{"id":29,"date":"2025-09-28T18:04:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T18:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~Maya-LeiB\/?page_id=29"},"modified":"2026-10-24T05:36:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:36:26","slug":"reflections","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~Maya-LeiB\/reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reflections Project Introduction<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For the Reflections project we worked on answering the question \u201cWho am I?\u201d<\/mark><\/strong> by creating art within Adobe Illustrator and through writing. We did various projects in all of the classes, such as the Aboriginal Illustration <\/mark><\/strong>in Design, Mandala Project<\/mark><\/strong> in Digital Media, and the \u201cWhy I Write” Essay<\/mark><\/strong> in English. Not only did this unit challenge our technical skills within the Adobe programs and our writing skills, but it also challenged us to explore our personal identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

My Personal Mandalas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Within Digital Media, we started working on a Mandala Project<\/mark><\/strong> which would take what we drew within a slice of a circle and reflect it all across. We were prompted to create something that had meaning to us, whether the theme would be a hobby or a trait, it had to be personal. We used effects and specific brushes within Adobe Illustrator<\/mark><\/strong> to create our mandala\u2019s, reflecting the designs across the circle as well as adding line weight<\/mark><\/strong> for personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If the images do not display below,
On a Mac, press Command + (plus) then press press Command – (minus)
On a PC, press the Ctrl + (plus) then press the Ctrl – (minus)<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
BW and Laser Engraved Mandala<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n\t
\"Black<\/figure>
\"Engraved<\/figure>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

When I first saw my laser engraved mandala, it was actually still in the process of being made, so I was mostly shocked about how the machine engraved out the pizza board<\/mark><\/strong>. I believe that this artwork matched how I created it digitally perfectly, since it being engraved into wood was mostly how I was imagining it in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decided to choose the pizza board for my material of choice since it was the prettiest to me. The slice of wood<\/mark><\/strong> was a close runner up for me, but I had a phase where I used to paint those slices of wood and I believed my mandala would shine the most engraved on the pizza board. Throughout the whole mandala process, I mostly just enjoyed making all the symmetrical shapes<\/mark><\/strong>. I never had an idea of what I wanted to do, or what theme I would follow, I simply let my artistic creativity reign free. Mostly, I enjoyed working with the black strokes better than only color because when I began coloring I had to sacrifice the unique brush I\u2019d used for all my lines and swapped it out with the basic circle brush. Overall, I\u2019m really proud of how I was able to tell a story from my drawings, since I never even meant to tell a story in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project taught me a few new tools in Adobe Illustrator that I\u2019m excited to use in the future, that being the symmetry effect. It also helped me hone my Illustrator abilities more, which is good. I can\u2019t really stress how much I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do before this project, but I\u2019m glad that working on it has helped me know more about myself in a weird way, since I don\u2019t let my creativity take hold without meaning (like how I did with this mandala) as often as I usually would as a kid.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n