"Bad Music Video"

Self Portrait Collage

Jessica Hische

I really enjoyed Jessica's talk because the work that she does is more similar to what I am interested in doing. Her Daily Drop Cap project was great to look at because it provided vivid examples of just how many options there are with typography, which is a major part of graphic design. She also had excellent advice that will definitely come in handy in the future, such as having to go through all the motions to know what will work for you and watching out for copyright and licensing issues. And other suggestions such as taking a calligraphy class and keeping in mind other fonts that would go well with your illustrations and fonts. Although I don't have much experience with Adobe, I really want to learn how to work with typography and more of the elements that make up graphic design because that is what I'm most interested in.

Photoshop Homework Part Deux

For the project, I chose to manipulate a picture of Tyler. The elements that I photoshopped in, such as the building in the background, the statue and the bird were pictures from my trip to Ireland over the summer, and the mosaic pieces were from pictures from South Street. My image could challenge the idea of fair use through the mosaic and statue elements because they were artwork created by another artist that I am incorporating into my piece.

John Thompson

In the beginning of his discussion, Thompson said that the "studio is where you can be yourself." I thought this really applied because in order to make art you are truly proud of, you have to be comfortable in your environment. I also liked his metaphor of studios as islands, because others can visit, but at the same time you are isolated. He talked about working for the sake of working, which may seem pointless, but is actually good to make sure you don't lose momentum with your work. Thompson also suggested taking a break and going somewhere you can "react to something,"which I thought was good advice because sometimes going somewhere different can be refreshing and inspiring. He mentioned that he takes pictures of his pieces as he goes along to use as reference points of where he made good decisions vs. bad decisions. I really liked this idea because sometimes it's good to look back at the progress of your work and see where your stronger and weaker points are.

Photoshopped News Photo

Scanner Self Portrait

Doug Bucci

One thing Doug Bucci said that really had an impact on me was "when you're comfortable with something, you're not learning." When thinking more in depth about this, I realized I agreed with what he was saying. When you are at ease with what you are doing, it becomes more about routine than trying new things. I also liked that he suggested to use "what you know best" as jumping off point, because what you know best is what you're comfortable with and you need to move outside your comfort zone to learn. Another thing I found fascinating was how he incorporated digital technology into his work through printouts and connecting his insulin software to his digital software. It's interesting that you can use digital technology in so many other areas of art.

Eben Bayer: Are mushrooms the new plastic?

This video appealed to me because last year I took an AP Environmental Science class and learned a lot about waste and its effect on our planet. Bayer begins his discussion talking about using crop waste that is compostable, unlike materials such as plastic and styrofoam. The important part of the mushroom is called mycelium, which can be used as a glue-like substance. One product made with it was a corner block which was used in shipping furniture. The idea is that the new compostable material would replace substances such as styrofoam used in packaging. I think it is a good solution to a problem, but I don't really expect to compostable material to replace styrofoam completely. One issue I found with this concept is the fact that the packaging material is made from compostable material, so I'm a little confused as to whether or not the material begins to rot or smell bad after a certain period of time. He also mentions that we rely on a single "feedstock" (petroleum) to heat our homes, power our cars, etc. However, I disagree with this. There are currently many alternate energy sources such as solar power, nuclear power, coal, wind power, etc. We have made improvements in finding new greener energy sources, they are just not as radical as many people would like. In my opinion, our generation is so obsessed with consumption that a drastic change would be unsuccessful.

http://www.ted.com/talks/eben_bayer_are_mushrooms_the_new_plastic.html

Marianne Dages
I found her discussion particularly informative because she gave several different options to her basic topic of how to set up a studio after you leave school. She said that "where you work affects the work you make," which I agree with because I have seen variations in the quality of my work, depending on where I made it. There were three main options, studio-wise, that she listed: community, partner and building a personal studio. To me, a personal studio would be preferable because I have noticed that I work better when I am isolated and don't have outside distractions. For example, back in high school, I would produce better work at home than I did in the classroom when I had friends to talk to. I also really liked her suggestion of making a list of the tools I use and then buying one tool every month instead of all at once which can be overwhelming.

Candy Depew

I really enjoyed Candy Depew's presentation, even though it didn't have as much to do with studio space as designing spaces. Her designs were very eye-catchingly bright and has a certain style about her work that I would probably be able to identify right away. One part of her discussion that I particularly liked was near the end when she discussed screen printing because I've done screen printing before and loved it and it was interesting to see all of the designs she had made. She has also had great opportunities such as working in the Kohler factory in Wisconsin and having a studio in Times Square in NYC. She also discussed the importance of apprenticeship. I think being apprentice would be a valuable experience because you get real experience in what you want to do.

