1st Period Class of '09!!!

HAD SO MUCH FUN AND LOVE YOU ALL!

Artist Statement

My Portfolio has definitely matured for the most part through out the entire year but some of my art as you can see just needed more creativity and effort. Without creativity this class can be very… boring. I mean the best and most exciting projects we did; we were forced to actually use our brains and conceive what our next step was going to be and originality to create our own unique project. I consider my portfolio as a perfect visualization of growth from only knowing how to snap a regular photo to taking artistic photos with a purpose.
I feel I did the best in Photoshop when we had to take photos purposely to see what changes we create using Photoshop. Those projects were extremely fun because I loved playing around with it and seeing the before and after. The hardest part of the class was memorization with the camera and Photoshop tools. Photoshop was a tad easier because I could play around with it for a while and start to remember but the camera functions were hell. The camera can do some amazing things but remembering how to use certain functions and when to use them was a bit stressful especially when it’s for a grade. The camera is where I can do my most improvement because most of the teaching flew over my head.
Throughout the year we were taught about multiple artist and their influences but my biggest influence would hands down be MS. COOK!! She never really gave us assignment and just watched us as we worked but she was extremely helpful in everything that we did. She also did her own personal version of each project which I loved to see because it showed experience and know how and they were always so good. Of anyone I know, Ms. Cook has to be the most freakin’ artistic person ever!

Personal Metaphor

Like Soup, Being Stirred with all Types of Emotions.

I chose this metaphor because I have a freaking plethora of things that I stress myself with on a daily basis. Some days I feel one way, other days I'm in between and some days I don't know what to feel! Of course my thoughts are getting more topsy turvy because I'm about three months to being a Senior in high school and I'm a little on the fence about everything just because I sometimes over think things or just choose not to think about them at all. Another negative aspect to my stirred emotions is that I don't really have a trusted person to express them to. I've found myself to be private not by choice but because everyone around me is just not worth expressing my emotions to. So this is how to describe how I feel at this point.

I had so much fun doing this project and I definitely feel that this is one of my best pieces. The only difficult part of this project was figuring out what to put in my bowl. At the last minute, I kind of felt like I should have added other objects floating with me in the soup but overall i love it :)

A Story in the Sky

I was walking through the park, on my way home, thinking a thought that I never thought I’d think! A thought that stopped me in my tracks as I kept saying to myself, “You’re freaking crazy” I laughed, more like chuckled because I never can understand why I think the way I think. Why would I think such a thought? I hate to read, why would I write a book? Although, I do like reading if the story is good, but again the story has to be really good or I’ll soon get bored. My attention span is quite the statistic. I mean I could start writing fashion articles if that helps, but no, it’s not the same as writing a book.
All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind until I see my house. Cool. Then I start to think, what’s the quickest meal I can make? All of a sudden, the cement starts to turn a soft, light brown. Then I start to float along with my house and I notice I’m floating on the biggest book I’ve ever seen! We get so high to the sky its ridiculous! I then think, shouldn’t I have stop breathing by now? Next, pages start to turn right through me and start to cover up my house. First instinct: RUN LIKE THE WIND!!

Surreal Practice Tutorial

We prepared for our surreal project by practicing different techniques we may want to use in our projects. In this tutorial we learned the value of layering textures using blending options to create an atmosphere with dream like qualities.(http://www.photoshop-garden.com/view_tut.php?id=76

Credit: Stock: hbrush.com Texture: moonchilde-stock.deviantart.com, 99mockingbirds.chanlu.orgText brush: shyndel.deviantart.com)
This project was fun because we added so many interesting layers to get this gloomy, dreamy affect.

Si Se Puede

My program that I made looked like crap compared to other students. After comparing I wish I made mine more fun or more elegant. I also feel that I should have put more pictures and just basically make my program less boring. I think I struggled more with the idea of what I wanted to do because i just designed as I went along.

Effects

My favorite effect is the middle photo which is called cross- process. I love that one because in that photo the colors pop and exaggerate so beautifully. The last photo gives a dreamy type feel which is also very pretty as I look out to the beautiful Arizona morning sun light. The second photo just emphasizes me in the line with my peers.

