W2 Descriptions - 

Drawing 1: Ballet Flats drawn realistically using a HB pencil and cross hatching

Drawing 2: Converse Chuck Taylors drawn realistically with a range of graphite pencils using regular shading

Drawing 3: Doc Marten Boots drawn simplistically with a HB pencil with basic hatching

Drawing 4: Socks on my feet drawn realistically with a range of graphite pencils using hatching and cross hatching

Drawing 5: Metallic Boots drawn realistically with a range of graphite pencils using circulism shading

W2 Reflections

In the theme of time and change I wanted to draw something that consistently changed each day I was going to be doing a drawing rather than something that changed in a short span of time and therefore the idea to record the constant change of my outfit and more specifically my shoes came to mind. I wanted to try different style of shading that we had done in class each day but I found I did not have as much time to draw some days and therefore drawings 1 and 3 are less detailed than the others. 

Drawing 2 of the converse shoes is the drawing I spent the longest on and I am most proud of but it did not use a technique that was new to me. Drawing 5 however used the circulism technique which I was not familiar with but turned out to be very effective when drawing my metallic boots. Overall I could have chosen a better focus for change but I believe I effectively utilised the shading techniques for the week.

WEEK 3 - Pen Comic Drawings 

W3 Description -

Title: "Forgotten...again" 

A simple, image based 5-panel comic based drawn with a fine-line ink pen.

W3 Reflections

The brief for this weeks drawings was 5 comic panels based on an experience we had in high school; mine was based on the times I was left at school later than usual because of schedule mix ups or just bad memory. 

I did not have very much time to draw this week and therefore did this in one sitting and I think you can see that in the quality of the drawing. I tried to use lines as we used in class to suggest things, in this case I used them to create night-time and the negative space as lighter areas such as under a light. I had some trouble trying to portray a story in 5 small drawings and perhaps should have chosen a small interaction to focus on. I would revisit this in the future to improve on the simplistic comic technique and story-telling skills.

W4 Descriptions-

Rough Sketches: 3 small sketches exploring different ideas for a poster persuading the elderly to get back into life

Mockup Poster Sketch: A full page rough drawing and colour of the final poster idea

Single Colour Poster: Yellow poster illustrated in Adobe Illustrator with shapes based on the Mockup Sketch with a bold but fun font 

Final Poster: A detailed drawing of an old couple dancing done in Illustrator using colours based on the Mockup as well as an overlay image for the lighting effects, with a simple academic font

W4 Reflections

In my idea process I decided I wanted to focus on the elderly age bracket persuading them to take up hobbies and "get back into life". My three ideas in the Rough Sketches were a couple dancing, lounging on holiday, and riding in a fast sports car. I felt that dancing was the best example of fun and familiarity and would be challenging to portray with a still image. 

I wanted to use warm colours to create warmth and happiness in the poster as per the colour theory we had been learning in lectures and tutorials. At first I was using music notes to show the music but after the Single Colour Poster I realised this was defeating the purpose of portraying something using images. I ended up deciding on using an easy to read academic font as this would be easily recognisable and familiar to the target audience. I tried to create movement using curved lines and the stance of the subjects as well as the slight blur on the lighting.

On reflection I should have spent more time focusing on drawing on paper before going into Illustrator to really develop my drawing techniques but I also enjoyed experimenting in Illustrator as I tried to use a style that I had not done before.

W5 Descriptions

Portrait 1: Water colour self portrait based on a photo (5 colour palette)

Portrait 2: Acrylic paint self portrait (5 colour palette)

Portrait 3: Adobe Illustrator basic brush self portrait (5 colour palette)

Portrait 4: Coloured pencil self portrait based on a photo (5 colour palette)

Portrait 5: Water colour self portrait based on a photo (5 colour palette)

W5 Reflections

I really enjoyed this weeks theme for portraits restricted to specific colour palettes as it meant really changing the way I create images, I decided to focus mainly on the use of colour rather than realism as I thought this made for more interesting outcomes and also I enjoy making somewhat abstract works.

