WEEK 11: Final 22 two-page spreads

After going through many changes and getting critique from fellow peers and the instructor, I revised a few things.  I also realized that I was not going to have enough content for the magazine if I wanted it to be a magazine of just MY work.  I had really hopped for more time so that I could illustrate a few more pieces of artwork, but I will have to make due with what I have.  In order to help witht his dilema I did two things: added a contents page and I also really increased the size of the images.  By scaling up the illustrations I was able to stretch the content over more pages while still looking good.  It was just a matter of organizing the body text around it, increasing the font size of headings, and really using the negative space to my advantage. 

I started the last polishing revisions by rearranging the content and focusing more on the text fonts.  I decided to start with the line drawings instead of the shape drawing because I wanted to show the final stage of the wolf illustration as a whole 2 page spread.  I order to do that and not warp or distort the image by the middle crease, I had to place it in the middle.  I aimed for page 20-21 but had to compromise for pages 26 to 27 because it would have disruppted the order of images with line drawing to shape drawing and back to a small section of line drawings. This way, the magazine is divided into two main sections: line and shape, but still sub-sections. 

I included many black long rectangles in the vessels variations sections in order to change it up and bring the illustration out to the viewers attention.  With the wolf, I added an additional spread that depicted the process of how I pieced together the wolf through the use of various shapes, brushstrokes, hues, and effects.  When it came to text, I downloaded many of them from the "1001 Free Fonts" website and used them in the headings.  I used fonts such as: Seven Monkey Fury, Dirt2 Dirtstalker, Kelt Caps Freehand, Angelic War, NeverSayDie, etc.  I also included the information on the photograph of the original wolf since it was taken from the internet and not owned by me.

WEEK 10- 10 page spreads

In continuation to Week 9's Blog, I started working on the next 8 spreads and editing the last two to get a total of 10 spreads done by the 10th week of class.  I soon noticed that I was going to be unable to keep up my ideal proportionality for all 20 spreads due to the fact that I did not have enough artwork nor enough text.  Therefore, I had to start spreading my artwork out and decided to really utilize negative space, along with making use of color boxes.

I completely changed the layout of the first two spreads and added on more content.  I figured that since my wolf was the focal point of my magazine, why not make it a lot bigger.  Therefore, I expanded the final wolf illustration along with the heading and a quote so as to attract the reader to the rest of the content.  From here on, I started taking color from the actual artwork on the spreadsheet and applying it to the text, color boxes, and background to complement the page theme.  I wanted to divide the sections into categories: real wolf, variations of wolf, 100-stroke drawings, color and texture drawings, and start the value drawings. 

With the wolf variations, making the whole (9) wolf pictures larger seemed like something I should focus on, rather than the collage of variation wolfs.  When I transitioned into the line drawings, I wanted to make the background with complementary gradient hues, ranging from green to indigo.  After that I went to the color and texture illustrations which I felt needed to stand out, hence the white background.  From there I went into the value drawings.  A background that was grey, text that was white, and boxes that were black really complemented the shadings since they where black and white and all in between.

WEEK 9- 2 Page Spreads

The assignment was for us to create two-page spreads for our magazine using Adobe InDesign CS5.5.  I started by working on my highest quality piece of work, which was the wolf shape drawing.  By using various boxes, I was able to enter text and images into the spreads.  When it came to "body copy" or the text that explains the content, it was required to use 10-font Arial or Times.  We had to use at least four order of text, which meant that there had to be four different fonts types in the page.  I did not really get too creative with text styles, since I wanted to prioritize organization and layout.  The title, headings, and page numbers all helped in providing the different orders of type.   The content I wrote in the text boxes came from my previous posts of how I had created the works of art.  I also included a new element by incorporating a quote that complemented my wolf theme.

When it came to the images, I decided that the final result of my wolf illustrations was the climax of my magazine so it should be relatively big in comparison to the other artworks.  I did not want to go any borders and I still had not really decided on including a background color or layout. 

On the first spread, I started out with the normal wolf and how it evolved from a simple drawing made from big shapes to a contrast showing the actual wolf photograph and the wolf final result.  On the second spread, I decided to do a sort of mix of my variation wolfs in a way that they were all cut at different places and put together so as to illustrate a full wolf made up of all of my variations. After that I felt it was necessary to show each individual variations by itself in order to grasp the whole visual image.  It was also important for me to show the viewer how it slowly progressed to such a dramatic change in a variation. 

This would of been my ideal layout for all pages: proportionality in both images and text.  

WEEK 8- TRACE DRAWING: Wolf Variations

Craft: (See Composition for arrangement of variations concerning number order) Picture number one is the original, depicting the wolf as it is in the actual, real-life photograph.  It has as much color and detail as was necessary to duplicate the photograph through artistic means. The second wolf is the first monochromatic variation.  I chose blue values for most of the wolf and background, but made the eyes values of yellow.  Variation number three uses a plethora of hues, ranging from reds, to grays, to blues, to purples and greens.  When dealing with this extreme chromatic change, I also used different colors to contrast the fill and the outline colors.  Illustration number four through six use a subtle brush called "Marker- Rough" for most of the picture, with the exception of some fine hairs and the eyes.  Variation five mixes numbers two and four and their respective elements.  Variation six also combines numbers three and four.  When we get to third row (numbers seven through nine), we see the less subtle brush, "Text Divider 1."  Again, variation eight brings together features from both prior variations, number two and number seven.  This also applies for variation nine, acquiring its present form from a combination of variations three and seven.

