Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Save pens. Use Garamond font

Well since we are talking about font and words and such I thought that this would be relevant and interesting.  It is from followingdata.com!



Save pens. Use Garamond font

Save pens. Use Garamond font
Designers Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth looked at ink usage of some commonly-used typefaces, by hand-drawing them with ballpoint pens.
Scribble, scribble, scribble, and they got this simple bar chart with ink usage measured by, well, ink:
Impact font is such an ink hog. Such a drama queen.

My Word!


dis·place/disˈplās/Verb

1. Take over the place, position, or role of (someone or something).
2. Cause (something) to move from its proper or usual place.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Reflection on project 3

I actually really enjoyed this project. Granted it was repetitive, and we killed a few forests in the process, I feel that I have progressed as a designer.  I have learned that you are never out of ideas.  That no matter how many times you have drawn that same exact object, there is always another way that you have not thought of yet.  I have also learned to not dwell on the details.  I was able to simplify my object to an extent that I never thought possible!  I am very pleased with my finished product.  I feel as though I have worked very hard to come to this final poster and I have chosen each image with a careful eye.  This choosing process was a big factor in my confidence in my piece.
I feel like the project was clearly laid out to us and I always knew what I should be doing.  The instructions on Blackboard were very easy to follow.  I also feel that this project had relevance to my major!  I know that during the process I might have been aggravated because of sleep deprivation or creative blockage, but the final project has made it all worth it.  I feel as though I have learned something important.

What Color should I choose???

So after the lecture on color, I began thinking about what color best defines my object.  Ballet is characterized by grace, elegance, and poise.  I wanted to go for an abstract color but green and blue were really not working out for me.  I decided to go with pink.  The shoes are a faint pink and pink is stereotypical of girls.  Since pointe shoes are classically only used by the wonen in ballet, I figured this color was perfect.  I'm deciding to brighten the color however inorder for it to read on the poster.

Reflection of "Understanding Comics" reading

I enjoyed this reading.  It really gave me some insight before the project and helped me throughout the sketch process.  At the beginning of this project, I think I was caught up in representing my object realistically because of it's emotional importance to me.  I was concentrating on representing every detail.  This reading helped me realize the beauty and readability of simplified images.  This was how I was able to "let go" per se.  I enjoyed the various examples that the author gave.  It made it easier to understand when there were visual examples.

LAST GROUP!!! specific meaning (adjective), extreme abstraction, making marks on "another surface", type!

Adjective: This was surprisingly  hard for me!  I had a difficult time thinking of adjectives and applying that to my drawings.  I finally thought of a few adjectives and applied them to the line quality I used... I guess that works

Extreme Abstraction: Why is it that the most abstract ones that I love the most? I loved simplifying my object and challenging the viewer's perspective of my object.  I could do these all night!  I loved using the brush and ink to get that great dry brush quality!

"Another Surface": I used bubble wrap, paper towel, and watercolor paper as my textures.  It was exciting and challenging to do this. Although I am nervous that they will fall out of my process note book.... however I think it is important to see the sketches as their original because there is textures and lines that simply do not come up that clearly in the scanner.

Type: At first I used straight fonts to convey words that are associated with my object.  Then I started distorting the text.  I do not think these are as abstract as some of my other sketches... we will see if it makes it all the way to the bottom right corner

Specific Meaning (functional characteristic), texture, hybrid, and index.

Specific Meaning: I kept getting this mixed up with index but I think I understand now. To tell you the truth this was very exciting to draw something other than my direct pointe shoe! haha I drew many dancers which has been my favorite thing to draw forever. I am like a lame Degas!! (He is my hero!)

Texture: This was difficult too! Lots of confusing topics this week! At first, I struggled with conveying the exact texture of my object. Pointe shoes are smooth... alas they are covered in satin. But the texture changes when one considers the materials used to create it. Paper mache, wood, canvas... I then began to explore these textures. I feel that these sketches were more interesting because they convey the hidden textures of my object

Hybrid: This was another topic that I enjoyed.  I started out combining categories that made sense to me and then migrated to choosing random categories to challenge myself.  I really worked hard on the painterly dancers.  I think they turned out great!

Index: I LOVE this one.  I created word lists to create many different interpretations of my object.  I feel like this got me thinking creatively and expanding my view of my object!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Shapes, photocopy collage, abstract painting tool, and one line

Shapes: I started out with this method using as many shapes as possible to make a literal shape of the pointe shoes. Then I eventually diminished the number of shapes I was using. I don't know if it was sleep depravation or creative genius but near the end my 20 sketches I was down to two shapes. I ended up liking these the most ironically. I enjoy the simplicity and the cubist style.

Photocopy collage: I got really into this one. I picked textures which I thought were relevant. For example, I printed out the sheet music for the Swan Lake Finale! It was a long and tedious process to make these 'sketches' and I got glue stick all over my table :( But I still thought it was fun.

Abstract Painting tool: Yet another messy project! Good thing I covered my desk with newspaper for this one! I used a lot of different items: candle wax, pine cone, leaf, straw, lipstick, and makeup just to name a few. I loved this creative process and abstract thinking! Although messy I did enjoy this process. I like my more abstract and less perfect ones better. I think I'm starting to let go of my tendency to formally draw the object

One line: I LOVE blind contours! I love the reveal of my finished drawing! I love the abstractness... is that a word? I think being forced to use one line lets me explore the fluidity of my object. Pointe shoes are used for ballet dancing.. maybe the most fluid type of dance I partake in. These sketches have explored that aspect of their use.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Photography, gestural, painterly, and right angles & straight lines

Photo: I have honestly little to say about this one... It is pretty straight forward.
Gestural: I really enjoy gesture drawings. I know others can get really frustrated with the 'sloppyness' but in regards to my pointe shoe I think it has great potential to show the movement and weight of the object.
Painterly: I love this approach with my object. I feel that it conveys the soft qualities of the shoe and its use. Varying the weight of the strokes mirrors the varying styles and movements made while wearing the shoe.
Right angles: This was the hardest for me in this grouping. The shoe is so soft and made up of curves so it was hard for me to approach it in this manner.