Final Reading and Reflective Essay for Finished Book Project*

Essay Question 1)

I’d say the most beneficial skill that I acquired in this course for digital illustration would be the things I learned putting my 8 page book together. I mastered ‘placing’ images into InDesign. I’ve done something similar to this concept with Don Kay’s class last winter. So seeing the final results of astonishing imagery and adventurous creativity was pretty cool. I also feel that I became a lot more familiar with different photoshop effects and the ways that they enhance digital photography. I was thankful that I had a lot mof really rare material to work with having done extensive photography in Ireland and the Virgin Islands. All-in-all, this class was the one I feel most confident and accomplished in.

Essay Question 2)

I chose the horizontal template for the overall presentation. It was my prefessor’s (Robert, or you) idea to have dual images placed side by side to the page. One would be at a significant opacity; the other would be strong, bold, and artistic. The side with image opacity was laid out that way so the creative writing pieces would stand out from the art. This idea that professor Robert helped me approach was something I made happen 10-fold because it turned out unique and amazing. It was all based on: Home, my travels to Ireland, the Caribbean, and even Alaska.

Essay Question 3 (in response to Reflective Essay question #4)

I have great ideas for what I’m gonna do with this project. When I met up with Dan in Stevenson Union again, I am going to have him make more copies of my project because I am thrilled with how it came out. I’m sure it will be interesting in the eyes of a significant other. So I plan to give one copy to someone I was once close with, someone who had a lot to do with why I was even in the islands (the Caribbean) at one point. And I’ll always keep a copy for myself so when I have occasional company in my humble home, I can show them what I did in my digital illustration course. These are my favorite kind of classes because I am a very creative person by nature. Thanks for helping me make something like this*

My Book Proposal...

My Book Proposal is a recollection of poetry and travel. I posted the beginning and end at the bottom of the blog. The Caribbean adventures will be how the book begins. The Alaska Lagoons will be how it ends. There will be 6 more images and 6 more poems. One poem for each image. Some are from the Virgin Islands. Some are from home. Some are from Ireland. And Some are from Nature's Best Kept Secret (British Virgin Islands.)

I have yet to make every poem. Two of the poems (from the beginning and the end) were borrowed from what has already existed in creative material. However, all the images are new through photoshop. I have all my images done and finalized. I used countless effects and filters and was pretty surprised with myself because I haven't ever enhanced my photography that way before. I was shocked because they turned out better than I thought would. So all the images exist, 2 of them are on display below, 6 more poems are coming for each image that hasn't yet been posted, and they are all a reflection of where I have taken myself.

Please look below for Caribbean Adventures and Alaska Lagoons

Reading and Reflection

Both my themes I made in photoshop are two different epics. One has to do with power, the other is suffering. Crum Nation is an album about prevailing over the Capitol. St. Thomas suffering is a film that has to do with Island Anarchy in the Caribbean. The tools I used for these themes were both scaling and posterizing. For St. Thomas Suffering I chose to make that posterized so that it didn't resemble real photography - makes it look a little fictional.

I also duplicated some layers over eachother for the Crum Nation poster. This helped to make the symbols look as if they are actually in my hand. The layers were blended together in an order that made the image perfect for the place of the symbols.

Text was easy to implement but in St. Thomas Suffering I used a white brush as a background for the black text. It makes the words stand out better. In Crum nation, the top part is light with black lettering and the bottom part is dark with white lettering. It was a polar contrast.

If these posters affect any audience or triggers any interest, there is always more to read in other blogs, which I refer to as internet books. I wouldn't know who sees these or not but Crum Nation is about my Uncle who is in Prison for the rest of his life since one morning in 6th grade. St. Thomas is about having to choose between 2 Dreams: Love at Home, or Paradise in the Virgin Islands.


St. Thomas Suffering*

It was a psychological suffering, a neurological suffering, an emotional suffering, a lovesick suffering, a homesick suffering. I felt scarred, lost and forgotten on that island.

Crum Nation*

A man born from the Columbus Storm... Hugest case in the United States in 1996. A nephew with a future.

St. Thomas Suffering

Crum Nation

Reading and Reflection essay

I think I honestly learned more from alphabet soup. I had a set back last week with my vehicle, so I was trapped at home. I went to approach this assignment then I realized it would be excellent to put my Caribbean photography to use. I soon as I seen the H, t, A, and X from my selections, I thought it worked perfect.

I did ask permission to the person that was the "other." It was ok. My photo of him was not a set up (the background anyway). But I didn't crop it or photoshop it in any way. I sought to catch it as a photo with nature being as beautiful as it could. Then my friend, he was just concentrated on having a fun time. I thought that was priceless*

In answering more of the questions pertaining to lighting, I felt in the alphabet letters that the lighting is what made X and A. The other ones weren't so affected by lighting like those two. I left all photos as they are* I believed they all implied their own adventures and I didn't want to tamper with how beautiful they turned out.

X