Multiple Signatures Book #3

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 178 – Quaker Chewy Yogurt Vanilla Granola Bar Ingredients

Design Layout

Notes from Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids:

FILLED & FUNCTIONAL

61. With Order, Make Small Margins Work

When images are aligned cleanly on obvious gridlines and when space and typography are carefully controlled, small outside margins can be part of a carefully crafted concept. The skill and order of a well-balanced page can act as a foil for narrow margins, bringing an edge to a controlled layout.

62. Make Your Point

When there’s a wealth of information to fit into a finite amount of space, use devices to highlight points. Devices can include: the use of space to form a masthead and color (and color-coded) sidebars, bulleted lists, icons to call attention to specific heads, and color for headings and crucial text.

63. Avoid Crowding

Contain heads by setting them within rules.

To avoid making an entire piece one gray mass of listings, set the main headings large. Screen them back if they’re overwhelming.

64. Make Space Count

Plotting out complicated information requires a strong grid design. Plan the proportions of each module for the information being presented so it’s understandable to the viewer.

65. Design a Balanced Viewpoint

Rules as dividers, thick rules as containers for type, screens for sidebars, and large headings bring variation and texture to information.

66. Guide Your Reader

Rules, drop caps, bold headlines, images, and different weights and colors can break up the grayness of many pages of running text and help the reader find various points of interest – and resting points – along the way.

SPACIOUS BUT NOT BARREN

67. Pace Yourself

Layout is storytelling, especially in a highly illustrated work with multiple pages.

Varying type sizes, shapes, columns, images, and colors from one page or spread to the next guides the flow of the story and provides drama.

68. Create an Oasis

To present a sense of authority and focus attention, less is more. Space allows the viewer to concentrate.

An oasis of white affords the reader an opportunity to linger over every aspect of the images and information.

69. Let the Images Shine

A spare page can be used for one large photo or illustration.

If text refers to specific photos, art, or diagrams, it’s clearest to the reader if the image appears near the reference.

SEEMINGLY GRIDLESS

70. Map it Out by Hand

Sketching gives form to ideas and helps to plan the layout of a publication or page. Initial sketches may look more like scribbles than recognizable elements, but they can give form to an overall plan or concept.

71. Imply a Hierarchy

A hierarchy is implied, even when designs are collages or freewheeling assemblages of parts.

72. Use Organizing Principles

The basic principles of grids apply, even when you don’t set out to use them. Often used to present repeating or continuing information, grids can also support one dynamic concept. On the other hand, the concept can essentially be a gridlike image.

73.  Support Fluidity

A well-structured design has solid underpinnings, even when a framework is not immediately noticeable.

ORGANIC SHAPES

74. Plan for Interruptions

By determining what name or feature is worth setting larger or bolder, what needs a color, and whether a drop cap is helpful or necessary, a designer makes decisions about what can be considered typographical interruptions.

Varying image sizes can also provide controlled interruptions, giving energy and excitement to a piece or spread.

75. Allow for Drama

Cropping creates drama. Showing an image as it was originally photographed can tell the story, but cropping that same image makes a particular point, gives a point of view, and generates fear or excitement. A crop can also change what a photo communicates, directing the eye to one particular aspect of the shot and eliminating superfluous information.

76. Use Silhouettes to Enliven a Piece

Silhouettes can keep a spread from feeling too regimented or blocky. A “silo” is an image from which the background has been eliminated. The more fluid shapes of a silhouette add greater movement to a spread.

77. Let Instinct Rule

Formal elements are crucial in transmitting a message clearly, but natural and whimsical aspects of a design will make the communication memorable and delightful as well as understandable. It’s more than okay to amuse as well as inform.

SWISS GRID

78. Set up a System

Swiss designers used the confines of a repeated structure to generate variation and surprise. A system allows for both dense and spacious pages within the same project.

79. Use Weights & Measures

A gridded piece with Swiss design foundations visually broadcasts information so that it reads loud and clear. Multicolumn grids can contain copious amounts of information and accommodate images and color boxes for sectional information.

80. Use Helvetica

The functional lines of the face work in tandem with the orderly grids that defined modernism in the 1950’s.

The medium and bold weights of Helvetica often signal a no-nonsense, non-frivolous approach. The thinner weights nod to simplicity, luxury, and a Zen quietness.

AIIM: Day 177

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 176

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 175

Design Layout

Multiple Signatures Book #2

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 174

Design Layout

Notes from Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids:

COLOR AS A DOMINANT ELEMENT

41. Use Color to Get Attention

Color boxes are perfect containers to separate heads and subheads in a consistent manner. They can contain text or remain blocks of colorful dividers. Different sizes and widths can contribute to a sense of movement and flow. Also, a color image every now and then can provide a sense of rest.

42. Determine a Palette

An overabundance of colors can overwhelm the overall message. Determining a controlled palette can provide coherence.

Sober subject matter can be served by a muted, less saturated color palette.

43. Let the Color be the Information

Using a limited amount of color – black, for instance – to offset highly saturated images allows the reader to focus on the image. Too much visual competition is counterproductive.

