The End is Here...goodbye Computer Art & Otterbein

So the time has come to say goodbye to computer art and Otterbein...I am graduating in 7 days and am getting ready to face the world for the first time on my own and leave behind the one place that has ever felt like home to me. This quarter has been one of the most challeging of all the quarters that I have spent here...my creativity is running low at this point but in the long run it's a good thing. I have learned so much from this course and I honestly think it's given me the tools to be even more creative as far as my art is considered and even though there have been times when I've wanted to rip my hair out I have loved it overall. I will miss so much about this place when I am gone and will always appreciate everything that I have taken away from Otterbein and look back fondly on all of the memories I have made as well. So thanks for the great run Otterbein and thanks for always encouraging me to be the best and strive for the top!

Getting the portfolio together...

Well today is the day to gather together all of my work from this quarter, print it, mat it on black board and get it ready to be handed in as one of my last finals of me college career. So let's take a look back on all of the projects I've done over the quarter and reflect on some feelings...

1. Artistic Portrait - WOW! this project scared the crap out of me, I was so nervous that in comparison to everyone else in the class that mine would look as if a kindergartner did it. I had so many ideas and little to no skills, so this was a true struggle, but for my first effort I don't think it turned out that bad.

2. Professor Project - I was overly ambitious with this project at first and there was still so much that I needed to learn in order to accomplish even half of what I wanted. After several different versions and numerous hours just staring at different artists trying to get inspiration I finally found some in the work of Wes Wilson.

3. Classmate Project - This one I was feeling a little more confident about, I know Laura well because I drive her to class everyday and she is one of my best friend's little in their sorority. She and I have very similar likes and personalities so it was easier for me to find inspiration. Overall I think this is the first glance at all of the different things I was learning through this course.

4. Playing Card Project - So after I was starting to feel confident with everything I get knocked off my high horse by this project...this project and design concept has stressed me out to no end and I still don't like it all that much.

5. Set of Three Project - I LOVE this project and had such a good time working on it and I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. I think it shows just how much I've gained in knowledge over the course of this quarter

edits edits edits!...carebear playing cards

This Carebear playing card will probably be the death of me...so after another hour and a half of trying to edit him so he doesn't look like a freak this is what I came up with. He looks better than before but he's still world's away from being up to m standards or my skills....I really struggled with this one but for the time being this is the best I could do. He does look a little better though :)

the editing continues...classmate project

This originally was a project that I struggled with because I could not figure out a way to make it appear less like I pasted all the images together on construction paper and more like a painting...until I discovered the wonderful world of FILTERS!! What is great about the filter treatment that I used on this project is that it's called ocean waves and one of Laura's favorite things in the ocean [also Laura is the name of the girl I did the project on...so no I'm not talking in 3rd person]. I think it looks much more original now and looks more like a piece of art.

let the edits begin...self portrait project

Let's take a trip back in time shall we...I decided to go back and fix up m first project from this quarter, my artistic portrait. It was much easier this time around to see what needed to be fixed and how I could make it better. The main issue that I fixed was the portrait of my friend Kacie on the middle of the left side, I made her larger in the frame as well as faded her in to the sunset of the center picture and the guitar in the upper left corner. I also changed the coloring on the picture of the water in the top right, the depths of the black and white on my portrait and changed my logo so it would blend in with the bike rack on the lower left corner. It all flows much better now and all of the skills that I've picked up along the way this quarter really helped me to make it better.

The final sequence...Set of 3 COMPLETE!

Well here it is in all of it's glory...my completed set of 3/my favorite project so far. They go from top to bottom in sequence so that when hung on a wall the two end images will face inward towards the middle image. This has been my favorite of all of the projects we've done this quarter and the one that I've felt the most creative on and was able to use all of the things that I love about art. I am very proud of this set because I think it truly shows just how much I've learned through this course and how much improvement I've made.

3 of 3 complete...woohoo!

YAY! My 3rd piece to my set of 3 is complete...above is the final product and it will appear as the center/middle to my sequence. I think this one might be my favorite because it is the most colorful and it combines aspects of the 1st and 2nd images.

This is the base image I used of Will...I debated on another image that was a bit more silly and he was making a funny face, but I felt that it might throw off the flow of the sequence.
This is the base image I used for the background, I had originally planned on using tile for the 3rd piece but it just did not have the same feel as the other two backgrounds. I am however very happy with how the stones turned out in the end.

whoa! 2nd of 3...DONE

Well dang, look at me being productive....here is the completed 2nd piece in my sequence of 3 and much like the 1st piece it took a pretty long time to do. I should also explain that the 1st and 2nd images are going to act as the end pieces to my sequence and the face in on the center image. My favorite part of this particular piece is the wood grain backdrop and the cream swirls...I think they compliment each other well and really allow the picture of Will to extend through out the piece. Much more to come...

