Blogs by Zippy Nicole

My "Barn Voyage" Image Book is complete

2009-06-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

This assignment was by far my favorite assignment for this entire year. I loved my families barn and I loved applying all my ideas to the image. My completed book has 30 image alterations a title page and a table of contents. I printed my book at a wonderful Kinko's that's located between here and Clackamas Town Center. The supplies I used to bind my book and the paper I printed on were purchased from Paper Zone. I love Paper Zone!!! The woman who helped me pick out paper was a paper genius!!...So all in all, I had a pretty nice project making experience. My book is bound along the top by two large silver rings...I like the big rings because the pages have space to move and flip and i could hang my book on the wall if i wanted to.
The simplicity of the binding makes me laugh :)...i can hang the book off my finga's and flip the pages all the way around!

Tutorial Reviews for Week 10

2009-05-26T09:33:00.001-07:00

1) “Illustrator’s Type Tool: A Comprehensive Introduction” Tutorial

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/illustrators-type-tool-a-comprehensive-introduction/

This tutorial covers all the basic functions of the type tool in Illustrator. The Area Type Tool, Path Tool, and Vertical Type Tool’s are revealed through a quick explanation and an example image. There is also a guide for the keyboard shortcuts and cursors to help you recognize the tools. It also explains how to the different type panels; character, paragraph, open type, glyph, character styles, paragraph styles, and tabs. Wow! This tutorial really fills you in!

Some of the functions:

...so that's what all the type cursors do and mean....

Read this tutorial and become knowledgeable!

2) “Texture: Adding Texture to your Vectors” Tutorial

http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=215

This tutorial teaches you how to apply texture to your Illustrator creations that were not computer generated. You will learn how to make a hand-made texture effect using China graph pencil on watercolor paper to create your image and the shading into a vector image. This tutorial was interesting and I loved the image they used as an example, it was a hippo!

3) “Communicating with Typography” Tutorial

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/communicating-with-typography/

This tutorial explains characteristics that can influence how the type is interpreted and communicates. The author defines the type characteristics; typeface & font, size, kerning, leading, capitalization, and color. There are numerous varieties of each characteristic and need to be taken under deep consideration when designing a document using font. This tutorial was very informative…I hope this information can prep me for my typography class in the fall.

4) “Dramatic Text on Fire Effect in Photoshop” Tutorial

http://psd.tutsplus.com/text-effects-tutorials/dramatic-text-on-fire-effect-in-photoshop/

I chose this tutorial because last week everyone seemed to put their image for their books on fire and I wanted to know how they did that. This tutorial shows you how to apply fire to text by using a photograph of fire because the author said it’s difficult to create fire in Photoshop. This tutorial applies a textured background, layer setting, filters, layer masks, smudge tool, and a fire image in 33 steps to create amazing looking text. I think this tutorial to be very cool!

5) “Retro Text Photoshop” Tutorial

http://photoshoptutorials.ws/photoshop-tutorials/text-effects/retro-text.html

This tutorial combines Photoshop and Illustrator to create and edit their “retro text”. This tutorial showed you how to create “retro text” in 25 steps that have a picture example and explanation. This tutorial combined the Art Brush, Pen, Guides & Grid, Selection, Lasso, Layer adjustments, and Video Layer tools to make their creation. There was definitely a lot going on in this tutorial.

Image Book Process

2009-05-23T18:20:00.001-07:00

I am having so much fun creating my images for my barn image book. I have so many ideas..My mom and I visited the barn over the weekend and collected supplies to make some handmade images. (my mom and I are both really excited about this project). We collected nails, shingles, and weeds from inside and around the barn. I knew that I wanted to use my family's branding iron to create a pattern for the barn in one of my images. ...so I made a plan to go to my grandpa's shop to use his branding iron...

My grandpa has both an electric branding iron (you plug it in to heat it up) and a manual brand (you set the iron in a fire or apply heat, like above picture, to heat up the iron). I used both irons to brand the shingles.

This was so much fun!.... and it was nice to get some of the family together for an art project! :)

Tutorial Reviews for Week 9

2009-05-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

More ideas from tutorials on what to do to my barn for my image book….

1) “Nature Blur Effect” Tutorial

http://www.photoshopstar.com/effects/nature-blur-effect/

In this tutorial you learn how to apply a clear word over a blurred image. This tutorial uses adjustments, filters, and the selection tool to combine beautiful elements to create an awesome finished product. This tutorial interested me because I think it is an interesting concept that I have never thought about before…I’m always learning something new and getting new ideas.

This tutorial was very helpful:

This tutorial added a decorative aspect to it that is fun and beautiful:
I used this tutorial to create an image for my image book:

I love it!...

2) “Photo Manipulation” Tutorial

http://www.photoshopstar.com/photo-effects/photo-manipulation/

In this tutorial you learn how to apply a texture layer to an image. In this tutorial the image is an eye and the texture layer is the world, which is very cool looking. This tutorial uses a combination of image adjustments, modes, dodge tool and sharpen tool to apply its effect.

