Anim HW1

 

For the first tutorial on frame-by-frame animation, I watched a character walk. I've always loved animation. The first thing I noticed is that you have to change your pre set to film and video, as well as to create a new layer for each frame. You must add each body part to a separate layer to create a character walk. This is done to avoid having to delete the whole thing because of one error. You must add all of the layers for each frame movement to a group. Keeping the layers organized is crucial for the animation to work. This tutorial was a great introduction to animation as it kept it simple and introduced key elements. 

I watched a quick tip video for frame-by-frame animation for the second tutorial. I was curious about how the frames worked, so I chose this short video. It directly explains how the frame falls into a timeline, where you organize and choose how you want the animation to go. You have to create video groups and duplicate layers until you have as many frames as you need. Enable onion skin is an option that I really liked because it shows faded versions of your other layers, so you get an idea of how the animation is playing out. This video really helped me to understand the basics of animation in Photoshop further. 

For the third and last tutorial, I watched another short frame animation tutorial. The short videos keep it brief and simple, so I do not get overwhelmed. This tutorial helped me understand the step by step of creating an animation. It separated the video into small sections that explained one function at a time. It explained the same as the previous videos, but it made me realize that animation can get a little confusing. It requires a lot of layers for the frame-by-frame to work, so that might be something I will struggle with. Nevertheless, I am excited to learn more about animation and start acquiring new skills in Adobe Photoshop. 

Somewhere Project

 ARTIST STATEMENT:

The Somewhere project is definitely my favorite project so far. I had no idea that Photoshop was this fun, and honestly, I never thought I would learn to do it. The project started by choosing an image of a movie or TV show. I chose Peaky Blinders, as Thomas Shelby is one of my favorite characters on TV.  Then I took a picture of myself dressed as a Peaky Blinder. The hard part was getting the right picture and trying to get a good-quality image. In the end, my picture was nowhere near the quality of the image I was photoshopping myself into, so I had to play around with the layers and add different tones to each mask. It wasn't till the end that I learned about the unsharpened mask tool. This tool made my image look more professional, and I couldn't be happier with the result. Moreover, I learned new skills in Photoshop and tested my knowledge. It was a great project! 

Ps HW3

 I believe it would be really hard to Photoshop myself into this image because of the tall grass and the difference in brightness between the background and the subject. Putting myself behind the grass to portray the right dimension and perspective would be hard but achievable.

This image didn't necessarily inspire me for the project but showed me that creativity can take you far. The image shows creativity at its finest, as every detail plays into the development of the story behind it.

 Many of the images made me laugh, but I liked this one in particular. Every young boy wants to be as tall as his father or even taller. However, once you reach that height, you wish to return to the good old days. So I think this funny image can be interpreted through a different lens, showing that the kid will grow in time (mimicking and making the father shorter than the kid). I was not expecting this at all. 

I loved this illusion because it shows the power of perspective. It always depends on how and where you look at something. By using scale models and playing with angles, you can achieve great results. I would love to recreate this illusion or something similar. 

BW to Color

 Artist Statement: 

Learning how to use Photoshop has been nothing but fun. I've enjoyed every homework and project so far. For instance, for this project, I had to choose an image of myself during Spring Break and start by making it black and white. The goal was to create three images using a different palette for each. The three types of color palettes I chose were monochromatic, shades, and split complementary. I tried to select different tones of my favorite colors in each palette. 

For the first image, I based the tones on the color orange and its split complementary colors. The different tones of brown and orange worked perfectly for the picture. It kept everything clean and simple while serving its purpose of turning the BW image to color. The hardest part of this picture was creating the different masks for each part of the photograph. Capturing the small details and turning them into a mask was difficult because sometimes I left small holes. Covering those holes made me delete masks and do them again, which was very time-consuming. In the end, I managed to fix all the masks and give color to most of the image (except the white walls and plants).

For the second image, I chose shades of green. Using different tones of the same color was hard because I had to choose the right tone for each part, or the correct perspective would be lost. Accomplishing this picture was a lot faster because I already had the masks made, and I just had to duplicate them and create a new folder to add them. I enjoyed This part of the project the most because I started playing around with colors. The last image was based on split complementary colors; I wanted to display tones of blue and contrast them with yellow. This was my favorite image because my shirt stood out the most, and the rest looked realistic. The tones that filled the floor and sky made the rest of the image (parts still in BW) appear to be in color at first glance. Overall, it was a cool project that made me improve my skills in Photoshop and learn more about the craft. 

Ps HW 2

 

    In the documentary, they share that Platon is one of photography's few big cultural provocateurs. It starts by saying that the story, the message, the feeling, and the connection are important in a photograph. Everything Platon photographs is a chance to comment on what is happening in the world, whether good or bad. He cares for humanity, and his photographs share stories reflected through emotion, all because of his creativity behind the angle or exposure of the picture. For instance, Platon uses his hands because he believes the body helps narrate a story. There is always something going on in the photograph; capturing those small details entails a stronger story narration.

    Platon has countless incredible photographs (portraits) that tell a story. It was hard to choose one, but when I encountered Robert De Niro’s portraits in the documentary, I knew I had found a photograph that appealed to my emotions. De Niro is one of my favorite actors, as it reminds me of the movie nights I used to have with my father. I thought I knew everything there was to know about De Niro’s story, but Platon made one of the most recognized actors in the previous years unrecognizable. His eyes show that there is much more to his story, and his eyebrows reflect the little that we know.  The first portrait shows that De Niro has had a difficult life, but the second one suggests that he has enjoyed his journey.

My photograph is not as sophisticated as the ones in the documentary, but as Platon says, sometimes simplicity is the key. I went to Cartagena, Colombia, this Spring Break, and it was an astonishing trip. I met new people and cultures and witnessed incredible sights. I took many photos myself, but very few were taken of me. This is why I decided to include one of myself and one of the people I met. If I were to name these photographs, I would call them the “Tourist Walk.” It portrays how we look at the world from a different perspective when we become tourists, and the question to ask ourselves is: Do we ever stop being tourists? Every day, there is something to learn, no matter if you’re in a familiar place. In Cartagena, I walked for hours daily, stopping to eat new food, hear new music, and learn about a culture. I realized that the natives became tourists when they started to talk to us. We were tourists in their country, but they were also learning about a culture. Both pictures show the streets of Cartagena and the people on it. It was a magnificent experience, evidenced in a photograph. 

Tag Brush

ARTIST STATEMENT

I had to draw something by using the tag brush I created with my personal logo. I instantly knew that I had to create something related to myself, and what better thing to draw than my country's flag. Guatemala is beautiful, and I could not have been born in a better place. The drawing showcases the sky blue on each side of the flag, with the white in the middle. The middle symbolizes the peace of the land, and the blues symbolize Guatemala's two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic). 

My favorite part of the assignment was drawing the crest, which consists of small details representing my country's freedom and independence. In the middle is the Act of Independence, signed in 1821, surrounded by important elements. The Quetzal is the national bird that symbolizes liberty, the rifles and swords symbolize the willingness to defend our honor, and the laurel leaves symbolize victory. Overrall this drawing symbolizes the love I have for my country. 

The hardest part was choosing the right colors and remembering to create a layer for each part, as it was hard to delete any stroke I did not like. It was an entertaining assignment and I look forward to use my tag brush in future projects.