out who I am. I worked on personal projects in all of my classes, pursuing and expanding my own creativity. In animation I worked on design, and our big project was our character design. Each model was made from nothing, so throughout the process each project relied on your own thinking. In English we wrote a college essay, and looked back on moments in our life that were fundamental. We also worked on a research project, learning about a controversy or issue we are passionate about. In digital media we used our creativity as well, taking things that inspire or motivate us and reflecting it in our work. I applied some of my values like vulnerability in my college essay and creativity through my character model.
In the reflections unit, we had to think about some of our core values that inspire us and make us the person we are.
Animation Projects:
All of these projects followed a similar path. I started in Maya 3d Modeling software to create a rough shape. Then I transitioned over to over to Zbrush to add all of the details and make the model look more realistic. Finally I ended with adobe substance painter, where I painted the models, and created the final render with lighting and background.
In my animation class, I learned a lot more about the different software and techniques professional 3d animators use. I am happy I learned about these software because I think 3d modeling and 3d animation is really interesting and creative, and being exposed to these software early will help me with animation in the future. I can use the skills I’ve learned to make my own models at home, or small animations at home.
Digital Media
For the Mandala Project I learned Illustrator for the first time. I used reflection to create the symmetry of the mandala. I learned how to draw with illustrator and use a Tablet connected to the computer to make drawings more precise. I also learned how to edit those lines if they weren’t curved the right way. Towards the middle of the project, I learned how to place an image as a reference photo and used it for some parts of my mandala.
For my mandala, I reflected on both the way my mind works, as well as how I present myself to others. I also wanted to include drawings of things that I actually like. I mostly struggled with creating symmetry once I got to the outer part of the mandala since there was more space to cover. I have not used Illustrator before, so when I started, it was difficult to create the vision I hoped for. If I could change anything, I would want to make some of the drawings more symmetrical and change the center to a non-reflecting image. However, as I started to progress on my project, I found my skills getting better. I am proud that I was able to create something close to my vision, and that I started to get a lot better at using Illustrator and got more comfortable with certain features. I can also apply my newfound skills to future projects at freestyle, or later in life. Now, looking back, I feel that I appreciate others’ artwork more and see it in a different way, because you can always see part of who the artist is in their art.
Mandala Build Reveal Video
Motion Graphics
For this project, I worked with Adobe After Effects. My first project shown is my Simple Motion Graphics. For this project, I used different Effects I learned in digital media to create something that represented me. For the Second project, I was inspired by one of my favorite shows, Bee and Puppycat. To create this animation, I learned to represent the beat of the song by connecting a design to a specific song.
For this project we applied the skills we learned to create something that includes our interests and used motion graphics to make it interesting
For this project, we needed to apply our knowledge of sound graphics to a song and some kind of design. I wanted to create a more calm scene of one of my favorite shows to show off an important part of me
I am happy that I learned these skills, they will be helpful for designing parts of animations, or find a good song to match a specific scene in a production. I also enjoy using these skills for my own personal projects, I like how the end product looks, and I will create motion graphics for personal wallpapers or fun videos.
Personal Essay
When writing this essay, I had to be vulnerable. I wanted to answer the question “Who am I?” truthfully, and to do so, I had to talk about some choices I made that were hard for me. When writing it, I had to think about a difficult choice I had made in my life, that had made me who I am and was an important part of me. As I was working on it, I wanted to try and focus on some of the specific key moments that I could remember.