Narrative 1

For this project, I was able to further my understanding of creative expression and push myself by producing products that reflect my learning and originality. In English, I was able to improve writing, presenting, and analyzing skills through the novel we read and the Narrative story I produced. In Digital Media I was pushed to dive in deep to all of the Adobe applications and create stunning complex work such as my stickers and geometric light cover. The design has allowed me to express myself and always challenges me to think outside of the box. The Narrative Creature and Illustration project was all-consuming hard work, but I learned again, it pays off, as we spent many weeks if not months creating our pieces that have so much thought and effort shown.

I valued so much from the Visual Narrative Project from every class. The Narrative story was a challenge at first creating a whole character and story where so much happens over a short amount of time. I valued working with my peers and bouncing ideas off each other as well as editing each other’s papers. Reading other people’s stories and talking about it has definitely helped me to improve as a storyteller. In Digital Media we got to then record these short stories which had me working with ProTools and I valued the teamwork among my peers as we all helped each other record and figure out our work. In Design, we spent countless hours brainstorming and creating our pieces that reflect our character. I really valued the energy and the encouragement from everyone as it was a long-lasting project. Overall, I valued everyone at Freestyle and how they made me a harder worker and encouraged me to push myself this project.

Short Story

We started the short story Narrative by reading examples of narratives and watching an animation that showed a narrative. We were then assigned to write a narrative ourselves, and we started with character development. We had to fill out a character questionnaire that had us answer all sorts of questions about our character from what were they wearing to what is their problem. This character development allowed us to further understand our character and what message we were going to send and develop. We then made a plot map, where we followed the “arc” of a Narrative how it begins, builds up to a climax, and eventually, there is a resolution. My inspiration for my story was Hallmark movies. Sounds pretty funny but when I thought of what kind of story follows that kind of plot map a Hallmark movie is what came to my mind. When developing my character I had a lot of fun, I wanted something quirky and to create someone that wasn’t really like me but could possibly be another version of me. After we finished our final versions of the story we then recorded it in Digital Media. It was a little difficult since the clips were so long and it is hard not to mess up reading four pages of writing out loud! I valued the emotion change from a written to a read version. I found that when I heard my voice saying it back there are certain ways I read things made the story come alive more and made me more engaged than just reading words on a page, but following along with the audio.

Autumn in New York

People bustled in the streets, cars honking, impatiently moving, and the subway rushing people all around, the energy of New York City. Candice recently moved to New York City from her small hometown in Utah. Before the move, she was used to being woken up by her younger siblings picking a fight and the beautiful view of her idyllic family farm, where silence stretched on seemingly for miles, and little action was there in the empty dirt roads. Candice faced many changes moving to New York with so many people, cars, and buildings, she was not accustomed to the big crowds and chaos that came with the city. It was all a bit overwhelming but Candice was still buzzing with excitement. She enjoyed greeting the kind coffee cart man every morning, and the cute old lady that walked her dog who she passed on her way to work. 

Candice, now 27, has been working at a quaint bookstore in the heart of the city just a few minute bike ride from her apartment. It was pretty quiet most days, but she made enough to get by. Plus, she was able to read as many cheesy romance novels as her heart desired. Candice was wearing her favorite simple cotton dress with her scuffed up boots and a pair of oversized glasses that framed her tattered auburn bangs nicely. Candice loved to create, from art and sculptures to DIY’s – pretty much anything that let her express herself. She came to New York hoping to pursue her creativity, and find inspiration. Candice’s dream was to become a famous artist, but wasn’t able to go to the college of her dreams, sacrificing her fantasy to care after her family and the farm. She had even won valedictorian at her high school, but since Candice had moved she had felt like she couldn’t compete in such a competitive and diverse area. With so many prized artists she felt she would have no place next to because she had never been professionally trained. She found the city was almost never ending, with a new adventure waiting around every corner. This intrigued Candice but she still didn’t feel ready to jump in quite yet. 

As she biked down the street to work she took in the fresh autumn air as she rolled over the fall leaves that crunched under her tires. When she got to work she put her stuff in her cubby as usual and made herself a cup of tea. Sitting down at her desk, she began to read her current novel, “The Sky is Everywhere” By Jandy Nelson. As she was reading intently about how Lennie was struggling to choose between Toby and Joe, she heard a knock. She looked up to see a man, with a heartwarming smile, and a golden brown scruffy beard. She found herself staring as the man introduced himself as Graham. He was here looking for art poetry books for inspiration as he was an aspiring poet himself. They talked as Candice helped him, and when he went to check out he asked when Candice had her lunch break. Candice blushed before agreeing to go out to lunch with him, and as soon as he had left the store she couldn’t help but smile.

Over lunch at the local deli, they talked about their interests and hobbies, and Candice told him about her love of art. He told her she must enter the art competition being held by the art museum, and the reward was a cash prize and a painting in the new art exhibit! This sounded amazing to Candice but she didn’t think she could really do it, she nodded along politely and said it sounded fun. They then went on a walk, that ended up at the park where she listened to Graham recite his poetry as she sketched in her book. When he went over and snuck a peek at Candice’s drawings he was taken aback. They were really good, to say the least. 