Composition: Starting from the upper left hand corner, we have one, two, and three in sequential order, going from left to right. Similarly, the row that follows below the first row contains the fourth, fifth, and sixth variations, in that order. And lastly, the third row contains the seventh, eight, and ninth, illustrations. This organization made it possible to form a sort of grid in which the top row acted as a basis of color change, and the first column (left) focused on brush stroke. From there on, it was like bingo, where you combine space "B" with space "2" to get the new result of space "B2."

All variations come from the basic source- the first completed wolf.  From there they branch off into different types of art forms that concentrate either on color, brushstroke, or both.  Illustration two was one of the more simple, yet interesting outcomes.  By combining values of blue, I was able to contrast the shades of yellow in the wolf's eyes.  The values complemented each other while the hues could not be more opposite.  This contrast allowed for a fierce-looking wolf, that had life-like eyes that pierced the speculator.  Variation number three combined a large amounts of hues but not as many values.  At first, I wanted to do a an all hot-colored wolf (yellows, reds, and oranges) but it came out looking like a lion.  After that, I resulted to focus on black and white, with the hint of other colors to capture an evil looking wolf.  For variation four through six, I used the "marker -rough" paintbrush.  This was not much different from the regular, plain brushstroke I used in Row 1, but it did seem like the painting was less focused and less defined.  This brush made the illusion of a foggy blur, without actually using the effect "Gaussian Blur." Variations five and six follow the same combinations as seen in the above "Craft."  Row 3 was not expected but did seem to have some positive outcomes.  The "text divider 1" brush is very noticeable and inspired me to keep it for the outside borders and not the inside hairs.  The brush was not applied to the eyes again because it distorted the eyes, which I believe are a keen aspect to preserving the soul of the wolf.  This brush had a very intriguing effect on the outside, where it stretched and made a the lines overlap, zig-zag, and exalt the sharpness and rigidity of the outer hairs.  I did not like how it looked when it was applied to the fine, inner hairs but the Illustrator program seemed to have trouble taking off this brush.  Even if this was not intended, they still seem like the wolf have a more digital look, similar to works of art which use ones and zeros to portray an object. The recurring pattern looks like something from the movie, Matrix.

Concept: The wolf that resembled a photograph is now something more that a simple depiction of an animal.  It is a continuation of different elements and effects that make up new designs.  Through many trials and errors, I was able to get many wolf variations that appeal to my eye as well as many that don't.  In either case, good taste does not matter when interpreting the various different shapes and colors.

WEEK 7: Shaded Vessel Variations

Craft: (See Composition for arrangement of variations concerning number order) The first coffee cup was the original which portrayed the neutral values, ranging from white to black.  The second one has the same principle only in the color red.  The third variation not only incorporated more than one color but also included transparency. Unlike the second one which was just monochromatic and differed in values, the third had values of blue as well as hints of purple and green.  The transparency was set to "Multiply," which allowed for mixing of dark colors and white colors; thus almost reaching pure black and white in some areas.  The fourth illustration varied solely on brushstroke.  I used the "Watercolor- Wet" brushstroke along with the "Width Profile 1." This was also used with variation numbers 5 and 6.  Variation 5 interweaves the appearances of number 2 and 4 showing a jagged and spiky cup.  Variation 6 incorporates the elements of number 3 and 4, which surprisingly regain more of its shape as a cup.  The "multiply" option gives the figure a sort of aura or form of radiating blue energy around the cup.  The seventh, eighth, and ninth variations concerned a more extreme brushstroke, as demonstrated by the "Floral Stem 5" type of brush.  Illustration 7 only uses the "floral stem 5" brush, while number 8 intertwines variations 2 and 7, and illustration number 9 combines variations 3 and 7.


Composition: Starting from the upper left hand corner, we have one, two, and three in sequential order, going from left to right.  Similarly, the row that follows below the first row contains the fourth, fifth, and sixth variations, in that order.  And lastly, the third row contains the seventh, eight, and ninth, illustrations.  This organization made it possible to form a sort of grid in which the top row acted as a basis of color change, and the first column (left) focused on brush stroke.  From there on, it was like bingo, where you combine space "B" with space "2" to get the new result of space "B2."

The foundations for all of these was the first variation, otherwise known as the original.  Painting number 2 was designed to show a single chroma, ranging from a dark crimson to a light pink.  Number 3 had multiple hues, but focused mostly on the shades of blue, along with "multiply" transparency.  This brought about a sort of aqua feeling to the design- giving the feeling of water and fluidity. The interesting aspect of variations 4 through 6 is that they change relative to your position to the screen. When focusing on the vertical axis, if you look down on the screen, they seem to fade, almost vanishing. When it is tilted away, it becomes much more defined and it looks darker (personally think it looks better). In a way, the cup loses its shape and it almost seems like it can be a map with a multitude of mountain ranges, showing the shadowed side and the lighted side. This, in turn, gives a sense of depth and dimensions.  Variations seven through nine seem like they would hurt to try to sip coffee from.  Like the second row, they give the impression of being spiky and look like they would feel like thorns.  Nevertheless, they do not seem as rough nor have a sense of depth, with the exception of the ninth cup.  The seventh and eighth cup look like they are a beautiful decorations that seem 2-dimensional.  They look like tattoos or interesting stamps.  The ninth cup is not as abstract and is by-far the most interesting.  This is because it captures the essence and structure of the cup, while still showing artistic value and intricate designs.  The aura gives it a shinning look to it, while the blue values keep your eye going in a wave pattern, like water.

Concept: These are all different forms of the same coffee cup.  What started off as a black and white cup, has transformed into many variations.  Color and brushstroke alone do not suffice, but when they come together and blend into one, you get results that you would not think to get.  These are the extensions of something simple: a simple cup developed into a work of art.