3) “Make the Striking Grass” Tutorial

http://www.photoshopstar.com/effects/make-the-striking-grass/

I chose this tutorial because I was thinking of making one of my barn images full of grass to show nature taking over the very old barn. In this tutorial you learn how to make a nature composition using Photoshop tools. The tutorial uses the eraser and brush tools to apply texture to the elements of the image.

4) “Pearl Necklace” Tutorial

http://www.photoshopstar.com/graphics/pearl-necklace/

In this tutorial you learn how to make a pearl; it really is possible! This tutorial applies layer styles, the eraser tool, and filters to a shape created by the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create an image that looks like a pearl. This tutorial is so cool, maybe I will make the barn classy and dress it up in pearls.

5) “How to make Patch on Clothes” Tutorial

http://www.photoshopstar.com/graphics/how-to-make-patch-on-clothes/

In this tutorial you will learn how to make an image that looks like fabric that has been sewed together in Photoshop. This tutorial uses filters, layer modes, layer styles, warped text, and the brush tool to create a sewn fabric illusion. I think this tutorial is really cool because the image looks like it is a photo of fabric.

Tutorial Reviews for Week 8

2009-05-17T22:09:00.001-07:00

I chose these tutorials with the Picture Book Assignment in mind…What I learn from these tutorials can possibly be an adjustment I make to my picture for my book…we will see….I do like these effects!

1) “Halftone Dots and Linear Light Tutorial” http://www.theshockzone.com/tutorials/halftonedots.php This tutorial was fun, fast, and easy. In this tutorial you learn how to transform your image into dots. By using a simple filter and adjusting size and contrast of the sketch halftone pattern, you can create a fun image.

Here is my before and after:

I spent most of my time adjusting and readjusting the size and contrast of the dots to see what outcome I liked the best.

2) “Fill a Photo with Photos” Tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/photo-fill/
This tutorial takes the last tutorial a bit further. In this tutorial you learn how to create a photo made up of many little photos. This tutorial has a nice flow that takes you through the steps of cropping and sizing the photos, positioning photos, Desaturating photos, making a pattern with the photos, and blending the photo layers. I could not believe how easy it is to make a photo out of photos…I used to wonder how it was done...and now I know!

3) “Easy Watercolor Painting Effect” Tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/watercolor-painting/
This tutorial teaches you how to apply different filters and blend layers to create a cool effect to your image. I thought it was interesting how this tutorial used the “cutout” filter to simplify their image. The precise combination of layer filters and blend options makes an awesome final product. I really like this water color effect; I think it looks great when vibrant colors are in the image.

4) “Create Sepia Toned Images!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/sepiaToning.php
This tutorial begins with the narrator finding an image and then adjusting the images angles. It was interesting how he rotated the canvas to the angle he wanted by clicking Arbitrary. Next he shows you two ways to apply the sepia tone effect. First he used the Channel Mixer to turn the image from color to black and white used a mode to set it to grayscale. Then he uses Duotone options to apply a sepia color. Second he used a solid color adjustment layer. Lastly, he shows you how to add noise to give the image an aged look.

5) “Learn to Use the Curves Image Adjustment!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/curvesAdjustment.php
I selected this tutorial because I wanted a better understanding of how Curves works and what the features in the Curves dialogue box represent. This tutorial explains the Curves dialogue box as well as uses it in Photoshop to illustrate the effect it has on an image. Curves make brightness, contrast, and color corrections in an image. The narrator is a good teacher, I enjoyed watching and listening to him explain the Curves tool.

Picture Ideas for my Photo Book...

2009-05-17T22:08:00.001-07:00

I know that I want the image I choose to have sentimental value. I also wanted to choose an image that my family would like so when the photo book is finished we all can all love it :)

There are two figures that I would want to use for my image book....Those figures are of Mt. Hood and the Home Place Barn. I have a few images of each of these figures that could each make an awesome book.

Why a mountain? why an old barn?

Well.... my mom's side of the family are farmers in Dufur, Oregon...so she has a strong connection to our land and its surroundings...which means these images are of sentimental value.

We can see an amazing Mt. Hood view from our house and I want to take that view and turn it into a book.

Here is one image of Mt. Hood that I have that was taken at sunset...if I were to use this image I would need to brighten it up a bit.

The Home Place Barn was built by my Great-Great-Grandfather, Arthur James Underhill, on the farm he purchased next to his mother’s farm. The barn was built in the late 1800’s with lumber from his own sawmill. The frame of the barn is built in the peg and post style like all the barns of its day. This means that the beams were attached to each other by drilling holes and using pegs of wood to keep them together. The barn was used for the horses that were needed to operate the machinery on the farm. My Great-Great-Grandfather and his family lived on this farm. My Great-Grandfather and his family lived on this farm and even my Grandparents lived on the farm for several years. So I would like to take an image of this barn and turn it into a book so we can have the memory of this barn live on in a book. Here are a couple of images of what the barn looks like today:

Tutorial Reviews for Week 7

2009-05-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

1) “Soft Focus Wedding Photograph Effect!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/softFocusWeddingEffect.php
This tutorial was fast and simple. The narrator got to his finished product by using a couple tools and simple steps. He was using some tools that I have never used before and used a tool I have not heard of. I did not know about the feather selection tool until this tutorial. Some of the tools he used to create his image were filter blur, radial blur, fill layer, and adjustments layers.

