Week 5 Outside Class

No homework assignments due for next class.
We finished our calendar critique in class and gave feedback for everybody.
Our calendars were due at Midnight on Wednesday the 25th. We were allowed to make adjustments from what we learned from the in class critique. We were to save all of our files, for "Cal" and "NoCal" as .png and compress the folders into a zip file. Also had to fill out a form for SmashingMagazine with our info and description for the calendar.
Emailed all of these files to SmashingMagazine and also emailed to our professor.

Week 5B

Finished project for Smashing Magazine October calendar contest.

Made different wallpaper sizes:
320x480 - Smallest of the wallpaper sizes. Decided to crop out a small section of the original to create a different view. The composition was very tall and thin, so I used the scarecrow to fit the shape.

1024x1024 - Next smallest of the wallpapers. I cropped out this section of the artwork because the composition was square. So I chose to emphasize the trees and cat family.

1280x800 - The rest of the sizes are all varying rectangles. So all I did here was resize the image larger to fit.

1440x900

1920x1200

I also got some great feedback from my classmates. The left side of my design was very heavy compared to the rest of the piece. I should try to balance out my drawings more throughout the page.

I also need to work on my color choices. My scarecrow feels very washed out compared to the rest of the colors. I should try a dark or tan color instead of the yellow face. Also with the colors I should make the outlines for the grass darker so they pop more.

A personal opinion. I wish I worked more on the scarecrow and the cat's scarf. The fabric looks very flat. I need to play around more with textures to give them a more lifelike feel.

Week 5A

Continued work on Calendar project for Smashing Magazine; contest for the month of October.

Added more details throughout the calendar.

Moved everything a little closer to the center, compared to everything being closer to the edges before.

Added clouds and crows in the sky to fill up extra space.

Also added more details in the grass and trees to give the picture some more life.

And lastly, added the calendar numbers to the top of the picture. Decided to go with a simple line of numbers instead of the blocked format, which was too heavy in the center of the picture and took away from the "fun" aspect of my project.

Week 4B

Continued to work on calendar in class.

Added some more details to the calendar. Made a couple of black cats/kittens, as well as a scare crow. Still need to work on placement for the calendar numbers. I will probably scale everything down and to the left, and place the calendar in the right side.

Week 4A

Began working on calendar in class using adobe illustrator.

I first started with creating the smaller items for the picture, like the pumpkins, apples, and leaves. I also started with a simple background to create more depth in the illustration. I hand drew the tree in my sketch book and traced it by hand, and then added multiple layers of leaves to create depth and different colors.

This is my original sketch from my book.

I made some alterations to my tree and added apples which were not originally in my sketch. I will begin working on the cat (maybe cats, might do more then one) and the scarecrow.

I still need to figure out placing for my calendar numbers.

Week 3 Outside Class

Watched Lynda.com videos for Illustrator.

Section 5:

• Working with fills and strokes: how to change the colors for the fill and stroke, choosing colors/patterns using the swatches panel, how to use gradients in objects, how to create your own patterns.

Section 7:

• Creating Shapes: how to change drawing modes for layers, using different shape modes, how to use the paint brush and pencil tools, how to smooth paths using the eraser tool.

Week 3B

Took notes in class

• Copyright - Create Commons Video
• Visual Syntax

MoodBoard finished for class due on Wednesday, September 11th. I wanted to go with a more fun feel to my October theme. I love the idea of black cats and pumpkins. I want to make my theme family friendly. I also want to focus on the overall feel of autumn by using bright colors, like red, orange and yellow, to create falling leaves, bright pumpkins, and crisp autumn skys.

Week 3A

Learned how to make a Mindmapping exercise in class. Can be used for brainstorming ideas when creating a new project. We used this exercise to help us think up different themes for the month of October.

Talked about new homework assignment we will be working on the next few weeks. Creating a wallpaper calendar of varying sizes, some including some excluding the calendar aspect of the calendar. This is for a monthly activity through the website SmashingMagazine.com. These choose new calendars to be displayed on their website for every month, all created by artists throughout the world.

HW for next class:

• Bring in Sketchbook and pencils.
• Finish Moodboard for calendar.

Week 2 Outside of Class

Worked on homework started in class. Recreated common logos in Illustrator. I mainly used the pencil tool to draw different pieces of the more "organic" pictures, while with the other pictures I used more common shapes like circles, rectangles, and the type tool to add typefaces to the images that use text.

Week 2B

Went over some more How To instructions in class today, stuff like:

• How to hide layers.
• How to bring layers forward or push them back.
• How to use different tools when editing pictures, like divide or cut.
• How to use the pen tool to create or trace objects.

Also started a project in class using popular logos and trying to recreate them ourselves. Will be due next class, Monday 9/9. 

Will post finished picture on blog.

Week 2A

No class Monday. School closed for Holiday.

Week 1 Outside Class

Watched Lynda.com video for Illustrator CS6 Essential Training.

Started with the basics: what illustrator is, how to navigate illustrator, where the tools are, how the menus work, how to save your artwork, using rulers and guides, different options for print or web files, preview options, etc.

Went into more detail on how to use specific tools and panels like moving panels around for easier access, creating guides or grids to help place or measure locations for objects, how to use specific tools like the lasso tool, magic wand tool, zoom tool, point tool, etc.

Working with how to create shapes, dashes, arrows. How to fill or stroke objects. Conjoining paths in artwork, hiding art boards or locking them to work around objects without moving something accidentally.

How to use the type tool and create text, edit the text, converting text into paths or different alignments.

How to transform your artwork like re sizing, changing colors, moving line points, different appearance options like the pucker or twirl tool, creating paths with multiple objects repeated into a pattern, reflecting options and duplicates.

I am actually very new to using illustrator and these videos were very helpful. I will definitely refer back to these videos if I need help using a specific tool or function.

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Circle Project started in class: