Wait Until I Tell You About This Semester. IT WAS A HOOT.
Art 130 - Introduction to Design, Fall 2020 St. Norbert College Claudia Dumoulin
Are you called to creative work? If so, how do you recognize that calling? If not, to what do you feel called? I can definitely tell that I am called to creative work. Ever since I was little I always loved using my imagination and creating things. I have always been a high achiever throughout my education. I got all A’s and I was in the honors program at my high school. I was good at subjects like math and science, but I was not in love with them like I was with my art classes. I took an art class whenever I could fit it into my schedule and these were the only classes that I really looked forward to throughout my day. These art classes were a way for me to express my creativity and take a “break” from all my other classes. Art was my only class that didn’t feel like a class, it just felt like something that I loved to do. Because of my high grades I always felt like I had to find a “successful” job. I felt like this is what everyone expected of me. My first semester of college I was a Bio Pre Med major. I quickly realized that I was miserable because I had always wanted to do something with art, but I had not realized it till that moment. I realized that I wanted to be an art teacher. It took a lot of courage to just change my life path, but now that I have taken multiple art classes I know that this is where I belong. What is the difference between a good life and a significant life? I think the difference between a good life and a significant life is all in how you view your own life. It’s in your mindset. You have to choose to wake up every morning with a positive outlook on the world. You have to soak up every moment of your life. You cannot worry about the future or dwell on the past because this will keep you from being present in the moment. There will always be things in your life to worry about, but it’s up to you to not focus on them. If there’s something in your life that is taking away from your happiness, you need to know that you have the power to change it. We are scared of change, but a lot of times change is for the better. Take more time to do what you love and to do what makes you happy. This book was made as a part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the fall of 2020. The fonts used include Helvetica and Marker Felt. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.
Wait Until I Tell You About This Semester. IT WAS A HOOT. Art 130 - Introduction to Design, Fall 2020 St. Norbert College Claudia Dumoulin
Crash Course For this project, we were paired up in groups of two and instructed to make a prototype for each other. We went through a series of discussion questions to figure out a problem each of us possessed. Next, we each came up with sketches of solutions to this problem and worked together to revise them.
Process Sketch #1
From these sketches we were each able to construct our prototypes in a very short period of time. The only materials we could use had to be quickly found around the room. These materials consisted mainly of cardboard, paper, tape, and string. We gave each other the prototypes and discussed for more feedback! Process Sketch #2
Final Prototype
Engaging with a real person really helped stem ideas and inspiration for the direction of my prototype. Talking it through with my partner really helped to lead me in the right direction by adding to my ideas and refining them everytime that I received feedback. Showing unfinished work to another person was also a really good experience. It’s kind of like they get a deeper insight on your thought process and ideas. Instead of just seeing a finished product, they get to see all of the thoughtfulness that you are putting towards the project. Seeing your thought process can also help them give you feedback. The pace for this project felt really fast compared to other projects that I have done in the past. I normally put a lot of time into my work and try to make it “perfect”. I think it was really good for me to work under pressure and I found that it actually brought out a lot of creativity. If I was given additional time, what I would do next is go back and refine my prototype. I would take more time and make it neater overall. I would keep the main idea the same, and add some minor changes here and there based on the feedback that I received at the end.
Dot-Line
This project was all about delivering a strong message with a limited amount of materials. We were only able to use dots and lines in grey or black in various sizes. We had to use these dots and lines to create three compositions, each had to match a word from a list given to us. We had to carefully cut and glue our shapes onto our square compositions and mount them on black foam core.
Process Sketch #1
One major thing we learned while completing this project is gestalt. Gestalt is looking at the image as a whole instead of looking at each individual component. It is what you see initially when you look at the image without picking it apart for each detail. At first, I found it difficult to make a “wellcrafted object”. I made mistakes along the way and had to take a step back and correct them before moving forward. For example, it was hard for me to cut out circles perfectly and it took a lot of practice. I also had to redo one of my pieces because the spray adhesive didn’t turn out the way
it was supposed to and took away from my piece. I realized that I was too close when I sprayed it and had to find the correct distance. I find that I would always rather spend extra time to get small details right as I am a perfectionist a lot of the time. This project changed my idea of abstraction by making it seem less “scary” or unknown to me. I have never felt very comfortable working abstractly and this project helped me to build up my confidence and I found that I do really like abstraction. It was not as difficult as I had originally imagined to represent my ideas Process Sketch #2 without illustrating them. I felt like I could be a lot more creative when trying to represent my ideas in an abstract way. I learned that I had to start out with a complex thought and find a way to simplify it into dots and lines while still creating an interesting composition. I will use this exercise and the ideas of gestalt and abstraction to inspire my future work. This project taught me that “less is more”. I realized that I was able to convey a message abstractly through the use of only some lines and dots. It showed me just how powerful a piece of abstract art can be and the endless interpretations it can have from different people.
