Before I became An artist A thorough process of Design as told by Marisa Strothenke Introduction to Design St. Norbert College
Table of Contents Introduction..................................................... Design School Crash Course........................... Dot/Line.......................................................... Expressive Text................................................. Object Iteration................................................ Children’s Book...............................................
Introduction I’m standing in the craft store, looking down an entire isle of paint brushes, and questioning what I have gotten myself into. Oil brush, watercolor brush, acrylic brush, and the list goes on… My head is spinning. Who knew there were so many types of brushes? I used to think the only options were tooth, paint, or hair… But this was before I became an artist. Prior to this I had never taken a college level art class. My complete experience consisted of free time doodling and summer crafting. This inexperience did prove to be difficult at times throughout the semester, but it also encouraged me to work harder. This Introduction to Design course pushed me to challenge my thinking and everything I previously thought I had known about design. I was forced out of my comfort zone and required to create work even after I thought the best solution had been reached. Through this course I have gained a greater sense of appreciation for those in the design field. If I want to be completely honest, I did have some preconceptions about the field of art before taking this class. I thought that if you were good at it, then it would not be a very challenging field. While it is true that art seems less strenuous if you enjoy it, the individual’s skill does not have a factor on the intensity of the work. Art is a wonderful and challenging field that asks a lot of you, no matter how experienced you are. This book aims to give a thorough explanation of the process that I went through to produce each of the semester projects. It covers my original thoughts and iterations, the process to produce my work, the final product, and an analysis of the completed project. I hope that this book will provide you with an inside look to the trials and tribulations that I experienced throughout this class… before I became an artist.
Design School Crash Course
This workshop required us to interact with a partner and act out a situation where our goal was to redesign the giftgiving experience. It allowed us to explore the 5-step process of design thinking: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Working through this process allowed me to understand how we should approach design. We should get a sense for what we are going to be doing and where we need to be going with our thoughts, define exactly what needs to be done and the timeline of assignments, create multiple iterations that push past our initial ideas, choose the best solution created up to that
point, work to refine that solution, and continue to make it better until the final product has been perfected. This is the technique and design process that was used in each project throughout the semester. Being able to interact with another classmate allowed me to receive continuous feedback on my work. They were able to analyze the ideas I had and explain where they wanted me to go with the project, giving me a variety of suggestions to work on. During this process I truly came to understand the importance of feedback. It allowed me to step back from my work and understand
where my strengths and weaknesses are. If I never received feedback on my work I would have no idea what to improve on and how to better my design. Since this was a crash course it moved at a fairly fast pace, sometimes resulting in showing unfinished work to our partner. Living in a world where perfection is so valued and we feel the need to perform at our best all the time, the feeling of incompleteness was really hard. While the time constraints produced a lot of pressure I was comforted by the fact that everyone had the same amount of time to think, draw, and create.
I gained confidence in my work knowing that no one knew what to expect, and everyone came from the same amount of preparation. If I were able to do this process again, I would try to ask deeper questions. I would really try to get to know who my partner is and
Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test
what they like/don’t like. I would take more time to truly understand what they are thinking. Starting off by getting a lot of information is only going to help you produce a more quality and finished product.
situations in life. Coming up with multiple ideas and choosing a few to refine is an excellent way to go about any sort of mental processing. It allows us to thoroughly think through multiple solutions and pick the best ones to polish and perfect.
This method of process can be applied to a lot of
understand those involved with your design project make sense of information and create execution plan generate ideas and create abundantly create sample of best iteration to further analyze refine your solutions and make them better
Dot/Line
This project required us to create four well-crafted abstract compositions (only made up of dots and lines) that each described a different word. It allowed us to work abundantly and create images that used the concepts of value, scale, line, and visual hierarchy. The project focused on Gestalt, the idea that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’ When these parts are put together they create a whole that is stronger
than any of the separate pieces could ever be on their own. When thinking about Gestalt and the breakdown of the whole I always come back to the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Gestalt is the ability to rely on the other parts of the system to push you farther than you could have gone on your own. In this project the “parts” are the individual dots and lines, and the “whole” is the final composition.
