Color Swatch Update

Redesigning my layout for my initial color swatches was done, and it definitely works better than have each different image and set of swatches on one piece of paper. I tried to find a way to get all three elements to work together well, but of course, things don't always work out the way you'd like. So, I decided to integrate them into one spread. Besides the misspelling of ivey, it shows each of my images I took colors from and the three tones I used.

Of course I won't be including all of these images within my final color swatch layout, I'll actually oinly be incorporating one photo with two sets of color swatches. The final colors I decided to use my icons are Dirty Rain Water, and Rotten Peach. Here are some other colors I explored along the process.

Moving into final critique I'll be showing up with a one color, two color, a three color, and a two color with optional background (which would be the picnic blanket pattern). These color iterations will all be used with my final more simple icon set; no overlay or background.

Edited Icon Set

One of my major problems with my last set was my poison ivy stem. It was read more of a maple leaf, rather than a dangerous leaf that people should stay away from. So, I added in one of my ideas from an earlier iteration for my icon set. Which is the background element that I added to the leaf to add more of a dangerous feeling to the icon, such as, "BEWARE". I was skeptical at first because I was wondering how cohesive my entire set would be with one having a background element, and the rest not. Working through iterations I was stuck on one idea, and instead of dealing with each individual shape by itself I traced the entire shape as one line, which worked a lot better. Overall, I'm glad I added this element I think it's still cohesive, and reads the way I wanted it to in the beginning. Scaling issues I'm still wondering if I've mastered within these Icons. They are all so different in shape, that it has been a little odd to get all at the right size. So, here is my final icon set and some process of my poison ivy.

On this part Jamie mentioned that there are too many spikes in the background element, that it needed to be simplified a bit more. Soooooo....

So I came up with this!


And here is my final set.

Some other corrections I have made were to the birds beak. Making it look as if it had more presence within the entire icon. Another correction was done to the apple, by joining the leaf and the stem of the apple. One more correction was done to the weather. I took away the hail, and one of the lighting bolts to make it more simple, which I feel works better because there aren't any extra element on the outside of the icon. It's a solid shape, just like my other ones.

Color Swatches

Connotations of colors discussed between Bethany Edigar and I.

 

Connotations: Sky, Pale, Dreary, Muted, Oceanic, Stone Cold

 

Connotations: Fruity, Juicy, Artificial, Cooked, Warm, Fall, Traveling

 

Connotations: Happy, Energetic, Earthly, Fresh, Unnoticeable, Wilting

 

Connotations: Pretty, Graceful, Youthful, Calm, Old, Unnoticable

 

Connotations: Happy, Fun, Dangerous, Warm, Spicy

 Connotations: Happy, Relaxed, Playful, Tasty

 Connotations: Artificial, Muted

Connotations: Pale, quiet, muddy, fluorescent, loud, muddy, nourishment, cross, dusty


Working through all the connotations of my set, there were some in there that didn't work as well as others, but, that's to be expected. Some the connotations that were associated with my story were: Surprise
Unexpected
Bright
Chaotic
Warm
Problematic
Danger
Annoying

I'm working on each color set individually, rather than making a spread with all of them. I just need to figure out a system to use within each image, color swatch set, and text. Because I'm still working on adding in silly names for my color swatches. Although, I first think I will narrow down my set to which colors I'll be using. And then make the names up. I'm really liking adding color to my icons. It was fun to have an initial set from inspirational images, and using them within my palette. Here are some good ideas to go off of.

I'm really liking how the blues are interacting with the other color I pair it with. And also how the opacity level makes it's own color when overlaid. For my next set, and almost final set I'm going to explore the idea of one simple color icon. No overlay, no background image, no nothing. Also I really need to add in a picnic blanket pattern to see how it's going to interact with the icon as a background. Should be interesting! 

Final crit for color is around the corner, and I really have a lot of improvements to try and work on my initial icon set, so we'll see how this works out.

Seven Deadly sins wrap up.

Here is the final book, start to finish.


FIN!

I really enjoyed this project. It was a lot of fun taking photos of my roommates and going a little extreme with some of them (wrath). It was also really refreshing to do something different; something not so graphic, at least that's the way I think of it. I also learned a bunch from doing this project. Such as, it's a good idea to just mess around with some compositions and ideas even if you're main idea isn't ready to do, and perfectly in tune. Also, using people isn't the easiest thing in the world, especially at art school. Everyone has their own deadlines and things to do. So, I really appreciate how cooperative my friends were with me. I probably set up and shot the whole thing 3 times, and then reshot one scene to get it working better.

Another thing I learned was don't wait to upload photos, especially if you're borrowing a camera. Get them on your hard drive before they disappear to 'delete' land.

