Reflections

Introduction to Reflections Unit

The Reflections unit introduced the question, “Who am I?” Through the process of writing my personal essay in English, I developed insights about my experiences and identities before translating those ideas in Digital Media, through various kinds of image productions, websites, and mandalas. This project allowed me to deepen my technical communication skills by learning more skills with a variety of professional equipment and applications including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and WordPress.

Art Curation for Personal Museum

The purpose of this project was to use the photos I took at the SF MOMA and turn them into an art curation for my personal museum. This project also served as a way to answer the question of “Who am I?” as I was able to reflect on what kind of art styles I’m drawn to, and how that reflects my creative decisions.

My choices reveal how much my own approach to art influences what I value in others’ work. I’m consistently drawn to minimalism (pieces that are simplistic), lighter colors, and subtle textures. In my own work, I also lean toward a minimalistic style, and I connect most with art that shows how simplicity can still make a strong impact. That’s why the pieces by Kelly, LeWitt, and Ryman resonated with me, while the works by Lee Ufan and Richter didn’t connect in the same way. Critiquing my own art has made me more aware of my values of balance and intention over complexity. The pieces I chose to include reflect those same values, while the ones I excluded didn’t match the qualities I aim for in my own art.

My Personal Mandalas

In Digital Media, I was challenged to create a Personal Mandala. I learned particular techniques in Illustrator with pressure sensitive brushes, automated transformations such as reflections, repetitions, and clipping masks, to flip the difficult task of creating an intricate mandala to be more fun, easier, relaxing, and an expression of my personal style. My black and white mandala was engraved on Freestyle’s AEON 60W Mira 9 laser machine onto a wooden pizza cutting board. I also created a colored version of my mandala, and produced a video revealing the process of making my mandala.

Black and White Mandala Artist Statement

The purpose of this project was to create a black and white mandala using Adobe Illustrator. I used a pressure-sensitive brush tool with a drawing tablet to design a detailed, symmetrical piece that showcases both my artistic style and growing technical skills. My design was inspired by my love for the Sanrio character brand. These characters have been a part of my life since childhood, and I wanted to reflect that love for cuteness and character design within my mandala.

At first, using a drawing tablet and pressure-sensitive brushes was challenging, but after experimenting, it became easier. I learned how to control line weight and gained more confidence in using digital tools. I think the best part of my black and white mandala is the detail and overall cohesion of the design. I’m especially happy with how the Sanrio theme blends with the traditional mandala structure.

If you look closely, you’ll notice small “easter eggs” throughout the mandala. For example, Hello Kitty’s signature bow appears in several places, subtly woven into the repeating patterns. I also included elements of other characters, like Keroppi’s bowtie, hidden in the symmetry. These touches add a layer to the design that fans of Sanrio might recognize, and they help bring a playful, nostalgic energy to the piece while still respecting the balance and harmony of a classic mandala.

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Laser Engraved Artist Statement

For this part of the project, I created a laser-engraved version of my original black and white mandala. I was surprised at how well the laser captured all the small details in my design. The final result looked identical to the digital version, which made me feel proud of how clean and precise the original line work was. Seeing my art transformed into a physical object was exciting, and it gave me a new appreciation for how digital designs can translate into real materials.

I chose to engrave my mandala on a wooden pizza cutting board because I thought it was the most visually appealing option. The texture and tone of the wood added a natural element to the piece, and I felt like the style of my design would look nice on it. The mix of the cute Sanrio-inspired mandala with the rustic wood created an interesting and fun contrast.

Colored Artist Statement

For this project, I created a colored version of my original black and white mandala. While the black and white piece focused on lines, symmetry, and details, adding color made the design feel more vibrant and alive, transforming the tone of the piece from intricate to playful and expressive. After seeing the printed version, I was really happy with how it turned out. It felt exciting to see the Sanrio characters come to life in full color, and the final result captured the joyful and nostalgic feeling I was aiming for.

My main intention with the color scheme was to follow the original Sanrio character palettes. Each color choice stayed true to each character’s identity, while creating a harmonious and cohesive mandala design. Compared to the black and white version, I had to think more carefully about contrast and how color could guide the eye through the design.

What stands out most to me is the centerpiece where all the characters come together. It feels like the heart of the piece and a strong visual focal point. I’m proud of how the characters and colors blend into the traditional mandala format while still keeping their playful aspect. Overall, the colored mandala reflects both my personal connection to Sanrio and my growth as a digital artist.