As they sat there, Candice drew a sketch of Graham as he posed on a bench. Graham took it with pleasure and then dropped it off at the museum as an entry in the show, without telling Candice. Candice contemplated Graham on the walk home. How he stood, how he smiled, and the way he had just an intriguing glow about him. Candice thought about the art show as the deadline happened in just a few hours, and then the winners would be announced. Next year, she told herself, next year I will enter. She drew herself a bath and let the rush of water calm her nerves and excitement. As she sat there surrounded by sprigs of lavender and her favorite peach scented candle, her mind wandered to Graham again. She wondered if he could be her dream guy as in the novels she’s read and movies she’s binged, but she decided it was too good to be true. 

After she dried off from her bath, Candice heated up her leftover chicken chow mein and egg rolls and sat in front of the TV to watch the Art Show Results. As she watched, wearing her pj’s and her favorite pair of fuzzy socks, she saw her name come up as one of the top running contestants. Baffled, she almost spit out some of her Chinese food! She saw the piece entered under her name was the sketch she did of Graham at the park today. The SKETCH?! That was not even my best work Candice thought, as she slowly got upset. This frustration was doubled over by anxiety, wondering if she could win, and more importantly the overwhelming fear of losing. She grabbed her cellphone and started dialing Graham’s number, punching the keys in as if she was punishing them. When Graham picked up, she started yelling at him for doing this behind her back and how that was unfair, especially since it was only a sketch, and not the first piece of art she had wanted to debut. As she was ranting, the results show continued, as Graham let out a “wahoo!” only setting Candice off again, he told her to look at the TV. She did and her mouth dropped to the floor, for her drawing that was “only a sketch” had won the show for simplicity and true talent. She hung up the phone and started dancing her happy dance. Graham couldn’t help but smile while watching the TV from his own apartment. He honestly wasn’t sure if she would win, but knew she would be amazing as soon as she started showing her art to people. After Candice got off the phone with her family, sharing the news, she headed down to the museum to pick up her certificate. She slipped on her boots and her favorite knee length coat. She beamed at the judges who awarded the certificate to her, shaking their hands as she thanked them individually. When she got to the end, there was a female judge, a younger woman, only a few years older than Candice – but she told Candice that she was a huge fan of her art. She continued to tell her that she would like to offer a collaboration for them to work together in designing and creating paintings for a new hotel she was opening. Overjoyed, Candice took her number and made her way back to her apartment. When she got back to her doorway, she saw Graham, standing outside, looking up and smiling at her. He tells her he was so happy for her and that he was sorry that he did it behind her back. Candice was ecstatic of all that has happened so fast, but she still doesn’t know if she can trust Graham. She tells him so then lets herself into the apartment, struggling weather to be sad or happy. After watching a Hallmark movie, Candice got up to go lock her door and get some water. On her way to the kitchen she saw something. A white piece of paper and a tulip petal on the floor. She went over to the paper to read a poem from Graham. It went That beautiful face, Oh how I long for your love, Sparkle like the sun. A beautiful haiku, and a petal from her favorite flower couldn’t help but make her beam. Her heart filled with excitement for what was to come and the new chapter she was beginning in her life. 

Illustrations

In Digital Media we got to challenge our creativity by designing our own illustrations using the Adobe Illustrator application. For each project, we were given certain guidelines but the real art and designs were all up to us! I had so much fun being able to create these items and found it so fascinating to be able to design something on the computer and have it printed or engraved so it is then something tangible.

Geometric Light Cover

Artist Statement: Delicate Dreams

The message I am trying to convey is peace and tenderness. I did this by incorporating a cat which is something that reminds one of care and love. The cat is placed on a moon to further the message that it is peaceful because the moon comes out at night when things are quiet and peaceful. As well I incorporated the snowflake because snowflakes are very fragile and melt at the touch of human contact. Snowflakes are all individual and unique which represent the individuality of people and the peace we all share despite all being unique in our own ways. When snowflakes fall they don’t make a sound and as well can be peaceful to watch them fall. I thought of my light cover as one I would hang above my bed as it has a calming and tranquil feel. I made the parts that connect each of the pieces form a dragonfly. I chose dragonflies because they are very pretty and majestic. Along with their size, they are quite delicate too. They fly with their wings of elegance which conveys a peaceful calming image.

I valued a lot from the geometric light cover project. One of the first things we had to do was choose the colors that we wanted our designed to be cut out. I chose a dark blue and silver. I loved the silver because it further my message of peace by being bright and reflective. The dark blue is a comforting color that I chose to further the theme of tenderness I was trying to portray. I also furthered my skills using Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool and pencil tool to create and edit each piece. I was ecstatic that I finally got to see how something I designed on the computer in an application could be turned into a material 3D object. This is something that really changed the way I viewed the Illustrator application as I feel like there is so much more I myself can do, and so many cool options to choose from. Lastly, I valued that everyone’s Geometric Light Cover was similar, starting with the same template, but they all ended up looking different and unique. That is something I love to see because it showcases each person’s individuality and I think helps us learn about each person.