Frames

I like the top photo better because it shows more of the fun side of my personality. The bottom shows the cry baby side of me that I've been teased about from my brother all my life. The lighting and my expression in both photos makes them more artistic I guess. Although for the top one, I would have changed my pose and setting beause it's kind of nerdy.

Color!

I like taking color shots when the purpose of taking photos are to express the colors because it's pretty fun. What I would do better the next time though, is have better settings.

Aysymmetrical and Symetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance is when an image has the same thing on both sides. Asymmetrical balance is when there are different things on both sides of the picture, looking at the picture the sides balance out.

Visual balance is impotant for a photo so there is not so much distraction to the focus and for the eyes.

Group Collaboration

These pictures were very fun to take but the only difficulty we had with our photos were sticking together and being on time with our jump. If anything though, I would have had the camera zoom in on us all a little better because I think we were to far in both photos. I'd also take the picture in a different area but I like how we are in the picture. I especially like the black in white photo because I think its more exciting and it's not as distracting.

Lyric

The song I chose for this project are "FLAWS AND ALL" by BEYONCE
"I'm a train wreck in the morning
I'm a bitch in the afternoon
Every now and then without warning
I can be really mean towards you
I'm a puzzle yes indeed
Ever complex in every way
And all the pieces aren't even in the box
And yet, you see the picture clear as day
I don't know why you love me
And that's why I love you
You catch me when I fall
Accept me flaws and all
And that's why I love you"
I chose this song having my boyfriend in mind and even everyone who loves me and deals with me because I know I'm not perfect and that I am a pain and so this song I felt was definetely writin for people who love people who are hard to love. I chose these lyrics because I love that with all the negative characteristics "FLAWS AND ALL", you can still be loved when you don't deserve the it. These lyrics always make me feel like crying my heart out or just running to my boyfriend and giving a hug and a kiss.

Social Issue

My social issue had to do with women more so younger girls making mistakes and regretting them. I chose do portray something I could relate to as well as my peers and even many women I know. You make the mistakes and now have the attitude of I did what I did it, shouldn't have, okay now I'm going to have to deal with the consequences while going in thinking you know what they are but don't. You will always have those people around who stare, judge, gossip, especially those who repetitively bring the mistake to your remembrance and you having to accept it because its part of the territory. Sometimes deep inside your your biggest bully but you must put on the "so what" mask.

I chose the statement "Everything I've Done, I've Done" because I was thinking of the issue I chose and thought way too long and hard on a simple statement that gives the "can't take it back" to the picture. I chose this close up picture of me because this was one of very few make-up washed off and me being serious. I took this photo in my own home and I didn't want to do any touch-up or anything because I wanted this picture to be as real as possible.

Haunted Chavez

This was the Haunted Chavez where some thing spooky had to happen on campus. The setting was my initial idea but at first i wanted me outside of myself looking at me trying to scare myself; corny. So instead I played around in photoshop and came out with this. My most difficult decisions in creating this was I think I could have done a whole lot more and I didn't so I definitely regret that. Instead I worked with what I did at the time and came up with devilish looking hands coming out of different place and ghosts trying to come into me. I think I did well on the haunted aspect of things and making everything look definetley haunted.

Gaurdian

There is a man in a black and white suit standing on two long tree branches that are standing on top of a tree stump surrounded by other tree stumps and lifeless branches below and foggy gray skies above.
His arms are elevated from his sides with broken branches shaped into what is intended to be wings, almost like he is trying to fly away from the misery of all things dead and broken around him. His face expresses pain and anger because it seems to be no other options other than force the impossible to be possible.
This photograph respectively portrays the feeling maybe of what animals might suffer through when getting their territory and home is completely abducted from them. The disheartened grays in the photo were excellent in making it that more effortless in comprehending the main idea.

Zombie

When I look at this picture it makes me think of a scary cartoon or something. This photo is crazy and I can't believe I could do that much destruction to my face. This was very fun to create because it's absolutely ridiculous. I used the photo pass to act like i was in a jail and it worked out perfectly because looking like this, I need to be in jail!