Introduce Mandala Build Reveal Video

Final Reflection

Looking back at the whole mandala project—from building templates, creating the black and white version with pressure-sensitive brushes, making the colored mandala, editing the build reveal video, and finally laser engraving—I’m proud of how much I was able to create from a single design. Each project took a lot of time and effort, but the process helped me grow creatively and technically. I’m especially proud of the colored mandala because it brought all my ideas together and showed off my personal style the most. This project also helped me improve my skills using digital tools like the drawing tablet and Adobe Illustrator, and it gave me a better understanding of how much work goes into turning digital art into something physical.

Design Projects

For the Reflections unit in Design, I completed multiple projects that represented aspects of who I am, which are displayed below.

Summer Surreal Collage Triptych

For this project, I created a surreal collage using images that represented what I did over the summer. The project had three parts: building the collage in Photoshop, recreating the collage in Adobe Illustrator using color blocks and silhouettes, and finally creating an AI generated version of the collage using the AI generator in Adobe Illustrator.

The elements I used included Taipei 101 and a Jiufen lantern background to represent my trip to Taiwan, Mickey Mouse and Pixar Pier to represent Disneyland, and Smiski figurines with the Dongdaemun Design Plaza to represent when I went to Korea. After completing all three versions of the same collage, I placed them together in a triptych so all of the different versions could be viewed side by side in one composition.

Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal Art Artist Statement

The purpose of this project was to explore the question “Who am I?” through the style and symbolism of Australian Aboriginal art. Inspired by this idea, I created a piece that represents my own story and sense of self using dots, lines, and symbolic imagery.

The symbols I chose were the star, child, and bush berry. The star reflects the earthy feeling I wanted to convey, connecting the piece to natural elements. The child represents how my childhood has shaped who I am, and the bush berry connects to my spirit animal, the rabbit, which for me symbolizes curiosity and gentleness. Together, these symbols create a visual story about identity, memory, and growth. I also incorporated the constellation and symbol for my astrological  zodiac sign, Capricorn, into this piece.

To create this piece, I first decided on my spirit animal and selected Aboriginal symbols that best expressed my ideas. I then developed a color palette inspired by muted, earthy tones to reflect the natural pigments used in traditional Aboriginal art. Using Adobe Photoshop, I drew each dot individually with the brush tool, layering them to create texture and detail. One challenge I faced was figuring out how to fill the negative space, so I added more details such as small dots and patterns to balance the composition. If I were to revisit this project, I’d experiment more with different color palettes, since my original piece was mostly monochromatic.

Concert Poster

Concert Poster Artist Statement

The purpose of this project was to create a concert poster for a specific band, era, and genre. My poster is set in the late 1970s–early 1980s, and the genre I chose was Yacht Rock. This genre blends elements of soft rock, jazz, and R&B, reflecting the relaxed atmosphere of Southern California. Following the social and political unrest of the 1960s and early 1970s, listeners gravitated toward the easygoing, optimistic sound of artists like The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and Toto. Their music offered a sense of calm and escape, with glossy production, breezy vocals, and catchy melodies that came to define the “West Coast sound.”

Yacht Rock falls under the broader category of pop rock but is distinguished by its high musical precision and harmonic sophistication. Known for its smooth rhythms and luxurious, carefree tone, it captures the feeling of cruising along the coast on a summer afternoon. Many of its artists were classically trained musicians who brought jazz-influenced chord progressions and R&B-inspired grooves into mainstream rock, creating songs that felt both sophisticated and effortless.

To create my poster, I first researched the genre’s history and visual style. I chose The Doobie Brothers (Michael McDonald era) as my featured band, set the venue at the Hollywood Bowl, and selected July 12, 1980, to reflect the peak of the Yacht Rock era. Using Adobe Illustrator, I created a gradient background of red, orange, and yellow to capture a summer sunset. I also added palm trees, sunrays, stylized text that resembled the band’s logo, and white and blue outlines to give the poster a breezy, coastal feeling. After editing an image of the band in Adobe Photoshop, I added it into the final composition and applied a subtle pointillize effect across the whole poster to create texture. Through this process, I learned how to balance composition and highlight key visual elements. If I were to revisit the piece, I would experiment with more colors to create stronger contrast and visual variation.