Weekly Journal (12/7-12/13)

I cannot believe that this is the last week for this class.  I have learned so much, made new friends, and accomplished tasks I had never been faced with before.  This was a wonderful learning opportunity, that I won't forget.  Thank you Professor Castillo, John, and Troy for all of your help.  I know I always had many questions, and you were very open to explaining or taking the time to show me what to do, and what to fix.

This week I found an awesome YouTube stop action film.  This video is called "Her Morning Elegance," by Oren Lavie.  It is so unique, and the amount of thought that went into this type of project is incredible.   I would have to rank this type of art in the same category as Julian Beever's sidewalk drawings...Incredible and inspiring.  Someday I would like to make a stop action film, and this film was just the inspirational push I needed to put patience back into my work.

Another form of art I have been into lately is cake design.  The work that goes into these edible pieces of art is amazing.  Besides the intricacy of design, these cakes are food and that is just wonderful!  These pieces of art don't last, but are enjoyed in a way that many forms of art cannot.  This picture is from  http://2modern.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/14/jeesica_clair_cake.jpg

 

My sketch for the week came from a combination of things.  I have rediscovered how important portable electronics are, especially cell phones.  I lost my appreciation for this type of thing until my cell phone stopped working.  When it was finally fixed, I was reminded of how many tasks I rely on it to complete.  The way people depend on phones, makes these little cellular devices extensions of ourselves.  This sketch was inspired by the necessity, and odd partnership many of us share with our electronics, especially in this field.

Weekly Journal (11/30-12/06)

I was so impressed when I found these pictures of Julian Beever's sidewalk drawings!  Their realistic qualities and the ability to make such a flat plane so dimensional.  The detail and clarity, not to mention the time that went into these pieces is incredible.  I have never seen anything like this before here in Albuquerque.  As I read more and more I found that Julian Beever not only produced pieces for himself, but has been hired by multiple companies to advertise for their businesses.  One example was a Sony Laptop that was drawn right outside a bustling business area.  This one image by the "Sidewalk Picasso" is just so much fun.  It caught my eye just on the computer screen, I can only imagine what it would be like in person!  This image is from http://www.supanet.com/optical-illusions-4943026.jpg

This image is an example that I found of Julian Beever's artwork used as an advertisement.  The bright and shiny glass, and its lifelike qualities are amazing.  This photograph can be found at http://sendingpostcards.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/sidewalkart4.jpg

Oh and this is my sketch for the week.  Recently I have been spending a lot of my time behind my computer screen, and instead of working, I have been having these gaps in what to write, what to make, or what to search for.  So, all of that was to say that I have been seeing way too much of my screen saver.  This sketch was inspired by the intricate paper designs on my desktop.  

Weekly Journal (11/23-11/29)

We are getting closer and closer to christmas and I am so excited!!!!  I watched Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas and was so inspired by the opening snowflake animation.  The detail, motion and creativity that went into that opening scene was wonderful.  Despite the switch from animation to live action film, it seemed to be a smooth transition that only added to the film versus distract in a negative way.  Below is the opening frame of the animation.  I found this image at http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/messygrl101/snowflake.jpg but to really get the full effect I suggest watching the film!

And going with a theme, below is the picture of a Russian decorative egg.  I have made this type of craft before and the detail and patience that goes into these little things are either insane or inspiring, mostly insane though.  But I have the utmost respect for anyone with the patience to make this craft a tradition and hobby.  These are beautiful and open a new outlet for creativity and dedication.  This image is from http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5000221/butterflyegg1_Full.jpg

For the holidays I am going to work on several window paintings for the community center where I work.  My sketch for the week is also my layout plan for the windows at the center.  I'm really excited to paint and will post the picture of the finished project next week :)

Weekly Journal (11/16-11/22)

Team Projects!!!!  Okay now because my group is making a table, I have been looking for inspiration all over the internet.  Some tables are interesting in their overall shape, or color choice, one is just cool.  These are the tables:

This black and yellow table is wonderful in how the legs are so cubic and different from the average table.  Design makes this table new and exciting.  To be able to market this type of product to a business would be nearly impossible because of practicality purposes, but to take this idea and come up with a new and efficient spin that incorporates this creativity is what will sell.  

This table is so unique in its great shape.  I would have never thought that a paper airplane would be reconstructed into a solid table.  This is just so unique!  Just as the table above the overwhelming amount of creativity overpowers the lack of office efficiency, but to somehow package the two together would make for a powerful product. 

