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~

School Spirit

It's been a long time since I've used the words "school spirit" and meant them for myself. However, next week I will be starting college to study for my degree in Art Education. It's taken me a long time narrow down exactly what it is I want to do when I 'grow up' but some personal experiences over the past few years have helped me narrow it down...

I truly enjoyed my time guest teaching a jewelry class at our local high school a few years ago but it was the recent experience of donating excess jewelry supplies to a woman's shelter that was the final deciding factor. The reason being that I offered to guest teach there, knowing full well there was no way I could step foot inside without a teaching degree under my belt. And so the search began for an accredited online University.

I believe my final choice of going with the Academy of Art University is a great one and I'm excited to be starting my first classes next week. I'm sure it will be a long haul with many lessons learned along the way but in the end I hope to be better equipped to contribute toward art in the future ~ that and a more stable income wouldn't be bad either.

I know there are several friends out there in blogland who've expressed an interest in having me post about assignments and so I will do my best to include a posting here and there about current projects and such.

My new venture coupled with our family relocating this coming spring will keep the faeries and me excessively busy over the next few months and so I will be cutting back on custom order projects ~ taking them on a direct contact basis. In the meantime, my repertoire of free and low cost blog themes and elements will still be here for the taking and hopefully I'll have time to post a new theme here and there.

Enjoy!