Introduction
We were asked to explore ourselves in the first Semester in Digital Media and English class. Through many projects and artist statements, we are now supposedly supposed to answer this question,
“Who am I?”
In our first project, called the Mandala project, we were required to utilize Adobe After Effects to create a work of art that shows our deepest self in the mandala’s innermost and then expands to what makes us unique. In English, I started a draft personal essay. We were given the College Essay Essentials book and learned to be vulnerable during our brainstorming. We revisited our past to find objects that have influenced our future. I knew that my essence, things, and core values were vital to my personality.
We were asked to list as many objects from our past as possible.
- small jewelry box
- gold finger band
- glasses
- Cielos Merch stuff
These objects have survived many awful experiences in my life, and to this day, they stay in excellent condition. Those awful experiences also helped shape me into a person who values involvement, fun, and personal development.
Mandala Project
The Mandala project is a meditative art form. The Mandala project consisted of 5 assignments. First, it taught us Adobe Illustrator to produce multiple black and white mandalas. To do this, we made 16 symmetrical sections that would reflect upon themselves. That means every team will look the same, creating a mandala effect. Mr. Flo allowed us to laser engraved our black and white mandala’s on wood. After that, we started a video of the drawing process of the mandala. The last thing we did was make a colored mandala.
I have learned so much from just doing a few things that felt small. The ferns that I constructed were customizable from every edge for each stroke. I feel like I’ve made something professional and personal compared to my classmates. The Greek-themed patterns and the picture of medusa feel like it was edgy. I very much enjoyed the process of sketching out ideas for the final piece. I’ll update my mandala after submitting this and, hopefully, get the chance to print a more detailed report.
Production
Our first project was on August 31; he asked us to make a table scene with Maya Software. I was thrilled with this piece because Mr. Cho liked the dog, and this was my first time modeling with complex software. Learning to use Maya was difficult initially, but I got used to it!
I drew my character and created a Maya model in the following assignment. Initially, I wanted a goat with a skirt and a crop top. But, still genderfluid. I ensured this by not putting gender norms on the character, like a dainty body, feminine facial features, or masculine. Using animal faces helped me succeed with the design.
We started using Zbrush software to create more intricate details, like the divots above the teeth or the designs that decorate a sugar school.
Before I realized it, we were using Substance painter! Adobe Substance painter taught us to color and give texture. I initially wanted my character to have realistic goat features, but I fell in love with the purple skin; it reminded me of cartoons, which gave me the idea to provide them with a rag-doll texture.
Photoshop
The inspiration for this project was the future of cities and what it does for our health. I’ve been thinking about how the increased population will influence architecture and affect our health.
Watercolor in photoshop is different compared to real watercolor, and when I tried to find similarities, I would get lost in the physics of the brushes. The labels for each meeting were helpful to an extent, but the interaction of each encounter was. It would either dull out the colors that mix or make faulty colors. In conclusion, I prefer to paint in real life, but this was a fun exploration.
The inspiration for this project was the future of cities and what it does for our health. I’ve been thinking about how the increased population will influence architecture and affect our health.
My inspiration for the drawing was the main character. Iona, the main character, is described as silly and playful, which is why the person in the art piece looks happy. She discovers her dead parent is why the Finsifa species are dying. The Finsifa are airborne animals that look like goldfish. The picture shows what she would look like if she lived on earth with the earthly version of the Finsifa.