Base Images for 2nd of 3

Wow! I am super loving this project and I am so happy that I seem to finally be able to get my ideas across in an assignment. So here are the base images for the 2nd of the 3 pieces...first and foremost is another picture of Will from Cartel. This may seem a bit familiar because this photo is also represented in my artistic portrait.
Above is my reference picture for the backdrop of the 2nd piece, I made a decision during the 1st piece to try and incorporate my love for textures and patterns as well. So now each of the 3 will contain a graffiti-type background involving some sort of pattern or texture. The first one contains a brick wall and the 2nd will have this wood paneling.
These are the base swirls that I used for the 2nd piece and they are much more delicate than the first piece and sort of hold a whimsical feel to them. More to come...

okay...1st of 3...Remix

okay...so I know I told all of you in my last post that I had finished my 1st piece for my set of 3 but after some discussion over colors and wanting everything to have the same amount of focus I did a little editing. So here is the final copy of the 1st piece and to be honest I like it even more now than I did before.

1st of 3 pieces...DONE!!

okay wow! so this took so long to finish, I hope I can get the other two done in time...anyway this is the 1st of my final set of 3....and I love it!! This is probably my favorite project we've done so far and I can actually tell how much I have learned from this class. I did most of this first piece in illustrator and it's probably a little hard to see from the size of the image but it includes....Will Pugh [lead singer for CARTEL]...music through shapes....lyrics and lastly my pride and joy my neon graffiti brick wall. I think it came out really well and it really shows off some of my other skills and interests, i.e. photography and color. More to come as the last two pieces start coming together :)

Progress on 1st of 3

Okay so I've made quite some progress on the first of my set of 3...above is the base image for the swirl background...I edited out the floral bits and made it just the basic shapes.

This is the base image of Will from Cartel...lead vocals & guitar...I cut him out of the photo and then live-traced him in Illustrator. To make him appear more graphic I limited his colors to 7, which gave him almost a hand-painted feel.
Now this is what I have so far, I'm in love with this project so far....there will be tons of color and more graphics when all said and done, but for now this is just showing you my progress.

More to come!

Final Computer Art Project...oh wow!

So it seems that like most things in life, my time in Computer Art is coming to an end and it's time to start talking about our final project....oh wow!

Final Project Details:
*Set of 3 pieces with an overall theme
*Using either Illustrator or Photo Shop or Both
*Total creative freedom

I have taken some time to really think about what I want to convey as an artist for this last project and I really want to show how much I have learned and taken away from this course. I have decided to blend my love for music/concert photography and create a set of 3 images using photos I have taken of my favorite band, CARTEL. These images will be altered and transformed in both Photo Shop and Illustrator to show not only the passion from the band, but also to show the figurative music and artistry that flows through the air during a performance. I will create this swirl of music notes, colors and lyrics that will stream from the performance pictures. This will allow me not only to use my skills in photography, but also to show the new skills I've gathered from this course...plus any chance that I get to use really bright colors I'm a happy camper.

There is much more to come and I will be keeping all of you posted on my progress...

Project Update - Professor Design

YAY! I finally finished my professor project...it was a long time coming but I think I finally have it where I really like how it looks. Here are some main points about the piece...

1. Portrayed is my former CPB Advisor Brad Burton
2. He is basically a real life VanWilder
3. Knocking on 40 but acts 22
4. All of the words in the background represent his key phrases and parts of his life.
5. The overall representation is that he is shallow, so I wanted it to appear that he was laying in the bottom of a shallow pool.
6. Oh and trust me I am not being mean he knows all of this stuff about himself

Who wouldn't love Carebear playing cards...

Well it's week 8 already and I just finished my 4th official project for computer art...fictional playing cards based off the classic 80s-90s cartoon The Carebears! The example above is my king card featuring The Tender-Heart Lion [who isn't actually a Carebear...he's a Carebear Cousin]. This was created using Illustrator and I have to admit that this project was a lot harder than I had anticipated...it was my first time as an artist using this program and it took me quite some time to figure out how to do a lot of the basics. It is still pretty rough and plan on adding much more to it later, but for the most part I am pretty pleased with how it has come out so far.

Sorry for the delay...lets see what I've been working on

Well if you couldn't already tell what my next project is all about I will give you a hint...The Carebears! Yes, our current computer art project is designing our own set of playing cards using fictional characters and because I love bright colors so much I knew I had to pick the Carebears for this project. The first card I am working on is the King card...I've chosen the Tender-Heart Lion as my subject for many reasons....first of all he is reguarly pictured in some sort of king-like stance and is often carrying a staff, also because traditionally in stories lions are portrayed as "king of the jungle". I am using illustrator to recreate an image I found using google and contruct him in to a proper playing card king...more details to come!

