Semester 1 Final

Pop Art Project: “Flower Drew”

This was a project based off of pop art styles from artists like Andy Warhol.
I think that mine is most like James Rosenquist’s art. We did it in the Adobe
Photoshop program. It didn’t take very long to complete, it wasn’t too difficult.
I was challenged by spacing (with the flowers) and trying to make the entire
piece more interesting. I learned a lot about PS and the advantages of using
layers and opacity to make your project have depth. A lot of people liked the
bright pinks, purples, and blues but wanted something more exciting. My
original ideal was to do a more Warhol-esque piece but I like how mine
turned out. I am learning a lot about PS and Adobe Illustrator and think I am
growing as a graphic designer as a whole. It has gotten a lot better since the
beginning of the year.

Fall Icons

This was our second Adobe Illustrator project. We were given instructions and
a final example so it wasn’t too personalized. It took me quite a while to finish
just because I was still new to AI and there were so many little details. One
challenge was using the pen tool on some of the leaves. I found it super
difficult. I learned more about AI as a program but I also figured out how to
reflect shapes. I was given feedback on changing some of the colors of my
images, people liked the diversity. No, I didn’t change much other than the
colors. I thought this one turned out quite nice actually, very simple and clean
looking.

Infographic: “All About Dinosaurs”

This was our most recent AI project, and it was a big one. I’m actually still
working on it and will be finishing it second semester. I definitely had troubles
with the color palette and issues with choosing a layout. I am learning so much
through this project, especially using the pen tool. It’s probably my new favorite
AI tool. I’m constantly asking for people’s opinions and feedback on my work.
I changed my brown background to a green one and it looks much better. I’m pretty proud of how this one is turning out actually.

Overview

I think I used my time wisely and was very productive during class. I took
advantage of any extra time to work on blogposts and other projects so I
was always up to date. However, I didn’t always finish everything during class.
I ended up staying after school a lot of the time so I could complete everything.
I also came in for lunch or before school. I like to take time to make everything
to my liking.

My strengths would be completing each assignment to the best of my ability.
I always try and figure out a way to make something work or look good. I never
give up on a project.

I need to improve on branching out and taking risks with my projects. I feel like I
restrain myself too often. My pieces and graphics would be more interesting if I
let go and allowed myself to be more creative with them.

I loved this semester. The class was awesome and I was always happy to go
there at the end of the day. I miss having an art class so graphic design made
me content. I think I just love doing projects and using PS and AI. The people
in the class are super fun too. I don’t think I would do anything different. My
overall takeaway is that practice makes perfect. The first AI assignment (the
Raccoon) was super difficult but I got better at using the program. Now, I think
I’ve improved a lot. Next semester, I would like to be more creative and
effectively manage my time. In all, I’m super excited to do more second
semester!