First, he selects where he wants focus to remain and applies a blur to everything else.
Next he chooses the fill layer color.
Lastly, after color adjustments and applying more blurs he has a beautiful intimate picture.
The picture I selected to use for this tutorial isn't romantic like the picture he used...but I do think this picture is kind of funny because of the country puppets we are sitting with....
Our (josh and my) faces are in focus...pretty neat...I think this picture kind of has a westerny feel now...:)

2) “How to Turn Humdrum Photos into Cinematic Portraits” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/how-to-turn-humdrum-photos-into-cinematic-portraits/
This tutorial shows you how to turn a regular photo into a dramatic “cinematic portrait”. This tutorial supplies the links to where you can get the images he used to create his final portrait so you can follow along using the same images if you want to. This tutorial is interesting because it has the steps listed in text as well as a video. I personally thought the narrator to the video tutorial version was a little funny and could possibly have an English accent.

3) “Enhance Your Image with Selective Color Adjustment” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/enhance-your-image-with-selective-color-adjustments/
In this tutorial you learn how to separate a foreground object from the background onto different layers so it is easier to adjust them. This tutorial uses an extract filter, masks, selective color adjustment layers, and the gradient tool to turn a washed out beach photo into a vibrant beach photo. This tutorial is thirteen steps but the content in each step includes quite a bit of information and tasks.

4) “Souping up a Photo” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/souping-up-a-photo/
This tutorial changes the color palette and creates a greater contrast to give a photo more “punch”. I found steps three and four to be very interesting because they applied a technique I was unaware of using. In steps three and four, the duplicated image layer was set to black and white and then applied as a transparent overlay to the original image to sharpen the image. The tutorial also shows you how to get rid of unwanted noise, de-saturate the image, and apply color and texture by using another image.

5) “How to Use Depth of Field to Create Portraits with Blown-Out Backgrounds” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/how-to-use-depth-of-field-to-create-portraits-with-blown-out-backgrounds/
This tutorial is very interesting because the fist six steps of the eleven step tutorial is about photography. The author of this tutorial explains what aperture is and how to adjust the camera to take a portrait. She also shares some photo taking tips like distance between your subject and the background and how people in your portrait should be at the same distance from your camera. In steps seven through eleven she teaches you how to enhance a background blur in Photoshop.

Art Buildings Redesign Assignment....finished!

2009-05-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have created my proposals for the Art Buildings Redesign assignment!

I have all three designs on the buildings in Photoshop and 3 awesome proposals. I incorporated 3 building shots, the flat design, and a description on my process and ideas on the proposals. My description on each proposal explains my thoughts, ideas, and conclusions on why my idea would be great on the Art Buildings….sounds interesting huh?!...yea!? Then check out my proposals!

(note: sorry that the sizes are different...I do not know why proposal 3 is smaller...I love it just as much as the other 2....just so you know)

This assignment all happened so fast…it was crazy! It is however very rewarding to see my finished projects and to hear compliments on my design ideas on our Art 120 Flickr group. It feels good to know that others think your creation is “Cool”! :)

Art Buildings Redesign Assignment/Progress

2009-05-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Okay...so i have finally created all 3 of my flat designs and have their complimentary colors picked out...whoa!

Woo-woo! zebra print! I had to do a funky design... how crazy would it be if the art building was zebra strips!?... pretty WILD!

I could have chosen any colors to be the complimentary colors but i chose green because it is our school color and it is a positive and relaxing color! ;)

Intricate pattern...i call it leafy swirl because the pattern is made of leaves and swirls...go figure ;)!!!

I think this pattern is calming and interesting.
This design was inspired by the colors in my room...i like the colors brown, green, and pink together...:)

I call this Nature Design because i thin it is nature like...this is a fun colorful design that kind of reminds me of spumoni ice cream...yum!

Art Buildings Redesign Assignment/Progress

2009-05-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of the Art Building Redesign assignment. The following are sketches I have made to illustrate different visions I have for the Art Buildings new look.

This picture are doodles of design and pattern ideas I have.

The next step was to develop my ideas on the computer. The following are flat designs of the patterns I made in Photoshop and Illustrator.

The two below are the same pattern in different colors and sizes.

I will make another post when I have an update!

