Self Symbol Gif and Reflection

1.  The concept behind my self symbol gif was my laugh.  Many people often tell me that my laugh is funny or contagious.  They say that watching me laugh makes them laugh, which is a quality that I feel is unique to me.  I also feel like laughing is something I do quite and enjoy, and it is specific to me.  In my gif I wanted to show that by having one face begin to laugh first, followed my the other faces laughing as well to show how it is joyful and contagious, much like my laugh.  I believe my Gif enhances the idea that my laugh is contagious and that people enjoy that aspect of me.  The changing of the colors really shows how much I love my laugh and my ability to make others laugh.

2.  My animation changed a lot from my orignal idea.  Originally I was going to have full-bodied figures instead of just faces.  I was also going to have me standing at the top of the screen and then a larger crowd of people who look up at me and laugh when I start laughing.  After starting to create this idea in photoshop I realized that it would be extremely difficult for me to fit all the figures I originally wanted in my Gif. I also did not want it to be so literal by drawing myself at the top.  I wanted my idea to represent me but at the same time, be open so that other people can relate if they too have a nice laugh.  That is why I made all of the faces the same.  I originally didn't think to make the faces change color but I added that in because I felt that it enhances the idea of joy in laughter.  

Gimli Gif's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warping My Reality

Reflection:
1.  The concept behind my image is my reality being warped into something supernatural.  The image inside my T.V was the view from outside my window.  I decided to do that because I wanted to make it seem like my reality was being sucked into my T.V and all the supernatural stuff is coming out of it.  That is also why I warped the edges of the T.V and I put my dog jumping into it.

2.  I am actually very impressed with my results because this was my first time using photoshop and thought I wouldn't have been able to represent my ideas the way I hoped to.  I feel that I made it pretty clear that my dog was going into the T.V. and it was some kind of supernatural world that was coming out of it.  I feel that my craftsmanship when it came to putting the picture of outside my window in my T.V. and adding the picture of space in the background of that.  Over all it does represent what I wanted it to and im happy with the results.

3. Original Photos:

4.  One of the tools I used was layer masks.  I used layer masks inside of my T.V. to make it so that the buildings in the picture of the view outside my window would look like it is inside my T.V.  To do that, the first thing I did was make sure I selected the picture of the buildings and I copied it.  I pasted the picture into the one with my T.V., and in doing that it created a new layer.  I moved that new layer under the layer that had my T.V. in it so that it was hidden under the T.V.  On the layer which had the T.V., I went to add a layer mask and I clicked it.  It created a new mask onto the picture with the T.V and it was white.  I made sure that the layer mask was selected and I choose a paint brush and started to paint within the T.V. screen.  As I painted, it revealed the layer underneath the T.V. which was the buildings.  After completing that, the buildings looked like they where in the T.V.  

 

Sarah Mini Lesson 4

Letter Project Reflection

1.  For the Letter Project, the very first step after being assigned a letter was the brainstorming process.  I was assigned the letter "C" and I came up with a list of words and concepts that relate to the letter "C". 

 

 Off the back one of the first things I thought of was Captain Hook since lately I've been into the show Once Upon A Time.  Another thing that instantly came to my mind was a wave because when it crashes down it forms the shape of a "C".  For my Letter Project I knew that I wanted to focus on things that took the shape of the letter "C" naturally instead of focusing on a concept like the city and then just putting that into a "C" shape.   After my brainstorming I decided to draft most of the ideas I came up with instead of just re-doing one concept many different ways.  I decided to draw out most of my ideas because I wasn't sure which one I wanted to do the most so I was experimenting with all the things I came up with in my list.

  

I tried to draw out all of the ideas that I had come up with but the only idea that I had re-drawn multiple times was the hook.  I was really drawn to that idea from the start and it eventually became my favorite so I wanted to make sure that I put more time into drafting that idea as well as experimenting with the different ways I could go about incorporating it into my letter project.  The peer feedback I received did help me because my peers encouraged my idea with captain hook and they even gave me advice on how I can make the letter "C" stand out more.

  They really helped me expand my original idea because at first I just wanted to have the hook in my picture but they gave me the idea to incorporate Captain Hook himself which is something I hadn't thought of.  With the new idea and the encouragement of my old one I decided to draw both ideas in my larger thumbnails.

 

2.  In the thumbnail on the right, I drew my original idea I had since he beginning.  One of the major issues that I ran into with the hook design was the size of the base and the shape of the hook itself.  I realized later on that I should of made the base of the handle a lot smaller than the hook itself in order to make the letter "C" the focus.  The shape of the hook itself looked more like a question mark instead of a "C'.  I realized that a hook looks more like a "C" when it is tilted to the side more.  With these reasons in mind, I appealed more to my second design on the right with Captain Hook in it.  I decided to have that be my final design.

 

 

That is me final draft.  There were many changes I made between the thumbnail and my final draft.  One of the changes was the size of the hook.  I made it extremely large so that the "C" is the center of attention and it is very clear to see.  Another thing I did to make the "C" stand out was making the base of the hook a lighter color than the actual hook that makes up the shape of the "C".  I also changed the background from the beach to Neverland.  I thought it would be a more appropriate setting.  I made the hook itself black to make it stand out which is another reason why I made the background colors very light.  My concept was Captain Hook and the letter "C" stands for Captain and it is represented in his hook.  Overall I was proud of my work and I feel like my concept is clearly represented in my design.

 

3.  The most challenging aspects of the project was making sure that the hook was the center of attention and that it accurately depicted the letter "C".  I was nervous that the hook didn't stand out very much against the background which is why I tried really hard to have a big contrast between light and dark colors when it came to the hook and background.  Another challenge was the handle of the hook since it isn't apart of the "C" I thought it would confuse the letter.  I tried to make the handle of the hook lighter so that the "C" would stand out even more.

 

4.  After putting in a lot of effort and time into my final, I am proud of the outcome.  I feel like I successfully make the "C" stand out against the background.  I also feel that I successfully incorporated the Captain Hook concept and theme into my project.  I think overall it makes the letter "C" fit in.

 

5.  If I could change anything about my design I would change the background and maybe put more detail into it because I fell like it is very plain.  I would add in little details like trees to the background or I would make the water look more realistic just to help the overall project look nicer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Summer

 

About Me

My name is Sarah Vazquez and I am 17 years old.  I attend Millennium High School.  I currently own two Dogs and three Guinea Pigs.  I was born and raised in Manhattan and I love it.  My favorite color is blue and my favorite sport is Volleyball.  A fun fact about my family and I is that we go to Orlando Florida every other year and the following pictures are form my latest vacation.

 

Picture 1: Beauty and the Beast Castle

 

When I went to Orlando Florida this past summer, my family and I went to Magic Kingdom.  There was a new section added into the park which I hadn't seen before.  From the distance I could see the Beauty and the Beast castle which was amazing to me since it is my favorite Disney movie.

 

Picture 2: Diagon Alley 

 

 

In Florida, my family and I also went to Universal Studios and visited the brand new Harry Potter section they had.  It was so amazing, it looked like it came right out of the movies.  I had a butterbeer and I got to go on the new ride they had there.  It was an amazing day. 

 

Picture 3: Wedding

 

After coming back from Florida, there was a wedding in my family.  One of my cousins got married and my family and I had a great time at the wedding.  The picture is of my bother, his girlfriend, and me.  We spend the day celebrating and dancing, it was beautiful.