Technical Tutorial

In this tutorial Im going to teach you how to model realistic land in maya. This is useful if you would like to make ground for a movie or game.


The first step is to create a cube shelf icon from the polygon tab, then scale it to the size that you want.

The next step is holding the right mouse button select faces and then holding spacebar go to edit mesh then add divisions, the more divisions you add the smoother the land will be but the slower it will render.

After you are comfortable with your divisions, holding right click select vertex and then click "b" you will get a notification saying that soft select is on. Then highlight or select individual vertexes and you will notice it creates a cloud around the selected region. Click the "W" key and arrows will appear from this you can move it and each color gradient will have less effect.

you can probably figure out by now what is happening, from here you can sculpt it using the soft select. This land is ready for texturing.

                                      

Story project

The goal of this project was to make a 2d animation with a minimal of three scene changes that tells a story.

The first step in this project was to come up with the characters and setting which I thought was going to be easier then it ended up being. In the end I went with an Ent character, which is essentially a human tree, in no specific setting other then nature.

I then began to create a story which underwent lots of change. The initial story was a community of Ents that got wiped out by some natural disaster and one survived. That Ents goal was to find an acorn and replant the population and die in the end. However after watching my final animation you can see that was nowhere near the final story which was: an Ent wakes up and discovers he has an acorn, he then plants this acorn and waits for it to grow ultimately creating a new friend.

My first step in making these ideas come to life was making my main character and his environment. Hopefully as you can see I put a lot of detail into this Ent which took a long time. I created a front view and a side view of him along with different background scenes and my other growing tree.




From there I moved to after effects where I made each of the 10 scenes separately and then combined them together into the final project


Along the way I learned how to make a walk cycle using the puppet pin tools. Something else I learned was that (speaking for myself) to make a quality project class time is simply not enough.

What I would do different if I remade this project would only relate to time. As in I would spend more time making him sit down properly and things like that. Other wise I would mostly do everything else the same.


The main thing I can draw from this project is time management. I know how long it can take me to complete bigger projects so I need to plan out how I am going to spend my time on each.

This story animation could very well be my favorite project this whole year.

How to Make Sound Waves in Illustrator

Step 1

The first thing you need is a line, remember to hold shift to draw a straight line.

Step 2

With this line selected go to "Effects" then "Distort and Transform" then click "Zig zag".

Step 3

In the box that pops up select preview and to make sound waves you will also need to check the "smooth" option under "points".

Step 4

After you click "Ok" you will see that you have made a sound wave, however sound waves can get bigger or smaller so you will want to go to "Object"

"expand appearance".

Step 5

Finally, using the direct select too you can edit specific points and move them up or down to your liking.

Painting the Ocean

I wanted to make a landscape since that is what we had done before so I went with something similar, that being a sea scape I followed the tutorial given but instead I adjusted it for my picture. I used the mixer brush to  make the sky a smoother transition. I used it for the water as well when I added the brighter reflections in the water. finally I used it in the clouds when I added in minor highlights.

My Personal Logo

Step 1

The first step I went through was a Design brief where essentially I said that I was making a logo that was going to revolve around music and I wanted it to represent expensive or high quality things. I also wanted simplicity

Step 2

I researched how this had been done before and came across the idea for a sound wave so it gives the high quality feel without tying me down to one aspect. Lots of the logos were red or orange like the one to the left but I was going for more of a mellow feel.

I then came across the logo to the right and found that I like the light blue's calmer feel paired with the simplicity of this logo. I then googled the values associated with each color and found that teal Has an "expensive","trustworthy" and "creative" symbolism associated with it.

I also recreated the adidas logo following a tutorial, and was very happy with the way that I turned out.

Step 3

I worked with a lot of different ideas before I finally narrowed it down to sound waves. my big revelation was when I found that my "H" fits into my "M" which I then combined with the sound wave Idea I had 

Step 4

I began by trying to make my logo with the pen tool but soon saw that that wouldn't work

Online I found a tool that could make sound waves from a line and I used that and expanded it and edited the line to create a growing and decaying sound wave with a "M" in the middle. From there I copied the line and flipped it over the x axis then created the "H" from the negative space.