Oh and this is my sketch for the week.  It is my sketch of

 my group's table.

Weekly Journal (11/9-11/15)

This week was total crazyness! I was so excited to make and finish and then edit my animation but I had so many problems with just rendering my little file.  After much frustration I got it taken care of but now as I replay my animation it seems to deteriorate before my eyes.  Maybe that can be fixed too.  But group projects are up next and I am really looking forward to presenting a product from all dimensions.  It'll be fun.

This  is my sketch for the week.  I was very hungry and far from lunch at this point in time.  So in a sad way, my hunger was my inspiration.  

This first image is from Discover Magazine, and is of a shrimp called "Shrimp from Mars."  The beauty of its colors is amazing.  It is great to know that the beauty of nature is so extensive, that it wraps around even the smallest of sea creatures.  If color was this vibrant in everyday life, would we appreciate vivd colors as much?  It also makes you wonder...What do these shrimp see, when they look at each other?

Oh and going with a nature theme this picture called "Speak Up" by Nariscuss was beautiful for its colors as well.  The wash that covers the image makes for an effect so different from the bold colors of the shrimp picture above.  This image blends, while the other is striking for being so different.  This image came from

http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs22/i/2009/252/8/5/Speak_up_by_Nariscuss.jpg

 

First Animation

                                                                                                                                                                           Yay! This is my first animation!  I was inspired by a song called "Married Life" by Michael Giacchino, and is a part of Pixar's soundtrack for their new film UP.  The bounce and flow of the y is so whimsical, I couldn't listen to it without wanting to move to the beat.  Trying to capture motion that was similar to particles being moved in the wind, as well as a sense of randomness was my goal.  I am so surprised to see how short 300 frames is...and shocked at how long it took my computer to render the same short animation.  Thank goodness I was able to render this :))

Weekly Journal (11/2-11/8)

Wow another week has gone by!  And still I am working on different animations to try and come up with something I like.  I am looking to create a spiritual piece to mimic the flow and serenity of water and waves, while also looking at lightening as inspirational.  The images below reflect my 

searching for inspiration for my own work.

 

I have been image searching different methods of abstract art for our upcoming animation assignment.  This painting with bold colors, flowing lines, and a complete lack of analytical anything makes this image so great to me.  I really would like to include this type of style into my animation because I feel it suits my passion and captures a more spiritual side of me.  This image can be found at

http://www.paintingsdesign.com/images_art/abstract-art-1.JPG

 

 

Dream by D. Lane Taylor is pure inspiration to my eye.  The blast of color, use of space and movement is captivating.  The intrusion of green into red mimics the need for chaos to inspire change.  Color can be just as important as shape and even more so than line.  This image is from

http://abstractexpressionism.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/dream_by_blast3r.jpg

 Below is my sketch for the week…They’re looking better.

 

Weekly Journal (10/25-11/1)

I found this image, while looking for simple and yet whole image.  Despite its simplicity, the design was just beautiful.  Unlike many other complicated images I have been looking at recently, like movie trailers with CG effects, this picture was unique in how 

clear and clean it is.  I found it inspiring in how, basic parts of a scene are put together to form a solid piece, and yet there is no clutter.  This picture came from...

http://dryicons.com/files/graphics_previews/midnight_symphony.jpg

 

Personally, I have found a theme of night, and midnight very interesting…maybe it is all due to Halloween.  Well, I have played this song over and over again.  Although I have never been a hardcore Airborne Toxic Event fan, I am a major fan of their song “Sometime Around Midnight.”  Music is a huge inspiration for me, and I just thought I would finally share it.  The image I have posted for this is the album cover for this song and its CD.  The image is from

http://www.cashboxmagazine.com/covers3/airbornete_airbornete.jpg

 

Okay so here is another simple yet elegant image that I found on the Internet to go with my nighttime theme. The leaves falling from the sky and into the rippling water, is awesome in its own way.  Simplicity seems to be a trendy design concept that can appeal to a wide variety of fans, because once details are added the window of appeal shrinks.  To check out this image and its site go to

http://www.feelneed.com/Images/Good-Night/images/Good-night-hi5-16.jpg

 

And of course, I had to look up images from Transformers.  I was impressed immediately with the graphics in the film.  I couldn’t believe that they could just generate all of the extra metal needed to create the actual transformer from the car, and have it appear believable.  The animation along with the harsh metal sound effects was great.  The image I have posted is also just to demonstrate the attention to detail in shadows.  I found this image at

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/7497/trans07hy2.jpg

Oh and this is my sketch for the week.  I find I am better at intertwining curves and curls.  So this is it!

