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Design a Bag Clip Logo

This was a 2 week long assignment.  Remember, we are learning about our own creative process in this class and how to create even if we are not “inspired”.  I think this was a very good one for that lesson!

The teacher let us pull the item out of a bag.  She held my selection up to the complaining class and asked, “Does anyone think they have one that is more challenging than this?”  Everyone shut up and then she looked at me and said, “I know you are up to it.” 

Oh brother!  Seriously…who wants to hear that from their teacher? Not that I mind a challenge…but make it a fun one!  However, sometimes teachers have more faith in you than you do in yourself!  But wow was this project boring!  I had to reach back to the previous week’s notes and try to really absorb step number one in the design process:  1. Accept the Situation.

That aside…here is the bag or paper clippy:

bag clip

From that point, we spent one week “ideating” –  a fancy way of saying taking pot shots in the dark and hoping one of those are lucky enough to be a workable idea.

We did some mind mapping (Lainey and I went to breakfast to do this activity.)  We brainstormed and we drew thumbnails.  A lot of work that convinced me that I am NOT a graphic artist.  I just don’t love it enough.

The following week we got onto Illustrator and created the final pieces.  The pictogram was pretty easy.  The ideogram (very abstract) was more difficult.  I had the background but could not figure out how to manage the white space.  Beth (amazingly cool teacher… I am such a fan) suggested the lines which loosely represent papers stacked (or clipped.)  Ok…print it, mount it…done! 

Bag clip logos

Left is black and white / right is 2 color

One thing I have learned… if a teacher suggests something (and you don’t have a tremendously better idea), go with it no matter what you think!!!  She loved it, I got a 100%, so we are all happy. 

And why does that not bother me?  Because this is a business school (in reality) and she is my “client”.  If the client is happy, go with it.  This is not a fine arts school where I have to fight for my individuality and make a point of it in spite of the teacher.  This is about pleasing the customer (in this case, the teachers). 

I think I can get that after 15 years in consulting!

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Credentials of a Color Theory Teacher

Anne Nickolson is my Color Theory teacher.

She never talks much about paints so one day after class I asked her, “What is your medium?” and she answered “Textiles” and sent me her web site.

I was absolutely blown away.  She is a quilter of great magnitude and has shown in 12 countries!!!  She is also extremely shy or quiet or something because she won’t talk about her work.  Check out the Commissions section!!!  Open the Tree of Life (located at Methodist Hospital).

And I know she has more than this…this is just a single body of work she collected into one website.  Makes for a gorgeous site!  I would like to sit down and talk with her… but she just is not a talker.  Funny for a teacher, eh?  I pay money to get a chance to go see the work of quilters of her calibre, but have never talked to any… and here she is my teacher!!!  But won’t talk!

How frustrating is that?!  Very!

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Color Theory – Various Combinations

This was one boring week.  Not the least was this project which took a full day to complete.  Why?  Because we had to mix our own paints and had to use a specific mixture of color combinations (complements, split complements, and the brown is a mix of 2 complements.)

Let’s just leave it at:

  • I don’t like acrylics because they dry very quickly
  • I don’t like acrylics on watercolor paper because it does not allow for a smooth line
  • I don’t like acrylics because blending is very difficult
  • I don’t like acrylics because they are globby if you want to cover the white (and then they dry and leave little white speckles…not sure what is going on with that!)
  • I don’t like acrylics because you can not achieve a smooth line
  • I don’t like acrylics

Using specific color combinations

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Extra, Extra…read all about it!

My next Illustrator project (#3) got a 100!  I really got into it and the class said mine looked the most like a real front page of a newspaper.  Finally! 

The loose premise for my newspaper was my favorite humor site… the home of those wonderful LOL cats!

They were my initial inspiration, but my own cats (and dogs) were the real inspiration.  Ideas just kept rolling.  A few stories came off the internet, tweaked by me, but some were my own invention.  It was fun and I plan on printing it off and sending it to my nieces and nephews.

Every tiny detail was attended to… including the “obituaries” reference being changed to “Rainbow Bridge” and the weather raining “mice and men.”  Did I say I had fun with this?  The sports references were fun to do also… the cats vs. the dogs who were making a comeback because of their new dental hygiene routine (based on the fun photo I had of Charlotte brushing Bailey’s teeth.)