The first watercolour painting turned out almost scary because I was impatient with the medium but I ended up liking it. The colour palette could have made a more predictable or realistic painting but by using blue on the face it subsequently created a more cold feel to the expression - inhuman like even. I did not follow the example we were given to create block colour areas in the first image and could have created a more recognisable portrait if I had done so but pushing the medium and paper to its limit had a unique outcome. 

The second image I painted followed more classic method of using colour palettes and therefore it was more recognisable as a portrait, but this colour scheme was difficult to use as three of the colours were fairly similar and the other two were not overly complimentary.

The third portrait I used Adobe Illustrator as we were instructed to try a range of different methods to create our portraits. The technique I used for drawing this one is chaotic and I enjoy the effect it has as well as the fact that this warm and similar colour scheme is close to my actual colouring (as a redhead) so it was easier to assign colours to different areas of the face. I did not get the proportions right on many of the portraits but this one is especially unbalanced on the top half compared to the bottom half of the face. The colour scheme works well to shade in this image.

I changed up the perspective for the fourth portrait with much more fun and simplified use of colour using coloured pencils and rough lines. I realised I been making a very similar portrait for the first 3 images and found a photo that posed an interesting challenge with body proportions and stance. The colour palette was also fresh and bright which I thought made this portrait lively and youthful compared to the others.

I wanted to revisit the watercolour we did in tutorials with some more patience in my last portrait and used a stippling like technique to create a different look from the other paintings. I experimented with inverted colours - like rosy cheeks using blue - for an unexpected outcome. I tried to create a more 3d portrait with protruding cheeks and lighter highlights with greys. 

I should have tried a larger variety of mediums as I reflect that the effect of some of the portraits are very similar but I believe I effectively used and committed to 5 specific colours for each image.

    

WEEK 7 - Photographic Lighting

W7 Descriptions

Photo 1: Portrait of classmate 

Photo 2: Self Portrait

Photo 3: Macro (small item to look large) a Batman figurine looks like he is flying through the sky

Photo 4: Landscape (large item to look small) a giant stuffed bear positioned to look like it is being pinched

Photo 5: Texture a very close image of a shirt 

W7 Reflections

I am not used to using cameras with different settings other than the automatic ones so this weeks image production was a bit challenging for me as well as figuring out how to manipulate light and composition. My first photo portrait of my classmate is not perfect but the lighting is the best out of the others I took and i think it has an interesting composition with the obstruction on the bottom left corner.  I also like the expression she is making, with the combination of these elements the mood of the photo is almost undecided. 

My self portrait was difficult for me to capture and it is not framed very well but I wanted to capture the back lighting in comparison with the light on the side of my face and this photo best showed the two. The different lights create really interesting shapes on my face with a warmer side and a colder side - which although is not the goal we were working towards in tutorials created a cool effect in my opinion. 

I believe I lit the third photo (macro) fairly well with both the background sky and the figurine being bright. I had trouble with this photo as I could not focus it to both a background and the foreground. I also had some fun with it because the other photos were quite serious. 

I had trouble getting this kind of composition to focus properly and I did not have access to proper lighting so it is a little grainy and the shadow is very visible. I think I achieved the illusion fairly well and the light on both my arm and bear are not too different making it more believable as an image.  

I took quite a few photos of different textures for the fifth photo but this fabric had an interesting pattern when I looked at it close up and its curve created a nice focus point to capture the tiny details. 

For the homework brief my most successful photos were the classmate portrait photo and the texture photo. 

WEEK 8 - Photo Manipulation 

W8 Reflections

This exercise was a fun one as I rarely use photoshop in this way, I was unable to attend the tutorial for this week but watching the lecture I understood the concept of a composite image and tried to create a surreal image out of photos of my hands and a candid shot of my little brother. I think it created an interesting illusion although as I was still learning how to use photoshop to edit together photos there are some rough edges and imperfections. I also needed to create some more depth with the screen to make the hands appear more like they were reaching out of the screen. 

I would like to revisit this image production method to improve on it and create more surreal images.