Design 2D Project #3

So far this has been my favorite project to work on.  To start things off, we were given a stack of pictures of different types of tools and whatnot:  hammers, wrenches, staplers, just to name a few.  I chose a bicycle pump.  Then we were to trace the picture, then single out an area using a specific shape stencil.  I used a basic square, like so...

The area inside the square is now the focus of a pattern that we are to create. I scanned it into the computer, then traced it again using Adobe Illustrator.  

Now that we have our neat little box, we are play around with it. Rotate it.  Inverse the color.  All that jazz.  In the end we were to create a wall pattern that didn't necessarily look like it came from a grid.  The students that chose a triangular pattern didn't have this problem.  The teacher wanted us to come up with at least five different patterns, then picking one to present as the finished product.  Here are the five I did, in order from my first attempt to the one I presented to the class.

What I liked about this project was that I could actually see my progression with each image.  The first one I attempted ending up looking too blocky.  Too dull.  The more I did, the more I starting seeing the possibilities of different styles.  I feel that it really took me four attempts to get to where the instructor wanted us to be.  

Design 2D Project #2

Okay, so project two was similar to project one.  But this time we had to focus on symmetry.  The goal was to create four separate pieces (symmetry, rhythm, focal point and a combo of all three) that, when placed together, would show unity between the four. This wasn't my favorite project only because I didn't like my outcome.  

To me, the finished product looks like a 1970's album cover.  I ended up getting a B on this because not only was I suppose to include something symmetrical, but something "A"symmetrical as well.  I guess I need to pay a little bit more attention durning class. 

Project #3 turned out better.  I'll post it next.

I haven't been blogging that much lately.  Not because there has been nothing to blog about, quite the contrary.  It's just that I haven't felt in the mood to make the effort.  But sitting here at home on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, messing around on the web, going from page to page and finally ending up on my own, I decided to post something. 

Last night KU won their 5th straight Big 12 title.

This comes as a huge surprise to me.  Still not having gotten over the fact that they won it all last year, my expectation of this years squad were extremely low. I wouldn't have been surprised if they didn't even make the tournament.  Then they started playing well and beating some respectable teams.  My hopes were high again.  So high that when they would lose, it would crush my spirit.  Make me forget about how bad they were "suppose" to be this year.  The humiliating lose to Texas Tech actually wasn't that bad.  That's they way this team should have been playing all year.  

This team is unlike any I have seen in the past.  They have won games they should have.  They have turned the ball over 30 times and still found ways to either win or lose by a couple of points.  They are sloppy.  They are poised.  They are young and inexperienced.  They are unpredictable.  I like where they stand at the moment, being a #1 seed in the Big 12 tournament.  Who cares if they win it?  Who cares where they will be seeded in the national tournament?  I don't expect them to win it all.  And I hope nobody else does.  Especially those they're up against.

 

Design 2D

Today I received my first official grade on my first project in Design class.  The funny thing about this class is that Adobe Illustrator was suppose to be a prerequisite.  Just so happens that I was taking said Illustrator class, the same time the first Design project was assigned. Isn't school great?

The project focused on 5 artistic points of view:  Closure, Continuance, Proximity, Similarity, and a grouping of all.  Here are 2 of my 5 that the class actually liked.

Continuance

The basic meaning of continuance is when your eyes naturally follow a path of the displayed image.  So I guess I got that with this one.

Grouping

I was actually trying to go for continuance with this image, but the teacher thought it actually presented all four points of view. Allrighty.

My favorite out of the ones that I did was for Closure.  It also happened to be the first one I worked on.

The basic meaning of closure is when your eyes make out object that isn't really there, but appears because of the objects surrounding it. Or something like that.  See.  Triangles!!!

Anyway, I ended up getting an A- on all five images.  So I was happy with that. 

I-435

I am writing this from school.  I left 15 minutes ago to get here.  Now I am 30 minutes early to class.  If I would have left home now, I would have gotten here 15 minutes late.  

There is a stretch of I-435 between Metcalf and Quivera where driver's IQs drop below that a pickle.  Once they reach that area they join forces to destroy time and humanity and create confusion and cause accidents.  

Sometimes I am surprised people ever make it out alive.

What's Awesome?

This is.

The Boy's 6th Birthday

Collin turned 6 on Thursday. We celebrated by going out to dinner to the T-Rex restaurant out by Legends.



We had been here several times before and its actually not that annoying.  It's dinosaur themed, of course, and different sections of the restaurant are set up as different stages.  The upstairs is the ice age, the back area is the lava room, and the bar area, where we sat, is under the sea.  The very first time we went here they sat us in the back, behind a boulder and next to the server station.  Not very fun for a child, and even more upsetting to an adult.  But we've had fun ever since.

Collin got to do something different this time.  They have a station set up in the gift shop where you can break a rock in half.  Special rocks with crystals in the middle.  It was pretty cool.

Saturday afternoon was his bowling party with a few friends from school.  We did this last year as well with twice as many friends, but decided to tone it down a little just to keep things less hectic.   

As you can see, he's a big fan of the orange fireball.