Chess Piece Composition

                         Chess Piece Composition

                           Title: Oh my, I'm falling!

This is a drawing that I created of a chess piece while paying attention to: Line, pattern, rhythm, and value- while making it complex, thoughtful, and realistic but also displaying movement without the chess piece being in the center of the page. Now isn't THAT tough? 

First, I chose a chess piece: mine was the Rook. Then, I started off by making thumbnail sketches of some of my ideas for the drawing. I drew them in my sketchbook while using HB, 2B, and 6B pencils. 

I had created some ideas, but the one I chose to draw was an idea that I had envisioned from a fellow CyberARTS student that was sitting at my table.
 We were exchanging various humorous suggestions for chess piece drawings, when she mentioned one about a chess piece falling out of the sky.
 I didn't take too much thought into it at first, but after maybe a few seconds I stumbled upon the vision of the chess piece falling out of the sky in a comical sort of way.
 I fabricated the design for my chess piece with careful consideration about proportion and placement- the chess piece was placed to the mid right, clouds placed at the top left, mid right, lower left, and the bottom right. 
Then I added lines depicting movement that are directly above and below the chess piece, and a parachute connected to the top of the chess piece that is leaning to the left. I decided to add those details into the image because I figured that it would add more visual interest and the piece would become more balanced.

After I knew what I wanted to create and how to create it I proceeded with the steps from there. I started to make some page-sized sketches of the chess piece in my sketchbook using all three of my pencils (HB, 2B, and 6B) also a ruler, sharpener, and a kneadable eraser as my tools. 

Once I got all my tools ready, I started off by making an outline of everything that was going to be filled in with value. Then, after that was done I started to fill in the drawings with surprise surprise, Value! I made a gradient value on the clouds (Edge of the clouds are dark, and their tone starts to fade inwards), and I placed the chess piece on an angle in the light to get the highlight and shadow of the chess piece just right.
 For the parachute, I made a pattern. I shaded the 1st and 3rd section of the parachute with my 2B pencil horizontally. I shaded everything in with my HB pencil first, then I went on to the 2B and then finally 6B. If I really needed to, I would've used my HB pencil to shade over certain areas more than once.

 After I had finished my final draft, I cleaned it up a bit and then took a photograph of it. I then proceeded into the computer lab to start cropping, grey scaling, and using the burn tool on Adobe Illustrator CS6 to edit the photograph. First, I cropped the photos size, then I clicked on grey scale to make the image in black and white, and finally I used the burn tool to darken up the parachute (the burn tool is used to darken up selected areas of an image).  After ALL those steps were finished, I got to do the last task- putting the image on my blog and writing about it for a fabulous post. 

I gave my piece the title: Oh my, I'm falling!, because it's one of the first things I thought of while creating this piece- and also because I figured it would be a PERFECT title for my piece (I mean come on, you can't deny it).

Chess Piece Artist Statement

My chess piece is drawn fairly realistic in relation to it's proportion and value, since there is a reasonable amount of extension in the variety of the chess piece's value and the proportion is quite similar to the Rook that I was modelling the drawing after.

I created pattern in the piece by adding the parachute, since the parachute has a colour pattern on each of the parachute's sections (grey, white, grey). I created movement by adding lines directly above and below the chess piece to depict falling. Since the chess piece is on somewhat of an angle, it adds to the affect of it appearing to be falling, which creates movement. Following that, the clouds are also an example of rhythm, since the way that they are arranged creates balance and rhythm.

I used value throughout my composition by using value to help define most of my images and my focal point (the chess piece) with attention to realistic details and complexity. Adding value makes the composition seem more bold, professional, and optically striking to the viewers eye.

I chose to place my chess piece in my composition on a third of a way in and a third of a way down. This is referring to the rule of thirds (rule of thirds is where a picture/image is divided up into thirds). Or, to put it simply, I placed the chess piece to the mid right.

I made my chess piece the focal point by adding an extensive amount of value in it, and by placing it on an angle. By placing it on an angle, it gives a different view than the other images in my composition, thus making it draw your focus more than the other images in my piece.

While typing this post, I felt enlightened a bit when I figured that this composition reminded me of a book our teacher read to us during art class one day titled: "The Z Was Zapped". It reminded me of this fond memory because in the book it displays letters of the alphabet being destroyed by something that started with the same letter as itself in a somewhat dramatic way, such as the Z being zapped, the M was mashed, etc. The way that the chess piece is somehow appearing to be escaping or arriving somewhere comically in this composition reminded me of that book in a strange way (talk about nostalgic right?).

In conclusion, I believe that this assignment turned out pretty well. I learned about and got to use different tools and ideas while fabricating this piece, and I feel that it was an excellent assignment to help teach me about different ways to create value and how to use Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Art Atop Bench "Bench In the Sky"

                               Art Atop Bench

                              "Bench In the Sky"

I am VERY excited to post about this photo that I took about of a bench in the sky.

 I took it about a year ago at a local park nearby my old school on a windy day during lunchtime.
 I bet your wondering, why am I so excited to post a picture about a bench in the sky? Well, the answer is, I just LOVE this photo! It's a terrific photo that has a great amount of depth and some value, and it brings me back good memories from my old school (Ah, nostalgia I remember you like it was yesterday).
 Another good thing to note is that yes, this is a bench and yes, it is in the sky. But why exactly is it there? It's such a surreal location for a piece of park furnishing, and how did it get up there? 
Well, It's a funny story actually.

 It was found there one lunchtime and some guys I knew declared it unsafe and that the bench was gonna fall off the top of the play scape at any minute. Well, it did! And I was right in front of the scene when it happened. It was one of the most funniest things that I had ever witnessed, and I still get a good chuckle or two from thinking about it.
 They cleaned up the bench- or in this case "Body" and placed the remains in a shopping cart found on the sidewalk and decided to have a funeral for it in a pond just a few meters away from the "scene of the death" to commence the death of the bench.
 They named him "Joseph bench" and they held the funeral later that lunchtime- I attended it as well.

 I'm also excited about this photo because I had such a difficult time posting it on my blog in the first place, But when everything is said and done, I feel as if it is a nice photo to look back on and remember from awhile ago of good old times with buddies, and a bench in the sky.
 I also enjoy the overall view of the photo- a bench in the sky. It's not something seen everyday but it still looks pretty cool.

 Well, that's the story of "The Bench In the Sky" I hoped you enjoyed this photo and try to take a look around your community, you never know what local art or "Hidden art" you might find lying around. Have a happy day!

"The NEWZEALAND Shop"

"The NEWZEALAND Shop"

 

This is a picture I took about a year ago at the St. Lawrence Market during a class trip. I took this picture because at the time it was an inside joke that I had shared with a friend of mine (Totally irrelevant, but still) from having a supply teacher try to explain a geography globe to us while I blurted out something like, "Yeah, like Newzealand right?" during class time.
I very much enjoy this picture since it reminds me of such good memories from when I was with my friends, and because I enjoy this sign so much as well. I probably would've bought the sign from the store and hung it in my bedroom if I was allowed to.
The store also had an interesting concept, Since it was selling strictly Newzealand merchandise (You know, stuff from and related to Newzealand?) from what I remember.
I'd say it was a pretty fun trip to the St. Lawrence Market, and I definitely recommend that anyone should check it out one day, It's very interesting. Hope you enjoyed this post and have a happy day!

"Tower of boxes"

This was a picture I took on Friday night at a local No Frills I was shopping at with my aunt.
 The title: "Tower of boxes" came to me when I was taking this picture.
 I took the picture when we were finding a lineup to checkout. I saw it and I thought "Oh, this is just too good." I said to my Aunt, "Find a lineup, I'll be back in a minute, I just gotta take a picture of this."
  And that's the story of the "Tower of boxes".

Logo Assignment- In the making and the finished product

Logo Assignment 

In the making & the finished product

 Qualities I possess

The qualities I possess are: Hard worker, active, and athletic. These qualities would serve me well in a CyberARTS career because these are qualities that are commonly used and are needed when dealing with the "Arts" industry. These are qualities that I feel are necessary, and some people lack when they are placed with a challenge or a day-to-day assignment/job.