Tutorial Reviews for Week 6

2009-05-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

1) “Art Building Tutorial” written by Kate Bingaman and demonstrated by Jimmy
In class on May 5th, Jimmy conducted a demonstration on how to produce our next assignment. The tutorial was very interesting and taught our Art 120 class how to put our designs on the Art building in Photoshop. This tutorial is really important to our class and is really helpful and explains all the steps. I will be definitely referring to this tutorial all week while working on our Art building assignment! (The link for this tutorial was sent as an attachment in an e-mail message so I was unsure how to post the link)

2) “Deleting Whites in Photoshop” by Ward Jenkins
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-ward-o-matic
I just want to start out by saying Ward Jenkins is AMAZING! Our class had the pleasure of Ward Jenkins visiting our class, share his life and projects, and perform a tutorial on how to delete white space from a scanned image and to add color to that image. This tutorial is very interesting and was fun to watch live. Ward Jenkins personality and humor comes out in the tutorial which allows the tutorial to be watcher friendly and interesting to watch.

3) “Animating a Wipe/Fade Photo Transition in Photoshop CS3!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/wipeTransition.php
In this tutorial you will learn how to use the timeline animation tool. This tutorial is really cool and informative. I had no idea you could animate in Photoshop, I cannot believe no one told me about this. The man narrating this tutorial used the timeline animation tool, two pictures, and a mask to make a photo transition…neat!

4) “Creating a Gallery Style Photo with Frame and Vignette with Actions!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/createGalleryStylewActions.php
The tutorial narrator shows you how to create a frame and caption box to a photograph in two ways. He quickly creates this effect by just using the action called framer as well as doing all the steps from scratch. He incorporates many tools like the sharpen tool, adjusting canvas size, and the text tool when he created the effect from scratch. (Note: The narrator is a funny guyJ)

5) “Full Fantasy Painting Tutorial! Start to Finish!”
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/fantasyPainting.php
The narrator of this tutorial used many tools to create a “fantasy” image. What made this tutorial interesting and personalized was that he created his own tools to make the image. Some of the tools he created were his own color gradient and cloud brush. (Note: This tutorial is much longer than other tutorials I have read and watched.)

Tutorial Reviews for Week 5

2009-04-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

This weeks tutorials are all about Photoshop, from the tutvid website, and are videos…yay videos! Also, my selection of tutorials include how to correct color in pictures because we have been talking about photo editing in class this week and I want to be familiar with some techniques.

1) ”Editing Photo Colors and Coloring Black & White!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/coloringReColoring.php

This tutorial is like 3 in one because it educates you on two ways to realistically change the color of a photo and how to transform a black and white photo in to color. The two demonstrations he used to realistically edit color in a photo involved the adjustment layers and the blend tool. Lastly he demonstrated the black and white to color transformation and I just have to say, “Wow!” I was seriously so amazed watching him transform a black and white photo into color. He made the process look so easy.

The following are screen caps from this amazing tutorial:

First he livened up a flower by changing the color.

Next he transformed a red car into a blue car.

Lastly, he transformed a black and white photo into color.
Aren't you amazed?....Crazy huh?!...
After this tutorial I was inspired to transform an image. I found this picture of an apple on google and decided to make this apple a radical color, for an apple that is! ( I love apple's, I practically eat one everyday)
LOOK! Its a purple and a blue apple!!! Crazy!!!...I could totally see the munchkins in Wizard of Oz eating these apples or the Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory manufacturing them!...

2) “Photo Edit: Vivid Skies and Bright Grass!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/vividSkiesGreenGrass.php

This tutorial incorporates many tools to create a bright and beautiful sky picture out of dull sky picture. The tools the man used in his transformation include sharpen filters, adjustment layers, masks, blend modes, and the gradient tool. I also learned how to use the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to make a big difference.

3) “Composite/Combine Multiple Images!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/compositeImage.php

This tutorial teaches you how to composite images, use channels to make selections, and use some tools to edit the images. The tools the man who narrated the tutorial used included the copy, paste, masking, dodge, and burn tools. The tutorial also gives links the images he used so you can follow along.

4) “Color Correcting Images and Removing Color Casts via Curves!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/colorCorrectAndCurves.php

From watching this tutorial you obtain a better understanding of RGB and CMYK and how they relate to one another, their differences, and how they are used when color correcting images. He uses levels to auto correct color and a curves adjustment layer to manually adjust color. I thought it was interesting that he used RGB for landscape adjustments and CYMK for skin tone adjustments.

5) “Create Black and White Photographs using Different Methods!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/convertToBW.php

This tutorial teaches you how to convert a color image into a great black and white image. He starts out by showing you all the ways to convert an image and why they make the image look good or bad. Next he shows you the way he thinks is the best way to convert an image. He used modes, channels, levels, layers, channel mixers, adjustment layers, and paint tool to make a finished product.

Note: I am not sure if all the tutorials were explained by the same man or not ... but I do know that i was entertained watching these tutorials because the narrator was funny and I liked hearing their personalities come out!

Progress on the Chupa Chups Logo!

