Image Essay # 12

For this image essay, I will talk about dynamics. For an image to be dynamic, it has to be energetic, vigorous, and forceful; creating or suggesting change or motion. Dynamic images usually make the works more interesting to look at. An image with some curvilinear shapes could also make it more dynamic because the curvilinear shapes would cause the viewer’s eyes to change direction easily. The change in motion will make the eyes move around the image more and that is good to keep a good rhythm throughout the work so the eye does not stay focused at just one particular point. In the image that I am showing, there seems to be a lot of motion that keeps the eyes moving around. The circular shapes create the movement. Another thing that the image shows is the very colorful colors used in the image. There is a good mix of bright colors from the middle going towards the right hand side and some darker colors on the left hand side. I think the colors too help move the viewer’s eyes around the image. The combination of the color and the curves makes the image seem very energetic and forceful, which is good for being a dynamic piece.

Image Essay # 11

For this image essay, I will talk about figure. A figure is the primary or positive shape in a design; a shape, which is noticeably separated from the surrounding ground, or negative shape. The figure is the dominant, advancing shape in a figure ground relationship. In the image that I am showing, the figure is the gentleman that is smoking a cigarette in a bar type environment. The man is the most dominant object in the image; the other subordinate objects are the cigarette and the glass of wine or juice sitting on top of the table. The figure is easily separated from the background by the smoke towards the top of the image and in shoulder region of the man, there seems to be a yellow glow that separated him from merging in with the background of the room. The figure of the man’s hands is separated from the counter top by using shadows to keep it from also merging in with the table. The background seems to have a blue tone to it and that is a little darker that the skin tone of the man and that also makes it easier to distinguish him from the background.

Image Essay # 10

For this image essay, I will talk about texture. Texture is the surface quality of a two dimensional shape or a three dimensional volume. Everything that we see tends to have a texture on it. Some objects may be simple and have just one texture and some other objects may be a little more complex and have more than just one texture. Texture is not only something to look at, but we can feel texture and how different each texture may feel from one to another. In my image that I am showing, there only seems to be two different types of textures. In the image, it shows an up close shot of an elephant’s head area. The textures that I see are the skin of the elephant, which we can see has a little variety of color. The other texture that I see on the elephant is the wrinkles all over the face of it, and mainly near the mouth area and the trunk of the elephant. There can be dominance with texture as well. In this image, it seems as though the wrinkles may be more dominant than that of the skin. Also, from the image it may seem like the texture of the wrinkles and the skin may have a feeling of being rough.

Image Essay # 9

For this image essay, I will talk about symmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance is a form of balance that is created when shapes are mirrored on either side of an axis, as in a composition that is vertically divided down the center. Images that contain symmetrical balance is easy to spot because of the fact that an image is mirrored. It would be easy to see if something is not right. Anything not the same on one side would throw off the balance of the image of symmetry. In the image that I am showing, the image seems to be of a fish and bubbles and some other objects being mirrored in a vertical way. The left and right side are similar, but they are just flipped. The image also contains figure ground reversal, where on the left hand side there is a black fish on the white background and on the right hand side there is a white fish on a black background. The figure ground reversal makes the symmetrical balance a little easier to see. It also makes the image a bit more interesting to look at. An image with symmetrical balance has to have both sides similar to each other or else it will not look right.

Image Essay # 8

For this image essay, I will talk about contrast. Contrast is the degree of difference between compositional parts or between one image and another. Contrast is created when two or more forces operate in opposition. High contrast tends to be eye catching, and is often used to create dynamic, highly readable images. Contrast can change an image dramatically. If an image were to have high contrast, it can be used to heighten a dramatic scene. In the image that I am showing, there is a separation with the sky. The high contrast area from the center down creates sort of a dark feeling. The low contrast on the top blue sky makes the feeling completely different. It seems happy and light on the top, while the bottom is dark and gloomy. The high contrast part of the image seems to catch the viewer’s eyes more so than the low contrast. The high contrast area seems to make the eyes wander around in that area to see if they can make anything out, and in the image it is a little difficult to see what the silhouettes are exactly. Having high and low contrast can make an image more dynamic and make it better for the viewer to look at.

Image Essay # 7

For this image essay, I will talk about figure ground reversal. Figure ground reversal is an arrangement in which positive and negative shapes alternatively command attention. It is also known as positive and negative interchange. We have talked about this in one of our assignments where we had to choose a word and make the figure ground reversal in the image. Most images that have figure ground reversal are in black and white, to show the positive and negative colors. An artist by the name of M.C. Escher does a few works that contain figure ground reversal. The image that I am showing is one of his works. In the image, we see black and white lines across the top, bottom, and sides with the center containing no stripping. The top half of the image is white and the bottom image is black. In the top white half, the artist creates his bird shapes using black and the birds are also going, from top to bottom, more detailed to less detailed. In the bottom half of the image, Escher creates his fish shapes using white, since the background is already black. The fish are, from top to bottom, going from less detailed to more detailed, which is opposite from the top.