Update: expressive type bus/billboard

 

Working through my problems I had with my last compositions, I feel I definitely resolved some issues.  The transitions be each section have definitely become more seamless, and have a better integration going on. Although, there are obviously some more progressions to be made. I have some dealing with the way I used my black bar throughout my bus, and how the text of my slogan is basically the same size has my logo. There has to be some hierarchy going on with the type, and I plan on messing with it more and more as we finish up this project.

Color swatces and first round of color icons

 

Working through this process it has been interesting to see what types of color combination you can come up with, and if it even gives the right connotations for my basic story line.  I'm still refining my icons to what critique had suggested, and little by little I feel that they are getting better. Adding color though in some way I feel changes the look of my icons. It begins to complicate things, and I'm kind of nervous about this. Working with just possibly two colors and making a very simple color choice and icon with no overlay, or background may be my answer. Although, I really enjoy that added element. I'm still working on getting a picnic blanket pattern within each of my icons for the color set. So this way, the farthest right image would have the over lay in the back with a textured pattern, and I feel that this could work, or fail terribly. WORK WORK WORK. Another thing I need to really work on is making my color swatch compositions really work with eachother, making it overall more interesting would be a major plus. Jamie said something to me today that really got me thinking was "make it like a poster"...which totally makes sense, and I should from now on think of it like that rather than just simply placing elements on the page. It's a good opportunity to play with form, and possibly be able to play off of it later.

Also, I'll make a new post about how these color swatches went over, and how I'm going to improve my colors by possibly expanding them to make more of a connection with certain connotations. 

Round One: Passed

YAY to Bethany, Brandon, Vi, Keaton, and I!
GO VOTE!

http://clash.aigablueridge.org/

Experimental type update

Working on the bus ideas for our experimental type assignment has been challenging to be successful on a bus/billboard composition. I've been working with integrating all of my experiments within on composition, and I wasn't sure if it look too sloppy, due to how I chose to use hand written text, rather than computer type. here is an example of what my first attempt is like. It is obviously not done, and looks very choppy, but photoshop and I aren't as close as I wish we were. Once this project is done, we'll be real close.

 

I want to a get a seamless gradient between my compositional words, so I am still working on that, as well has possibly using computer type within the composition. Otherwise I'm just going to be adding my logo, and the slogan of my news station.

 

So, since I felt that my integrated one wasn't working as well, I decided to try out using each bus as a different word, but instead of this idea...I'm going with the integrated bust and billboard idea. 

Here are some slogan Ideas:

-Day to night

-24-hour weather

-first look

-we won't keep you in the dark

-Storm team; first coverage

- Always there; weather first

- we know first

Still thinking.....AH!

Another round

 

Gluttony VS. Temperance

 

Sloth VS. Diligence

 

Greed VS. Charity

 

Envy VS. Kindness

 

Pride VS. Humility

 

Wrath VS. Patience

 

Lust VS. Chastity 

I tried to work better with the wardrobe, but I'm sure I'll have to shoot some if not all again.

Icon coloring

 

  

Starting out applying color for our icons has been fun. I played around with a ten different ideas for how I should apply the color to my icons.  Seeing them on paper though, is a little tough to judge with how I'd like to go about using color. For most of them, I enjoy the outline look, just due to the simplicity of it. I don't want to have to change my icon set entirely. So, some ideas I came up with were: 

Transparency

Dimension

1 color w/ black

Half outlined w/ fill

Outlined

Offset

Filled in w/ outline

Solid w/ background

Outlined w/ background

Solid w/ color detail

Some things to think about...

- Mess around more with cropping
- Think about the surroundings more...try and have very little clutter
- Costumes are needed in some.
- Gluttony VS. Temperance- Maybe a closer interaction? Fold table leafs down?
- Lust- Maybe a different location?
- No pets.
- Sloth VS. Diligence- Make the books look like they are more of the girls on the right. Maybe more organized?
- Think about envy vs. kindness!

Sins VS Virtues

Preliminary shots are done, and I'm pretty excited about them. I decided to go for the idea of having two people in one shot, one being the sin, and one being the virtue. It was fun deciding how my compositions were going to turn out with my roommates, and what objects were going to be used. I did a tone of research about these seven deadly sins, and I've come to the conclusion that since I am using two people, and using the sins, AND the virtues that keeping it simple is a good idea. I'm having some trouble dealing with Envy, and Kindness.  Having someone being envious of someone else, and that other person being kind to them is a bit tough to portray without some sort of background knowledge of what is happening. I'll have to think of some way using objects to do this, though. Here are some of my preliminary shots:

 

Sloth VS. Diligence

 

Sloth VS. Diligence

 

Sloth VS. Diligence

 

Greed VS. Charitable

 

Greed VS. Charitable

 

Greed VS. Charitable

 

 Pride VS. Humility

 

Gluttony VS. Temperance

 

Lust VS. Chastity

These are ideas are pretty basic, I plan on adding costume/s or some sort of wardrobe to really play it up.