Design Your Own Art Project
Final Art Piece
Artist Statement
Andrew Munroe
AHS Freshman
Artist Statement: I chose to work with photography for my personal art piece because I have always found this medium interesting. I love how anything can be made beautiful with the right techniques, lots of practice, and I really enjoy how photography can be expressive depending on how a photo is taken. While photography is a wonderful medium and creative outlet, I find that some of my photos lack interesting scenes. However in the beginning I wasn’t even considering using Photoshop to add more creativity to my art, until I realized that the photo I was using was slightly boring just by itself. I spent most of my time trying to brighten the stars in the sky, darkening the saturation, but even then, I felt it was still boring. I decided to focus on making my photo look as if it had been painted, but I ended up with splashes around the edges, giving the photo an imaginative feel. For me the night sky photo represents the reality of life, how it’s crystal clear and beautiful, yet lacking wonder. The paint marks around the edge create a border, that for me make it seem as if your looking into a place fill with your imagination and give the photo an other worldly feel. Through this photo and digital manipulation, I hope to leave people with a sense of creativity.
AHS Freshman
Artist Statement: I chose to work with photography for my personal art piece because I have always found this medium interesting. I love how anything can be made beautiful with the right techniques, lots of practice, and I really enjoy how photography can be expressive depending on how a photo is taken. While photography is a wonderful medium and creative outlet, I find that some of my photos lack interesting scenes. However in the beginning I wasn’t even considering using Photoshop to add more creativity to my art, until I realized that the photo I was using was slightly boring just by itself. I spent most of my time trying to brighten the stars in the sky, darkening the saturation, but even then, I felt it was still boring. I decided to focus on making my photo look as if it had been painted, but I ended up with splashes around the edges, giving the photo an imaginative feel. For me the night sky photo represents the reality of life, how it’s crystal clear and beautiful, yet lacking wonder. The paint marks around the edge create a border, that for me make it seem as if your looking into a place fill with your imagination and give the photo an other worldly feel. Through this photo and digital manipulation, I hope to leave people with a sense of creativity.
Design your own art project pre assessment
Environmental Documentary Project
Project Description
This is a documentary film about a subject that was important to the people in Durango that could help us become a better community. For this project, my partners and I went about researching rainwater harvesting in the southwest region and how it could help or hinder the overall growth of the people living here. It was really helpful to have a rubric for this project because it laid out the specifics of what we needed to include in order to get a good grade. Overall this project taught us many great skills that we can use in our lives outside of school and gave us a new experience that we can use in later projects.
Project Reflection
How is art used in everyday life?
I think that art is used in everyday life to add emotion to what may be something that is otherwise boring. Art is also used in commercials, on youtube channels, books, and much more to add character that will compliment what the artist is trying to say, as well as giving people impressions of how our world works through the use of graphic designs.
Does material culture influence artistic decisions?
I think that material culture does influence artistic decisions because people constantly want their art to be noticed, and to do this, people need to be thinking about what people want to see that will leave an impression. With the constant change in the wants of the people, some artists are changing their art to follow the change.
What problem-solving skills (21st Century) are employed in making works of art?
I think that personally, I use communication in my art because I want the people to understand what I am trying to say through my art. I feel that this is what most artists use the most because most of the time they want people to realize what their art is about. My partners and I most often used problem solving in this project because the documentary would often stutter and glitch, which required us to go back and rearrange clips so that it seems smoother.
How can an artist create works of art through combining, expanding, and sequencing images/ideas/?
I think that artists can create art through combining images and ideas by having one idea and expanding on that, but also having another idea and combining the two together until something new is formed. I also think that when an artist has an idea, it never turns out exactly as they planned, and because of this, art can take on different impressions and emotions that may or may not be better that the original idea.
Why do Artists Produce Preliminary Plans? (sketches, brainstorms, storyboards, etc?)
I think that artists produce preliminary plans because it helps them to visualize what their art piece may look like, and to let them see if they would like to change the way it looks. I also feel that preliminary plans are helpful for artists because it allows for the artist to create many different versions of the art piece without spending tons of time on a finished project.
What I learned and am taking away from having completed this project
I learned many new skills during this project that will help me in the future and will also help with my life outside of school. I learned about conducting interviews which I feel will help me with gaining jobs after school and will help me if I want to go into the film/photography business. I also feel that this project pushed me to interact with the public in order to create a good documentary, and pushed me to create a project in a new way.
I think that art is used in everyday life to add emotion to what may be something that is otherwise boring. Art is also used in commercials, on youtube channels, books, and much more to add character that will compliment what the artist is trying to say, as well as giving people impressions of how our world works through the use of graphic designs.