2009-04-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the steps I took to recreate the Chupa Chups logo:

First I used the pen tool to make a fourth of the daisy shape...

Then I copied and pasted the shape to create a full daisy...
I made four daisies, each a different color and then combined them...
Next, I started on the text...I used the pen tool to outline each letter...
And here you have it...all the elements of the Chupa Chups logo combined! yay!

Thoughts....

2009-04-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Art 120 blog is full of great links to many graphic design and advertising sources. Kate, our fabulous Art 120 teacher, recently supplied the link to the LOGODESIGNLOVE website. Logos are pretty amazing and this site is devoted to logos...so I think this site is really awesome.

I browsed through their site and there are so many interesting logo articles. One article that I really liked was about handwritten logo designs. These handwritten designs range from beautiful and elegant to bold and simple. Here are a few that I really liked:

Tutorial Reviews for Week 4

2009-04-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

1)“Useful Applications for the Clone Stamp Tool” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/useful-applications-for-the-clone-stamp-tool/I choose this tutorial because I wanted to familiarize myself with the clone stamp tool because it is not a tool I use very often. I had so much fun playing around with the clone stamp tool.

The tutorial has two parts, the first part teaches you how to “clone a baby car” and the second part teaches you how to “straighten the leaning tower of pisa”. Steps are provided in each part to illustrate process.

This is a picture I was playing around with on Photoshop with the clone stamp tool....

.....This is my creation using the stamp tool....

2)“You suck at Photoshop Part #3: Clone Stamp and Manual Cloning” Tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=D19BCF9D57320E03&index=2
I found this tutorial on Youtube because I wanted to try using a new source for information. I do not know if this tutorial is appropriate for class content, but it is funny and educational. I think that watching someone use the tools rather than viewing screen cap after screen cap with directions of the steps is smoother to follow. I liked this clone tutorial more than the tutorial above because I was able to listen and watch the steps take place.

3)“Getting to Grips with the Vanishing Point Filter” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/getting-to-grips-with-the-vanishing-point-filter/This tutorial is a combination of two tutorials that teach you how to edit photos by using the vanishing point filter. The two in one tutorial is divided into two parts: adding floors to a building and adding a picture to a wall. I think this tutorial is cool because you can turn a house into a skyscraper by adding floors using Photoshop tools. I think that the second part to this tutorial could have been helpful to me last term in Art 119 because I had an assignment where I had to design a 2D room.

4)“Photoshop’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/photoshops-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-guide/Since we are going to start working in Photoshop next week, I figured I would get freshened up on some Photoshop tools. The pen tool is a commonly used tool so I chose this tutorial so I could touch up on my pen skills. This tutorial supplies a free download of a “Pen Tool Exercise” that you can use for practice. Also, this tutorial is very informative, it describes and illustrates the pen tools functions, short-cuts, cursors, and much more.

5)“Creating Logos on Glass Surfaces” Photoshop CS3 Tutorialhttp://www.muymono.com/?p=37I chose this tutorial because it fit in with our latest Art 120 assignment, recreating logos. This tutorial illustrates the directions in seventeen easy to follow steps. A combination of adjusting different layers and using some effects is all you need to do to create a logo on glass. I think that this tutorial is really cool.

Logo Assignment

2009-04-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am ready for our first group project.... I am part of a group that is recreating four existing logos. Those logos include; Chupa Chups, International Paper, Michelin Man, and UPS. We definitely have an interesting variety of logos.

Our group decided to each research one specific logo since there are four of us and four logos. The logo I chose to research was Chupa Chups.
Enric Bernat founded a Spanish lollipop company called Chupa Chups in 1958. He came up with the idea of a lolly pop "bonbon on a stick" from mothers cursing their children for getting sticky hands from their melting sweets and he wanted to design a candy "sweets" with children in mind. The company was an instant success and started selling their colorful lollipops internationally in the 1970's. By 2003, 4 million lollipops were sold yearly to 150 countries. Also, the Chupa Choops logo's design is based off of a concept sketch made by Salvador Dali. (wikipedia)

You can check out more fun facts about the history and product by going to theses sites:

Chupa Chups official website: http://www.chupachups.com/

(Their website is pretty snazzy)

Wikipedia Chupa Chups website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupa_Chups

My Geoff McFetridge Postcards

2009-04-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have here two Geoff McFetridge postcards....I cannot decide which postcard I like best because they are both pretty great ;)

I really enjoyed the postcard project. It was fun to learn about a graphic designer and to become familiar with their style. I was excited about making a postcard design that would resemble Geoff McFetridge's work and style. I went crazy with sketches and ended up making five postcard designs and even wanted to make more. I narrowed down my designs to the two pictured above so I could devote my focus to them and make improvements. I had fun with every aspect of this project and look forward to future assignments.

