ADDING TO MY TOOL BOX

In The Beginning 

To start off my new project in graphic design I first sketched what I wanted to design. The assignment was to make something using the shape tool we learned earlier, so I thought I would create a soccer goal and soccer ball in an outside setting. Within my sketch I used the key elements in several

different ways. I used lines to show the separation between sky and grass, and to also so the rigidness in the goal but then used curved lines in the clouds to show how soft and gentle they are. In this sketch I basically used lines to show the difference between the rigidness in certain objects but then contrasting it with softer lines. The use of color was to show what things were naturally darker and lighter while also using darker colors in front and lighter in back to bring more of a focus towards the front. The use of value also plays into this concept by using light colors in certain places but then going into darker colors as you moved toward the front as kind of a transition. The size of the objects within my sketch also help bring more attention to the front and show perception and depth. I was able to achieve this by making the goal and soccer ball bigger than the sun and the clouds. With in this sketch I did not use any textures because I wanted to the design simple and smooth. However I did use space to show the dimensions of the drawing and the difference between the grass and the sky. I used all of these elements to sketch my new design and make it visually appealing.

Using My Training 

To be able to create my design in Adobe Illustrator I had to use the pencil and shape tool that I had recently learned how to use. I first use the pencil tool to make the shape of the goal since I wasn't able to get the shape I wanted with the shape tool. Then I used to shape tool to create the lines for the goal net. After I finished the goal I moved to the soccer ball, which was quiet easy to make. To make the

ball I simply created a circle using the shape tool and then created some hexagons within the circle using the shape tool after switching the shape it would create. I then created lines connecting the hexagons together. After the soccer ball was done I selected each hexagon and colored them black then I selected the circle that made up the ball and colored it in pink. I then colored the goal in black using the paint brush tool. Once the goal and ball were colored I created a green square for the grass, after it was in place I move it the back of the page so that way the goal and ball would be on it. Then I moved onto the sky, I used the same technique I used for the grass for the sky, I just cooled the rectangle blue. After that I thought it would be cool if I added some clouds so I went to the pencil tool and drew some squiggly lines that looked like clouds. Then I selected each one a filled them in white. Once the clouds were done I moved on to the sun which just consist of a yellow circle and lines made using the shape tool. This project was really fun and I enjoyed it since I could make several different shapes.

Using My Training (pt.2)

After I learned about the pencil and shape tool, I learned how to use the shaper tool. The shaper tool

is different from the shape tool because it allows you to manipulate the shapes more and makes shapes from seemingly random lines. The project that we had to do using the shaper tool was to make a kind of eyeball like shape that is red and then a rectangle that is blue behind it. Building the eyeball shape was easy but when it came to pulling the rectangle behind the eye I ran into some difficulties. This part was hard for me because when ever I would drag the rectangle into place the eyeball would turn blue and when I would move the rectangle to the back part of the eye would be blue and the other part would be red. After several attempts I successfully put the rectangle in place without messing up the eyeball.

My Thoughts

After working with Adobe Illustrator for two weeks I have a pretty good idea on how it works. Most of the tools are pretty easy to use and understand and the ones that aren't get easier as I use them more often. Sometimes coloring lines and shapes can be difficult but the more I use the program the easier it is to use the colors and understand what I have to get what I want. Overall I'm liking the program more than I expected and I'm looking forward to learning more about as the quarter continues.