 

Weekly Journal (10/19-10/25)

This week was probably the most fun and challenging yet.  I feel like I’m getting close to really being able to use 3D Studio vs. just avoiding it.  Watching more and more tutorials, as well as just playing around in the program has been most helpful by far.  I have already created my light fixture’s shape, and all that is left is just adding texture and lighting, which will probably be more challenging and best left as something to take the whole week to finish. 

 

My sketch for this week was fun and started with just the flower.  I figured I should try adding more to the picture than the floral detail.  A studio art class would be much appreciated, being that I have such a mental block when it comes to sketching faces.

 

I have been so interested in all types of light that we take for granted in every scene we enter on a day-to-day basis, that I started looking up interior designs.   Not only is there direct lighting that lands on walls, and furniture, but many basic light sources that illuminate a room.  The room pictured above shows great scalloped lighting on the walls as well as multiple overlapping light sources that create the scene.  Shadows in this picture caught my attention, they, along with lighting, tend to be taken for granted…this is for sure something that is going to take so much practice, and research!  Speaking of research, this picture came from:

http://www.pro-design-interiors.com/images/interior%20design%20pic1.jpg

 

The final picture of the eye I thought was just amazing!  This photograph includes ideas of texture, rhythm, and detail.  It is the little things in a picture that make it believable, and they are also the most tedious to get right.  This image came from:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2848444141_8d4425a1c1.jpg

 

 

Weekly Journal (10/12-10/18)

This week has been interesting, with an emphasis on frustrating.  I seemed to have continually bought the wrong software, and nearly fried my laptop.  I really just need to find a good software system to run bootcamp and install 3D studio.  I really want to mess around with it to try and get somewhat of a handle on the whole thing.  Just keep searching, that’s all I can do.  I know it will be fun, as soon as I get all of the mess shuffled through.  Thankfully inspiration came easily this week.  All photos listed caught my eye and came to me almost instantly. Check ‘em out!

 

My sketch for the week was done in all pen.  I guess it is more of a doodle, but this is the type of design that comes to mind whenever I sit down with a blank sheet of paper.  I think they look tribal in their own unique way.  I would like to include a design like this in my lighting fixture for the new assignment.

So lets just say I have been looking around for some  ideas when it comes to the upcoming lighting assignment.  There are so many different styles out there! Antique, modern, odd, quaint, and so many more lighting fixtures filled up the page for my online searches.  These pictures above were some of the most interesting as well as a great example of the diversity I found.  Despite how full the lighting fixture appears in the upper left corner, I think it is my favorite, because of the shadows and shapes involved.  Also that particular fixture contrasts nicely with the simple sphere below it. This picture came from:

www.mocoloco.com/archives/004567.php

 

I just thought this was so neat!  A tunnel of led lights would be so awesome to walk through.  The lighting creates dimension, depth, and shape unlike many things I have seen before.  Despite the thousands of lights in this tunnel, there is no bright light overall.  Dim and dark, this light tunnel seemed so awesome. To see the site this was from go to…

http://somethingsiknow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/led_lighting_a.jpg

 

Weekly Journal (10/5-10/11)

3D Studio seems like such an intense program.  There are so many more options, especially with perspective that just change everything for the better.  Having four sections on the screen visible at the same time eliminates many difficulties that I ran into with SketchUp.  I am still trying to find the downloads for my computer, but I’m sure with just a little bit more hunting, I’ll be able to find it…or at least I hope so.  For now, I am spending quite a bit of time just watching tutorials for 3D Studio, to get a better feel for the program.  However, I think that just practice, through assignments, and messing around will help the most.

 

This first image is my sketch for the week.  I find that when I just sit down to sketch my mind goes blank and nothing but the same old images cross my mind.  Although I don’t have great sketches by any means, I am having so much more fun just sketching the second an idea pops into my head.  A bird just falling off a cliff seemed too tragic, so I felt a safety net would be a decent compromise.  Plus the little bird following after its mother made it that much more quirky.