Before I became an artist I would think of abstract art in the way that most nonartists would, something with no meaning behind it. I envisioned someone throwing paint on a canvas with no respect to what they are actually creating. This project allowed me to push past these stereotypical ideas and truly see the work that can be produced with simple dots and lines. I found there is actually a lot of thought that goes into the creation of abstract art, possibly even more than other work. Since you cannot specifically show what is happening in the image, you have to look deeper and understand how the objects feel as a part of the whole design.
Starting out I had no faith in my abilities to create a piece of art that highlighted the emotion of each of the four words. How could I only use dots and lines to create a picture? How could I produce this work in a creative and professional way? Naturally our minds want to make sense of the senseless, and to do this we create images into emotional beings. It was really hard to refrain myself from making these dots and lines into objects of a picture. I wanted to create a scene and storyline with feelings and desires. I had to consciously step
away from these tendencies and think more about the representation of the word and what it meant. But this was before I became an artist. Even though this project had such tight parameters it got me excited to make work. Being as direction oriented as I am, I did pretty well with the detailed instructions. I actually think these might have helped me relax a little and enjoy the project more. Since there were specific rules to follow I felt more confident in the fact that I was doing the assignment
‘right’ then worrying if I should be doing more or less of something. This assignment allowed me to appreciate art more (and the detailed thoughts and attempts behind it). I feel myself taking more notice to the symbols and images around me, and critically thinking about what they mean. I can use this idea of Gestalt as a way to keep myself going when I am feeling down. Understanding that my efforts are a part of a larger picture allows me to feel more connected to the world around me.
Chaotic
Freedom
Stability
Oppression
Expressive Text This project required us to create four well-crafted iterations of one word using different forms of typography. It encouraged us to work abundantly and think about how the different forms hand lettering impact the meaning of a word. Hand lettering allows an artist to include their personal emotions in the text. It allows one to go beyond cliché ideas and really focus on the uniqueness of
their work. Digitally-rendered letters are really great and work well for creating mass amounts of material, but because they are easily accessible, they become overused. Hand lettering and original creation, when done correctly, proves for a piece of art with a much deeper and emotional meaning. Before I became an artist I didn’t think much
about the expression of text. I appreciated a good typographic quote, but I never analyzed or questioned how they chose the fonts and placement of the text. I assumed there was no real correlation between the form of the letters, and the meaning of the message. I actually assumed that we only saw a relationship between the two after the letters were chosen. I didn’t realize that
the letters were chosen to create the relationship. But after becoming an artist I now understand how important it is to pick the right style of typography, and to make sure it is displayed in an equally right way. I never realized how much this aspect of design maters when trying to display text. It’s not just about what you are saying, but how you are saying it and displaying it. The format of the letters and the placement on the paper really has an effect on the viewers. They take this in, process it, and create their opinion on the product or company. Throughout this assignment I realized that I have a hard time putting a lot of detail
in my work. I usually tried to stick with simpler designs and typefaces, rather than a more complicated construct. I noticed that when trying to add detail, it would open up more opportunity for me to get frustrated with the work I was producing. I also struggled to come up with different and new forms of lettering. I struggled to push beyond my usual types and go-to doodling designs. I really want to continue this work and try and push beyond these comfortable designs and see what new and creative things I can come up with. I also would like to work with alternative types of mediaworking with food, items found in nature, etc. At first
I thought that working with outside materials was an easy way out of the assignment (because you wouldn’t be personally making the materials), but after analyzing my completed work, I can see that it is simply using your resources in a unique way. I want to play with this more and see what creative ideas I can produce. There are so many resources out there that can be used in alternative, creative, and ironic ways.
Object Iteration This project required us to create various iterations of a familiar object and format them into a final composition. It encouraged us to use and push beyond cliché, and to work abundantly and creatively with a variety of media. This project allowed us to experiment with the emotions of a common object, an object that we might not have considered to even have emotions. Because we focused on one specific item we had the ability to analyze all aspects of it and really understand its function in our society. We were encouraged to experiment with a variety of media to highlight these unique characteristics. For my project, I chose an umbrella. Before I became an artist I couldn’t see past the typical functions of these objects. I didn’t push myself to see what else they could be used for or seen as. I was limited by the societal standards and didn’t allow my creativity to design other possibilities.