 Being a hard worker is an element that most people that are hiring and or company firms are looking for. For example, let's say a well known company is looking for a sharp, strong, young artist that has the stamina to keep up with demands, due dates, and expectations to help create a new label and presence for their company. They would likely chose the person who is a hard worker over someone who they have to take a chance on to see if they'll get a new logo or company design finished just in time for an important company meeting or new product release. That isn't just something that you put a minimal amount of time into and give up on or take breaks consecutively because you don't "feel" like working.

It takes a hard worker to get the job done, and that's where I would come in. 

I'm also active, which isn't a very common quality nowadays, but is very useful. Most people my age are decreasing in activity. They just seem so tired, unmotivated, and depleted of energy these days. I seem to find myself to be the opposite, Active, energetic, excited, motivated, etc. I try to find the positives in all kinds of work ethics and assignments I am placed with. I usually find that I am more awake and motivated than most people I meet in class (Not to brag that is). I think that being active goes hand-in-hand with being motivated and being on the mark when dealing with deadlines, assignments, and idea making.

  Last but not least I am athletic. Although when dealing with the "Arts" industry being athletic seems to take a back seat in most peoples minds, But in my mind, it's a handy and useful quality to have. Let's say, you are on a job site where you're doing large scale canvas paintings. Your going to need to move the canvases, brushes, and cans of paint all by yourself. That's right, it's all you. You can't decide not to finish a painting because you can't even carry the bucket of paint to where you're working. It's embarrassing as a rising star in the art world and it just isn't an alluring feature if it's your first time on the job. Since I'm quite athletic (I'm pretty sure I can hold my own, just saying) I won't need extra crew or extra help for me to import, export, and move around equipment on a job site. It's also a smaller expense, since hiring further help takes extra time AND money (and it just doesn't make you look to strong either). 

In conclusion, with the qualities that I possess in mind, I feel that I would be a reliable, dependent, and capable worker when being placed in a CyberARTS career.

 Animal I chose to represents me

The animal that I chose to represent me was a Wild Stallion. I chose a Wild Stallion because it seemed to share a vast amount of characteristics and qualities with me, such as being a hard worker, being active, being athletic, AND having great hair ( I don't feel that it's an extremely important example of a quality, but I just wanted to add that one in too). It seems that Wild Stallions pretty much match up with who I am and what fully represents me as a person since we are very tough creatures that don't give up so easily when faced with a task. Wild Stallions and I seem to be very much so alike, Although I am repelled by most horses and stallions and I see no pleasure in being near or around them whatsoever ( I don't understand how people ride those things, It isn't comfy at all!).

 In conclusion, I speculate that Wild Stallions and I may seem to be loud, wild creatures that don't seem to know what they're doing at times, but deep down inside of our tough heads, we've got a whole system of information and ideas being transferred and transported all around our minds. I suppose we just seem like we're running around for nothing, but we generally know what we're doing (I mean come on, we can't always be sitting still). 

Elements and principles
For the logo, I chose to use a few shapes, well actually five. Pretty much all of the shapes are unsymmetrical and are somewhat blockish, but they still have a bit of a curve in them.

 I decided on using a colour scheme that is generally identical to most horses and stallions (a medium tone tan colour for the body of the stallion, and a dark cocoa colour for the mane and tail).
 The line quality is a regular, thin quality. I used a thin, regular quality of line for the logo so the attention is mainly on the middle section of the horse, because that's where the most colour is, and it'll lead your eyes all over the logo at a calm pace. The lines directions are thin, but not too thin, since it is still visible. The lines are mainly on a slant and also are horizontal. The lines are slightly smooth, but aren't exactly smooth, since you can see where some of the marks meet, which creates a slight edge in the line smoothness.

 The texture for the stallion is smooth in the main body portion, but is a bit sharp-ish texture with a bit of a smoothness in the mane and tail as well.
 The logo uses up a somewhat equal amount of space, since it's pretty much symmetrical in the sense that it's balanced to the space ( It's smack dab in the middle of the page, but the shape itself isn't symmetrical).