Tutorial Reviews for Week 3

2009-04-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

1)“Complex Circular Design Techniques” Tutorialhttp://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/complex-circular-design-techniques/ I cannot believe that I have not known how to use the Rotate Tool to make a circular design, till now. This tutorial taught me an easy Rotate Tool trick that I can use whenever I want to make a circular design. This tutorial also goes over the steps of how to make a Custom Pattern brush, which is another way to make a circular design.
This is the awesome image the tutorial made...
The tutorial is very helpful and supplies you with the images they will be using so you can follow along.
This is the coolest trick...I cannot believe I did not know how to copy an image while moving it at the same time.
Learn how to make a custom brush to make a circular design.
This is the design I made with the tuttorial technique...I went crazy with circular designs!

2)“Illustrator’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tools-tips/illustrators-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-guide/
The pen tool is so important and I could not wait any longer to learn how to function the intimidating and sometimes confusing pen tool. Learn how to make straight and curved paths (lines) with the pen tool. Directions and examples of the “add anchor point” tool, the “delete anchor point” tool, and the “scissors tool” are also explained. This tutorial includes shortcuts and a cursor guide to help you become quick and familiar with the tools functions.

3)“Quick Tip: How to Use Effects to Create a Cool Design” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/quick-tip-how-to-use-effects-to-create-a-cool-design/
This tutorial covers the “effects” feature in Illustrator. Through 16 easy to follow detailed steps you can create a fun design by starting with a simple shape. I think that you can save yourself time in future projects by becoming familiar with the effects tool.

4)“How to make an Eco Friendly Vector Poster” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/how-to-make-an-eco-friendly-vector-poster/
This tutorial looked fun and the words “eco friendly” caught my eye. This tutorial has a lot going on, it makes a poster in 24 fast steps and uses a variety of tools and features. Each step is accompanied by an illustration which helps you make sense of the information.

5)“17 Tips that will save you time in Illustrator” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/17-tips-that-will-save-you-time-in-illustrator/
This tutorial suggests that your productivity will increase with the knowledge of their 17 key illustrator tips. They are actually really helpful tips on how to use tools, layers, and palettes. They explain the tip and why it is useful and can potentially save you time. I recommend that you look over this tutorial because it can help you out and answer questions you may have about a particular Illustrator feature.

Geoff McFetridge! ye-yeeea!

2009-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

The “groundbreaking” designer I chose to make a graphic design history postcard on is….(drum role)…. Geoff McFetridge!!
Geoff is a creative graphic designer and visual artist with his own graphic design studio in Atwater, California called Champion Graphics. Geoff received a MFA from the California Institute of Arts in Los Angeles in 1995 and established his studio in 1996. Geoff is a well rounded guy who makes designs for magazines, posters, t-shirts, textiles, motion graphics, advertisements, and film productions. Geoff Starts off his projects by putting his thoughts on paper making sketches and by writing to make logic out of his ideas. A lot of Geoff’s work is generated from a personal space, memories from his childhood, and from wanting to grasp an emotion or idea. The aspects of Geoff’s work include irony, humor, sadness, and imagination which allow him to create a connection with his audience. He often makes his audience laugh as well as make them think and question their surroundings by illustrating different interpretations of an object. His work is commonly transformed into an understandable visual form which allows his viewers to translate his creation. He definitely thinks outside the box!
check out his sites! (He is one of My Links! so you can get to one of the sites from there...just click Ge"off")
http://www2.artcenter.edu/mdp/webtakes/mcfetridge/
http://www.championdontstop.com/

Tutorial Reviews for Week 2

2009-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

1)”How to Make a Custom Illustrator Brush” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/how-to-make-a-custom-illustrator-brush/
This tutorial focuses on how to make a custom Art Brush in Illustrator....and Wow! This tutorial was fun and informative. It is so easy to make your own brush. I think everyone should know how to make a brush because I really think that it could help you make designs faster and its fun too!

This tutorial illustrates the first step you need to do to transform your design into a brush.

Once you are in the "Art Brush Options" window it is important to select "tints" as your method so you are able to change the color of your brush later on.Check out the awesome shape the custom brush created! ...and look at how great the custom brush looks with color and overlapping!
I tried out this tutorial for fun. This is the design I created to make my custom brush.
Here is my custom brush in action! The possibilities are endless with a custom brush...what are you waiting for?...take the tutorial for a spin and make a brush!

2)“Easy Illustrator Trick: Over sized Stroke” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/easy-illustrator-trick-oversized-stroke/
This quick tutorial shows you how to use the Illustrator art brush in a new way. By making the weight of the brush bigger you can create abstract shapes. You can turn an artistic brush stroke from the brushes palette into an abstract shape in seconds.

3)”Get More-Natural Adjustments with the Illustrator ‘Reshape’ Tool” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/get-more-natural-adjustments-with-the-illustrator-reshape-tool/
This short tutorial informs you how to simply reshape a shape in Illustrator. You are informed of two ways to reshape using the Direct Select Tool and the Reshape tool. You get an idea of how each tool reshapes and see the different results they produce.