But after I became an artist, I realized that the umbrella has a very distinct shape. If you have an object with an upside down bowl-shaped top and a rod-like pole underneath, most people will see the general shape of an umbrella. Even if a particular iteration didn’t clearly resemble the typical form of an umbrella when alone, when referenced with other images it was relatable and understandable. The most challenging iterations that I worked to create were the master artist’s. While choosing an
artist based off their stylistic work was not challenging in itself, imitating their work in reference to a foreign object was. It is hard to use the stylistic aspects of their work and incorporate them into an object that wasn’t necessarily an object seen in their pieces. It forced you to think outside the box and focus on the details of the artist’s previous work and analyze how you could incorporate them into your iteration. The most enjoyable iterations that I worked to create were the text iterations. I loved
compiling the different text styles and sizes to form a single image. The texts I chose complimented each other and allowed for a clean and put together collage. This was my first time using Photoshop so throughout the creation of this project I learned a lot. I now know how important it is to take your time and accept that it will be a slow process. In order to make your effort worth it, you need to allow yourself ample time to experiment and make mistakes. While it proved to be very frustrating and I obsessed over the position of
my objects, I am happy that I had this opportunity and now feel more confident in my ability to design digitally. If I had the opportunity to go forward with this object and continue creating iterations, I would love to work more with the actual construction of umbrellas. With the limited amount of time and resources that I had, I didn’t experiment with this as much as I would have liked to. I think photography and reallife art can sometimes create a much deeper image than paper drawings. I would also like to work with the emotion of umbrellas. I noticed that
classmates who chose an animal for their object used their range of emotions to help with the number of iterations. Since one would not typically associate umbrellas with a particular emotion, I would like to create one. I want to portray umbrellas with a range of feelings and see how this would affect the iterations that are produced.
Children’s Book This project required us to create cohesive and welldesigned images to illustrate the text of a children’s book. It allowed us to work with a client and typeset the story to support our images.
and exciting. I had never illustrated a book before, nor had I ever worked for a client. With all of these new experiences in front of me I wasn’t sure what to think or where to start.
Illustrating a book allows the text to become alive. It gives the reader an opportunity to see what is happening in the story and match the words to an image. The illustrations are such an important aspect of stories, especially in children’s books. Being given this opportunity to illustrate a book was both terrifying
Before I became an artist I struggled to believe in my ability to create good illustrations. I lacked the confidence in my work and ideas. Since I don’t particularly enjoy drawing by hand, I had to brainstorm different techniques. I had to figure out what media I would enjoy working with
and what would allow me to create images appropriate for a children’s book. But after I became an artist, I realized that my images did not have to be created by hand to be considered good. The alternate forms of media that I used allowed me to capture and create a unique depiction of my story. I really pulled from the cutpaper technique that I used in my object iterations. This was my favorite iteration that I worked through because it allowed me to have the most control over my work.
I was able to envision the final product and take the necessary steps to make it happen. This process was very fulfilling for me and allowed me to appreciate and enjoy my work. If I had the opportunity to continue work on this project I would like to push myself beyond my comfort in the cut-paper technique and experiment with other types of media. While working through this project I was also
very surprised to see how invested my client was in the process. Before we began the project, all I heard were the problems that students had because their author failed to communicate with them. This lack of involvement is what I prepared myself for so when they continued to initiate meetings and checkins, I was really surprised. They were interested in the work that I was doing and truly wanted to see the progress that was
being made. Although my partner’s continuous checkins sometimes proved to be frustrating and stressinducing, they forced me to stay on top of my work. Simply knowing that there was someone else waiting to see my designs pushed me to continue creating. As in the first project of the semester, having continuous feedback from a partner allowed me to fix and refine my work until I had a polished final project.
This book was published by Marisa Strothenke in the Spring of 2015. Thoughts and images were created during participation in Katie Ries’ Introduction to Design Class at St. Norbert College. The type is set to Goudy Old Style font.