Semester 1 Reflection

When looking back on the first semester of my junior year, I can see that my quality of work varied with each project. When it was a more open or broad project (such as the "6 Words" project or the "Micrography" project), I noticed that my quality of work was better in comparison to other projects we did. I used the principles and elements of design more effectively in the projects where I let my ideas flow to the screen. The requirements of the assignments were generally fulfilled (although there were a few exceptions) and I followed most of the given guidelines, using the correct resolution and size for the projects where it was specified. I do believe my ideas need a little bit more refinement when it comes to more focused topics, however, as it was harder to come up with an effective composition for those projects.

For most of the projects, I only came up with one or two ideas in my head before I begin to work towards creating them. I don't necessarily believe that I look for "easy solutions," but nevertheless I should spend more time compiling ideas before I start. The effort that I put into projects also varies throughout the first semester: I put in more effort on the projects that I was interested in working on, such as the Micrography and Silhouette projects, and less on the projects that I wasn't as interested in doing. I don't believe that I avoid difficult design decisions, as sometimes I undertake those ideas and try to do the "harder yet better" option. I have yet to give up on a project entirely, but I need to improve on putting in more effort into ALL projects, not just the ones that I prefer to work on. I do sometimes take risks (from a technical standpoint) while doing these projects: when I want to accomplish something that requires me to learn something new on Photoshop, I will usually go through with it anyways. I generally have a positive attitude towards most of my own art, and I am always willing to take constructive criticism from others.

I don't think my participation in class is insufficient. I'm usually on time to class, and I dedicate most if not all of the time in class to working on Photoshop in some way or another (even when I finish my assignment.) I don't really waste time while I'm here to work on homework for another class or text on my phone or anything like that. 

Out of the many aspects that I should work on the most in terms of improvement for the next semester, I believe that I should conceptualize more ideas and better ideas. In the last semester, I usually only brainstormed for ideas for a very small amount of time until I found one or two ideas that fit for the project. I also plan to improve my Photoshop skills so I can execute these ideas more effectively than last semester. I do have an outline of my style as an artist, however, I do need to strengthen that part of my work as well.  

Semester 1 Exam

Movie Poster

Silhouette

Persuasion Posters

The Greatest Invention

Art Generators

Weavesilk

http://weavesilk.com/

Weavesilk is a browser-based art generator that one can use to create beautiful images using simple mouse movements. It has a limited amount of settings, such as only being able to pick from 7 colors, only being able to undo/redo once, no eraser, and no layering system. However, past that,  it allows somebody with a narrow understanding of art and art programs to create stunning images. It's simplicity may be seen as a negative, but for those who just want a program to hop on, mess around and make some cool images, this is perfect.

Sumo Paint

http://www.sumopaint.com/app/

Sumo Paint is another browser based art generator/program, which is much more complex than the aforementioned Weavesilk. This program is actually extremely similar to Photoshop in it's layout, capabilities, and settings, but it's slightly more limited (as this program is FREE, and you have to PAY for Photoshop). This program would most benefit those who want something as similar as possible to Photoshop. However, it's not very user-friendly to those who do not understand Photoshop, and the program has various bugs (some that you can work around) that can make it infuriating to use. It also has a few interesting tools, like the Symmetry Tool, that are not present in Photoshop and provide the user with new things to mess around with. For those that understand it, there are many things that one can create using this program, with many different ways to go about it due to there being less limitations in contrast to Weavesilk.

thisissand

http://thisissand.com/

thisissand is a browser-based art program that allows the user to sprinkle sand-like particles on the screen to create an image. In the picture above, I used various different layers of different shades of sand to create a landscape. This program, like Weavesilk, is somewhat limited in it's options. It does not allow you to remove the "sand," change transparency, create layers, but can be used by anybody from a professional artist to a greenhorn to create images that may form simple ideas (like the one above) or much more complex pieces like the one to the left.. If there's anything to take away from this, just try it out. Anybody will have fun messing around with this one.

random art

http://www.random-art.org/online/

There is not much to say about this one: it's a simple website that allows one to type in anything and based on the word it will create a randomly-generated image (I'm unsure how the image is based on the words, but the same word will always create the same image.) The word I used for the image above was gallery, and here's a few more interesting ones that I've made:

typed:jims

typed: 1023

typed: jere

In short, this is just a website that one would try out to type in some words, names, or phrases to attempt to make a cool-looking image. You can't modify the image in any way (at least not on the website itself) other than changing what words/letters/numbers you use. As limited as it sounds, you can actually make some really cool things with it.