final project brainstorm

still not sure where to begin my project. here we go.

i cant get my mind off the idea of a pirate wedding, with thieving, white wedding tents, and a mob of pirates. it doesn't have anything to do with gifts for a pirate other than the fact that you usually get gifts at a wedding. so i'm trying to wipe the slate clean and start again.

gold, johnny depp, treasure, gems, heavily decorated images, really worn, torn edges, dark brown tinge, burnt edges, salt water, blue sky, dark ship, dark slatted wood, cannons, cannon balls, red, black, umber, bandannas, braids, braid with beads, lace, corsette, baggy sleeves, cinched at waist and elbows, but still flowy, Caribbean, monsters, hats, first mate, gang of pirates, thieves, cash, $$$$, really excited about the details, the aged looks, the "Gothic" motifs.

more to come.

name A good gift for a pirate

gifts for a pirate would be anything associated with pirates of the Caribbean. I love that movie. Suggestions from the game show family feud include:
eye patch
sword
parrot
peg leg
rum
hoop earrings
ship
These are pretty typical responses, but I think I will brainstorm more about where I can take this piece. I don't want to copy the movie with Mr. Depp, but I would like to take some of the motifs from the movie and work with it.
why wasn't gold or treasure in there. that's why they're pirates right? thieves, liars, cheaters, etc?? more brainstorming to come.

Improving the Shape of Facial Features

This video really opened my eyes to the possibilities of photoshop. I have NO experience using this program, and I guess I've never really seen anyone use it either. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it has exceeded my expectations already.
Improving the Shape of Facial features uses what the narrator calls "basic" techniques. These seem all but basic to me, but hopefully in time these will be second nature. I think the most important thing I learned was the significance of layers, and how using several of them can benefit my work. Each action requires a new layer to separate it/freeze it from the rest.
One surprising thing to me was how critical the narrator was of the photograph. I would have looked at this original image and said "fantastic," but some how the narrator found many things wrong with it! Well, maybe not "wrong," but he wanted to change or could be improved. Changing the shape of the ears and eyes was very impressive. it amazed me how seamless it looked across the face. Small changes in facial features CAN make a big difference in appearance, but I learned how to make subtle changes to improve a photograph.

link to video
http://tv.adobe.com/#vi+f1476v1248

about me?

I'M 23 YEARS OLD. ORIGINALLY FROM ST. PAUL, MN. I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 2003 AND MADE PLANS TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH. I HAD DECLARED A MAJOR IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION WITH AN EMPHASIS IN MATHEMATICS. I COMPLETED THREE YEARS OF SCHOOL AND DECIDED TEACHING WAS NOT FOR ME.
I CHOSE TO TAKE A YEAR OFF FROM THE COLLEGE PRESSURES AND FOCUS ON MY ART.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED ART AND DESIGN, BUT HAVE BEEN DISCOURAGED FROM EVER ENTERING THE FIELD, AFTER A YEAR OF EXPLORING MY TALENTS I DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE UNIVERSITY AND PURSUE AN ART DEGREE. SO HERE I AM. SITTING, IN 2D DIGITAL DESIGN.

How Design Can Save Democracy

I don't think ballot design will SAVE democracy. The title is misleading. Are our voting methods/ballot designs a centerpiece for democracy? No. Democracy is equal rights and our freedom to choose.

However i do agree that ballot design is an issue. We have many talented citizens dedicated to design and layout, and we still can't get it right? There needs to be a universal voting method. Yes, this will cost money, but this could alleviate our design issues.





VOTE OBAMA

My Poem

I Want IT. COFFEE
LOVE
TRUTH

i Want THE Vision
the Revolution
THE flair

FACE THE edge.

Sagmeister 05

I would like to touch on some of the artistic elements in Sagmeister's video. I really liked the short clips of words put together to create sentences. Each word had its own individuality and character, but when put together created one harmonious sentence. Each sentence also seemed to have a meaning. Instead of interviewing him more, he used his art to speak to the audience. I really felt like I was engaged. Visually, and Emotionally.

David Carson

David said, "let the personality come through." Even though he was working for someone else, it was still important to him to have personal elements included in his work. Much of the work I do is not digital, but does have very personal elements. I do not work for anyone, my art is made for me.
As a graphic artist, David sounds like he's been through points in his career where he is not making art for himself. Now, maybe he is realizing the importance of "personal touches."

Typography: Vancouver Film School

The film opens up by defining typography as “the way our language looks.” I am discovering the importance of typography in our culture. To begin my assignment I gathered my magazines. I selected all of my old Elle issues and started paging through. I found many intriguing words, but many of them were in the same font. Over and over again I saw the same typeface. Just like Country Living and Elle Décor, I realized these magazines had created a “brand” by simply using the same font.

Back to the video:
Typography sounds like a complicated and detail-oriented adventure.

John Maeda

“The gleaming devices (referencing his iphone) that surround us are intrinsically different from the designed objects of the past. They simply don’t work all the time, nor do we expect them to. We’re obsessed with the potential of our gadgets, yet we always bump into this kind of turbulence.”

John is reflecting on the possibilities our technology offers, yet these are only POSSIBILITIES. We do not assume our computers, cell phones, and PDA’s alike will last forever. Of course we will encounter problems. Of course we will send them back to the manufacturer “once in a while.”
John has a new plan. A plan that may delay the launch of a new product, but a plan that will produce BETTER, more EFFICIENT tools. John says, “I plan to focus on how RISD’s core ideals of art and design can humanize our advancing technologies. Or, put another way, to focus on what we should be doing, not just what we can.”