4)”Fun With Illustrator’s Blend Tool” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/fun-with-illustrators-blend-tool/
Learn how to use the blend tool in Illustrator to make shapes and effects to your design. In the “Blend Options” window there are three different types of ways to blend; Specified Steps, Smooth Color, and Specified Distance. The steps for each blend option are accompanied by illustrated examples, which give you an idea of what the finished product will look like.

5)”The Power (and ease) of Patterns in Illustrator” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/the-power-and-ease-of-patterns-in-illustrator/
I chose this tutorial because it relates to the pattern assignment we had this week. We are surrounded by patterns! From this tutorial I learned the term “seamless vector pattern” and some ways to use the pattern. You can use the pattern to fill in a shape, warp the pattern into a shape, turn your pattern into a custom brush, and use the pattern as a brush stroke.

My Patterns...woo-hoo!

2009-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Check out the patterns I made out of letters! I posted the original patterns in black and white under colored versions of the patterns I created. I posted both versions because I think it is so interesting how the same patterns look so different with and without color.... I guess I also figured you would want to see both as well...just for fun!

...Enjoy!...They will trip you out...seriously!

This pattern is made of Y's in Aristocrat Font. I think the curly Y gives this pattern a more elegant feel than the others. I can see this pattern as a wallpaper in a Victorian style house.

This pattern is made of V's in Jokerman font. The way I combined the V's reminds me of a star or the center of a firework. I love that the pattern is busy and the black and white pattern looks bold.

This pattern is made out of K's in Lucida Calligraphy Italic font. This pattern is a tricky one because you can not see the K. This pattern reminds me of a lace design or a fancy pair of fishnet stockings.

This pattern is made out of Z's in Apple Chancery Font! This patterns design is simple and thoughtful. The different shapes created in the negative space give the pattern a softness. I think this pattern resembles knots or basket weaving.

Aren't they so cool! In some of the patterns it is hard to see the letter in them, huh?...trippy!

Adobe Docs

2009-04-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! That was an adobe overload! So much info all at once. The information was detailed and seems helpful. I am familiar with many of the tools already so it was mostly review. I do know that if I ever get stuck on Illustrator I can go to this site to help me with my questions.
http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

Image Scavenger Hunt

2009-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

There are many images, objects, things, places, etc. that inspire me.
I decided to search my art books for what inspires me and to give you an idea of what I like.

Save Our City by Michael Bierut
http://designarchives.aiga.org/img/media/14593_m.jpg
What I like about “Save our City” is the proportion of elements. I find the image to be a balance between the white and black elements. I also love how words are placed vertical to suggest a city skyline. I love the simplicity and boldness of this image to create a message.

Seduction by Michael Bierut and Marian Bantjes
http://blog.pentagram.com/Yale_Seduction_Sm.jpg
This Image is mesmerizing. I love the use of lines to make a design. The repetition of curvy lines creates a contrast to the rows of text that follow. The title on the image, “Seduction”, grabs your attention and is the main focus of the image.

By Annette Messager
http://media.photobucket.com/image/Annette%20Messager%20work/tdmworks/annettemessager-1.jpg
I have an interest in installation work. I think pieces that are installed are brought to life. This work made of various materials, like photographs and net, becomes symbolic. I love how she grouped these materials in the shape of a heart. I love how she captures what make up love and what is in our hearts.

Star of Bethlehem and Other Plants by Leonardo da Vinci
http://www.arcspace.com/exhibitions/da_vinci_ex/Photo-11.jpg
I love repetition and line. I love drawings. Therefore, I love this drawing. I like how the drawing shows movement. I like how the placement and form of a line can give the essence of motion.

Guitar and Wine Glass by Pablo Picasso
http://www.mcnaytrc.org/images/04_sm.jpg
I love collages. Collages are fun and can feature almost anything. The combination of patterns, pictures, text, fabrics, and other variables can form an amazing final product. I also like how there are so many possibilities with collages.
The Tyger by William Blake
http://johnfenzel.typepad.com/john_fenzels_blog/images/2007/03/29/the_tyger.jpg

Writing is a form of expression. Art is a form of expression. I like how this piece of literature is complimented with an illustration. I also like to combine text and imagery.

…of course the list of images that inspire me do not stop here. But, I do hope that the images above give you an idea of what I like and love in art.

Tutorial Reviews for Week 1

2009-04-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

1) Spoon Graphics has a tutorial on how to create a “Trendy Typographic Poster Design.”

http://www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/create-a-trendy-typographic-poster-design

I learned a better understanding of how to overlap layers on photoshop to create a colorful textured background.

I like how this page supplies a website to go to for your texture needs.
I like how repeated angles of the same word can create an interesting poster.
I tried this tutorial out, check out my “Trendy Typographic Poster Design” using the word "Zippy" (which is one of my nicknames):

This is the image and texture image I used for my background:

2) “Pop Art Inspired by Lichtenstien” Tutorial
http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-popart.html
This organized tutorial shows you how to turn a picture into pop art in 2 detailed steps. Each step has 3 parts. I used to think making pop art was nearly impossible, but after reading this tutorial and see many examples views have posted on the site, I am excited to make my own.