Final #1, Energetic
Final #2, Longing
Final #3, Stability
Letterforms
For this project, we each had to choose our own word. We created elaborate mind maps to make connections with our word and expand on these connections. As a class we hand carved each letter of the alphabet into blocks of linoleum. Using these blocks, each of us created several prints of our word. The goal was to be able to utilize the form of the word to allude to its meaning. When working this way with letterforms, I learned that the slightest variations can have a large impact on the word and it’s interpretation. For example, changing things like the height and orientation of the letters, even making the letters each have different heights and orientations makes a huge difference. I realized that an important message can be conveyed using one word with the right techniques and creativity. If I were to continue working with these letters I would want to experiment with more printing techniques. I did a lot Process Sketch #1 of experiments with photocopying and if I
Process Sketch #2
had more time I would love to go back and do more with printing as well. I think it would be really interesting to do the word ocean in a wave shape and then add some faded letters as well to add to the shape. I am happy with the chatter on my printed pieces because I think it speaks to the wildness of the ocean, but I would also want to try to come up with a design idea without the chatter that would still speak to that wildness.
Mind Map
Final #1
Final #2
Final #3
Final #4
Object-Animals
Owl Iteration #1
Owl Iteration #2
Owl Iteration #3
At the start of this project each student had to choose an animal or an object. We experimented with a variety of medium including collage, text collage, acrylic paint, ink, etc to create many iterations of this animal or object. Two of these iterations were inspired by the style of a famous artist of our choosing. We used Photoshop and InDesign to edit our iterations and create a layout to showcase them. Through this process I was able to learn how my animal moves. Seeing and creating owls from many different perspectives helped me to capture an owl’s movement. Without taking so much time focusing on one animal, it’s hard to capture the same level of movement as you can if you make a ton of iterations. Out of all the different medias, text collage was the most challenging for me.
It’s hard to find enough variation in white, gray, and black text and create details within the collage. Painting in acrylic was the most enjoyable for me. I used acrylic for my Van Gogh iteration and I loved the creative freedom that the paint gave me. One thing that I learned in Photoshop that I will keep using is the curves. I think contrast is so important when it comes to a good composition and curves are the key to contrast. If I had to continue with this object for a year I would want to represent it in new ways by increasing the scale. I would want to paint larger like on a canvas or even a mural of owls. I just feel like this would be really fun and a great way to represent more detail. I think it would also be interesting to see what happens when more time is spent on a single iteration. We made so many iterations that were small and we didn’t spend as much time on them as we would need to if the scale was much larger.
Owl Iteration #4
Owl Iteration #5
Owl Iteration #6
In Progress #1
In Progress #3
In Progress #2
Final
Continuous Line
During one class period, we spent some time practicing our continuous line drawing skills. We rotated throughout the classroom and drew the person sitting directly in front of us. We were given either 30 or 60 seconds to create this portrait without lifting the pencil from the paper.
Sketch #1, Rachel
For some of the drawings we were never allowed to look at our paper, these were called blind contour drawings. For the other half of the drawings, we were allowed to glance at our paper momentarily, but we were not allowed to move the pencil while our eyes were on the paper, these were called modified contour drawings.
Sketch #2, Carsen
I really enjoyed creating these continuous line drawings and I found that I got a lot better as I created more and more drawings (The sketches are numbered in the order that I created them). These drawings really help me warm up and draw what I see rather than what I know.
Sketch #3, Benjamin
A lot of times with drawing, we just try to draw things from memory or how we think they are supposed to look rather than observing how the object acts in the environment that it occupies. Perspective has a major impact in the way we view a person, place, or object. Sketch #4, Karen
PSA Posters
For this project, we were paired up in groups of two to make PSA posters on topics that we researched. Each of us had the chance to be a client and someone working for a client. We were given the chance to receive lots of feedback on our work from our client and our classmates. Our PSA poster had to be only text and no graphics. It had to be mostly black and white, with an optional one color background.
Thumbnails
I honestly really enjoyed working with type only. It allowed me to convey a message in a straightforward way. It was definitely challenging, but it was rewarding to learn how to display information without having to add extra graphics. In a lot of cases, I feel like text is more effective on its own without all of the extra imagery. This project taught me how to make my text strong enough that it can stand alone. I used scale, contrast, and negative space to create visual hierarchy. I made the most important text larger and gave it more contrast with the box that was placed behind it.
To give the main message the most importance, I surrounded it with more negative space. I played with that negative space to create movement within the poster. This project also gave me great experience in working with a client. I felt like the poster was just as important if not even more important to me when I did not choose the topic, but my client did. It was helpful to hear feedback that I could take to lead me towards my final result. I also learned how to make strong text that can stand on its own without needing imagery.
Rough Drafts
In Process #1
In Process #2
Final
20x20 Designer Talks
To begin this project, each student chose a contemporary designer that they found interesting. Each of us researched our designer and presented 20 interesting slides that played at 20 seconds each to showcase the best of our designer. We constructed a slideshow deck out of strong images of our designer and their work.
For my 20x20 Designer talk I chose Debbie Millman as my contemporary designer. What drew me to my designer was the fact that she was successful in many different areas and really tries to inspire others. Not only does she work in branding and illustrations, but she also has a podcast, writes books, co-founded a graduate program, etc. It’s inspiring to see that you may start your career in one area, but you can always branch out and the options are limitless. I don’t really mind presenting in front of my classmates, I have definitely gotten better at it throughout all my years of school.
Debbie Millman Even though I practice a lot, I still get nervous when I get up there and mess up sometimes, but that happens to everyone. After listening to all of my classmate’s presentations, the designer that I would want to research further is Dana Tanamachi. I found it really interesting how her style evolved throughout her career. It was really cool to be able to see how she started with these beautiful chalk typography and ended up creating these elaborate floral designs.
Owl Catch You Later :)