Content Management System

Link to website here

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to create a Wordpress site with multiple pages and different types of content. I chose to use a parallax style layout, with each page having a different header image.

What technical skills did you use?

I first browsed through a few free themes to decide on the one that I thought would work. From there I customized the entire theme itself. I changed the header image for all four pages and gave each page different content. I inserted a gallery and a poll on their respective pages. I also created and edited a menu to organize my pages in a condescending order.

How do you feel you did?

I think I did fairly well on my Wordpress site. I like how everything turned out with the parallax style, although I ran into a small issue I have not been able to resolve. I was unable to update the header image on my posts page.

3D Asteroid Field

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to emulate the look of an asteroid field using the Lightwave 3D software. I also attempted to give them enough variety to make the scene more believable.

What technical skills did you use?

To create the asteroid model, I started with a cube shape. I subdivided the cube to give it more polygons to work with. I selected specific polygons on the shape and extended them to eventually create a rocky texture. To create an entire field of asteroids I used the spray tool in the Lightwave modeler, and then squished them down so the field would appear flatter.

How do you feel you did?

I feel I did well on this assignment. I feel I created a fairly believable asteroid model in Lightwave, and I really think the lighting on the asteroids matches well enough with the backdrop I chose. The silhouette of the asteroids is a nice touch as well.

Digital Painting

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to create a painterly effect on a pre-existing image. I wanted to make the photo appear similar to that of an oil painting. I was also trying to create brush strokes that looked as smooth as possible to achieve the look of a painting.

What technical skills did you use?

For this project I used the mixer brush tool in photoshop. At first I used the reservoir feature of the mixer brush, but I decided to set the brush to use only the colors from the area I was making a brush stroke. More specifically, I made use of the various bristle brushes in photoshop. I used mostly the fan brushes, and occasionally used point brushes for the small details on the eyes of the cat.

How do you feel you did?

I think I did very well for my first attempt at a project such as this. I really like how the strokes on the fur of the cat turned out, as they appear very smooth. I found the boards of the deck to be a bit difficult seeing as how they were out of focus to begin with.

Card Game Designs

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to create a specific style throughout my card designs. I went for a cartoon-ish appearance with the characters featured on the cards. I also kept the colors bright and simple.

What technical skills did you use?

I ended up using the shape builder tool quite a lot for the sword, hammer, hard hat, and helmet. I also used the pen tool to create the small bits of shading on the various objects. I also created outlines for all type used (as was required).

How did you feel you did on the project?

I think I did well on this assignment. I really like how my simple cartoon idea for the aesthetic turned out. I also like how they all match the cartoon theme very well, even the brick wall design.

3-D Pop-up Photo Gallery

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to create a pop gallery of photos, with an animated 3D camera. I wanted the camera to pan left to right, and then zoom out.

What technical skills did you use?

To render the 3D images as well as the ground plane I used the classic 3D within after effects. I rotated the images 90 degrees so they would lay flat with the ground plane, and then rotated them back to 0 degrees so they would "pop-up" towards the camera. I also added three point lights with one dimmed to about 60% intensity so that it would not completely wash out the images.

How do you feel you did on the project?

I feel I did well, and I am pleased with the finished result. I like that I have a solid transition between square images and the more rounded images.

SLAM Covers

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was trying to make magazine cover art that followed fairly specific color schemes. I wanted the first cover to be nearly monochromatic blue, and I figured that the second design would have a more low key color scheme. Aside from colors I also used photographs mostly in place of vector art.

What technical skills did you use?

Firstly, I began the elements of my designs in Photoshop. I made specific selections in the photos and then used the posterize image adjustment on each selection respectively. In addition to posterizing the photo selections I also adjusted their color balance. I then brought them into Illustrator and applied effects such as outer glows (to emulate rain hitting an object) and drop shadows to add some depth. For both design I also incorporated roughen on some shapes.

How do you feel you did on the project?

I think I did well on both designs. I am very happy with the way they turned out, and that I didn't entirely rely on solid fills the whole way through both designs. I feel I was able to make an effective composition on both covers.

Pen Drawing

What were you trying to accomplish?

I tried to make a simple composition with a graphic tablet and pen. I wanted to show use of the different types of bristle brushes available in Illustrator. I also tried to use the calligraphic pen at first, but I instead turned over to the use of bristle brushes.

What technical skills did you use?

I tried calligraphic pens, but ended up using bristle brushes. I used mostly the mop, fan, and round brushes for the facial portion of the drawing as well as the iris of the eye. For the eyelashes I used a fine liner brush. In addition to brushes I tweaked the opacity of them when making shaded areas.

How do you feel you did on the project?

For my first time with a graphic tablet I think I did a pretty good job! I usually hand draw 99% of my art, so I believe that in a way I was able to translate those analog drawing skills into illustrator with the tablet pen.

Vinyl Stickers

What were you trying to accomplish?

I was attempting to create relatively simplistic sticker designs. My first sticker was a single layer that included the required positive and negative space. The second sticker has three different colors and is also three separate layers stacked onto each other.

What technical skills did you use?

In Adobe Illustrator, I made good use of the shape builder tool. The first sticker is comprised of three circles and four rounded rectangles. I also cut out the negative space so that there would be no extra outlines when using the vinyl cutter. I used the shape builder for the second sticker as well - only to create the smile shape. Concerning the text, I created outlines for it.

How do you feel you did on the project?

I feel I did a better job on the first sticker. I quickly learned that sticking multiple vinyl layers on top of each other is much harder than it seems. Although I didn't quite line everything up on my second design, I am still fairly happy with it. Though I do prefer the first sticker. (Probably why I didn't stick the second one anywhere...)