In Digital Media, English, and Film we explored the question of “Who am I?” This took place in many ways. In Film we create a short two minute film exploring something in our own lives that is a lesson that everyone can learn from. In Digital Media, we created a Mandala that had our own personal touches of our values and what is important to us. In English, we wrote an essay depending on whether or not we know what we want to study and whether or not we have faced a significant challenge. Something that I learned about myself is that I have pushed through each challenge I have faced. No matter how hard the struggle was or what the project was, I have found a way to get through it.
Mandala: The Small Details
In Digital Media, we had to use an Adobe program called Illustrator. Through this program, we created a digital pie where if we drew in one slice it would copy it into the rest of the slices. Through this project, I was able to draw pieces that I felt like represented me. It was a long and complicated process because there were so many different pieces that I had wanted to incorporate but didn’t know how. With being new to illustrator, trying to figure out how to get a specific pattern to work was difficult. Sometimes I would have to not use an idea because the way it turned out wasn’t what I was going for. If I got put into this situation, I would always try to figure out a way for me to incorporate another image that would represent the same thing.
My inspiration changed a lot throughout the process of making the mandala. When drawing it, I was working between school and home so I would take in what was around me and see what I could add. My inspiration for the color was to make sure that they all blended together. It was to make it go smoothly when you either start from the center to the rim or from the rim to the center. I grew in learning how to use the software to create the actual mandala to produce the video and edit the photo. But these software’s were also a major struggle. As a first-year senior I was brand new to all of the software and learning all of it got difficult from time to time. Something I might do differently is add finer details and try to give it more of a flow. I am most proud of how well it turned out. This was my first time making a mandala and the outcome turned out better than I expected. I will use the skills I have obtained using the software in the career I plan to pursue in the future as a filmmaker. This project made me change the way I look at other people’s art by seeing how time consuming every detail is. It took a long time to make this project and there are much more complex art pieces than mine. Much of my respect goes to them for being so dedicated to making something look so good.
Photoshop Art
Pastel Painting
When learning about Photoshop, we had to combine different elements to piece together a final product. To start, the pastel painting involved a lot of time and patience because of the many different color combinations and trying to figure out when and where to switch colors. My photo had a lot of similar shades of brown so it became difficult to color specific areas when it would be constantly changing.
My inspiration for this project came from my love for my dog. He is a big factor in my life and very important to me. Throughout this project, I grew by learning how to paint a photo and what I need to do to change colors and make it look like something rather than a blob. I struggled with always changing the colors. There were so many small details that took a long time to get mastered and trying to get all the colors blended together. If I were to do this project again I would probably choose an easier photo of my dog that doesn’t require so many shades or I would do a landscape. I am most proud of the fact of how well it turned out. You can clearly see what is what and the colors go well together. I will use these skills in the future by applying them to other projects in Digital Media and other photos I would like to do for fun. This project changes my perspective on other people’s projects because there are other photos that are more complex than mine and involve a lot more detail and time.
Watercolor Painting: The Meadow
For the watercolor, I wanted to create something original that represented something I enjoy. Camping. Since the watercolor is outdoors, attempting to blend all of the colors and have everything run smoothly was what I was trying to accomplish. I valued this project because there were aspects that I learned that I was able to incorporate in later projects.
My inspiration for this project started because I wanted to incorporate something simple but so complex. I have always been drawn to nature and open fields. In this project I grew by learning how to make everything work together. This went from what color to use to what the texture of the brush was. A struggle that I faced was what I wanted to incorporate into the photo. I wanted to add a rainbow and a cabin but for both it was difficult to add one and make it look good. If I were to do this project again I would maybe try to do a more complex photo with finer details and see how well I could do that. Something that I am most proud of is the river. I had always wanted to incorporate a river in some way but I had to try multiple looks and directions the river had to go. But the final result turned out to be much better than I expected. I will use these skills for future projects by using the blend tool to make the photo run more smoothly. This project made me appreciate other people’s art because some people paint actual people and have a lot more detail. I value their patience to work on such a complex project.
Watercolor Painting Effects
The watercolor painting effect was a fun project to create. For me, I got to choose three of my favorite photos and was able to make them turn out way better than it was originally. It had so many small parts to add in order for it to turn out well and for everything to work. There were many lessons incorporated into this project that I valued because it taught me how to better blend colors and see what colors work together.
My inspiration for this project was to choose photos that could be interpreted in many different ways. People could tell their own stories depending on how they feel. I grew in this project by learning how to blend photos and using different brushes. A struggle that I encountered was trying to figure out how things work. On many different parts of the project, it took me several tries to get it right and have it turn out the way it did. I overcame this by slowing down and doing each step one at a time and correctly. If I were to do this project again I would have a theme with the photos. I will use the skills I learned in future projects to improve the quality of photos and blend the different elements.
Photoshop Art
When learning how to photoshop two or more photos, there were multiple factors that we had to think about when incorporating them. There is the factor of whether or not it looks natural, if everything blends together, and if there are any unnatural elements of the background that I do not want. I valued this project because I was able to use my creative side and choose images that I thought would be funny together or images that look like it was taken as a photo.
World Building: The Machine
Lastly, came my world. In english we got the option to get into groups and create a world and its characters within. But in digital media and the skills I have learned about photoshopping I got to see my world come to life.
My inspiration for this started with the world building unit we are doing in English class. My partner and I are designing a world, the characters within, and telling a story. I grew in the project by learning how to compose a design that involved all of the different layers that represented parts of my world. My struggle began when I had attempted to do another design to show this world but it didn’t turn out the way I had wanted it to and I had to begin again. If I were to do this project again, something that I would change would probably be focusing more on one character or one object that had a significant impact on the story. Something that I am most proud of is how I was able to incorporate all of the important elements of my world and the story that my partner and I are creating.
Film Personal Essay: Whats its like to be Short
For the first project in Film, my classmates and I had to create individual personal films. The video had to be two minutes long and had to have a lesson incorporated in it.
To put together this film I had to write a script that had to fit within two minutes but got my message across. I had to cut out pieces that made the film too long and getting the actual film was going to be challenging. Actually recording the audio felt awkward for me because I don’t like hearing my own voice but it turned out better than I had anticipated. During actual filming I had to find creative ways to match what I was saying and I had to figure out if the film would be long enough. During editing there was the process of trying to find the correct film and match it to the audio.
Something that I have learned and valued in Film is the strict deadlines of the film world. From this I was able to learn how to not procrastinate as much and get things done early and not by the last minute.