An Artman’s Journey By: Noah Eastman
A Journey Begins
Am I called to creative work? If so, how do I recognize that calling? If not, to what do I feel called? Yes, I am called to creative work. For the last few years I have dreamed of starting my very own entertainment business where I can bring my ideas to life. These include characters, stories, worlds, and much more. So, I find my calling to creative work to be a pursuit of a career in this field. What’s something I’ve made in the last two years that you’re proud of? In the last two years the very first sketches I made when I got into sketching was a dragon and a nuckelavee. This was done right after my first art class in high school which was junior year. These two drawings made me realize the potential I had in art and how much I could improve. This very moment convinced me to continue my pursuit in art. Just these two sketches lead me onto the path I am on now. It lit a brand-new spark.
D-School How did engaging with a real person, change the direction your prototype took? What was it like showing unfinished work to another person? How did the pace feel? Quick, iterative cycles – how did that feel relative to how you normally work? Design thinking is an iterative, self-directed process. Based on what you learned—what would you go back and do next? What would you do over again? How did engaging with a real person, change the direction your prototype took? What was it like showing unfinished work to another person? How did the pace feel? Quick, iterative cycles – how did that feel relative to how you normally work? Design thinking is an iterative, self-directed process. Based on what you learned—what would you go back and do next? What would you do over again? The engagement with my partner allowed me to create a craft that was small and had...incomplete detail. So, it sure did feel unfinished; the pacing for the construction process felt rushed despite it being a small project. If it were a lengthy project, I would've taken more time. So, if I had the chance to start over, I would cut the cardboard for the cross more precisely, make it smaller, and apply some form of color.
Dot Line
In your own words, what is gestalt and how does it relate to this project? How difficult is it for you to make a “well-crafted object”? Would you rather make things quickly and a little less perfectly or spend extra time to get small details right? How did this project change or affect your idea of abstraction? Was it difficult to represent ideas without illustrating them? Why or why not? How else might you use this exercise or the ideas of gestalt and abstraction? After reading S***** First Drafts all I could think of was "what does this have to do with Graphic Arts class?" I do understand that writing and art can mix together but it just felt out of place. Maybe it just because we're all working on a separate project: Dot/Line. Then about 2-3 minutes later I considered the possibility that the pdf is indirectly comparing drafts to our iterations. An iteration is a stage or a version; you start from scratch and eventually move on to the final stage. A rough draft is the original stage to a paper, you make any edits needed until your paper is both complete and correct. That includes your grammar, staying focused on your topic, correct information, etc. Another thing I got out of this reading was that our first trail for a project of any kind may not turn out good but it's only the first. You continue on from there until you improve/fix your mistakes. That is what I got of this reading; can't wait to hear what the rest of you have to say on the matter. Gestalt is an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts; Abstraction is a form of art that utilizes visuals such as shapes and colors for expressive purposes. These two terms serve a purpose in the project due to how the class and I had to cut out circles, lines and rectangles and choose three specific words. We’ll then create a visual which will represent utilize said words. For example, you could have a circle on top of a rectangle line to represent balance. If one were to ask how difficult the process was for me, I’d have to say it was somewhere in between the spectrum. Personally, I’m more of a sketcher than a craftsman and I constantly believed that my cuts needed to be perfect (or close). But there will usually be a jagged edge or slightly curved edge in my cuts. Deciding on both words and abstractions however wasn’t too difficult. Certain words like rejection, balance, and longing simply stuck out to me and the abstractions popped in my head. I don’t have a clear or specific explanation, some ideas just come to me on the fly. Overall this project changed my point of view on abstraction; you can use it to express your ideas and in some cases emotions.