 I added only one piece of typography- the logo of my company, "The Cracker Factory". The font I used was Britannic Bold font and the font's colour was a light pale yellow colour. The font has very straight, thin, crisp lines. Some of the shapes in the font are half moon shapes, but most of them are upright rectangular shapes. I used that font because It reminds me of one of my favourite fonts, Broadway font. It also reminds me of an old-days somewhat pioneer style, since the large-ish bold font is still plain and simple, like a cracker. That's probably why I was steering towards this font as much as I was (my company is named the cracker factory, so the simple and plain font and colour has the character of a cracker, get it? ironic, right?). The lettering is a bit corporate, but also has a bit of modesty to it. It says "We aren't flashy, gimmicky or stealthy, but we come across as what we are: a modest, earnest, noble, and creative company, and thats how we enjoy being".

 The design of the stallion was a design that I had searched up. It was a stallion standing upright with it's arms in the air, as if it's throwing it's arms in the sky as a sign of being determined almost. The way that the stallion looks, it seems like it's about to leap out at you, or begin to race somewhere. 

 There isn't much of a change in colours drastically, but the majority of emphasis is on the stallion, since it is the biggest and most attention grabbing image in the logo. Since there is the most colours are in the body, mane and tail. The colours are mainly darker, since those simple colours help to emphasize the stallion. 

There isn't much rhythm in the logo though, except for in the mane and the tail, and even THATS a stretch.  There is some rhythm in the mane and tail since the lines are a bit jagged and unsymmetrical, which creates a slight amount of rhythm.

 There is unity in the logo, since the image seems pretty balanced and even. There is  also a terrific quality and quantity of unity, since there is an excellent amount of elements and principles of design that are executed successfully within the image.

 In conclusion, I feel that the logo I created is a very well thought-out, and very well created image. 

 

Getting Technical
The first thing I did when creating the logo was select the image that I wanted to use and open a blank page in Adobe Illustrator CS6. Then, I added a second layer so I could trace over the image that I wanted to use. To trace over it I used the pen tool. After finishing tracing the image, I added colour to each area that I traced. I started with the main area of the image- The horse's body. I filled in the body with a tan-ish brown colour, then I applied the same process for the tail and mane, except using a darker brown colour. Afterwards I added a name for my logo and company- "The Cracker Factory". Then, I picked a font, size, and colour for the name.

 That pretty much sums up the process that I went through to create my logo.
 While making my logo, I learned that to use the pen tool effectively you must curve the line, and click on the anchor section of the line afterwards to make a continuous point.

Also, I learned that with using a simple font, you can give a name and label to about almost anything.

 The tools I used were: Type tool, Pen tool, the fill tool, stroke tool, and the selection tool. I originally had to restart the making of my logo about 3 times.
 I also didn't use any effects for the logo. 

In conclusion, Me and computers don't usually work together, since I'm not too good with using computer programs and such. But I feel that after a good solid 3 times of trying to figure out how to make a logo, I now can create a logo that is thoughtful, interesting, and painless, with ease.

My Thoughts and Opinion
I am happy with my logo and the way it turned out, But to be honest I feel as if it could have been slightly better. I feel as if the line quality could have turned out a bit smoother, but besides that I feel as if it turned out superb in all.

 I learned how to use the pen tool effectively ( and how to use it at all). Also, it takes a lot of practice to use tools effectively for the first time in Adobe Illustrator CS6.
 Now that I know how to use Adobe Illustrator CS6, I might consider creating more designs and logos using Adobe Illustrator CS6 in the future. 

In conclusion, I realized that to create a beautiful piece of art, or a cool logo, you need to use the right tools first. 

By: Alex.M
                                                           Colour version

Black and white version

 

Group art piece

Honoré Daumier third class carriage

Group artwork made by CyberARTS class

This is a group artwork that me and the CyberARTS class made using separate pieces of paper that ended up being attached together and placed on a large board.
 We used charcoal to draw the image, and then we placed the pieces of paper together afterwards.
 It was a really fun and strange process, since we didn't know what the image was when we were drawing it, but it was still really fun anyways. 
Although this is just a drawing that we made, I believe that it resembles the actual piece that this one is originally based off of quite well, since the value and faces that were drawn are somewhat alike to the actual piece. 
Hope you enjoyed the drawing, and have a happy day!