Series of images that connected through similar design elements:

When given the flexibility to choose our final project, which had to focus on image sequence, I took my chance to create a stop motion. Before design, my biggest passion was photography, and I played around with different stop motions before:

Rather than having myself in the frame, I decided to use my cousin Abby as the main subject. This series was taken over the Easter holiday, and I decided to experiment with my shots and how they were taken. After using AfterEffects for the semester, where we were taught about making things such as joints move, I wanted to see if I could transfer those skills in photo. I had Abby “float” towards me, and “float” back in the initial and ending frames. This was unique that compared to my other stop motions I had done, which were quicker and more frames per second. Though I do enjoy having a quicker sequence, I’m glad I experimented with the timing and framing of the video. However, I think my development of the video could have been better displayed. It felt to me too “random” and without purpose.

 

The Constructivism project was to create multiple collages based off of the 5 different design elements: Rhythm, Unity, Contrast, Scales, and Balance. These different design elements had to be displayed in collage form. Heavily-based on Photoshop skills, I felt fairly confident in my ability to create these collages. The key to this project was the ability to use and manipulate layers; should the layer be lightened? screened? darkened? By manipulating the layers, the results would change dramatically. In the Balance example, I made the tree in a darkened layer, thus giving it a more gloomy feel. Creating collages sans magazines and scissors, was enjoyable because it gave one the ability to use many images online and allowed more creativity in that way. Though only the Rhythm image contained my photograph, I could see myself doing a project like this just for fun, without an actual assignment to it.

 

 Dada is an art movement of the European avant-garde stage in the early 20th century. It was based of Wassily Kandinsky’s theoretical writings and abstractions. It is the split between reality and convention, heavily using collages in its development. In this dada-based assignment, we were to construct multiple collages based from the era. The aim of this project was difficult, especially since many of these collages were more randomly placed and focused more on being experimental. Using the tools learnt in class, I played around with layers heavily to create these four different works. Though Dadaists used different techniques such as found- and created- surfaces, incorporating that those in Photoshop meant using layers to create that depiction.

 

Before beginning our experience in AfterEffects, one of our first assignments in Image Meth was to create a letter form out of both cardboard and styrofoam. After taking AP Studio Art 3D in high school, I loved to use my hands again to create, something you can’t do completely on the computer. Some of my past work include:

While creating our letter form projects, we documented the process along the way, showing how our letters came to be. At the end, we used AfterEffects to make a gif of the two letter forms. This project was one of my favorites in the class, because we had the ability to use our handskills, something you rarely see when your final project is almost always a printed poster. Real creativity had to be used to create a structure that could stand on its own, and I was faced with that challenge with my cardboard form. My cardboard form, which was made out of many triangles, had to use many, many layers of hot glue to keep the structure strong enough to stand on its own. Though I did not have the ability to adapt it further, I am content with the end results of the two forms.

 

Using the elements of design, the objective of the project was to display prominent features of the elements of design through photography. Although all these photos seem somewhat different, they all went together on a single roll paper as a series, displaying shape, line, space, texture, and form. As a photographer myself, it was strange to be going back to such basic design principles and photographing them in their everyday life. We seem to walk our lives without truly appreciating what is in front of us, until we start looking for them. After walking to the Village/Hunt/Le Mans area so many times, I’ve stopped taking in the beautiful architecture that the building has. By doing this assignment, I was able to keep my eyes open for the idea of design everywhere; from the grass’ texture, to the perspective of my thumb compared to the Austin skyline. The world is beautiful, and full of design.