3) “Photoshop: Hand Drawn Design” Tutorial
http://www.webdesignerwall.com/tutorials/photoshop-hand-drawn-design/
I was interested in this tutorial because I love drawings and I want to know how to bring designs I have drawn on to the screen to be apart of an image I create. This site teaches you exactly that. You learn how to modify your drawing (whether the drawing is scanned or made using the brush tool) in photoshop. The tutorial concludes with showing you how to use your drawing in a design. Neat!

4) “Luminescent Lines” Tutorial
http://psdlearning.com/2008/06/luminescent-lines/#more-45
This tutorial reveals the steps needed to make an ordinary line “emit light”. I think lines can compliment an image by adding movement. To make these incredible lines you are taught how to use the photoshop brush and layer tools in 9 steps.

5) “Super Cool Frilly Bits Typography” Tutorial
http://abduzeedo.com/super-cool-frilly-bits-typography
This site teaches you how to make simple type in to a work of art on photoshop. The tutorial starts out by providing sites of where you can find vectors to accent your letters. In 12 well explained steps you have your masterpiece.

Assignment #1 for ART 120

2009-03-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Computer Experience:
I took ART 119 Winter term 2009. I found this class to be challenging and unorganized. I am an organized person (mostly always…. unless I decide to be spontaneous for a couple day). The class gave me some familiarity of the programs Photoshop, illustrator, flash, and iMovie. I used Photoshop and iMovie prior to the Art 119 class when I attended The Oxbow School, a private Art School in Napa, California, my junior year of High School in 2004. So I have a little computer experience under my belt, but nowhere near the about of experience and knowledge I want to know about the programs.

What are you excited about?
I am excited about spending time with my family. I am close with my family and get excited when I get to spend time with them. I especially get excited when I get to spend time with my brothers. My 18 year-old brother is a funny guy so I am always excited for him to make me laugh and for me to make him laugh. My 3 year-old brother is so silly and adorable that I cannot get enough of him…. His excitement about everything gets my excited too… even if its excitement over banana bread. (Which I love to make with him, he is an adorable kitchen assistant).
I get excited over little things too, like saving $.50 on a purchase, finding a parking spot, and getting in line at the grocery store at just the right time where they will direct you to a new register to be first in line. I am also very excited about school…. I enjoy taking new classes, every term I get overwhelmed with all the opportunities I have to learn. I look forward to what I will learn in this class… Which looks to me from the syllabus, that I will learn about everything.

Favorite Books and Magazines:
I have read a few books within this past year, which have become my favs. I read the popular Wizard of Oz spin-off book titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire over winter break. This Novel was very entertaining and the main reason why I want to read the book was so I can see the Wicked Broadway Musical when they came to Portland, which I was fortunately able to do. I saw the hilariously entertaining Wicked Broad Musical on March 18th and felt superior because of the knowledge I had of the story prior to seeing the performance. (The book and the performance of Wicked had their similarities and differences but in no means were exactly the same; this made the show unpredictable and fascinating).
Another book I read recently, over spring break, was Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler. Chelsea Handler is a comedian and currently has a show called Chelsea Lately on the E! Channel. I love her, she is so funny!! The book is categorized as memoir/humor so it is has different chapters about different times/memories in her life written in a casual humorous voice. When you watch her show and read her book you can see that she writes just the way she talks, which is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud to myself multiple times and then feeling silly for doing so…. good times!
I am cheap, so I don’t subscribe to or buy magazines often. I do purchase magazines for emergency situations, like going on a flight and I want something to entertain me and that I can share with my travel buddy (my mom or friend). So when that time comes, I like to buy Cosmopolitan. Cosmo is a fun, interesting, and sometimes educating magazine to read. My personal favorite section to read is the embarrassing stories; they are funny and make you feel better about yourself because it is proof that there are others who become victims to embarrassing situations.

Favorite Websites:
When I go online there are a few special websites that I visit most often…those lucky sites include http://www.yahoo.com/, http://www.youtube.com/, http://postsecret.blogspot.com/, and http://www.facebook.com/.I am on yahoo everyday because that is where I need to check my e-mail. I go to YouTube when I want to take a break from what I am doing and laugh. There are many funny videos/music videos/parodies that I enjoy and there are some I will watch at least once a month for a good laugh! Postsecret is a website I try to visit once a week because the postcards change every Sunday so there re new secrets to read. I enjoy the variety secrets…they are funny, ridiculous, sad, happy, etc. I never know what I will see when I go to that website. I tend to go on facebook when I have nothing else to do. It is a fun, educating, sneaky way to see what your friends are up to. I usually will catch up with old friends by writing a comment about a funny memory we shared and then take a look at there albums…this might sound creepy…. but I assure you that I am not creepy and most facebook members do the same.