Does material culture influence artistic decisions?
I think that material culture does influence artistic decisions because people constantly want their art to be noticed, and to do this, people need to be thinking about what people want to see that will leave an impression. With the constant change in the wants of the people, some artists are changing their art to follow the change.
What problem-solving skills (21st Century) are employed in making works of art?
I think that personally, I use communication in my art because I want the people to understand what I am trying to say through my art. I feel that this is what most artists use the most because most of the time they want people to realize what their art is about. My partners and I most often used problem solving in this project because the documentary would often stutter and glitch, which required us to go back and rearrange clips so that it seems smoother.
How can an artist create works of art through combining, expanding, and sequencing images/ideas/?
I think that artists can create art through combining images and ideas by having one idea and expanding on that, but also having another idea and combining the two together until something new is formed. I also think that when an artist has an idea, it never turns out exactly as they planned, and because of this, art can take on different impressions and emotions that may or may not be better that the original idea.
Why do Artists Produce Preliminary Plans? (sketches, brainstorms, storyboards, etc?)
I think that artists produce preliminary plans because it helps them to visualize what their art piece may look like, and to let them see if they would like to change the way it looks. I also feel that preliminary plans are helpful for artists because it allows for the artist to create many different versions of the art piece without spending tons of time on a finished project.
What I learned and am taking away from having completed this project
I learned many new skills during this project that will help me in the future and will also help with my life outside of school. I learned about conducting interviews which I feel will help me with gaining jobs after school and will help me if I want to go into the film/photography business. I also feel that this project pushed me to interact with the public in order to create a good documentary, and pushed me to create a project in a new way.
Stop Motion Animation
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Description
This project was about learning how to take multiple photos to create a sequence, which we then animated into a stop motion video. We started by finding a good place to film that had nice lighting such as soft light for a night time film, we then started to take photos, using the rule of thirds and the golden rule. After we have photos, we then resize them in photoshop so that they will run when we turn them into an animation. Reflection
I think that I will be able to use the skills that I learned from this project in the future, such as the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Rule. These skills did in fact help me set up the scenes that I used, as well as simply using colored lights to create a slight day-night change within the animation. I feel that I will definitely use these skills in the future, either in my photos or if I need to create a stop motion for another projects. I think that I will be able to use the stop motion skills in my later projects in case I need to do an interview or art project. |
Design a LOGO Project
Final LOGO
LOGO Design Layout
Preliminary Sketches and Reflection
REFLECTION
What did you get out of it? For me, I feel that I gained the skills to design an art project about myself that wasn't with a given set of instructions, which was more difficult than I was anticipating. I also think that I was able to make a LOGO without any ideas or direction that I needed to go and this gave me the feel of being independent at school. What are you going to take with you from this project? I think that the biggest part of this project that I'm going to keep and remember from this project was how I came up with the idea for my LOGO, which ended up taking longer than I thought. Before, I was aways given instructions on what I needed to do, but this project allowed me to go any which way I wanted and take the design wherever I wanted. I also think that I will take the skills that I learned in Illustrator with me into the next years, where I might find them useful to redesign my website or maybe my LOGO to represent something else. What is your connection to the logo? My logo means many things to me, but mostly the A and M that are made to look like steep peaks represent how I enjoy living in the mountains where I can do whatever I choose to do. It also represents how I love to be outside all the time, both during the winter or summer, and how I can look up and love where I live. At first I had no idea what my LOGO would represent, but all I had to do was think about everything that I had in my life. |
Self Portrait
Self-Portrait ReflectionWhy is it important to understand the intentions behind an artwork? A self-portrait in particular?