Text Art

View all

Get your own

The assignment was to use text in three different ways. The first project was abstract, mainly experimenting with different fonts and weights and lines. The second project was to do a representational picture. I chose to do a flower and then used different font sizes and heaviness to show shading on the flower. I had the most fun with this one and liked the way it turned out. However, if I could go back and do things over, I might experiment more with different fonts for heaviness and be more precise with some of the shading. The third project was to take a word and express the emotion through text. This was probably the one I had the most difficulty with because I didn't completely understand what it meant to express the emotion through text. If given the chance to do it again, I would probably choose a different word to express. Overall it was interesting to experiment with Adobe Illustrator because I have used it before, but not for doing art with typography.

Peter Hanley

First off, I found it amusing that Peter Hanley's discussion was titled "Between 2 Studios" when he admitted to not even having a studio. Some of the points he made confused me; for instance, he said that the first studio is in your head and that computers and the internet are merely layers. I'm not quite sure what layers have to do with studio space, but he later went on to say that "the studio is wherever you work" which made more sense to me. He also stated that the "studio is where you're alone" which I both agree and disagree with. Sometimes I prefer to work on projects alone, but other times I enjoy having company with me. Hanley also talked about the connections between poetry & writing, typography & design, publishing, language & structure, critique & ideology, digital media, and programming as his interests shifted between them. I could relate because my interests have shifted a lot over the years, but I still feel like they are all interrelated.

A Post on a Variety of Things

Professor Glahn
I thought his presentation was very interesting, even if I didn't necessarily agree with all of his opinions. I appreciated the fact that he favors design because that is my preferred major at this point. However, I don't agree that art is too departmental because all artists have different strengths and weaknesses which could be broken up by the categories which already exist. For example, I have a preference for technology such as the computer and the camera, whereas I don't have much experience with three dimension and definitely have a weakness in the painting department.
After the lecture I browsed some of the websites he referenced in his presentation. Waag Society is intriguing in the aspect that it provides services such as lectures, labs, workshops and other events for all. The website talks a lot about researching and developing creative technology but doesn't go into much detail about it. I also found the website, Future Everything, very interesting. The Media Festival Arts seems like something I would want to check out if I got the opportunity. However, the most recent one has already passed and took place in London.

Response to the Videos:
Alison Chang's Lawyer, Ryan Zehl, is Interviewed on CNN
This video really changed my perspective on media because it made me realize just how open and shared everything is on the internet. I have already dealt with an issue once of a person using a few pictures of mine and taking credit for it, and was pretty upset about it. I don't know what I would do if someone was using my work to make a profit. It depends on the situation; if I were getting credit for it but not receiving a profit, I might be more inclined to just accept it, in comparison to receiving no recognition or profit, because at least with the former my name would be recognized.

Larry Lessig on Laws that Choke Creativity
One part of his discussion that relates to the video mentioned above is user generated content. Taking a song and shooting a new video, doing lip synch videos, and making mashup songs are taking someone else's work and adding a personal touch to it. Like I said earlier, I think this is okay as long as the artist is given credit. This is because the artist is still given the chance to make a profit. For example, if a person comes across a mashup that he/she likes, he/she might be inclined to purchase the actual songs that make up the mix. This ties into his statement that an artist has the right to choose to make their work available for noncommercial uses or not.

View all

Get your own

Philadelphia Adventures

For the assignment I decided to take the subway to center city and brought my friend, Adam, and my roommate, Paula, with me. It was around 7pm, so it was getting dark out, but I love the nightlife of the city. We first went to Love Park, which I had wanted to visit for awhile. We meet a nice couple who agreed to take our picture in exchange for theirs. Afterwards we walked around for a bit and found an area with giant statues of game pieces which was really neat. We then walked down Broad Street and I took some pictures of the lights on the buildings. 

Then we came across Ihop! After living off of dining hall pizza and burgers, we got really excited about having pancakes for dinner. When we finished the most delicious meal ever (with slight exaggeration), we headed back to the subway to return to the dorms. After my floor mates heard about our adventures in Center City, they all wanted to go, so I'm sure I'll be returning soon.

View all

Get your own