Image Essay # 6

For this image essay, I will talk about curvilinear shapes. A curvilinear shape is a shape whose contour is dominated by curves and flowing lines. Images with shapes that contain the curves create a more dynamic image. The curves in the shapes tend to create motion or a change in the motion if the viewer follows the curved lines. Having the curves creates a rhythm for the viewer to follow. In the image I am showing, the whole center of focus of the piece is the white shape that is full of curves. The white piece creates a very dynamic flow, and the viewer’s eyes tend to follow the line as it curves into different directions. It creates almost a maze type of effect, and the viewer would most likely try to find the beginning of the image and try to follow it around to see if there is an end. The curvilinear shapes keep the viewer’s eyes moving at all times which is a good thing to do. The artist would not want the viewer’s eyes to stay in one place and not notice the rest of the image. It also creates layers and shadows are apparent, and that gives it a good indication of depth.

Image Essay # 5

For this image essay, I will talk about rhythm. Rhythm in an image is very important. Rhythm is the movement or variation characterized by the regular recurrence and the patterned, recurring alternations of contrasting elements. An image that has a good rhythm gives the viewer’s eyes to move around the image and look around. A person creating a good art piece would not want their viewer’s eyes to stay in one spot, unless that is the intent. The viewer’s eyes must make its way around the image to be able to see what the artist is doing. In my image that I found, there is a lot of circular motion that moves the viewer’s eyes around. It seems to start from the lower right hand side of the image and moves toward the top left and then over to the smaller circles on the top right. In the beginning there are also two rectangular shapes that help the eye move towards the top left side of the image. Even if that is not the way everyone sees the movement, the circular shapes create sort of an explosive feel. That makes the viewer’s eyes to move around the image instead of just staying in one particular area.

Blog Entry # 5

For this blog assignment, we are to blog about an artist in our major. From what I had to choose, I chose Dave McKean.

1. Dave McKean has contributed a lot for digital arts by showing off different styles of images for a lot of mainstream things which includes CD covers, book covers, graphic novels, and also short comics.

2.Dave has illustrated a lot of different comics and other forms of media. The fact that he uses a lot of different forms of media makes him stand out. He does paintings, line-art, photography, digital manipulation, and typography. He uses his many talents to make himself known, and to put it oout in the publice for people to see.

3.What impresses me the most about this artist is even though he failed to find work as a comic artist, he met a few people and started to do work with them and became popular. He got something out of failing and that is good to see. Failing is not always a bad thing, it just opens up more oportunities. I also like some of his works he did for the comic book series called "The Dreaming." A lot of his works seem surreal and that gives it a freaky but interesting feel to the works.

4. In one of his works for the comic book "The Dreaming," he had an image with a face with buildings on top and bottom. The face seems to be the most dominant object in the image. It is the biggest and it is easilty distinguished. From the face he seems to have made some skyscrapers rise up from the top of the head and that sort of makes the buildings subordinate to the face. In another work of his from his tarot series, he had one titled "Space" and the human figure is the most dominant object and it looks as thought it is in torment and stressed. The form is dominant compared to the little human figure hanging on the side and also the birds in the sky.

5. In most of Dave's works he seems to manipulate the human forms. In some images there is a normal head, but the body that is attatched is manipulated and sometimes distorted to make the image more interesting.

6. After seeing some of his works, I think that he works with a lot of abstract ideas. I like working more with abstract ideas as well and it seems that most of the digital manipulations he does on his works make it very interesting. Also, the fact that a lot of mainstream media use his works makes it even more interesting.

Image Essay # 4

For this image essay, I will talk about focal point. The focal point of an image is a singular point or area of points that attract the most attention; having the most visual weight in a composition. The focal point draws the viewer’s eye to the object or image that the person who is creating the image has created. In the image that I have found, the focal point of the image is pretty easy to find. The focal point is pretty much directly in the center of the image. The work seems to be a painting and the object in the center is sphere shaped and seems to be on to of whatever is in the background of the image. The background seems to be composed of brush strokes of different colors. The colors that are mainly used in the image are orange, yellow, green, and black. All of the colors in the background used in the brush strokes seem to merge into the center of the image. That is exactly where the sphere is and the brush strokes help move the viewer’s eyes to the center. The flow of the brush strokes helps a great deal to get the viewer to the center of the image.

