Color Theory - Final Project

Last week our final project was due for my Color Theory class and so I'm here to share that with you.  I find brain storming for ideas to be the toughest part, probably because I'm used to creating what my customers want so it's like a muscle I don't exercise as often as I should.  Hmmm, sounds like all of my muscles...anyhoo...

Fortunately a friend of mine needed a custom Facebook cover image.  He loves the sea, steampunk, and feels a connection with old British naval ships.  So I went with that and worked to incorporate those elements as well his favorite quote into an original image.

It's funny about classwork because we're supposed to come up with several ideas but for me, usually when I have an idea it comes pretty well in it's completed form and that was the case with this project. Still we have to begin by creating several thumbnails to depict a "narrowing down" process and so this is what I submitted...

 I have to say I had loads of fun drawing that little ship and love the way he came out!

After that we were to work on several color studies with different strategies and so I handed in these...

I knew full well my final project wouldn't look anything like these rough sketches and remembering from last quarter when the professor and students were disappointed to see my project take a dramatic shift from a 2-D visual rendering to a more 3-D style, I made sure to include details in my original project statement that would, in a sense, cover my a_s...
W5A1 Project Plan-SHenry
Next it was time to work on our "final drafts" which in my case meant an awful lot of work in a very short amount of time, primarily because moving into a more 3-dimensional presentation means alot of cutting, pasting, painting, manipulating and layering...

Creating in an almost collage style to come up with an original piece of work is a real challenge but it's something that seems to come naturally to me. I'm not even sure what the process would be called but the end result is successful and that's what counts.

Finally it was time to fullfill my original intent of making this piece appear to be on old weathered map paper with a truly vintage feel, so here is the final outcome....

I'm super happy with the end result and so is my friend.  I ended up getting an A on the project and in the class, which means so much in striving for future scholarships and additional funding as I work toward my degree.

I hope all of you enjoyed this little glimpse into my final project.  Next class begins this week and it's Art History ~ something I've never studied before but am excited to learn more about.  I'm looking forward to sharing what I learn with all of you!

Enjoy~

The Psychology of Color

This week we've been studying the psychology of color in class and I must admit it's been fascinating. We learned all sorts of interesting information including various color philosophies and common uses.
Did you know we don't usually eat "gray" foods?
That pink (specifically Baker-Miller) is used to calm inmates in prisons?
Or that in a group of colored objects, you'll usually see the yellow object first?

While colors can be associated with many common ideas or factors, personal preferences, mood and experiences can affect a persons view of color as well.
I'm not sure what mood I was in while creating last week's assignment on complementary and split-complementary harmonies...

As a designer it's interesting to look back over my own work and wonder what was it that made me select "that" color or "this" one. I may not be able to understand the past, but having learned so much about color and it's psychological meanings, I've no doubt it will play a big role in noticing how I use it in the future.

School Update

I've just finished up one of my classes and wanted to share a bit of what we did. This class was title Fundamentals of Design and I found it really enjoyable! I was honestly amazed with out much I learned; about elements of design and the use of color. Through out the schedule classes we worked on several projects and here is a sampling of some of the work I created...

In the beginning we were only able to use black and white so that more attention was paid to the aspects of designs.

For this assignment we were to create a design that utilized strict formal, radial, or crystallographic symmetry, translation: it had to look the same on all sides, and I chose to create this organic composition.

Next we were to create an asymmetrical layout and I chose incorporate some of my existing design elements, namely the cute stockings from "Adventures of the Striped Stockings", to create some extra movement.

At this point we were able to introduce gray into our designs as we studied textures and depth ~ these are the two patterns I created for that study.

With the next study we were to take what we learned about depth and textures and create a realistic composition that utilized a one or two point perspective. I chose to tackle creating curtains and a wood floor for this stage setting. Several of my classmates felt sorry for the little boy until I reassured them that he was just a zombie looking for some fun playtime on stage.

This last piece was for my final project ~ we were to come up with a composition that utilized all of the design aspects we had learned and included color. I chose to create an image to replace the one I've been using in my banner since that was originally created for a customer. I love how it came out and am looking forward to getting it in place just as soon as I can.

We're beginning a new class today, Color Theory for Web and Multimedia, and I hope to have more chances to post as the course moves along rather than packing it all into one posting. I think this class will be fascinating and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Enjoy~

New School ~ Fresh Start

There's a new badge posted on my sidebar and it represents the new school I'll be attending ~ The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

I had to make some abrupt changes this past semester with my studies as I was having waaaay too much trouble balancing my work projects and classes. While on break I discovered The Art Institute and found them to be a much better fit for my schedule and college career budget.

I'm starting off slow, one class for now but that feels just fine for now. It's tough balancing everything but better to do a little of something than nothing, right?! I'll still be majoring in Graphic Design, a switch I made last semester when I realized the skills I was learning could be immediately used in my day-to-day work, whoot!

So wish me luck as I dip my toes back into the waters of education, hopefully with a fresh start and a much easier schedule things will be a bit more manageable this time around. I'll let you know~