 

The second image is one by an Australian artist, Erna Motna.  Because we are getting into 3D stuff I have been looking at and valuing perspective so much more than before.  To me, this image was totally unreadable.  But after doing a little bit more searching I found that it depicted an aerial shot of fires, hunters, and animals.  It is so interesting how differently; cultures portray various scenes from their everyday lives.  Being able to think differently helps an individual stand out, and make a difference. This picture is from http://www.gallerieaustralis.com/cms_resources/GAEM88001.jpg

 

 

Finally I have one of my favorite Escher pieces posted.  His work is all about perspective and eye tricks.  Stairs that blend with walls and ceilings perfectly are at first believable, then obviously mind boggling in how it somehow comes together.  Again, a whole new take on perspective changes everything in this image to make it bizarre, unique, and interesting beyond compare.  I found this MC Escher piece at http://stark.udg.es/~emili/docent/diversio/escher/Treppenhaus.jpg

 

Weekly Journal (9/28-10/4)

Yay! 3D Modeling!!  Despite how frustrating it can be, I am really happy to be doing this.  I keep watching tutorials and searching the help bar countless times, and I think I am starting to, barely get the hang of this.

My sketch for the week was more random than anything.  It reminds me of a mix of the camera commercials with the multiple frames and Alice in Wonderland.  My sketches are not improving as much on the technical side of things, but I am noticing a difference in the creativity or thought I put into them.  

Searching Google numerous times I found this picture of the Pixar birds, and thought it was so cool!  There are many more concept images such as this one, on the web site listed below.  These pictures highlight the design process for many of Pixar's films such as The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., and several of their short films.  Check out this image and others at http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41120000/jpg/_41120726_birds.jpg&imgrefurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ifs_news/hi/newsid_4527000/4527948.stm&usg=__1Li2ErLXgo_1OSVULins1yxwGZQ=&h=300&w=416&sz=42&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=5AUyAa5Fhv__vM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpixar%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1.

And in between all of my Google searching of tutorials and help in 3D modeling I found this image which was really inspiring.  The use of shadows and lighting, and the various material patterns used makes this image more realistic.  Now my chair is nowhere near as complex but still I am proud that I was able to get it done.  I can only go up from where I am at now, and an image like this would be an ideal piece to create.  This image came from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGTEQj0QH1UIHjv2xiV7rIMcMxDlm0c0MLX6VFPvMw9pk8IDZG4ce_YxJjRhNs0mrFw8IcmTZvLeZVvf0g27ozw2MLbZMJ8ldrWUOWzLf_nDOr8OzxJ9ztnQKBO6jb668HApA_nYr2lwZ/s400/Interior_07_16_07.jpg&imgrefurl=http://dearasis.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html&usg=__zAiNQGoIuYbQQPo-lz8MXXaezZQ=&h=276&w=400&sz=28&hl=en&start=9&um=1&tbnid=-ZUvsoSu_82sRM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsketchup%2Bmodels%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26um%3D1

Weekly Journal (9/21-9/27)

I couldn’t be more excited to start 3D modeling!  SketchUp is such a nice and straightforward program to use.  Going through all of the tutorials online, and going through so many of the tools in class is really helpful.  I have just been messing around in SketchUp and becoming familiar with the different options and possibilities it offers.  The upcoming assignment is going to be really interesting and a completely different project from what I have ever worked with.  Modeling and working with 3D dimensional models is what I have been waiting for! I am so excited to get more familiar with this particular aspect of design. 

 Because we are now shifting towards looking at architecture and 3D aspects, I went ahead and just searched through different pictures of buildings and cityscapes.  The second image above was created by Aidan O’Rouke, and encompasses creative ideas of what is typically a very analytical field.  Expressive lines and bold colors dominate this piece and it just caught my eye. To see more paintings like this one go to http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.michaelgutteridge.com/2033-b-CIS_Buildings_Night_59_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.michaelgutteridge.com/html/karl.html&usg=__YemUPUtsO16MkIP4wuVoOe1tceU=&h=782&w=999&sz=259&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=ekHD45Ry0WL9sM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbuildings%2Bat%2Bnight%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1

 The third image shows a very different view of the same subject, the city.  A photograph with is very linear also incorporates a wide range of color.  The pairing of straight lines, and realism with color allows for a bridge to connect the creative and realistic portions of what we see all around us.  This image came from the site http://moinansari.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/dubai_night_skyline.jpg

 

Weekly Journal (9/14-9/20)

I am so excited!!!  This week was busy and high paced and full of so many opportunities.  I cannot wait to start 3D modeling next week.  I have been waiting for this since I heard that I had been accepted into the program here at UNM.  It is a completely different playing field I am sure.  Despite how much work I'm sure will be involved in learning another program, I know it will be the best yet.  3D modeling has been a goal project of mine since I had first fallen in love with PIXAR and their animated films.