Classmate Artistic Portrait - DONE

My 4th project for Computer Art is FINISHED...and personally I love it! This is my artistic representation of Laura, she loves Andy Warhol, bright colors, the beach and her zodiac sign is the Libra.

Thumbnails & Puppies

Okay so I got some thumbnails done for my classmate project as well as some inspiration photos. I have decided to base the majority of my project off her favorite Andy Warhol painting, which is his Marilyn Monroe 6 image portrait in bright neon colors. I have chose 3 different images or representations of her personality to put in these boxes, a palm tree, a puppy and her zodiac sign: libra. They will rotate throughout the overall image in a pattern that makes the palm tree the center focus, because her love of the beach overrides all of the other elements. I also created a color spectrum for what I am going to use to create the different color variances in each box. She loves bright colors so that gave me a lot of different options and I will also be including different variations of white and black as well to keep with the Andy Warhol style.

Next Project - Classmate Portrait

Our 4th assignment for Computer Art was to draw a name out of a hat, all names were people within the class, and do a representation of that person without using faces or text. So we were given an interview sheet to try and get as much information about that person before getting started on their representation. I selected Laura R., which was perfect for me, because I take her to class everyday so if I need any more inspiration she's not hard to find, but here are her answers to the following questions...

1. Describe yourself as an artist: Color, Movement and loves to use Text.
2. What type(s) of art interest you: Andy Warhol, Wes Wilson and
3. Favorite Color and Least Favorite Color: I love ALL colors, but if I had to choose one not to use it would be any puke looking colors.
4. Describe your personality in one word: Silly
5. If you were an animal which animal would you be: Puppy
6. What's your sign: Libra
7. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why: Invisibility
8. Any additional information that will help you: Love the Beach

So I have some ideas running through my head and I am going to start working on some thumbnails to post on here as well, I just hope that I don't mess things up again and have to start over...so wish me luck!!!

Well I tried to get it done on time...

Okay so our 3rd official project was due last Thursday, April 23rd and trust me I had all intentions of having it done on time, but due to my somewhat developing skills in photoshop I had to start my entire project over at the very last second. I struggled with the best concept to represent my chosen professor/faculty member, Brad Burton, he's sort of one of those people that as harsh as it sounds you can judge him by his cover. He goes tanning, spends endless amounts of time on his hair, has really bright fake teeth and is in all reality a real life Van Wilder. My initial idea was to do something like a political or superhero poster to highlight his vanity, but my ideas weren't transfering over to the computer very well. So after some mild freaking out and a reality check that I needed to find some more inspiration, I was given an old poster book to look at with posters from 1950s-1990s. I was instantly drawn to the brightly colored and phycadelic posters of the late 60s early 70s and decided to run with my new idea after seeing a Wes Wilson poster. So above is my new idea, it's still not done yet, but it's getting there and will be done soon I promise. I am sort of working off the idea that he is a bit shallow and trying to create a pool like apperance to the entire thing and then also work with the two sides of him. You either like him or you hate him, because he has two sides as well, he can either be a big jerk or a pretty decent guy. So overall that is what I am trying to recreate through this piece and I will post the final project as soon as it is done!

Professor Project...Inspiration

This is my inspiration for my professor project...it's a poster by the world famous artist Wes Wilson, he's incredibly talented and has really given me some true inspiration for this project. I wanted to reference his work because I think it flows very well together and his use of color is very unique and abstract.

No Rest for the Weary - Next Project

WOW! Two posts in one day...all of you are very lucky or very tired of hearing me talk about my projects. After just completing my Artistic Portrait project it is now time to get a move on my Professor/Staff Member Caricature Project, which honestly if it all works out right will be a whole lot of fun for me. Above I have a variety of different thumbnails of things I could do to represent some of my favorite professors and staff members here at Otterbein. Using the things about them that make them my favorites or make them stand out from the crowd would be what surrounds them....some are more entertaining than others, I mean seeing someone spews symbols of the world's most famous religions out of their mouths would be pretty humorous.

However I think I have found my perfect subject for this project through my former CPB Adviser and now head of Greek Life here at Otterbein...Mr. Bradford P. Burton. Now I have spent a good amount of time with Brad from working with CPB and have learned all about what makes Brad, Brad...and trust me some of the things you would only understand if you knew him. Above is one of my reference photos for my caricature of him...this was taken by me, two years ago in Nashville, TN while attending a National Association of Campus Activities National Convention as representatives for Otterbein. Yes, he is on a merry-go-round. Yes, he is riding an Otter. Yes, he did break in to that ride and almost got all 6 of us kicked out of the mall.