Image Essay # 3

For this image essay, I will talk about definition. We had the word definition come up a lot during different lectures and assignments. Definition is the degree to a shape is distinguished from both the ground area and from other shapes within the design. Clearly defined shapes tend to advance while blurred shapes tend to recede. In the image shown, there is a background that is mostly green with some yellows and white and in the foreground there is a massive object that is pink. The pink object has some shapes that look like eggs. The egg shaped objects look somewhat metallic and gives off a reflection of the background and of other parts of the object that is below. The definition used to define the separate objects is clearly used well. The use of the reflection of different things off the egg shaped object and shadows separate the object from the background. The image also shows that the egg shaped objects in the front are crisper and is more defines. The egg shaped objects toward the back seem to recede into the background and tends to blur a bit with the background, which makes this image a pretty good representation of definition.

Image Essay # 2

This week, we have talked about broken pattern. Broken pattern is a point at which a perceptual structure of a pattern is broken, then becoming an area of focus. Broken pattern is also a part of the six principles of Gestalt. Having repetition and broken repetition helps a composition flow better. In the image that I am showing, it has a building with several windows. All of the windows are pretty much the same. The eleven windows all have glass around them and in the center there is a square hole that does not contain glass. The one exceptional window, which breaks the pattern of the glassed windows, contains no glass and is partly covered up by a cardboard or wood looking board. Having a broken pattern from the glassless window makes that the area of focus. The viewer tends to shift their focus to the window without the glass because it is different from the rest of the windows. When a viewer sees something different from the rest of the image, they will usually turn their focus in that direction. That can be very useful for the person who is trying to show someone what they want the viewer to look at.

Image Essay #1

This week of class, we have been working on the assignment Texture, Symmetry, and Gestalt. For this image essay, I chose the word unity. The meaning of unity is the combination or arrangement of parts into a whole.

This is an image of a work done by an artist by the name of Alfred Gockel. This piece is called Love & Unity, and I think that this image does a good job showing the unity of the parts in the image coming together. Even though parts of the shapes are broken up into smaller pieces by using different colors, it still creates the same shape. I think that it does a good job using the colors to connect all the pieces so that it can become a single shape. Even though the artist shows a little use of contour lines to keep them separated, the shapes are easily distinguished from one to another. Some parts of the edges of the shapes seem to blend into the background. Those shapes just start to merge with the background, and make it seem like it goes together quite well. So overall, the image does a good job portraying the unity of broken up colors to create a single shape.

Blog Entry #4

ART: 21-Place

1: I think that it can work both ways. We can change a place to suite what we need to do with it to make it the way we want. The other way works too in that we can work around the place to achieve something we want.

2: Richard Serra was influenced by big ships, and some of the images seemed to have some influence from them. Most of what we saw of his works were giant metal sheets curved and set up in a specific way.
Sally Mann was mostly influenced by the South, and she did some landscaping and pictures of her kids. Since she grew up in the South, most of her works have a Southern influence to it.
Margret Kilgallen and Barry McGee were influenced by art on the streets and on trains. They like the graffiti seen on walls of streets, and they prefer things that are done with the hand. They like to go to train yards and put their art there and also look at what other people have done too. They see that some people go back to the trains after some years and update their signature.
Pepon Osorio’s influence came from a barber shop that his father too him to. He cried when he was getting his hair cut, and one of his works entitled “No Crying at the Barber Shop” obviously had the influence of his first experience at a barber shop.

3: The program showed that a person can make a place a form of art like some of Osorio’s works, and we can also change the place to suite our needs.

4: I would have to say I feel most connected to Kilgallen and McGee, because I also think that hand done things are better. After you make something with your hands, you feel a sense of satisfaction when you are finished. Also, when they talk about the graffiti on the streets I think that it is art too and some people just think that it is polluting the streets, but I do not think it is.

5: The metals used in Serra’s works made his works pretty large. It was massive like many big ships. Sally Mann’s works were pretty much standard size photos, some were a little bigger though. Kilgallen and McGee’s works were massive as well; they filled big walls like they would on the streets. Osorio’s works were basically the size of the room he was doing, since he was doing installations.

6: Basement of first house in Upper Sandusky-creepy. Elementary school-exciting. Second house in Napoleon-comfortable. Parents’ restaurant-dreary. First house in Waterville-mysterious.