For me, as a starting digital artist, I feel that it is important to understand the intentions behind an artwork so that the viewer can relive the the sense of emotion that the artist poured into the piece. I also feel it is important to understand the artwork because the artist is often trying to communicate a certain feeling that justifies the art itself. Also, what emotions are usually present set the mood the mood that the viewer feels, and can change how they feel. But with a self-portrait, the reason it is important to understand the intentions is because it shows how the person of interest is feeling, and how they see themselves in everyday life. Sometimes an artist feels that a certain art piece needs to inspire, motivate, or tell a story, and with a self-portrait, the artist needs to depict themselves by shoeing how they feel or how they think of themselves. What problem solving skills are employed in making visual reflections of self? I think that certain problem solving skills are employed, and some are not, in a self-portrait to communicate a reflection. I feel that thinking, not as a problem solving skill, but as a general rule is important, because if a photo or painting is not thought through then the artistic piece will not be inspirational or good looking. Often when using a certain thinking process, I employ the Elements and Principles of Art and Design even when I do not notice, trying to turn a simple photo into a work of beauty. I would often use contrast in my art because, without contrast, my art becomes meaningless and boring, but with contrast, as well as other elements and principles, it becomes a proud achievement from my school semester and over my entire life. What my self-portrait represents. My self-portrait represents how, over the semester, I have grown intellectually to achieve the grand goals that I have set for myself, as well as growing as a person to fit into the new life of a freshman at high school. The trees growing out of my head represents the growth of myself, and the child on the swing shows how, even though I have changed, I still am the same person that I was before and that I have time to pursue the fun life of the real world. For me the city represents how I have climbed and ran to the top, to stand and see the beauty of the world from up high, and how I keep growing around my old self to advance in my education. |
Teacher Creature Project
Project Reflection and Proofsheet
When I came to Animas High School, I had no idea how to use anything in photoshop well, or even what it was used for. But during this project I grew so much in my knowledge of photoshop that I now know all of the tool and how to use most of them. For this project we were asked to take a teacher and change them into anything by using photoshop tools, and for this project I used the Elements and Principle of Art and Design to make this project the best I possibly could at my current skill level. I feel like the hardest part of this entire project was coming up with the idea of what I would change a teacher into, at first I tried different teachers until settling on one and setting my mind to making my project beautiful. I had some trouble deciding on how the background of my project would look as well, and if it would clash with the animal I choose, but I persevered through the project by making multiple versions until I found the one I liked, and making the one I loved. I think that the underlying structures that subconsciously guided the creation of this project mostly involved nature, such as mountains, trees, and water, and this how my finished project would look. This was also the favorite part of the project for me because I could make all of the projects that I wanted, and that I could choose what I wanted to create. While being able to choose what I wanted to do was great, I really enjoyed it because it was fun. During this Teacher Creature project I learned about myself as a digital artist, by finding the style I like, which turned out to be a more realistic look, and by realizing how I could put images together, some weird, others not, and make them how I wanted them to be, and this made me realize how I can truly be whatever I want, and create whatever I wish.
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Photoshop Landscape
FOREGROUND, MIDDLEGROUND, BACKROUND.
This Landscape was created using photoshop and doing this project taught me about the tools in photoshop. While creating this image in photoshop I learned about using the selection tools to create shapes and move them, I also learned about using scale and proportion to make my photo look realistic. The tools that I found most useful for this particular project was the quick selection tool, which allowed me to select a certain object without needing to trace the shape. I learned the difference between saving my projects as a photoshop document or a JPG, Photoshop documents allow me to go back and edit it, where as a JPG cannot be edited after saving. In this photoshop project I had to create an image using Foreground, the very detailed objects closer to the viewer, and are usually bright in color and has visible texture. Middleground, the objects in the middle of the photo that seem slightly blurred/softer but still a little detailed, and where the objects are mid-sized and have a slight hazy look. Background, the scenery in the back of the photo where all of the objects blur together and the photo has a washed out look and less vibrant. Together all of these skills created a photoshop project.
This Landscape was created using photoshop and doing this project taught me about the tools in photoshop. While creating this image in photoshop I learned about using the selection tools to create shapes and move them, I also learned about using scale and proportion to make my photo look realistic. The tools that I found most useful for this particular project was the quick selection tool, which allowed me to select a certain object without needing to trace the shape. I learned the difference between saving my projects as a photoshop document or a JPG, Photoshop documents allow me to go back and edit it, where as a JPG cannot be edited after saving. In this photoshop project I had to create an image using Foreground, the very detailed objects closer to the viewer, and are usually bright in color and has visible texture. Middleground, the objects in the middle of the photo that seem slightly blurred/softer but still a little detailed, and where the objects are mid-sized and have a slight hazy look. Background, the scenery in the back of the photo where all of the objects blur together and the photo has a washed out look and less vibrant. Together all of these skills created a photoshop project.
Photoshop Tutorials
- I used the Hue and Saturation tools to change the color of the hair.
- For this photo I used an opaque layer of a cracked wall to create the old, cracked face.
Photoshopped Images (after)
- I used Photoshop Filters to create a graphic novel look, and again to make the face look like it's made of porcelain.
- I selected the car outline and then used the Hue and Saturation tools to change the colors.
- I warped the selected teeth into sharp points.
Helpful Resources
Photoshop CC Basics: http://jetsetcom.net/useful-resources/photoshop-cc-resources.html
SHOW and TELL Photoshop Basics: http://simplephotoshop.com/photoshop_tools/index.htm
SHOW and TELL Photoshop Basics: http://simplephotoshop.com/photoshop_tools/index.htm