However the "H" wasn't prevalent enough so I put it on a black background and made the "H" white and tested it with my word mark

I wasn't a big fan of the word mark so I got rid of it and put my logo in a circle to define the edges

Because I had been getting peer review along the way from people around me, when we did peer review as a class there weren't many suggestions. Alas, my logo is complete

Floating Mountain

I feel like this project mostly revolved around selecting. Through it we learned new ways to select objects. An example being the quick select tool where you can paint on the selection and it also can detect edges and fit the selection better. This project also revolved around layer masks where as you can see at the bottom of the picture the cloud is in front of the mountain which in this case adds more of a 3d look to it. The main things I added were the sun rays in the sky and the "Mason butterflies". If I were to redo the assignment I would probably stick more to the main goal and have a little less going on.

Drop Shadow

In this project we worked with making shadows. Shadows can add a lot to a picture because it is one of those things that you notice the pictures is missing but you "can't put your finger on it". I think that this technique was very simple and the shadows were very realistic. I could have picked a better object because the bullet bill is angled upward and the tutorial was focused on something that is flat on the ground. If I would have done it without the tutorial I would not have thought to use the gradient to make it fade off and I would have most likely made it a hard edge. Through this tutorial I also have learned a new tool that I can see myself using plenty in the future, that would be the pixel lock tool which allows you to lock pixels so that it is restrained to that area.

Professional Article Review

The article has 4 major parts to it it starts with what is 2d animation, then it lists the different tools that animators use. The next part it goes over is the 12 laws of animation; squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, etc. then finally it finishes off with the process. The main things that the author argues is that 2d animation and 3d animation are different in the idea that 3d animation utilizes more "fancy digital models" and "virtual spaces". The other thing that the author argues is that 2d animation is generally always done the same other then a few slightly different techniques. the author supports both of these claims with lists of the tools and processes. The article's weakness is that it doesn't necessarily take a side on anything but instead is a neutral paper. Its strength would be that it is very thorough in its lists. The author's conclusion is that 2d animation is the same whether it is done at home or a professional studio. My critique on this article would be that the main points, as far as an argument perspective go, were not very significant. I find that the evidence is convincing and as an animator I can improve my animations by going through the same processes that professional animators use. I understand the article very well. I really liked this article even if I had to dig for a claim because I feel as though this can help me in making better animations.

Creative anarchy at its very best

This article reviews the rules of graphic design or how to bend and break them. It uses metaphors to real life to explain how some can be broken and others can be bent. The authors argument is that to create a successful piece it needs to stand out from the crowd and to do that you need to know how to break the rules. this article has many strengths for example it helps to clearly understand how ideas work and when you can break the rules. There are parts I disagree with as well; it says that all ideas have already been created and that any "new" ones are just a recycled old one. I would argue that when did someone create the last new design and start redoing old ones. This article is applicable not only to graphic design but really anything you do. Overall I think that this article was correct in the sense that most follow the rules so to stand out you need to know how to break the rules.

Professional project review

Reflection

Throughout kiwi the creator used these design  principles very well. They mainly focus on the trees. the trees are all evenly spaced and roughly the same size, and the cliff has a similar shape all the way down. These elements give the piece a kind of balance and pattern. The story that you can get from this was this was a wingless bird that's only want/dream in life is to fly. judging by the enormity of thee cliff the bird spent a long time trying to achieve this goal and in the end it finally felt like it was flying. When the bird is just getting ready to jump they added a wind up and sprint that gave a fast feel to it. This ease in is something we learned about in class. something I would like to add to my project would be the steady and natural feeling speed that this creator was able to portray. I felt that the creator did a fantastic job of making the kiwi have a personality and feelings without words or even arms. I feel like this isn't a finished project because it has a lack of textures, which may have been what they were going for but if I were in charge thats how I would improve it. I really enjoyed this clip and I felt sympathy for the bird, its also tough for me to watch the ending.

Pencils

My process behind this was first, of course, I followed the packet to make a very basic pencil and can. I thought I should expand on that Idea and make it a bit  more realistic so I lengthened out the pencil and added a different texture to the metal on the end of what I usually think of a wooden pencil. For the can I pictured a can of green beans and I took the label off and was left with a metal can with these big rivets on it so that was how I made that.

