Vector Portrait
For this project, I had to find a high-resolution photo of me, a family member, or a pet. Then, I put the photo into Photoshop, cropped it, and posterized it. Next, I put the photo into Illustrator and started outlining the different colors I saw in the photo. The second to last step was to fill in all the outlines with the colors from the photo. Lastly, I put a gradient behind all my work as a background. This project took me about a week. I had to stay after school and go in during study hall to finish this project. I learned how to use the pen and curvature tool in Illustrator. Some suggestions I had were to make sure everything as filled in and no blank space was showing on my subject. Some changes I made during this project were making sure everything looked correct and all the colors blended together. I also tried to not get so detailed, but other times I forgot, which dragged out the time I spent on this project. Overall, I love this project. I love it so much that I did several more during Spring break to the point I was sick and tired of doing vector portraits.
Typography
My next project was typography. I chose several quotes that I liked and narrowed my list down to the top four. I chose quotes that were in French and English since French is the language I'm learning. For this project, it took me about a week or two to complete. The first part was in black and white and the second part was adding color. I faced a couple challenges like making sure the text was big enough to read. I learned how to wrap text around objects and shapes. a tip I got from my teacher was to make sure the text was big enough to read. Some changes I made were color choices. For the TV, I made little squares to form a rectangle and made it look like TV static. Overall, I really like some of my quotes, others, not so much.
Logo Design
The next project that I liked was designing a personal logo. I had to sketch thirty possible designs and decide on the top five. I also had to pick three color schemes from a color generator where I could lock colors that I liked, and keep generating more colors that fit with the color(s) I locked. I chose to design two different bees, a tulip, a star, and a bird. Some included my initials and over time I got rid of my initials and ended up with a more simpler design. I ended up choosing a yellow tulip with a black background. I learned how to mix and match colors. Some feedback I had was that brighter colors against dark backgrounds stand out more, so I took that advice and used it. Originally, the tulip had my initials on it, but as I said, the initials disappeared after a while. Overall, I'm proud of the logo I ended up with.
Class Time
I spent most of my class time working on assigned projects, and when I was finished, I worked on my own side projects. I worked in both Illustrator and Photoshop to continue learning the tools available and how I could use them. I created more vector portraits and photoshop edits of my favorite characters from tv and movies. Outside of class, I created vector portraits and photoshop edits to practice my skills.
Strengths
I am very strong in communicating with people whether it's e-mail or text. I am also very good about getting projects done on time even if it means staying after school for many hours to get something done. I am also good about asking for critiques from peers and my teacher so I can improve my work before I turn it in.
Weaknesses
I need to work on staying focused and not goof off when I'm trying to get something done. I understand it's okay to take a break, but I need to stay focused if I want to get stuff done.
Conclusion
What I love most about Sophmore year of Graphic Design are the different projects I was able to do and how I could still use Photoshop and Illustrator for one project. What I would change about next year is to add some side projects for students if they get done early with their assignment. For example, to enhance a student's skill in photoshop, if they have finished their main project, give them a theme like outer space or psychedelic and let them create a collage or edit of that theme in Photoshop and either let them turn it in for extra credit or let them turn it in for endorsement hours. One goal I would like to set for next year is to improve my skills in Illustrator and Photoshop. In conclusion, this year was fun with all the different projects I got to do and the side projects I've done.
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