Final Blog

Daily Struggle

Connor Crouch

Adobe Illustrator

5/4/15

I have never liked drawing and that is why I decided to take vis comm because I heard that all of the work was done in photoshop.  After I learned that we would be working in illustrator, which is a program for drawing, I was prepared for the worst.  After working in illustrator for a couple of weeks, I learned to like it as much as I liked photoshop.  Tracing over a picture and putting your own spin on it is very enjoyable.  Trying to follow the lines of the picture was tricky but the imperfections of the lines contributes to the style of the picture.




My favorite part of vis comm was starting to work with illustrator and creating things like I did above. It was pretty simple to do but you could come up with some great looking pieces.

One thing that I didn't think I would like would be the drawing and the painting we had to do in the beginning of the trimester. I thought that I would hate it but being able to draw your ideas in an abstract way and not having to make the image realistic made me appreciate drawing much more.

I also liked the amount of time that we had to work on projects. I never felt rushed or behind in the class, but I was never so far ahead that I didn't have anything to do.

Social issue photoshop

For this week we used our skills that we have developed in photoshop, illustrator and drawing to create a poster for a social issue.  I chose the social issue of smoking and how it can take away a persons life.  I hand drew the letters of kills, except for the cigarette which was done in illustrator.  The rest of the poster was done in photoshop.  Surprisingly doing the lips was the hardest part for me.  Under the lips were cut off and looked strange if I left it so I had to use the stamp tool to create more skin under the lips to make it look better.

Photoshop and Illustrator

This week we were working with Adobe Photoshop and illustrator.  I have always enjoyed photoshop but I did not know how I would feel about illustrator.  I have never really liked drawing but I like working on the computer so I gave it a shot and ended up really liking it.  Being able to draw over a picture and put my own spin on it was really enjoyable. I am looking forward to playing around more in the next couple of weeks with both of these programs.

Fourth week reflection

This week we learned about typography and the 10 commandments of vis comm.  In this painting I used a bold font on top to show that the message is urgent. I also used symmetry and color.  The color of the words make them pop out and draws attention to them.

Photoshop stuff

After messing around in photo shop for awhile with a photo that I took in Mexico, adjusting the levels, heightening the contrast, and increasing the vibrance, I started to get bored and made Godzilla with laser eyes destroying the city.  The explosion still looks out of place but by using blur and levels I was able to make the Godzilla look more realistic.  By using levels and black and white filters, I was able to make the Godzilla fit more with the picture. I am very happy with how the picture turned out.

First three weeks of vis comm refection

So far I am having a lot of fun in this class.  At first I didn't think I would like the class because I don't like painting, but after a couple weeks of painting, I am starting to enjoy it more than I thought I would.  I still find it challenging to mix colors to try and find the perfect shade of gray that I want to use, but I am learning and it is getting easier for me.  Coming up with ideas for what to paint to represent certain ideas is challenging for me, but eventually I am able to come up with an idea that I am able to paint.  Hopefully by the end of this class I will be more creative and have better painting and other artistic skills.

Vacation Destination

Vacation Destination