The Cats Paw Press

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Indiana Sheltie Rescue Brochure

When it comes to the Adobe products, I feel like my head is made of putty.  I am keeping my grades at an A by doing extra credit.

This was the second project and again, I got an 85%.  Not sure why… and yes, I asked the question several times “what would have made it better.”  No answer, I was just told “it could have been better.”  Since I hit all the technical pieces, that does not tell me anything… give me a reason and give me something to go on.

Subjective grading really frosts me because there is no way you can work towards that undefined goal.

Anyway, here is the brochure… (I gave it to the rescue group when I was done.)  The brochure features our dogs and one of the dogs we helped rescue.

Indiana Sheltie Rescue brochure

Indiana Sheltie Rescue brochure

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Oh my passion, how may I capture thee?

Capture your passion, what drives you, and package it.

tag

Some of the students came up with some really innovative ideas! One had hers on a cd with a song she wrote and sang.  Another put hand wrapped candies in a pinata.  The wrappings had tags on them about her.  Another put his in fancy glass bottles.  And it goes on.  This is a very talented class!  On top of it, we have a fantastic teacher… a powerful combination that pushes me to work my hardest.

Me, I wrapped mine up in a quilt with a special made tag.

My passion is contained in words, actually, and I started this project by writing words that capture what inspires me to be creative:

  • gifting – I love to make purposeful gifts
  • writing – keeping in touch with people who mean something to me
  • promoting relationships – it thrills me to make items that bring people closer and promote their relationships

Quilting was a perfect way to show these traits and I had the perfect quilt on hand that I had made 2 summers ago.  “Not Your Grandmother’s Tumbling Blocks” has a colorful, fanciful, and diverse pattern and a warm and fuzzy backing.  It was perfect.

I bundled it up fancy, tied it with a ribbon, and attached a simple tag that actually took a lot of work to “perfect”.

bundled quilt

Tag contents:

tag

tag

IMG_3381sm

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A Root Canal? Oh ick!

Our maple tree was pretty this year.

Our maple tree was pretty this year.

2nd week into the new quarter and I just had to schedule my very first root canal.  It messed up my creative time for one Thurs. afternoon, to put it mildly!  And then I was in pain for nearly a week until we got the bite adjusted.

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Genesis 1:4 – God Seperated the Light from Dark

Georgia O’Keeffe I am not… but I preferred copying some of her ideas as opposed to Picasso! 

Assignment:  We were given a list of artists to pick from.  Then we were to take one of their paintings and photo copy it in black and white.  From that point, we were to take the anachromatic forms and give it life using 1 color (a hue and its tint, tone, and shade) to paint half the piece.  Any half we desired.  The other half was to be done greyscale.

My hue was a tertiary color: orange-yellow.  It almost looks green when black is added to it and I liked that.

Remember, I don’t do acrylics, but this quarter I just have to suck it up and do it.  But here is the really funny part…this has gotten rave reviews!  Charlotte claimed it for her own, the teacher requested to display it next quarter, and even my very country sister-in-law, Annie, likes it!!! 

When I was done, Charlotte thought it looked like the point in Genesis when God seperated the light from the dark.  I liked that.  Don’t you think that the first verses of Genesis were probably quite a tremendous and chaotic time in the earth’s history?

Maybe I missed my calling by sticking with realism and oils or watercolors!

Gen. 1:4 - ...and God seperated the light from the darkness

Gen. 1:4 - ...and God seperated the light from the darkness

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Using Adobe Illustrator brushes

The very first Illustrator class was loads easier than Photoshop.  One big difference is how the teacher is presenting the class.  Very well done.

However, my first assignment only netted me an 85%.  I am struggling a bit to get my head around the whole Adobe software setup, so I spent more time figuring out how to use the tools than trying to smooth out the look of the piece.  It is very rough.

Assignment:  Paint over the top of a photo of yourself using the “brushes” and “pen” tools.

Sheri boating

Original Me

Adobe Illustrator

Illustrated Me

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Web Design…ummmm yea…

My online class this quarter is Introduction to the World Wide Web.  We will be learning basic html and creating our own site in Microsoft Notepad!  I was told by a web designer whose work I highly admire that this is nothing short of “masochistic”.  Nuff said!  At least the class only lasts 5.5 weeks; however, the homework is double (as if I were taking 2 classes.)