FIRST SKETCHBOOK PROJECT

The Artistic Thought Process

This quarter for my e-Communication class I am in graphic design. For our first assignment we were to draw in our sketchbook what we thought graphic design was. When ever I think of graphic design logos and advertisements come to mind, so in my sketchbook I included many logos and apps. I included this because we see them everyday whether that be in the form of an app on our phones like Instagram and YouTube or on clothes like Adidas and Nike. In my sketch you can see the logos for Adidas, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, the Apple Music app, Chipotle, and the e-Communication program at ONW. Not only did I draw company logos I also drew a band logo and a couple colleges. I added the logo of the band Oh Wonder since this is a form of branding that basically all bands have. I also drew the name and symbol mostly associated with New York University and the University of Southern California. I drew these colleges because they are a couple of colleges I'm interested in going to after high school. These are also examples of logos/branding because these things are used in association with each college, so people would be able to recognize each college. Along with logos and apps I used some typography. This can be seen in the Oh Wonder logo, the NYU, and the "soccer" I wrote. I used typography so you would see the words clearly and what some of the pictures were, I wrote out the soccer so you could understand a little bit more about me. I added everything in my picture because in one away or another they represent what graphic design is and you are able to recognize what each logo is for.

7 Keys To Success

Before I started sketching my design I learned about the key elements to graphic design. These elements are: lines, color, texture, size, shape, space, and value. You can see examples of these elements in my sketch. The only lines I really incorporated into my sketch were the outlines of the logos, due to this fact most of my lines were straight with the exception of the curves in the Adidas logo, some letters, etc. Although most of the lines are visible, the YouTube logo and "soccer" are

forming a diagonal line due to the position they were drawn in. Overall, my sketch contained several different kinds of lines. I used a variety of color in this project ranging from blacks to whites. The colors really just determined on what the logo had but this gave my project many different colors. I choose grey as the background color since I thought it would make everything pop a little more. The different colors also lead to different values being used as well. The value correlates to how dark or light something is. The different values I used ranged from a very dark black used in the Adidas logo to just pure white in the Oh Wonder logo. I also used value to blend or fade colors in the Instagram and Apple Music logo. For texture, however, I didn't really use a lot of it. I mainly just tried to keep everything smooth so it would be pleasant to look at since there was so much on the page. The size of everything I drew varied in size. The items that I thought were the most important were a bigger size and the least important ones were smaller. The different sizes also made the drawing more interesting to look at. The different sizes also helped fill up the space on the page while leaving enough breathing room in between each drawing. I filled the space quite well, leaving little white space so the viewer does not get bored. I used shape to fit the logos in but I tried my best to get the shape of the original logo right and not really change anything. shapes also made the drawing interesting because it gave the viewer several different things to look at. All of these elements are important in graphic design.

New Experiences, New Enjoyments

Overall I really enjoyed the sketching process. I found drawing and coloring very relaxing and being able to draw what ever I liked was really cool since I had complete creative freedom. Although, at times, drawing could be frustrating because sometimes I couldn't draw something exactly like I wanted. I especially liked having to figure out what had to go where to make the drawing look good and adding color to it which seemed to bring the drawing alive. Through this new experience I learned some new skills and something else that I like doing and that helps me relax.

LOOKING BACK ON MY QUATER IN VIDEO

What I Think About e-Comm

This semester I was in animation and video. First quarter I was in animation and second quarter I was in video. Will I was in these two quarters I learned how to created animations and learned about the basics of animations. I also learned how to use time wisely and work well people. In first quarter I started to get to know my classmates and make new friends. In second quarter I learned about the basics making videos, editing, communicating with people and using new computer software. I really enjoyed the video class the most because I like making videos and editing them my teacher is really cool, and the people in my class are really cool and entertaining. While I went through the semester I learned that some of my editing skills need work as well as my animations but as time goes on I will improve these skills and get better. I wouldn't change anything about this quarter or the semester. I enjoyed what I worked on and my classes. I'm also really proud of all of my videos and animation. Next semester I am going to keep my mind open to graphic design sinceI'm not that excited to do it but I'm open to new experiences. I'm also really excited for fourth quarter since we get put into a group and design an item. After the item is thought of we get to use all the skills we've obtained throughout the semester to sell and advertise the item. I'm most excited for the project. Well this is my last blog from video class, i'll see you next semester

I MADE A WEBSITE

How I Got To Where I Am Now

Before I started making my video I first had to download the software and take a picture using Photo Booth on my computer.  The software we used was called Dreamweaver. In Dreamweaver we learned how to make a website, this included learning how to design one and little about the code that is behind websites. After Dreamweaver was downloaded I started making my website. To make my website I followed along with six tutorial videos that Mr. Olson (my animation) teacher made. The videos too my through how to the website layout into Dreamweaver, how to set up links and some of the code, and how to change the colors and text of the website. In the end I ended up with a two page website, one is a home page and the other is a page with some of my e-Comm projects on it. Overall the entire process took me about three days in class. In those three days I used my class time wisely. I got into the classroom, sat down, and started working. I spent some time talking to friends and being social but overall i spent most of my time working. 