Ghosts

When I look at this picture it make me think does stuff like this really happen behind my back. This picture makes my stomach hurt. Since I'm a Gemini it makes me think does my twin ever haunt me like this or who the heck is my twin. I am not a fan of Halloween or anything that surrounds the word scary and this picture makes me feel... scared. I'm sure this kind of horrific haunting happens on a daily basis and that's maybe the number one thing that makes me the most uncomfortable about this photo. UGH.

Scary Face

When I look at this picture it actually makes me laugh. I can vision that really happening to my face and me freaking out. Although anyone and everyone who knows me knows for a fact my expressions would be a hole lot crazier than that. My face looks disgusting, like it's vanishing away because i got acid or poison on my skin. My chess looks like I've been a smoker the last fifty years and I haven't nearly been living that long. Love my eyes though =)

The Scream: My Interpretation

I interpret “The Scream” as the man in the picture screaming because the ship is sinking maybe towards the sunset. The man looks alone and in distress. Worried that his ship is going down and he does not know what to do; helpless.
On the other hand, it almost seems like as if there is a tall man behind him dressed in all black and maybe he’s running from him. The guy might be a ghost or in his imagination and he doesn’t know what to do or where to go. He almost looks in shock or in disbelief maybe.

Creative Me

This project was an opportunity for us to put the tools we have learned to use. We were to take one of our portraits, and change it creatively using the following: selection tools, layers, adjustment layers, layer styles, blending options, paint brushes and opacity.

My favorite part of this image is that it seems like I'm in candy land somewhere. My favorite tool is now the magic wand because it helped lay all the colors somewhat neat . So far in my photoshop knowledge I am not the greatest but I'm learning surely but slowly. I know the different things I can do with photoshop its just the technique and the practice.

Adjustment Layers

In this exercise we learned about Adjustment layers. Adjustment layers allow you to add adjustments to your image on separate layers instead of directly to the image itself. This comes in handy during long complicated projects. In Photoshop every tool is specifically designed to help improve your photo. However, here we took some artistic liberties and explored adjustments creatively.

Self Portraits

For our Self-Portrait project we were to take three self-portraits. They were all to be in black and white, and they were all to capture a mood of some sort. We were also challenged to be as artistic as possible, and stay as far away from normal, cliche portraits that we see on personal pages etc. as possible.One had to use the rule of thirds as the base for the composition; One had to incorporate leading lines, and one had to be taken from a more extreme angle.

Taking these photos was very stressful. The whole time your thinking is this corny, does this look fake or is this artistic? I took many pictures over and over changing every little detail just in case it would make a big difference. We had to thhink in black and white the whole time because we took them in color. In all the stress though, I had a lot of fun. We took photos everywhere and anywhere. My most successful portrait the third photo but the next time I would probably show my face some more. Overall, it was very fun!

Compositional Tricks

I was proud of my first contact sheet; I think it came out very well. I think I did the best on the art of the words. The next time I will probably change the shapes of the photos and maybe the overall set up of the pictures to draw grab better attention. Of all the photos, my favorite is the leading lines because it takes the eye way down into the photo. Although, my favorite trick would have to be extreme angles because they can come out very interesting.

Extreme Angle

To take this photo I got on my back behind a set of computers on the floor. The positives about this photo was the shades of gray then a plane white light under the girl (and of course her facial expression). What i would have done differently is got higher or lower to take the photo. When you take extreme photos from extreme positions, it give it a dramatic feel.

Macro

On some cameras there is a function called macro; it goes in depth in the focus of your picture. Depth of Field is something that is involved in macro, which shows how far you can see behind your photo. You usually use macro when your focal point of your picture is somewhat small or you would like to "magnify" or get real close. The photo on the right is me favorite photo because I got deep into the sewer and not everyday do you see two flowers perfectly placed on top of mud and etc.

Compositional Trick #2: Leading Lines

Leading Lines draw you to the focus of the photo and takes you around the photo to explain the theme. The leading line is the pavement in the photo leading you down as far as you can see. I chose this leaing line because I love the way this concrete is shaped and it does acually go down quite far.

Compositional trick #1: Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is when the main focus of your photo is off to the sides of the photo. In using the Rule of Thirds you can never have the focus of the photo directly in the middle. How I used Rule of Thirds was, the girl that was in the elevator first looking back at the camera was up and off of the center.