First Time With Illustrator

After finishing our first sketch, we moved into Illustrator. We learned how to use the shape tool, the pencil tool, and the shaper too. For the first project, I made an owl. We sketched it out first so we knew what we were doing. I used smooth lines and stars, for texture, to make my owl. Even though it doesn't look like an actual owl, I like to believe its recognizable. I used mostly gray colors, but I gave it yellow eyes and a red bowtie. I sued curvy shapes and made sure it filled up the space. I didn't add too much depth, but I wanted it to be that way. I did, however, make the wing and feathers a darker gray then the body.

I had a bit of trouble getting used to Illustrator, as moving to a new platform isn't always easy. We watched video tutorials to learn how to use the tools, but it tok a bit to get them to work the way I wanted. Whenever I tried to use the eraser, it would add lines where the eraser had gone over. Once I finally got the hang of it, it wasn't too bad. I tok awhile trying to get the body done, but everything went by a lot faster after that.

For the next project, we used the shaper tool. We had to recreate what we had seen in the video to get used to using it. Mine was giving me a hard time because it wouldn't erase certain lines I was trying oh so hard to get rid of. After awhile I just turned it in as is. I had time left over, so I decided to recreate the Colorado flag, because a step in the process reminded me of it. Though that one seemed easier, it still gave me a bit of a hard time. I couldn't seem to get the lines in the background to go straight across, but I got them as close as I possibly could.

Its been two weeks since we started using Illustrator. Im happy to say that I am starting to warm up to it. I has a very simple design the makes it good for beginners and experts to use. I am excited to see what the rest of the quarter has in store for us in graphic design and what the rest of the semester has in store for us in e-Comm.

First Graphic Design Project

     For our first project in graphic design, we were supposed to draw what graphic design meant to us.  I drew the fist thing it reminded me of which was the apple logo and apps. In my drawing, I had the apple logo in the middle with a bunch of apps surrounding it. I was going to have them fade in, but I remembered too late to add that in. I simply used the colors that were in the logos, but i would have liked for them to be brighter and bolder.
     I used color throughout my entire picture, except for where I didn't have any apps. There wasn't much texture to the picture, but I think that the way the closed pencils look against the paper counts. I made the apple logo the biggest and made the apps smaller, demonstrating size. I used the apple logo and squares with rounded corners for shape. I used spacing by putting the apple logo in the middle and putting a bit of space between it and the apps around it. I had a bit of value in my picture, but would have had more had I gone through with my plan to have the apps fade in and get bolder as you moved away from the center.
     I am very proud of what I was able to make for my first sketch. We had a prompt that was very linient and you could take in any direction you wanted. Sure, there were some things that I could have done or added in, but I think the work I have done is great. I really enjoyed the process of thinking of and sketching out your drawing. I am looking forward to the rest of the quarter in graphic design.

Quarter 2 Reflection

     This semester I took animation and video. I would say my main strength for both quarters was my ability to make things flow together. Nothing looked too out of place and it all fit together rather well. That is something needed for both animation and editing.

     I can get sidetracked easily while working, and that is not good. I need to focus on staying focused. Also need to work on making better storyboards and sticking to them. I had trouble planning out shots right then and there. I couldn't think of what I needed and wanted to be in the final product.

     My favorite part of the whole semester was editing videos. I enjoy seeing the video get put together and seeing everything you filmed and worked hard on fall into place. I like how you get the final say on everything and how whatever skills you have or new things you want to try can all go into that process.

     There isn't anything I would do differently about this semester in e-Comm. Maybe a few spots or days when I could have worked harder instead of slacking off, but other than a few small details, nothing. I would, however, like to go back and see what it would have been like if I made different decisions on projects. Maybe if I had done a different house in animation, or gone a different route with a video. I want to see what that would have been like without changing what has already happened.

    This semester, I got to learn the basics of both animation and video. it was super interesting to learn what goes into making both. There is a lot more making a video than I had expected. For both, there are a lot of details you need to think about before, during, and after.

     Next semester for me is graphic design and the final project. I'm not sure what it will be like but I am very excited. Next semester I want to work better with teams and meet new people in the same program I am in. I have already met a lot of great people through this program and I cannot wait to meet more. Overall, I am very happy with the program I am in and I can't wait to see what it has in store for us.

Web Project

Website Project

     To finish off the quarter, we did a web design project. There is no class for web design, so we have to work it in during different points of the year. This was our first project of the year.

     To do the web project we watched a series of videos, done by Mr. Olson, walking us through each step. We went into Dreamweaver to do it.  First, we had to set up the website in Dreamweaver. Then we had to go into Photoshop to take a picture that would go into the website.  After that, we would follow the steps the video had for us, pausing the video whenever we had to work. The videos did a very good job explaining what each step contained and the best way to go about getting it done. We could also preview it in Safari to see what it would look like when we were done. Throughout the process, we switched back and forth between design and code. We used both to get through the website. 

   
     Sometimes along the way I would get lost and have to go back into the video to find where I was. That took up a lot of extra time and set me back a bit. I also faced the problem of my website turning out different and needing to find where I went wrong. Along the way I learned a lot about how to set up a website using code and Dreamweaver.

     I don't think I will continue web design because the process of creating a website is not something I enjoyed. Maybe if I get to see the whole process I will enjoy it more.  really like the way my website turned out in the end. I am proud of what I was able to create.

Technical Post

How To Put Music In The Background Of A Video
First you are going to want to choose your music that you want to put into your video.  Whether its a song you bought or some audio that you found, you're going to want to put it in your video. If it's just some audio you found, you need to turn it into an mp3 file. You can do that on a website and it should appear in your music. Once you have that, you need to keep yup your music and pull up where you are editing. From there you can drag the mp3 file to where in your video you want the audio. Then you can edit it however you want to!

A B Sequencing

For our second video, we had to demonstrate A B sequencing. We split up into partners to film.  With our partners, we chose what we were doing for our video and drew out a storyboard. To show someone walking and show A B sequencing, I had my partner take long a trip to the printer. First, we got all the shots that were in the classroom and had both of us in them, then went on to the ones that had just one person. Then, we shot out in the hall, getting all the footage to make it look like an interesting walk. After we had everything shot, we hopped into Adobe Premiere and started to edit. I missed a day of class because of a field trip, so I was running a bit behind. I put all the clips together and went back in to fine tune it. After that, I added a few final touches and sent it on its way. I published it, uploaded it, and put it on Google Classroom.
Once we presented our videos, we were given feedback. For my next video I need to make sure I stay on one side of the axis line and keep my clips at a good length.

Six Shot System

Today was our first day really getting to learn about video. We were taught about the six shot system and got to use the iPads to take the pictures. The six shots were, over the shoulder, extreme closeup, extreme wide, medium, wide, and a shot of the hands. We paired up to take the pictures and I took them of my sister.              

Wide- This shot shows the whole body of the character being focused on.

Hand Shot-This shot shows us what they are currently doing with their hands.

Over The Shoulder- This shot shows us what they are doing, but from over their shoulder.

Medium-This shot shows the character from the waist up.

Extreme Closeup- This shot is a closeup of the character's face.

Extreme Wide- This shot shows us the setting of the pictures, but the character is still seen.