Clipping Masks

After Thanksgiving break we began working on clipping masks and layer masks. They were to give more depth to either text or an image/design. It helps convey the message that the designer is hoping for. We were to do three out of the five tutorials downloaded and each were specified by our instructor. These included the scuba, corn, and girl on the swing. The swinging girl also taught us about radial blurs a little and the corn helped us understand how to effectively use a gradient. We were then to design two more things on our own using clipping masks and layer masks. I created the word basketball with a basketball pictured within it and also created an image of the Beatles with another photo within the lettering "artists."

Painting A Picture

For this project, we were to understand the different uses of the paint brush and the different brush styles. We were also to experiment with mixing colors to create others. One mixing colors we created a brush of our own and began painting a wooded area.At this point a tutorial was still supplied. Once finishing this to a good degree we were to move on to a picture we chose and paint that. I chose a sunset. My goal was to blend the already mixing colors even more than they were to create a beautifully colored painting. The result was not bad as I had added highlights to the lighter parts and darker parts of the image before I began the larger scale blending.

Personal Logo

In graphic design, we were to create our personal logo. I made a few different styles to give a variety of ideas with pencil and paper first before moving on to computer designs. A few basic ideas of the designs were put down on paper but evolved once I placed them onto the computer. One involved and avatar for the "i" that represents me with my red hair and glasses. The gray "Mitchell" was my final product of this idea. Reed Rock was one of the better representations. My middle name is Reed and I listen to rock and roll as well as metal. While I made black designs, I prefer either in red. The MH simply involved my initials in a circle. It was a little simple for my taste but had straight edges while still flowing together.

Floating Mountain

This was a lesson in photoshop that was to teach us how to place objects seamlessly into photoshop pictures. We were to create a floating mountain in the given sky photo and then add a couple more objects and title the piece. The project showed us how to remove pixel fringe effectively to make the added items look realistic in the environment. We also learned how to add coloring to help make lighting more realistic as well. I titled my work Brilliance because of the look of the piece and the layout of it. I also added the airplane to add a little more realism to the height and environmental factors. The lightning was to add intensity and intrigue the viewer.

Japanese Patterns

   My motif is many different ellipses rotated five degrees. It then has squares and hexagons within it done in a similar fashion in one solid gray. It resembles some pieces on backs of cards. I was actually inspired by cards and simply started rotating ellipses to see how it looked. The idea of this project was to make something that radiates out from the center and creates a pattern.

   My repeating pattern is hexagons and diamonds moving downward and left and right. It looks similar to beads that hang from doorways or streamers. I was inspired by a hexagon pattern that used multiple different colors but because it did, I couldn't use it here so I made my own. The idea was to make a pattern that repeated from all sides.

Pencil Designs

 Pencil Designs

    While creating these designs I was looking at the instructions extremely closely at first. I needed the directions in order to make these pencils and the cases. I then evolved and my memory and creative process allowed for me to create the color scheme and paper design seen in the second image. My design process then combined fully with my creative aspects in order to create the guitar case and amplifier. I had to think hard for something to accompany the guitar case.

    I knew that making these designs would help me to learn things and improve as a graphic designer. Starting at the cup and pencil with written and in depth directions, then moving to a personal pencil, and finishing with something completely different that applies these skills was the way learning should always be, start with directions and slowly apply it until you are doing it with something that is a 180 degree flip from the directions.

    There were many things I learned from this project that I will most definitely apply to my future works. I will only be explaining a few of these skills. One thing I learned was a helpful keyboard shortcut, command+d, that redoes what was previously done to the selected item. This is helpful when one is trying to make perfectly spaced and duplicated
items. Another thing I learned from this project was how to make something that isn't a single shape filled. This uses the live paint tool. The third and final thing I learned from this project was that shading different portions of objects and even applying gradients to a drop shadow helps to add more dimension to the object and the entire design.