The first basic thing I took away from this was a deeper knowledge of the tools and how to use them, for example the rectangle tool drawn from the middle can create the effect of depth on the pencil because it adds the lines and makes it look hexagonal like a real pencil. Another tool was the direct select tool which I used to take the bottom half of the ellipse and drag it down to create the can. Finally, I have heard of the live paint bucket tool before but I wasn't exactly sure how to use it and with this project I now know how to .

The second thing I took away from this is how much a little variation can change the whole feel to a piece. For example, my first pencil to the second. Not too much changed but it went from a child's pencil to a pencil at an employee's desk.

Finally I learned more about the nature of 3D objects especially with the ink well on my fountain pen drawing. What I mean by this is I redrew the inkwell a couple of times the first time the bottom was flat, then I changed the lip on top from two overlapping ellipsis and finally the Ink on the inside at first was a rectangle then a flat black then finally I added the outline to pronounce the shape.

Graphic Design

Many things use graphic design that you don't even realize. The best way to describe it is, in a movie when one camera cuts to the next and it feels natural like a fluent motion. It is like this in graphic design when you look at a menu and you don't even think about it because it just feels natural, its designed how you expect it to be organized and it just looks appealing.

It isn't just confined to menus however, someone somewhere designed every different sign manual pamphlet or website. Not only that but they made it look easy as well.

Using different typefaces and colors a graphic designer is able to achieve and portray an emotion or idea. It can be from organizing words on a page and choosing the font and color to creating a picture or design keeping in mind the feelings behind each color. The best way to understand what graphic design is, is to picture life without it. It would be boring not easy or fun to read and would ultimately create a monotonous environment everywhere.

I really enjoyed this video because it was fun to watch and helps to get across its message which is what graphic design is all about

The Final project

The Final project

For the video segment of our product, we all made videos then voted on the winner. I was in charge of setting up shots and I had help when the others weren’t acting. I also made the watch prop for our video.

In the graphic design portion we all made logos and the one seen on the website we, again all voted for.  As seen here, my contribution to the website and graphics were that I designed the banner and the color scheme for the website I also helped trouble shoot the website.

For animation we all made the watch in sketch up then decided based on each other’s skills, which one of us was in charge of each of the 4 parts of animation. I was in charge of making the actual watch, so I started over and perfected by reshaping it and choosing fitting textures.

In the end, our team was capable to work together and produce an astounding end product. We used each others skills and strengths to fill in for each others weaknesses and created a strong team by doing so. Our team had two lions which resulted in some disagreements at points but we were able to guide ourselves to the correct path.

Prime Watch Commercial

Overall I enjoyed this project because it had a lot of freedom. We were able to use most things we learned from 3rd quarter. I find that the video is pretty easy to follow what happens and it still conveys the message we were aiming for. The video came out exactly as I was picturing in my head.
My group used a new technique as well which was panning, where the camera followed our actress walk down a hall. This turned out very well it was smooth and consistent and feels natural. Something new I personally used was during editing I learned how to display a name on the screen during a testimonial.
If I could have changed one thing I would have added more people talking for background audio because I feel I had to get too much music to fill in the blank spaces where someone is just walking. I also had trouble meeting a minuet which I did eventually get.

My Personality and Its Contributions

INTJ

My personality type is INTJ, this is also known as the strategist or mastermind. I have a slight preference of introversion over extroversion. This means that I work well by my self and enjoy time on my own, but I can still communicate and work in groups. I have a moderate preference of intuition over sensing, meaning that I do what I think is the best way to go about something vs. what might seem right. I have a moderate preference of thinking over feeling. This is exactly how it sounds, I base my decisions on logic over emotions. I have marginal to no preference of judging over perceiving. I only had a 1% toward judging this shows how I could work from judgment or perception the same. 

Real-Life connection

I find that this personality type truly fits me because like the personality type explains I like time by myself just to think about possibilities, Ideas and theories. A line I saw that really caught me was " INTJs inherently trust their insights, and with their task-orientation will work intensely to make their visions into reality". all in all I couldn't find a part of this personality that doesn't fit me.

Application

In a group I can be a leader and mostly like to use my Ideas because, well "I'm always right". I understand that simple is better but I can find that hard to implement sometimes because the more complicated way can seem easier. I feel that INTJs are necessary to a functioning group as a visionary and to determine the best way to solve a problem.