This week I had this image ingrained in my mind ever since my professors told me of my three tests I had in store for friday.  It definitely made me feel like a lost little blob.  Maybe I'm starting to get to the point where my sketches can at least begin to capture some of my ideas.  Oh and I fully support the option of having an art of sketch class! I am so used to working with computers that I forget to expand and turn towards a pencil and paper to hold my images versus a computer.

Oh this sculpture caught my eye as I was just browsing photographs of sculptures online.  Earth friendly is definitely the way to go I think, and recycled sculptures make "going green" artistic.  Possibilities are endless when you think about it.  This sculpture is composed of a broken-down type writer.  The personality in this piece is alluring while cartoon-like as well.  To check out this piece in more detail go to https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj275Xnv952UTuV3p4v7dWmGIoxbzKYoMxEQotnSa0hCsrMOmwG9t2B7I4tk7pBrkyNr_4faWQKPd1l8ubjvzEerQIAwH6nw_HHdrzm_WEKHT9BvHGLftR8fUnn5ex8vffC3m0ciF_ur3fW/s400/typewriter_sculptures_001.jpg

 Awe I finally saw PIXAR's new film UP this week.  The detail, quality, lighting, and overall effects were even better than in past films.  The wonderful thing about PIXAR is not only the work that goes into the animation but the story as well.  This is a value that is so important to the design world: The entire package.  It's one thing to create a high quality film reel but another to make a high quality movie.  Maybe someday I'll be there.  For now I'll just work like crazy to learn and build on what I know (not to mention keep my fingers crossed.)  Because I was so inspired by this film I wanted to post a picture of it as my biggest motivating force for the week.  This image came from http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/ap_up_090512_mn.jpg

 

 

Weekly Journal (9/7-9/13)

Wow okay so I know I say a variation of this almost every week, but I learned so much!  Like how to post a YouTube video on my blog and how to use Illustrator.  It is all so new and foreign, but incredibly fun.  Inspiration came in all sorts of ways for me this week.  I watched so many animated films by Pixar Animation Studios: Finding Nemo, Cars, and Wall-e.  The quality in these films and the attention to detail is superb.  My sketch this week was mostly inspired by Finding Nemo, so there is a fish bowl filled with a bold little fish and crazed looking child peering in.  I need to work on portraits, that is a definite goal of mine...  There is a huge window of improvement for me when it comes to that.

The second image above is a fractal that I found on a physics web site (http://www.sprott.physics.wisc.edu/FRACTALS/collect/2005/).    The intricacy and detail embedded in this image is captivating.  Flowing and mixing into this one image makes for a great piece.  Fractals are the artistic sides of math and science and I really appreciate their rich  bond.

After working on my haptic models, I became really interested in finding other forms of sculptures and models made from recycled materials.  A great example of this type of work is that of Aurora Robson, and her recycled sculptures.  One of her pieces is shown above, and it is just so detailed and beautiful, I enjoyed checking out her other pieces.  The combination of light, and materials make her pieces attention grabbing and unique.  To see her full web site check out http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greenpacks.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/aurora-robson-recycled-plastic-sculptures-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.greenpacks.org/2009/05/19/aurora-robson-excels-in-transforming-trash-into-art/&usg=__gvpf0zsQ3UZ7YXOQYvXLBH2Wry4=&h=372&w=500&sz=24&hl=en&start=13&um=1&tbnid=Okv_p0KlPPm6sM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsculptures%2Bout%2Bof%2Brecycled%2Bmaterials%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

 

Weekly Journal (8/31-9/6)

 

           This second week was filled with many new experiences, and a new hands-on assignment.  Ideas, and inspiration, and an introduction into sound design opens up a whole new window to a form of media that I never really considered.  Sound design, I always thought of it as music, something to move to and enjoy, but not a composition.  The integral parts, and all of the research and time that goes into just finding the pieces to make a song is unbelievable.  It reminds me of all of the pictures that go into making a montage, except sound design seems much more extensive.  The film that we watched in class was inspiring on a completely different level, it is a work that inspires motion, which was beyond helpful in this haptic modeling assignment.  When I spend all of my time behind a computer screen, I forget that I have been stone still for over an hour, motion is something that I would like to incorporate into my own ideas of design.  Getting up and moving, designing, and using my hands to create a project was fun.  This is something I enjoy and want to continue.  Besides all of the hands-on work that went into this week's assignment, I started working with Photoshop again even more.  

