Illustrator PS Vector Exercise

Word Visualization

Poem

For this project I chose Billy Collins’ poem “Flames”. This poem reflects Smokey the Bear as the complete opposite of what he really stands for. And in order to elaborate on the poem I chose to create a matchbook as my book. With the theme of it being fire I felt that the visualization of a matchbook is the strongest way to relate to the poem. Also, instead of creating actual pages for the book I wanted to keep the final piece to resemble a matchbook as closely as possible. One way I illustrated it was the drawing of Smokey the Bear, which I changed up his face a by changing his happy face to more of an angry look. That part of the book was I wanted to be the main focus, since the poem is about the character Smokey the Bear.

"Flames" By Billy Collins

Smokey the Bear heads

into the autumn woods

with a red can of gasoline.

His ranger's hat is cocked

at a disturbing angle,

His brown fur gleams

under the high sun

as his paws, the size

of catcher's mitts,

crackle into the distance.

He is sick of dispensing

warnings to the careless,

the half-wit camper,

the dumbbell hiker.

He is going to show them

how a professional does it.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/flames/

Collaborative Presentation: LIVING COMPUTERS

For our presentation, Michele and I chose the artist Rafael Lozano Hemmer and collaborative artist Laurent Mignonneau and Christa Sommerer. We chose these artists because we felt that they both relate to each other in how the took computers and used them to create art that interacts with the viewer and makes them have human-like actions. We found certain pieces of their works that we felt have similarities with one another. For example how Lozano-Hemmer's Pulse Park, using the interacters heart rate, related with Mignonneau and Sommerer's Interactive Plant Growing, using the interaction of the viewers. Both of these works needed the interaction with the viewers in order to make their pieces come to life. And even though their works are heavily used with computers, both of these artists are still able to keep a natural and organic feel to them.

http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/

http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa-laurent/

Triptych: Self-Visualization

My concept for my self-visualization is based on past, present, and future. Each image is representing a different point. The past is portraying my childhood and the memories I have from it. To me it is looking back on the times that I will never forget along with the people I will never forget and who have been by my side my entire life. The present portrays what I live through now, the challenges of juggling school and work. Even though I find it hard and draining at times I know it will lead me to where I am striving for, which will guide me to my future which is the last image. And for this the future portrays the wonders of what will come and the hoping it will be what I have planned for.

Project 1-Photo Alteration

For this project the three images I had chose were of my sister which was the human interaction, an orange and yellow sunset for the exterior, and a photo of driving on the highway for the interior. My concept for this was calmness. To me, driving by myself with the intention of not knowing where I am going, relieves a sort of stress, and even though it may seem stressful, I always am able to find my way home.

Class's Reviews of 4 Artists

When reading the class's reactions to the 4 artists' work, new views of there pieces were brought to my attention. Such as Gregory Crewdson's use of blues and greens and his "story-like images". For Tuen Hocks, Michelle had said that "His work seems to try to address the human struggles and issues like homelessness." After looking at his work again, I did notice that intention. Hocks has humor in his work yet it is still done creatively and perfectly. And also Liz had said that "Hocks main series uses the same model so that the focus is on the action, not the person." When looking through the reviews of Jeff Wall, Keri had said that "His work seems to capture a moment rather than a scene." And many had agreed that his work is completely different from Crewdson and Hocks. As for Cindy Sherman some had said that her works have a "touch of glamour". And Kaitlin had said when comparing all of the artists that "contrary to the other three, seems to only work in black and white."

EXERCISE 1

For this first exercise I wanted to combine graffiti with New York City. The idea of the Brooklyn Bridge with a graffiti background shows that both are an art form in some way. The Brooklyn Bridge for being a historic piece of architecture and the graffiti because it is painted on the walls of the streets of New York. And even though it may seem as defacement, it's still a form of art.

4 ARTISTS

GREGORY CREWDSON

His work seems very static and still. There is a gloominess among his work. They seem very vacant, even when there are people in the composition. In a sense, they seem lonely. Also he does a lot of landscape work that although seems empty, is very busy because of the objects in the composition, such as houses, buildings, tree, etc.

TEUN HOCKS

His works appear to be based in sections. Each section a continued piece of the section next to it. Some pieces are divided equally and others are divided with organic lines, giving it a feel of abstraction. His other works consist of self portraits that are playing with photography and painted media. And like Gregory Crewdson have a gloomy and sad sense to them. And also like Crewdson, landscape is incorporated immensely in Hocks' works.

JEFF WALL

His photographs focus on everyday life. Whether there is an interaction or no interaction with the subjects, the photos arecompositionally with the lines and the way your eye moves throughout the composition.

CINDY SHERMAN

Her photography. unlike Wall, uses females as all of her subjects. Also unlike some of Wall's photos, Sherman's are staged compositions. She is showing women as innocent yet devious at the same time.

INSPIRATIONS

One of my inspirations is Wassily Kandinsky. I love his boldness and abstraction in all of his works. And I tend to do the same in my works also. His use of color is vibrant and and also even though there is so much going on in his pieces, they are always unified.