Illustrator Stickers

Artist Statement: Perspecteye

The title of my piece is Perspecteye, a little play on words as it is an eye turned mushroom and plays with the perspective of what one is actually looking at. This is why I mixed the words perspective and eye to make Perspecteye. The questioning and consciousness of different possibilities of how or what one thing is or can do inspired me to make this piece.

The message I am trying to convey is that things can look different to different people based on the way that they interpret or relate to it. My sticker began in three different sketches that I actually combined to make this one piece. Taking the basis of a mushroom, and adding an eye to the top, to adding the drips that come out of the eye, blending the mushroom and eye together nicely. As well as my choice of color and design I wanted to stay somewhat simple but also fun and bright. I have lots of different elements and designs to my sticker which may be overwhelming or confusing for some people. However, I feel that the more you look at the sticker the more you can get out of it. Furthermore, my message of perspective is not defined as anything right or wrong but determined by each individual and what they can see or relate to through observing this image. For me, this eye dripping to form a mushroom represents how things can be tiring and exhausting with the drips that create a sort of sad or weighed down feeling. However the vibrant designs and colors I used also make me feel hope, happiness, and fun! The mushroom, to my perspective, relates to me because it is still growing and has the ability to change and form into something greater and more magnificent. So this piece has a message of inspiration and perseverance for me, but at the end of the day, the main message is perspective. So each individual has the ability to interpret and choose what the sticker means to them.

 I valued a lot from this project. The main thing I valued was the freedom we had between choosing what type of object we wanted to make as well as what we wanted to design on it. This project did take me a lot longer than I thought it would for creating just one thing, but I think because it was my complete own creation and idea I wanted it to be as perfect as possible. I also again valued the individuality I was able to see through each person’s creation for this project as there were so many and I feel like I was able to learn about others through their projects. My Adobe Illustrator skills have definitely majorly increased after this project, I spent a lot of time, mainly working with my different layers and the pen tool to create this, but also showcased some of the skills we learned how to do when we did the Learning Illustrator Folder. Overall, I had a lot of fun creating and fighting my obstacles along the way of making this project and valued all of the work and time I put into my product that I am very happy with.

Colored Pencil Project

For this project, we were challenged to create a drawing for each of the principles of design that showcased a specific principle. We were allowed inspiration from around the room and were each given colored pencils and told to draw. We started by watching videos and taking notes as a class on each of these principles.

Almost the whole class got an F on this assignment the first time around. However, Ms. P so generously allowed us all to do it again, reviewing the principles with us before beginning. Her forcing us to do it again the right way truly allowed me to understand and grasp each one of these concepts which are crucial to designing. I valued the understanding and the inspiration of perseverance from Ms. P throughout this project. I learned that mistakes are okay, but it also means to review something again if you get it wrong so that you have a full understanding of what you are learning.

Narrative Creature and Illustration

This project was a whole lot of things all wrapped up into one final product. We started by brainstorming our top 5 traits that describe our character. Then we came up with 5 different animals for each trait and narrowed down to have one animal part for each trait that we put together to create this one hybrid animal. Then we brainstormed the best background for our character a place that they would be often to replicate. To create this so accurately we made photo collections with stock photos of our animals and background to use for inspiration and stencils. We used Adobe Illustrator to create both of these illustrations.

I valued the teamwork and encouragement from my classmates throughout the duration of this project. Everyone worked together to give each other feedback and figure out or remind each other how to do different things. I appreciated the challenge and amount of creative thinking that we put in before creating the product and how that helped me to actually make my creature accurately.

Narrative Illustration Artist Statement

My work illustrates a short story is about a young woman named Candice who recently moved to New York City from her small hometown in Utah. As the story develops we learn that Candice is an aspiring artist, but doesn’t quite have the confidence to put her work out there. She works in a small bookstore just a short bike ride away from her apartment where she meets Graham, an ambitious poet who came looking for inspiration. After Graham helps Candice win the Art Show, she found herself feeling more fearless and excited for what was to come. This particular scene is of the quaint snug bookstore where Candice works. I thought this was the perfect place to have my representation of Candice as she could be compared to this bookstore in the middle of a big city, a quiet masterpiece hidden in the buzz and energy of the people. This is also where Candice first meets Graham, who becomes important in her journey of finding her self confidence. 

I used Adobe Illustrator to create my hybrid animal and background. I used a lot of layers, starting with a polar bear body for the hopefulness Candice has, using effects to make the fur look real. The toucan nose represents her vibrant creativity, the cat ears alluded to her aura of simplicity, and lizard arms that represent her intelligence. I struggled with perspective and placing these parts in retrospect to the animal’s position. The fishtail shows peacefulness and butterfly wings showcase her artisticness. I paid specific attention to color and desaturated colors of objects that were behind others, adding highlights and shadows to create more dimension and movement. I used one-point linear perspective in my background scene of the bookstore. In my inspiration, the back of the store looked different, but due to some light source complications, I changed it to a simple wall with straight facing windows. Overall, I think I could have chosen a better color palette. I did take the necessary extra time on my animal since I was absent, which then made me nervous to finish my background on time, but I ended up working really hard and am pleased with my final production.