7: Our second house in Napoleon was the most comfortable place I can remember being. The objects that occupy the house are typical things that people have in a house, so couches, tables, televisions, beds and the like were all a part of the place. Lighting was pretty decent, at night time the lights we turn on would be good enough to light the house to see well. When I was little I did find the basement of the house a little bit frightening. Even though it was a finished basement, it sometimes had an eerie to it. During the night-time, it can get very dark because there were only about two windows and they were pretty small. When I got a bit older it became less scary and was actually a comfortable place to sleep because of the darkness.


ART: 21-Stories

1: I think that in today’s society, stories of hero’s are told a lot. In some recent movies concerning some recent events, like September 11th, there have been many films on some of the fallen hero’s during that time. Hero’s from the past are still being shown, like films depicting World War II. Passing down stories of hero’s gives some people the feeling of respect towards others defending our country.

2: Some stories may get lost because we may not understand them well or they may not relate to us at the time, so we may just forget about them. The stories that are still being told are very memorable and may have a high significance to a majority of the population and they may be able to relate better.

3: The artists use sketchbooks to get their ideas onto paper and keep it there for later on or just to get it on paper as soon as a new idea comes to mind. I think that a sketchbook is a work of art because it represents the ideas of the artist, even though it may not be a completed thing, but a simple sketch can be a work of art. It can be considered a step in the making of the final product and the steps are just as important as the final outcome.

4: The most memorable place that comes to mind was our second house in Napoleon. I spent a few years living at the house, and it was a pretty comfortable place to live. I remember feeling some frustration at some times for no apparent reason. There really was not much dreaming going on, but just thinking about growing up. The strongest feeling that I remember was sitting outside at night on a clear night and looking at the stars in the sky, and then hearing a train’s horn in the distance going off. In that situation, when I heard the horn going off in the distance, I would feel a bit of depression and the feeling of being an insignificant person.

Now, I can say that most of the things still stand true to the place. It was still a pretty comfortable place to live and as for hearing a train on a calm night, I still get the feeling of being depressed, but it also makes me happy because it would bring back the memories of some of my childhood.

Blog Entry #3

1. Before this Blog Assignment, had you ever kept a journal, diary, or blog?
No

2. Before this Blog Assignment, had you ever written about art before?
Once

3. Have you ever written for fun (poetry, fiction or non, journalistic, or research)?
Never

4. When writing, do you use a dictionary or thesaurus?
Neither

5. If given a chance, would you rather discuss art verbally or through written means?
Written

6. How would you rate your overall vocabulary?
Average

7. How would you rate your vocabulary of art terminology?
Average

8. How would you rate your writing abilities?
Average

9. How would you rate your writing abilities when writing about art?
Insecure

10. How would you rate your ability to use specific vocabulary when writing?
Average

Blog Entry #2

The purpose of this blog is to review the last part of a series of works we did for our first project. We were to juxtapose circular, linear, and rectangular elements into a composition. Another thing we were to take in account was the importance of dominance in size of the objects we were using to represent the geometric shapes. When looking for the objects I was going to use for my design, I realized that I had found many household objects that could be used to represent my shapes. Though I had a theme going on, there was no real connection with them. They did not tell a story or make any statements; the images were just random objects that fit the criteria. Another thing we had to take in account was not only dominance in the positive space the images take up, but the negative space as well. That seemed like a difficult thing because we had to use fifteen images total, and that makes it hard to make both a definite dominant positive and negative space. In my composition I did not seem to do well with playing around with the negative space and crammed most of my images together, only keeping in mind that I was to have dominant, accentual, and subordinate images. I forgot all about the negative space in the composition. Doing that did not really create a good balance for my work, but doing the project taught me to pay attention to the negative space and symmetry is not particularly a good thing to have in the work.

Blog Entry #1

For my first blog entry, it will be about giving some biographical statements. To start, the reason I am interested in going into the art field is just because it seems interesting to me. To be honest I do not really see myself getting too far with art because I do not seem to be consistent with some things. Sometimes I can draw something that looks good enough to the object I was looking at, and then the next time I attempt to draw the object, it does not look right. Considering that, I will give my best attempt to advance through and try to learn new techniques to help me along the way.
Art to me is something someone created with their own hands. Just about anything can be art because the objects are created by someone. Even movies or video games can be art. There are people who are taking their time with a specific project and they are putting a piece of their own style into the product. That is my opinion on art, but not everyone thinks the same so they will obviously have some different opinions about art. Some people think that digital art is not really artistic since most of the works are done with computers. I think it is still artistic because there has to be someone behind the computer actually making the work, since the work cannot be created on its own. The person behind the computer has to put his or her own idea and style into the work to be able to create an image.
Some of the things I have on my mp3 player are songs by Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Fort Minor, and John Legend. I like to listen to other kinds of music too, but mostly the genres that I mainly listen to are rock, some rap and hip-hop.

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