The Break Through: A Process Book By Tania Hernandez
“This world is but a canvas to our imagination” -Henry David Thoreau
Process Book By Tania Hernandez
Introduction Going into Art-130 I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought we might be doing more designing on paper. But what I got out of it was totally different. This class doesn’t only teach me about what works and what doesn’t but it also helped me developed as an artist. Honestly speaking graphic design isn’t my forte. I’ve never experimented with photoshop or indesign. This whole course was a whole new experiment. It made me realize that there is a lot of work that goes into creating something as simple as a logo. Throughout this book you will see the projects that were assigned in the semester. I have shown the final projects as well as the trial and errors that had to me made in order to get something that was worthy of showing in class.
Dot and Line The main goal for this project was to get a sense of abstract composition using minimal elements such as the dot and line. We also had to experiment with the value, scale, line, and visual hierarchy of our dots and lines. For this project we had to pick four words and portray them only using dots and lines. The size, shape, and color that were chosen were crucial because it either got your words across or it didn’t. You really had to think outside the box and get away from the cliches. The final project had to be crafted and presented to the class to figure out the word. For me the crafting the dots was the most difficult part because I couldn’t make perfect circles to save my life. This project made me look at things in a minimalist way. It pushed my boundaries when I had to create very simple and very powerful representations of these four words. At points it was hard to represent my ideas without trying to make an illustration of the word’s meaning.
Oppression:
Energetic:
Freedom:
Chaotic:
D* School Crash Course The main objective of this in-class project was to have us exposed to having a client and creating something based on the information that we obtained from them. The project itself was a very easy task. We interviewed our partners and then created something for them to give to someone the love and care about. What I enjoyed about this project is that it gave us the chance to interact with other classmates and get to know a little about them. The speed in which things were done was a fast one. You had to be on your toes ready to ask as many questions as possible in order to create something that our “client” would like. The project as a whole surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to talk to anyone from class and create something on the spot. This method could be applied in the real world like job wise. You got a sense of what kind of questions to ask, how many ideas you should come up with, taking risks and thinking outside the box, and it got you exposed to strangers who became clients. The partner or “client” I got was planning on giving a gift to his older brother, who he is very close to. My “client” was very down to earth and thought that the gift itself didn’t matter, what mattered was the thought that went into giving the gift. So for him I thought it would be a great idea to buy tickets to a ski resort and a concert; where both siblings would have bonding time doing things they both enjoyed. The idea was to give his brother hints of where they were going. This was set up like a scavenger hunt where the prize was the tickets.
Designer Presentation The designer who I choose to present on was Lillian Bassman. Lillian Bassman was born in 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. Studied at the Textile High School in Manhattan and graduated in 1933. Married a photographer by the name of Paul Himmel in 1935. In 1940 she was encourage to pursue a career in photography. By 1944 she was appointed art director of Hearst’s Junior Bazaar. In 1947 she photographer her first lingerie collection. In the 1970s she closed her studio and left photography. In 1990 she turned to photography and became a photographer. On February 13, 2012 Lillian Bassman passed away. I choose Lillian Bassman because she wasn’t just a painter but a photographer as well which are two of my favorite mediums. Painting and photography are two things that are very different from each other but she was very passionate about both. Most of her paintings were done in black and white, which is very different from the traditional color. Her photography was in black and white as well. Lillian Bassman is considered on of the last great woman photographer in the fashion industry.
Instructional The main objective of this project was to be able to use type and image at the same time. For this project we had to write out instructions to something that we know how to do. After writing it out we used Indesigned to create grids that helped us create a dynamic layout. We also created images for the things that we thought need images. The most successful part of my poster is that it only has a few pictures and they are simple. I really like the layout of my poster as well, but this was also the most difficult element to my poster just because I had to work with the negative space and even it out with the images.
How To Make A Fleece Tie Blanket
Materials: • • • •
Sharp pair of scissors Ruler or measuring tape 2 fleece blankets (same size) Pen or Pencil
1. Select the fleece blankets.
When selecting the fleece blankets you have to make you sure that they are to different patterns or solid colors. I would recommend using one of each; just make sure that they complement each other. After selecting the fabrics determine how big you want the finished product to be. I would recommend getting 1.5 to 3 yards.
2.Spread out the fleece blankets.
Spreading out the blankets is important. Make sure the brighter and softer side is facing out, match both blankets up together, and lay them as flat as possible. If needed you can trim any extra fabric.
3.Consider the measurements.
The cuts for the blanket don’t have to be exactly the same but somewhat close. The strips on the narrow end of the blanket need to be a little bit longer than the strips on the long side. I would recommend using 2.5-3 inches for the long side and 4-5 inches for the narrow side.
4.Cutting Strips. After considering your measurements
for the strips you would need to cut out rectangles from the corners. Make sure to cut through both blankets. Then you can start cutting the strips according to your measurements. I would recommend doing one side of the fabrics at a time.
5.Tying the strips.
To tie the strips together you would need to use the same method needed to tie up a balloon. It’s a very simple knot just make sure that the knots are not loose or else they will come undone by themselves.
6. Repeat. After you’re done with one side you can repeats steps 4 and 5 for the remaining three sides of the blankets. When finished you have the option of trimming the strips or leaving it as is.
7. Enjoy.
When finished you are more than welcome to use it or give it away as a gift.
Hand Lettering In this project we looked and experimented with a variety of hand lettering. We also looked into how the form of the letter, also known as the typography, impacted the meaning of the word. This was probably one of the projects that really allowed me to think outside the box and get very creative. I ended up experimenting with a wide variety of elements to write out the word “Melt.�
Children’s Book The Children’s Book project was by far one of the toughest projects I’ve ever done. I had a lot of difficulties trying to create the same character every time I needed him doing a different action. In the end I just ended up making it more simple and I feel like this works better because I think it looks more kid friendly. Another challenge that emerged was the lack of communication with my partners. At some point I didn’t even get as much feedback from them as I would have liked. This is probably one of my favorite pages that I made for the book. I really like the colors that I used. I think the texture that crayons leave behind look very detailed.
After realizing that I couldn’t recreate the same character doing different action, I decided that I needed to make my drawings simple. When I redrew the whole story board I ended up with fewer pages.
Object Iterations:
T
w o r B e h
r a e B n
The objectives of this project was to experiment with different media and modes, show creativity and curiosity experiments, and to acknowledge and work with cliches. The Object Iterations project was one of my 2 top favorite projects that I had to work on this semester. For this project we had to pick either an animal or an object and we had to make iterations of them using different medias and modes. We also had to choose two master artist and make iterations with our animal or object based on the master artist. The process throughout this whole project for the most part was enjoyable. It really made me think outside the box and look at brown bears in different shapes and styles. The only thing I struggled with was at the end when I had to pick and choose my favorite iterations. This was especially difficult because I really liked most of them but in the end I choose the ones that I was the most proud of.
Conclusion: After taking Art - 130, all I can say is that graphic design is something that I do enjoy. I really appreciated having Professor Ries there to answer questions and to be honest when giving feedback because in the end she only wanted us to create something that we were proud of making