Here are a list of the things that I hope to try and incorporate in to this caricature...
1. His love for Otters and anything Otterbein
2. His addiction to working out
3. His extemely white teeth
4. His two favorite sayings....Epic & Legondary
5. His work with CPB & Otterbein Greek Life
6. And his search for eternal youth...aka Peter Pan Complex

I understand that it may seem like I am poking fun at Brad's expense but trust me, over the years that I have had him for an advisor these have all become popular topics in conversation. They also serve as really good creative prospects for this project and I am really looking forward to getting started. Please leave me feedback on what you think about my concept.

Artistic Portrait - D.O.N.E.

YAY! After two weeks of struggling with design ideas, placement of images, figuring out how to blend and basically trying to define my creative process in to one 13x19 sheet of paper...I have finished my Artistic Portrait project. In the most simple of terms this is a representation of how my creative process works and what I draw from for inspiration. I selected a black and white portrait of myself to be surrounded by some of my favorite pieces of work....all of which help to proclaim my love for color and vibrancy. Embeded across my central photo is a quote that I rely on heavily when searching for inspiration for a new project, "what good does us reason, if we fail to see, and what good does us freedom, if we fail to be free." Basically saying what good are the things we value in life if we don't take advantage of them...so it pushes me to take advantage of my surroundings, my talents, my eye for angles and my willingness to step outside the box. This was a hard project for me and I learned a lot of things that will become very useful to me in future projects. I hope that you enjoy my work and please feel free to leave feedback of any kind.

Slow & Steady Wins the Race

Now I haven't been very good at keeping everyone posted on how I am doing on my current project...Artistic Portrait. It is coming along much better than I ever expected and I am really looking forward to seeing what it will look like when I am done with it. So to sort of explain the process of how I got prepared for this project I have uploaded copies of my thumbnail sketches...now forgive me for not being the best at drawing, but I think this will be able to give you a good idea of the concept I am going towards. I am much further than these thumbnails on my project, but the one that will give you the best idea of what my project is going to look like, when this is all said and done, is the thumbnail on the left. Basically surrounding my self portrait are pieces of my own photography...everything from concert photos to landscapes to some portrait work I have done...all of them mean something to me in one way or another and they are what I use as my continued inspiration. Those images are going to be surrounded by a cloud-like backdrop, which represents my creative process, and then lastly the song lyric, "What good does us reason if we fail to see and what good does us freedom if we fail to be free", will run through all of the images. Hopefully that gives all of you a better idea of what I am working on...soon I will post what the project looks like so far and then my final product towards the end of this week. Again feel free to leave feedback!

Project 2 - Artist Portrait

This 2nd project is all about us, we have been asked to create a portrait of ourselves using things that represent who we are and what we draw from for inspiration. There were a lot of different ideas that came to mind when I began thinking about this project...below you will find my intent statement as well as some of the photos and ideas I am thinking of using in my project.

Intent Statement-
For this project I have decided to try and integrate my choice form of art and my love for music and color to create an overall representation of who I am and what I look to in order to find inspiration. Being a photographer by trade and heading off to photography school this fall that is a big portion of my life, so I really want to be able to include one or two of my favorite pieces of my photography along with my portrait. The two portraits of myself that I have chosen to possibly use for this project represent my personality very well, I am a genuinely happy and friendly person, and so I wanted a picture with a good smile and a sense of that portion of my personality. I also want to include the lyrics from my some of my favorite songs. Music is a huge part of my life and is what I focus a lot of my artwork on, so representing some of the bands and artists that inspire me will help my creative process come forward. I will also be trying to include as much color and vibrancy in my project as I possibly can, because color surrounds my world and helps me draw inspiration.


These are the two images of myself that I am trying to decide between, both have aspects of myself that I like and both are naturally black & white. I wanted a black & white representation of myself because the true color and creativity of my personality comes through in artwork which will be represented alongside of my portrait.

All of the above photos are some of my photography that I am trying to blend in to my image and use to represent what I see art in and what I draw from creatively. I am leaning towards a dream or thought theme for my project and having all of my photos and my inspirations coming forth from my head, showing my creative process and how I can take simple things and see how to make them in to a beautiful photo.

There is also a song quote that I am wanting to incorporate as well, this lyric is from one of my favorite bands to not only listen to but photograph as well, Cartel. "What good does us reason if we fail to see and what good does us freedom if we fail to be free?" from their song Georgia. I think it represents the process I go through when I photograph and reminds me to look outside the box.

Anyway these are my thoughts so far on this project and would love to hear your feedback and comments. I am still very much so in the early stages of this project, but it is looking positive so far.