A Self Portrait of Sorts

So this digital imaging class started out to feel like one big long never ending joke of a class. Learn something new!? Never! We will only go over things that you already know how to do with your eyes closed and one hand behind your back! Ha ha!

Okay, so I was exaggerating, but on a more serious note, I'm actually incredibly happy with how my first project turned out. If I'm being honest, I think it's downright rad.

We had to use "found" objects, such as magazine clippings, found drawings, or things we came across laying about our homes. I tore through the only magazine I own ripping off pages like it was my job. And then I only used two of those pages, but you know. They came in handy.

Handy! Oh, I kill myself.

No? That wasn't as funny to you as it was to me? Okay, okay. It is Wednesday after all. The humpday of the week. Forgive me my bad joke - although I believe that bad jokes are the best jokes. You know it to be true.

But anyway, my piece is about...you guessed it! Hands. Hands are unique to a person and you can tell a lot about a person from the wrinkles of age, callouses, fingernails, etc. on their hands. The same with hand writing - every person writes letters differently. Fingerprints? Uniquely yours. This piece came out as more of a self-portrait of sorts.

I think it's some of my best digital work to date. But also I am completely biased.

I also wish I could wear my nails painted like the rainbow every day. I think that would make life a bit more interesting, but don't you agree?

Typography Project: Word Mark

We were commissioned by our professor to create a word mark based off of a business of our own choosing. So I decided to base my design off of the church that I'm helping plant. The church is called Restoration Church and it meets on Saturday nights. The worship service is aptly named Saturday Night Fever and the idea is that we get 'infected' with Jesus' love for us.

I'm leading the children's ministry and based off of the Saturday Night Fever idea, I'm calling the children's ministry "the cure" being that Jesus' love is the cure for our lives. This word mark was definitely not easy for me to develop. I started with the idea of basing the design off of a hospital emblem, such as the blue sign with a white H in the middle that you often see on roads. But that felt a little too impersonal to be the logo for something geared towards children.

After a few different class sessions and some conversations with my teacher, I ended up with a word mark that I'm mostly happy with. Here is the envelope and the stationary applications for my word mark. I created a business card too, but the colors didn't come out correctly when I saved it as a .jpg so you only get to see these. But I love them.

Spray Paint: Origins

I got to try my hand at illustrating an article. I had no idea what article I was going to pick because there were no guidelines. It both overwhelmed me and excited me.

Once I found my article (which took me probably an hour to find and then hmm and haw over whether or not to do it) I had to decide how I was going to design the illustrations. I created a matrix and with the help of my professor we came up with several ideas. Then the rest was up to me.

I am super happy with how it turned out, for sure.

some graphic design for you

I originally wanted to post all of my artwork to this blog in an attempt to show off what I can do and potentially sell some of my items. I haven't got the selling part down yet and lately I've only been showing off what I've painted, so I thought I would take this opportunity to display a little bit of my graphic design work.

Graphic design is somewhat foreign to me, being that I'm highly unfamiliar with the software that we are using in class. However, in a recent discussion I had with my professor, she believes that I am producing strong work. She also said I'm really quiet and that she doesn't know how far she can push me. Hmm.

Anyway, our third project was to design a poster, post card, and email that would potentially be sent out to announce an upcoming fictitious lecture by a designer of our choosing. Lately I have been obsessed with typography, so I picked Zuzana Licko and Rudy Vanderlans who are two designers out of California famous for starting Emigre - a typography website.

This is the poster I designed that would be something you might see plastered around hallways to get people's attention. I chose to use bold types and bright colors to imitate their website and visually support the ideas that they are all about. I don't know if they would like it or not, but I do.

Then I took the layout I had been using for the poster and I applied it to a 4 by 6 post card that would be sent out in the mail. I think the post card layout is my favorite from this project.

After I finished with the post card and poster I worked on the email design. I didn't really understand what exactly the email should look like because the description was suuuuuper vague. It turns out that everyone in my class was confused about the email, so I was in good company during the critique. Nonetheless, my professor did like my email design and said she would probably pay attention to it if it was in her inbox because it's so huge and bright.

It looks really similar to my poster design, but I changed the background from vertical to horizontal. I actually ended up liking this a lot better and I think if I had to do it over again I would make the poster horizontal as well.