Hand lettering
What did hand-lettering teach you about letterforms? Which techniques would you most like to spend time continuing and refining? What would you do next? When you think about your finished pieces which is their strength: form or content? Another way to say this: are your ideas or your execution stronger? When I was preparing my iterations for the hand lettering project, it taught me that in order to be effective it must have a certain context and form. In our critiques we gave our opinions on how the concepts and forms were used. Take one of my iterations with the word “mind” for example; in one iteration I used charcoal to create the shape of a thought bubble or brain, surrounding the word MIND. This is meant to represent the literal concept of thought and mind. And while the critique for my work did conclude better than expected, I’ve been informed or have noticed on at least a few suggestions. All of my work was centered and anytime in future I should try to either give more space; or I should try placing my words in different spaces. And of course, my spray left marks, so I’ll try to keep better distance with said spray (perhaps I sprayed too close to the paper). Overall, I think that my form was stronger. This is due to how 3 out of my 4 iterations simple had different art styles while my third iteration was more conceptualized. My fourth iteration did have some conceptual feeling to it; it conveys a vibrational or fuzzy feeling to it due to the enclosed and messy zigzag formation I incorporated. Regardless it still turns out better than I originally thought, just add a few fixes or adjustments and it’ll probably turn out better.
Object Iterations
What did I learn about my object through this process? In this Object Iteration project, I was semi-surprised about how this project was going to function. Certain iterations were harder than others, but it seemed that the photoshop was the most difficult iteration. This was my first-time using adobe photoshop and it was difficult to use the controls. There were just so many; but I think that I’ve gotten the hang of it. I did enjoy this project since I finally got to both sketch and use digital based art for the first time. Which media was the most challenging for you? Which the most enjoyable? As I stated earlier Photoshop was the most difficult but it along with the sketching piece was the most enjoyable. What did you learn about Photoshop that you think you’ll use going forward? The most basic thing I’ve learned about Photoshop was simply the controls and functions. As I stated before this was by far my first time ever using this app. If you had to continue with this object for a year, what else might you do to represent it in new ways? If I were to make new iterations, I would try to find new photos so that I can find new positions. I would maybe want to make a more comic style-based iteration and maybe even a humorous iteration in some shape or form. I also wouldn't mind doing a more realistic iteration with a landscape background perhaps, add a little color as a side.
Data Visualization
How did you create visual hierarchy? What skills or ideas did you learn in this project that you can take forward to other work? How was it to use color? First off when I was creating my poster, I used visual hierarchy by using a specific structure with each of my text boxes. I first had my title at the top, with a 4-year graduation guarantee afterwards. Just below that I place 3 text boxes with the first two saying Financials and Degrees Offered. Then finally just below I finished the Student Involvement section. What I learned from this project is about how determining the structure of your poster allows you to be organized and allowing your target audience to understand the message. And to use color allowed my poster to look more creative and interesting. And I also enjoyed adding color because it the specific colors I used: yellow and green allow me to reflect on the signature colors of SNC. After all my poster topic was about why SNC is the perfect choice for a College. Infographic Analysis Example? I choose “What Islamic Golden Age Thinkers Discovered Long before the West.” Why I choose this infographic is because I honestly was a little surprised about what Islam discovered before the West did. That includes hydrochloric acid, evolution, decimal fractions, law of refraction, etc. Then I also like the color coding and how the info graph added dates as to what was discovered at what time. Most of it really surprised me. For the academics portion in the infographic I would not cut any information because from what I heard from various students that I have befriended, that a majority of them are in these three studies. And I have even overheard such information from other students who study here. As for religious preference I would go a little higher in percentage for no preference. Why is because while certain students are officially part of a certain religion, not all of them wish to be a part of it or they just simply don’t believe. So, I would make just a slight edit but overall keep the rest. For all the other sections such as financials, ethics, etc. I would keep the info the same. I admit that my knowledge on some of these facts may be little; but from what I can observe most of the info seems accurate. Infographic: What Islamic Golden Age Thinkers Discovered Long before the West — “Information is Beautiful. Sure, you’ve heard of Copernicus, Fibonacci and Fermat. But what about Ibn al-haytham, al-Bīrūni, al-razi - the often-uncredited Islamic Golden Age scholars who inspired and informed their discoveries?”
Personal Chart
A graph that determines who in my family including myself is either introverted or extraverted.
“We all have a spark of potential, waiting to be ignited. There are dreams we want to reach. There is a path we must follow. There are goals we can accomplish. There are gifts that we want, yet there are gifts we may already have. There will always be obstacles, fear, frustration, doubters, mistakes, set backs, weakness, and failures. But the only real failure is the choice to give up. With passion, courage, hard work, effort, purpose, and friends behind our backs can success be ours. Never wish for potential, happiness, and success. Work for it. Only then will we have it.� - Noah Eastman