Mary McGee The Model

2-28-2104

     The next assignment in Photoshop was to take a picture and make it into a model.  I found the perfect model: a 76 year old lady that raced motorcycles in the desert. She has wrinkles.

     I became obsessed with keeping the basic shape of her face. I didn't want to smooth her cheek-bones or remove her smile. I kept some shading around her eyes but removed the dark circles.

     I had to transplant some jaw. When I smoothed out the side of her face, I messed up her edge. I added some hair (even though I think her hair is very nice). Her face looks a little wider, but I was happy with the result. It still looks like Mary.

2-28-2014

     As I've said before, part of the Graphic Communications Degree is to take an actual Art class. It teaches the basics of the Art Language.

     This week, we made "Print Plates", applied ink, and printed them up. We actually, physically, padded them and rolled them through a roller. It seemed like ancient technology. There was a time when this was the latest technology, in Gutenberg's time. Jayna Conkey touched on the history of Typography in the first Graphic Communications class.

     We were all in suspense to see what our prints would look like, when they got unwrapped after the roller. It was all very cool.

    
    This girl made a whale. It accidentally came out very good. We were all very impressed. She used gauze to make ripples in the water. Fascinating.

     It's interesting how sometimes your own work is not favorite result. Mine are the 3 in the top, right corner. The top one was too dark. I hated it. I did another one, with the same plate (below it) and the color (light and dark) was more balanced. I still didn't love it. You couldn't see the flowers. Oh well.

     I used another plate to make a single flower bush, in a frame (to the left of the corner). It was too light. I think printing leaves is hard, because they dry out and don't make a shape.

     One student printed cars (left side of picture). They looked perfect, like a photo. He said he traced them.

     My favorite print had images of birds (but not too perfect) and had a nice balance of light and dark.

     This is it: my fave!   Not my work, just my favorite.

2-28-2014

     I really liked the next assignment in Photoshop. It was combining 2 animals (into 1 animal, get it?). I really like irony, so I wanted to make a cat with a tiger head on it.

I liked it,but it was unimpressive.

    It just looked like a tiger.  

I decided to make a bunny with a kitty head.

     I think it's really cute, and it was really fun. I think I learned something from the exercise. I had to make layers and change the opacity to blend it in.

Altered Art

2-16-2014

     The "Altered Art" assignment was about taking an old painting and adding modern elements to it. I didn't want to add flying pigs to a masterpiece. I wanted the end result to be appealing.

     I started out wanting to take a woman sitting with cherubs, and put diapers on the cherubs. I couldn't find cloth diaper images large enough to work with.

     I liked that picture, but I found another painting that I liked.

     I wanted to fix up her hair and put a sexy choker on her. I had to include 5 items for the assignment, so I threw an iPhone in the background.

     I worked really hard on it and was happy with the result.

Restored Photo

2-16-14

     One of our assignments for PhotoShop class was to restore an old or damaged photo.

     I took a photo of my son and his family, copied it, put pen marks all over it, and punched holes in it. The assignment was to remove all the marks and make it look new.

     The PhotoShop worked very well. I had to use the "stamp" alot. The "band-aid" didn't work very well. I had alot of different textures, like the mesh of the rail. The end result looked exactly like when I started, before the damage.

    

Veggie Head

2-16-14

     I really enjoyed doing the "Veggie Head" exercise. It involves learning basic skills like: moving objects around the page, sizing, and duplicating.

     I wanted my Veggie Head to look like a girl. I thought the hair was really important. I erased the edges of the bananas to make them look soft. I was really happy with the result.

     When we saw the work of the whole class, I was impressed by the variety. I saw a girl-head. Other people produced work that looked angry or scary.

Masterpiece

2-14-2014

     I'm fascinated with this piece. It never gets old.
     It looks like someone threw paint on the wall, but it's actually quite balanced. It has light and dark, high and low.  It's actually not on paper.  It's painted on cloth, hung somehow on the wall, without cracking the dried paint.
      I always feel like I've "discovered" it, when I walk by. I want to stop people in the hall, and say, "Look! Did you see this?"
     I like "messy" art, anyway. I saw a big tapestry one time in my dad's office that looked like someone threw string and paint on cardboard and hung it on the wall. It was as tall as the two-story entrance way.
     I think art is supposed to express "How you feel."  I guess that artist felt "messy" that day.  My dad said, "That's funny. I feel 'messy' today, too."

Different Branches

2-14-2014

     This isn't my class, but it's a good example of how each student interprets a project differently.
These branches are all the same assignment.
     Some of these are very sophisticated. Everyone comes with their own set of skills to the class.

Art Building

2-14-2014

     One of the interesting things about attending classes in the Art Building, is all the student art all over the walls.
     Some of it looks obviously amateurish, but some of it is very good. It stands to reason that some people that take Art classes might be artistic.

Same classes

2-14-2014

     This young chap is doing the same thing I am, taking the Art class and then hiking over to the High School to take the PhotoShop class, as part of a Graphics Communications Degree.
     We share a desk and make self-deprecating jokes about our work.

Art Class

February 14, 2014

     Taking PhotoShop this semester is part of the Graphic Communications degree. So far, it's really fun. I think everybody enjoyed making our Altered Art Project.
     Another part of the Graphic Communications Degree, is taking an Art class. It's a totally different universe from the outside world. Usually, people tell you, "Quit playing. Do your work."  In this class, the idea is, "Play with it. Be creative." 
     I like my teacher, Miss Wagner. She looks "Artsy" to me, not that I know what that looks like.