Outside of class I found a very different form of inspiration on YouTube.  It is a video called Digital Image Manipulation-superb, and it shows a model being transformed with makeup and hair and then even more with Photoshop to create the finished project that was posted on a billboard.  (I did not pick this video to highlight a Dove advertisement, I was interested in the transformations that were taking place.)  It was amazing to see how much this software has been incorporated into ads and things all around us: magazines, posters, film, and picture editing.  This software has transformed our perception of what is real and how blemishes in any form can be edited away.

The second image above was something that I found at www.bittbox.com and captured my focus because of all of the motion and light it captured.  This image has energy, great lines, and movement.  In addition to the motion it incorporates, this work has a light and energy that is beyond this world, something that is vital to virtual environments.  Creating something that is believable, but at the same time entirely generated, is amazing in itself.

My sketch for the week was inspired from a street that I saw while on a trip to Paris, France.  Out of a street filled with elaborate buildings of times past was this new a very different building.  It was curved and sharply edged at the same time.  Unique in so many ways, this building truly inspires and goes beyond the norm of what a person would see while walking down a typical street in an average city.  This building inspired me to think outside the box and work towards incorporating items not often paired together.

Weekly Journal (8/24-8/30)

                    

This week has been one of the most intense and yet the most productive of my life.  The IF&DM course is high paced but full of great energy and many new techniques I cannot wait to try out.  Our first assignment was to take or find twenty-five pictures of the city, landscape, and objects.  The pictures that I took were both local and international.  Many of my favorite city pictures are from England because of the great architecture and intricacy in the city's layout.  Having and maintaining a picture library will be such a wonderful resource!  A catalogue of photographs will aid in creating various compositions in a short amount of time because my pictures are just a few clicks away.  Thankfully I am fairly comfortable with Photoshop, so Part II of this week's assignment was not overwhelming.  That is not to say that I did not have my fair share of issues this week either.  In addition to enjoying the projects we were assigned I stressed over how much of our work was to be online, not to mention creating a blog.  I am getting to be much more comfortable with blogging and just the internet in general, and I know that simply by being repeatedly exposed to it I will be much more relaxed in working online.  I do look forward to working with new programs and learning a new range of techniques in the upcoming weeks.  This field of study has been a passion of mine for years, and being in this program and taking this class is proof to me that I can truly enjoy working in this environment. 

As for my sketch, it is simply a rough idea of my own medicine cabinet.  Looking for inspiration in so many places, this is simply the one that stuck to my mind.  I have never been assigned to sketch so I never did make it a big priority.  I wanted the sketch to have a more animated and bubble-like quality to it, as seen in the rounded edging of the toothbrush.  Sketching every week will hopefully give me a better eye for it and sense of control.  Improvement and creativity is my goal for next week.

The next picture, is an oil painting by Oliver Ray that I found online.  It is called Love Rhythm 2 and I was captivated by all of the intricate parts that flow together to make one image of a man and woman.  The rich colors and intensity of the lines inspire bold ideas and puzzle-like qualities to works of art.  This oil painting demonstrates the need for each individual part to create the whole, much like the need for each Interdisciplinary student in this class.  Without the individual the piece as a whole suffers.  Also this piece provides such a great sense of rhythm and flow, a quality I would like to focus on for my work in this class.  To see other pieces by Oliver Ray look up his website at www.oliverray.ca/love_rhythm_2.htm.

Next I found an inspiring internet site, by Lin and Jirsa, that was wonderfully motivating for picture taking.  An example of the pictures posted on this site is shown above. Giving tips in what to look for and how to plan a picture based on energy and creativity of your surroundings are main points of this site.  The pictures are what originally pulled me to this site, but the text was quite motivating as well.  For this class I know that I am going to need to take multiple pictures, and getting a few refreshing tips always helps me to focus my lens on a productive setting for a photograph.  As for the program this site gives inspirational advice for staying positive and enthusiastic about photography.  To see the full site go to http://www.sirlounge.com/2009/06/techniques-10-characteristic-of-great-photos/