Tutorial Reviews for Week 1

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

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.