The Challenges I Encountered 

Throughout the project I faced some problems. As I tried to follow some of the videos I got confused and I either had to rewind the video, ask Mr. Cooper (my video teacher) for help, or both. Although I faced these problems I persevered and created a beautiful website. Some of the problems I faced was being able to things, not knowing where things are, and just not being able to follow along with the video and getting confused. As the project continued, however, I got more comfortable with the software and didn't have as many problems. Throughout this project and having to face these problems I learned many things. The first thing I learned was how to use Dreamweaver and make a website. This took some time but now I know how to make a simple website. Another piece of knowledge I gained was to take my time and just back track if I ever get confused. The last think I learned was a little bit of coding and that its fun. I enjoy coding but I don't really like creating websites, I find it boring. 

My Impression of Web Design 

Overall I enjoyed the web project even if I may not like designing websites. This project was different and fun new experience, I actually wish that I had more time to learn more about web design and go more in-depth with it. Coding my website was my favorite part. It was interesting to see what goes in behind a website and being able to do it myself. After I followed all the steps I ended up with a beautiful two page website. 

THE STORY OF THE SWEATSHIRT THIEF

The Origin of the Sweatshirt Thief

To start the video making process everyone in the class picked their groups to film in. In my group I had two of my classmates, Melia (the sweatshirt thief) and Tressa (the person filming the video). Before we got to filming we of course ha dot start by drawing out our story board. After a few minutes of spouting out ideas we land with the idea of Melia stealing my sweatshirt and me having to chase after her to get it back. Our storyboard ended up being two and a half pages long and was quiet detailed. After the storyboard was done my group and I scouted out a location for the video. We decided that we would start filming in part of the e-Communication room and then transition into the hallway. Once we found our location we started filming. The filming process was really fun since I got to do it with my friends and we had a lot of fun with it. Filming consisted of a lot of collaboration and communication between my group members and I. We had to talk about what we thought of the shots and how we want them to look. After the filming was done we exported the clips onto each of our computers and began editing. I thought it would be fun to add text and music to my video so I did and I'm really proud go how it turned out, my YouTube is below go watch it. After the editing was done I exported it to YouTube.


Lessons The Sweatshirt Thief Learned 

Throughout this video product I learned new skills to enhance the videos I make. One of these new skills is being able to add text and sound into videos. Adding text and videos will add more elements and make them more entertaining. After I learned how to add text and music, I realized it was easier than I thought it would be. To add music I found an audio on YouTube I liked and transferred into an mp3 film. Once the audio is in mp3 form I simply imported it into the video editing software and cut it to the length I wanted it. I also learned how to add text to a video which I previously blogged about. If you want to learn how to add text to a video in Adobe  Premiere then go check out my last blog. I also learned the importance of communicating with the people your working with and making sure all of you like the shot and talk about how to make it better. Melia also learned not to steal my sweatshirt.


How The Sweatshirt Thief Evolved 

As the video project went on I found things that I liked and things I didn't like. One of the  things that I would keep the same is the creative of the video. I'm really enjoying how imaginative the storyline is and the facial expressions of the characters. These things help make the video more interesting to watch and entertaining. I also liked how I used new skills to enhance my video and its quality. In the future I hope I will continue to learn new aspects to add to my videos to make them better. Some things that I would change are some editing issues and transitions but other than I would keep everything the same. In the future I will keep having creative storylines and keep improving my editing skills.

