awokurkaarts102-004

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Project 6 WIP - Process Book

This project is us basically making a book to detail our processes we took for each of our previous projects this semester. However, in addition to this, anyone applying to GD+I has to basically sell themselves to the program. It is super stressful to be honest and intimidating. But you got to do what you got to do.

Originally, I just played everything out, all the images and process shots. I then tried scripting out little comic skits to put in the book to further the idea that I LOVE comic books! I still think they are the best medium in the world but that's for another day.

However, I quickly realized I had overdone some projects, and underdone others. I also found a lot of my type was in a font that isn't allowed so that sucked going back and editing everything. I'm working on type now and trying to build around it. Hope to get a decent full draft of this done soon, and then all the art for it in the coming weeks as well.

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Project 5 - Syntax and Semantics

This project, we were tasked with choosing an object - something like trucks, watches, shoes, etc. - and breaking down their syntax and semantics. At first, I was going to choose shoes I think, as I figure it might be fun to play with different designs and the like. However, I figured this would be a really common thing to do, so after some more thought I landed on hats.

I focused more on the type of hats when it came down to it rather than the design of it. For example, I did a rain hat, top hat, baseball cap, and rain hat. This would be different compared to 4 baseball caps, all with different designs. I think this allowed me to explain different shapes, and structure of items.

All in all, this was something I thought was going to be really easy, but turned into something much more difficult. Trying to separate the different semantics - denotation, connotation, etc. - was really difficult.

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Project 4 WIP - CHARACTER LOGOGMARKS

This project, we were tasked with creating logos based on two different characters from the same movie. While my mind immediately went to Watchmen, I realized that the characters I wanted to do - Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan - really already have logos. So then I forced myself to think of a movie that may be bit harder but I still enjoyed. Eureka! Enter the Prestige

The Prestige is a movie about two warring magicians - Borden and Angier - who constantly steal each others tricks after Borden killed Angiers wife by accident during a trick. Borden at the end is revealed to do his tricks using a twin, and is often carrying a red ball with him, even to the end of the movie. So for his logo design, I've been working with the idea of having a silhouette and him hold up a ball to his eye to sort of have the ball be the eye. But the hand in such a pose it could not be his own, hinting at the twin.

Now for Angier I had two ideas. First, as an AVID comic fan, I immediately thought of the KLC - Kids Love Chains - logo created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, and wanted to do the knot that killed his wife in the same style. And for the other design, you learn in the movie that whenever Angier "teleports" he creates a duplicate of himself that he kills by the floor giving way and the duplicate falls into a huge vat of water, being drowned. This is the falling design I have been playing with, and I honestly can't decide which one I like better

All in all, I have really enjoyed this project. Trying to push the boundaries of my creativity and think back on the movie has been a blast. I'm excited to see where our next project goes

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Blog Post 3 - "Poster Design"

This project, we were given a set of three quotes and told to make a poster that showed us that quote. However we had complete creative control over how we presented it, so as a huge comic fan, I did a sort of homage//mashup to some different comics

My quote is "Let us pick up our books and pens. They are the most powerful weapons." - Malala Yousafzai. This immediately made me think of comic books and power so I began my journey there. I decided it would be cool to do a Watchmen reference, personally favorite comic of all time, and mash it with the tone of the Dark Knight Returns cover.

As I set out, this actually turned out to be a really fun process, learning shape tools, color tools, lasso tool, and typefaces. It was a lot of fun to figure out how to build all of this. The final touch was to have a character lifting up the pen for power, channeling the bolt. I eventually found a He-Man cover that was just perfectly posed for this so I lassoed him, filled him in black, applied a glow (thanks to the help of my professor) and wallah!, now you have the piece

I learned a lot of different tools from this project and found it a lot of fun to reference all these different comics.

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Blog Post 2 - "Typographical Abstraction"

This project was aimed with the goal of playing around with different typefaces, art boards, and push the limits of what we could do with those. We had to use three consecutive letters in our creations, ie ABC, QRS, etc.

I personally found this task a bit challenging. We had the restrictions of keeping it black and white, which meant no playing around with colors - or we weren't technically supposed to anyway if my understanding was correct. I did try playing with some inversions where I made the letters white and the background black. However, I felt I couldn't really make that work in a way I liked or was cohesive as a full art piece.

The goal of the ABC one was to just play around with a "spooky" kind of typeface, which was kind of fun, and to use negative space a little bit. Only having the C repeat and kind of a fun diagonal was a neat thing to do I felt, but all in all happy with that one.

QRS is the one I wish I had more time with, as I was aiming for a sort of 'zoom in' effect; where it seems that like each letter leads to the next one as a sort of magnifying glass. However, I couldn't really get it to line up in a way I liked or felt was a solid work so I eventually just got it as good as I could. Maybe someday I'll revisit and fix it.

Finally, TUV was really just me playing around with a basic typeface but trying to bend the letters themselves. This was a pretty simple tool to use once I got the hang of it, although it did take a minute admittedly.

While this project I didn't enjoy as much as the last, it was still a fun experiment, and I am glad I was able to play around with illustrator and gain some new skills.

[awokurkaarts102-004]

Blog Post 1 - "Six Word Stories"

As we began our first project, I was quite intimidated. I had really only ever had two other experiences with photoshop in the past. One was digital coloring, and the other was layering. So to jump into the deep end of typefaces and changing canvas size and using pictures was a bit new at the front end.

The first one I did - Torched the Haystack, Found the Needle - did not in any capacity turn out the way I desired. First, Unsplash - the website for finding images - did not yield any results that imitated the Fahrenheit 451 tones I had envisioned, or even just a haystack burning. Eventually, I just landed on a flame, and added an aggressive typeface in order to best reflect the idea of torching or being willing to do whatever it take to get what you want, ie the Needle.

Then after this piece I did Once an Angel, Wings Now Cut. Inspired by lyrics of Breaking Benjamin and the character from Marvel Comics Angel, I found an image, put on some typeface that I think helped show the bloody aspect of it, while the word Angel itself is highlighted and a more feathery typeface.

All in all, I was not impressed with my first attempt, but my second attempt I was much more proud of and confident in. I am excited to keep on playing around with the adobe suite.