EXPLORATIONS

In our final unit of the first year in Freestyle, we had the freedom to explore a topic that we were interested in. Our main project for this unit was the explorations project, which is exploring a topic of interest and recording the progress of it. We were encouraged to do something that we haven’t done before in order to learn something new.

For my explorations project, I decided to explore Blender, which is a free 3d computer graphics software tool. I was interested in exploring this topic for my project for many reasons. One reason was that over the past year, I’ve seen an increasing number of artists using this software to create amazing pieces of art. I was inspired by artwork created by Blender, and wanted to know how to make 3D art as well. I used this opportunity to learn about this software, since it is very different form other applications I used like Photoshop and Illustrator.

The 21st century skill I used in this project was technological literacy and risk taking. I was able to develop better technological literacy of the Blender application and how to create 3D art on a computer. I also took a risk with using a software that I was not familiar with and also a software that was known for its difficulty.

The materials I used for this was just a computer and the Blender software. A mouse is recommended for Blender, but I didn’t have one to use for this Project. The first part of the process was to learn how to use Blender and get familiar with the software. In order to do so, I used a Youtube tutorial. I specifically used the Blender beginner donut tutorial from Blender Guru on Youtube. The process of this tutorial went like this.

1. Add mesh (the 3D shape)
2. Add modifiers to mesh
3. Sculpting the mesh
4. Add texture with nodes (programming of Blender)
5. Texture Paint (add color)
6. Add Sprinkles with Geometry Nodes
7. Render! (get the finalized product through camera with light)

Donut

This is the Final Donut Product! It is a classic pink donut with rainbow sprinkles, floating in mid air.

Cat

After going through the turtorial, I used a similar process to create my own 3D model. I decided to make a cat because I love cats.

This is the finished cat product! I used a dramatic lighting on the cat, and the render turned out pretty well.

Reflection

Although this project was very stressful, I had a lot of fun with using Blender for the first time. Through this process, I was able to become familiar with the basics of Blender and how the software works. I learned that the program is not as much art based as other programs I used in Freestyle, and requires a lot of programming. I also learned that patience is important when using Blender. Although your work may not look good at first, you need to trust the process. I valued how much I was able to learn through a short amount of time. With this, I was able to develop my Blender skills as well as programming skills. The next time I use Blender, I would want to use more Youtube tutorials to get a better understanding of it. I would also want to make an animation, since that is one of the functions that Blender offers. I would also use a mouse next time since it is easier to work with a mouse instead of a drawing tablet.

Experimental Music

Another project we had in this unit was to create our own experimental song using Pro Tools and the MIDI Keyboard. With the MIDI Keyboard, you are able to create instrumental sounds with the digital instruments that Pro Tools offers.

For this project, I was inspired by Lofi music. Lofi music is a genre of music that is down tempo and has a calm vibe. I wanted to emulate the chill vibe that Lofi music has. Although that was my goal, my Final product doesn’t sound as calm as I wanted it to. I used a variety of Digital instruments, like the Organ, string, Synth, and Bass. It was hard for me to do this Project since I am not familiar with music production. To help, I would look up tutorials on Youtube as well as look up common chord progressions to use as a base. My personal favorite instrument I used was the Boom instrument. The boom instrument created different Beats that you could edit. I think that the addition of the beats enhanced my music and made it sound more interesting.

Reflection

This project was definitely a personal challenging project. Since I was not good at using Pro Tools, I had to go back to relearn some of the tools that are used on the application. I also was very inexperienced in music production, so I would have to look up a lot of tutorials online. Finding out what kind of sound I wanted to make through the digital instruments was the hardest part because there were so many instruments and sounds to choose from.

Although this project was very hard, I would want to experiment with music production again. This experience has made me more familiar with Pro Tools and develop a new found respect for music producers.