HOW TO: ADD TEXT TO A VIDEO IN ADOBE PREMIRE

In this blog post I ma going to show you how to add text into a video using Adobe Premiere. Having this sell will allow youth add text to a video for dialogue or descriptions. If you are interested in video editing or making video this post if for you. 

1. Open up Adobe Premier go into the top heading and click "Title"

2. Once you click on title go down to the tab labeled "New Title"

3. When the "New Title" tab opens up slide over and click on the first button labeled "Default Still..."

4. Once you click on "Default Still..." a window like this will pop up, you will want to click OK. Don't change anything

5. After you click OK a window like the one below will pop up. Here you want to click where you want your text to be. 

6.  After you click where you want your text to be you can type what you want too. 

7.  Once you have your text typed you click on the text to change the font. 

8.  When you right click on the text a menu like the one below will appear below. In this menu you can choose what font you would like to have your text as. 

9.  Once you choose your font the text will return to normal with your chosen text. 

10. To center the text right click back on the text for the menu to appear. 

11. Once the menu appears go down to the bottom of the menu and click "Position".

12.  After the menu appears you can click on either "Horizontal Center" to put into the center on the side and "Vertical Center" to put it in the center up and down. 

13. After you have the font you like exit out of the window and the text will appear in the window with the rest of your text. 

14. Once the video is in the window slide it into the timeline to put into the video.

15. After the clip is in the timeline drag it down to be in line with your other videos. 

UPING MY VIDEO SKILLS TO SEQUENCES

Getting From Point A To Point B

In our new video project we worked on AB sequencing. A B sequencing is where the subject of the video is starting at one point and then moving to another point. Before I started my video, Mr.Cooper paired us up with a partner. Together we drew up our storyboard. The video that my partner and I would make is about a game of tag, so in our storyboard we drew out the game of tag. Since my video is about people playing tag I started out with one person tagging the other one. Then I filmed an wide to show the tagger running after the person he trying to tag. After that shot I filmed an over the should of the tagger to show where they are going and the view from taggers point of view. Once I filmed that shot I filmed a variety of other types of shots to show the other person being tagged and the running after the former tagger. One detail that is very important to a video especially one with A B sequencing is the axis line. The axis line goes done the middle of where the characters are. Who ever is filming must stay on one side of the line the entire time unless the characters face a different way than they were before. To keep the video constant we must pay attention to the axis line. After all the shots were filmed, I imported them onto my computer. Once the shots were put onto my computer I started editing my video and putting all the frames into order. When I was done editing my video was less than 30 seconds long (which is the required length of the video). To make the video 30 seconds long, I slowed down some clips which I will make a blog on how to do. This is the final product of this process.



New Knowledge

In this project I learned had to sequence shots to show movement. To do this I learned how to edit the clips smoothly to make a smooth transition from shot to shot to show movement correctly. I also learned about different kinds of shots I can use to add variety to the video.Throughout filming I also learned the importance of communication between director and actors. If the communication is weak then the actor has no understanding of what the director wants, leaving the director without the shot they wanted. This lack of communication would end up making the filming of the video taking longer than it should. The information I learned during this project will help me in later in upcoming projects and just in life as a whole.


Next Time I'll...

In my next video there are many things that I will change. Before I even start filming I will make my storyboard very detailed with lots of different shots. This detailed story board will give me a very detailed and well planed out visual for my video.When I start filming I will pay close attention to the Rule of Thirds, which is a grid where there are points that make the shots more appealing to look at. Another aspect of filming I can improve on is keeping the shots level and at eye level. All of these areas will make my videos look much better. Even though there are some things I would change, there still some aspects I would keep the same. One of the things I would keep the same is the creativity of my videos. I also like how I use a lot of my classmates in my videos which keeps the videos interesting and different from each other. These aspects make my videos unique and mine. In this video, however, there are some things I would do differently. In the shot where the actors are running down the hallway I would have split it into different kinds of shots instead of that one long one. I also would have used the Rule of Thirds more consistently. The last thing I would have changed is making sure all of my shots are level and not settling for an okay shot and keep reshooting until I get the shot I want.