Wednesday, September 23, 2009





The fist piece I noticed on the wall of projects was the one i like the most. The piece is swirls and lines in all directions. The piece has great line variation, from very wide to extremely small. The lines draw your eyes around the piece very well with a great movement. The craftsmanship was nearly perfect. The piece's edges were very sharp and the corners were not bent at all. The paper wasn't damaged and showed few visible eraser marks. The only thing that was a little issue was that the black paint seemed to be different consistencies, yet it was only visible if examined very closely. Overall i think it was the most successful piece, with great composition, line variation, movement, and good craftsmanship.

The piece that i think needed the most improvement was the piece with chaotic lines across the page with a few straight lines next to and intersecting it on either end. The piece has pretty good composition but it needs work. The lines on the left side of the piece seem somewhat separate from the rest of the piece; however, the lines on the other side of the piece seem to be lost amongst the chaotic swarm of lines which gives the piece the feeling of being off balance. The craftsmanship also took away from the piece. In parts, it appears as though the marker he was using was starting to die because some of the lines are light and not very neat. There were also a few dents in the piece that were somewhat noticeable and took away from the piece. Overall, the piece needs a little work, going over some lines could help as well as making the straight lines across the right side of the piece stand out a little more from the chaotic lines.

Looking back on my piece I notice some things that could have been done differently. Although the perspectives are accurate and it shows some depth, certain things definitely could have been changed. I definitely realize now that i needed more line variation as well as better craftsmanship. The piece shows some eraser marks and a few smudges that could have been better erased. Also, the edges of the piece are a little damaged, especially the corners. Using better line variation could have helped to show depth, giving the piece a more three dimensional look.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Impressions of School

So far school has been a great experience. RIT seems to be a great place to learn. Most people put a great deal of effort into their work and the professors seem to know how to teach us the techniques and skills we will need later on in school and in our careers. So far I have learned about; using lines, drawing in detail, making accurate 3D replicas, and how to use Adobe programs best. Although I'm just starting to learn about these subjects, I look foreword to learning more. I'm really excited to learn more about Adobe Photoshop in my computer skills class because it can be a great tool in design and I have always wanted to learn more about it. Knowing how to use Photoshop will be useful in a lot of my future classes. The final projects for many of my classes seem very daunting. I have heard a lot about final projects and their overwhelming amount of work from upperclassmen, and although I'm sure it will be doable, it is very daunting.
Image from: http://capping.slis.ualberta.ca/cap08/MelindaSpears/train%20tracks.jpg

I was drawn to this image of train tracks because it is so complex and yet it has some organization to it. The metal tracks weave over each other, but in the same general direction; so even though there are a great number of lines, they all have the same direction. The wooden tracks under the metal lines are also very organized because they are all in the same direction, with even spacing, yet they appear somewhat chaotic because there are so many of them and they are separated by the metal lines. It is interesting that my eye is drawn to the intersection of the metal tracks because it is not the most dense or complex area of the picture yet the bold metal lines intersecting draws in your attention. Next, the lines draw your attention to the top of the page, in the distance of the picture, where the lines seem to come together in some concentrated chaos. The use of lines curving in the same direction in this image draws your attention along the path of the lines. The line's smooth, fluid feeling guides your eyes across the page. It is easy to take from this image, greater understanding of how bold lines and intersecting lines can draw your attention and how fluid lines that move together will draw your attention across the page.