44. Marry Color & Typography

Wise color choices in a controlled palette can make typography stand out.

Bold typography holds its own against lavishly colored full bleed photos.

COLOR AS ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE

45. Control it with Colors

Consistent in size and within an overall grid, tightly plotted yet flexible color modules can support playful variations of both text and images.

46. Use Color in Typography for Emphasis

A pronounced hierarchy of headings can be easy to follow if aided by accents in color.

47. Put the Information in the Color

Using color in a calendar makes it easier to separate specific elements, such as days of the week. The information both stands out and works with the overall spread. Colors can also complement the palette of the photo.

48. Code with Color

Coding information by color can help viewers quickly find the information they need. A scan of a color key, in conjunction with icons, quickly communicates far more information than words or colors alone.

49. Separate Content with Color

Color is sometimes all that’s needed to divide segments of material. A big bold color can create an unexpected, welcome pause in a lengthy text or create a feeling of excitement about what’s to follow.

50. Use Shades to Achieve Color

Even with black only, it’s possible to achieve color and texture by using different shades. Texture springs from type that prints black on white, drops out of the black as white, or surprints on different screens. Graphics and images can provide additional variety.

HORIZONTAL HIERARCHY

51. Break Signage Into Sections

Because the user must be able to see the signs and read them easily, even while walking or driving, the type should be readable, with a clear hierarchy, and the colors should flag attention without obscuring the message.

52. Put Like with Like

A clear way to separate information is to use a horizontal hierarchy. On a website, bands of information can be parts of a navigation system.

53. Let Space Define Your Horizons

Adequate space on a text page provides order and a sense of balance. By using a larger amount of space, it’s possible to separate introductory materials, such as headings and text, from more explanatory copy, such as captions or step-by-step information. The discrete areas help the reader navigate the page.

54. Illustrate Timelines

A timeline is more than a functional piece of information. It can represent a person’s life or an era, so the design needs to reflect the content.

55. Work Above and Below the (Scrolled) Fold

A clear (well defined) horizontal bar can function as a flag, a way of calling attention to the top story or information.

WHEN TYPE FORMS THE GRID

56. Get Noisy

Various sizes, orientations, rotations, widths, and weights of type can make a message shout.

57. Turn [the Type] on its Side

Type can work simultaneously on horizontal and vertical axes. Large type functions as a container to hold the rest of the information in the piece.

58. Pack it in

Packing a lot of letters into a piece can help form a grid. Varied type sizes provide drama and movement.

59. Play with the Grid

Even within a tight and well-considered grid, it’s possible to have a typographic jam session by varying widths, weights, and positions.

60. Involve the Viewer

Larger type sizes shout for attention, while smaller sizes and weights act as visual glue.

AIIM: Day 173 – Only four more artboards to go…

Design Layout

Multiple Signatures Book #1

Design Layout

 

AIIM: Day 172

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 171 – Amount / Dominance

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 170 – Space, Weight, & Grid Exercises

Design Layout

Notes from Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids:

THREE-COLUMN

21. Make It Look Simple

When captions are long and contain a lot of additional information, distinguish the captions from the text by using different typefaces and by setting the type smaller.

For reference material, such as the notes and index sections, the grid becomes three columns.

22. Define Columns Typographically

The use of different weights and sizes of type can help to determine the order of information, creating a hierarchy that can be either horizontal or vertical. Lighter weights, possibly in a different face, can work for subservient copy.

23. Avoid Overcrowding

It’s not necessary to fill every inch of space. White space directs the reader’s eye around the page.

Various sizes and weights of typography give the page interest and balance.

24. Lower the Columns

A full page of three-column text can become dense. Lowering the columns creates clean spreads and a feeling of movement. Lowered text columns also create a clear area for information such as the running head and page number, spread title, headnote, and photos.

Add contrast by designing the introductory material to a wider measure.

25. Shift Shapes

Changing the shapes of photos and drawings can enliven a story. If everything is the same size and width, the piece will be clear but dull.

MULTICOLUMN

26. Get Off the Straight and Narrow

Avoid repeating the same elements without variation by having the columns of text follow the shape of the art.

27. Mix It Up

It’s possible to combine a lot of elements (weight, size, texture, shape, scale, space, colors) for an energetic look that is varied but coherent.

Thick and thin rules can be used to add texture.

28. Control a Variety of Elements

Multicolumn grids are perfect for controlling a range of no-nonsense elements within a report. Columns, rules, and text in different sizes, typefaces, and colors work together to convey technical information.

29. Not Lost in Translation; Be Clear

Clarity can be achieved by means of numbered steps and images (how-to instructions).

30. Website Basics

In the case of many websites, items to consider include ads, videos, and a complex array of heads, subheads, bylines, lists, and links. Therefore, clear typographical choices are crucial.

MODULAR

31. Break It Down

Use a modular grid when:

- There are so many chunks of separate information that continuous reading isn’t necessary or possible.

- You want all material to fill a similar block of space.

- You want a consistent – or nearly consistent – format.

- Units of information are headed by numbers or dates, with similar amounts of material.

32. Leave Some Breathing Room

Modules can be visible, invisible, large, or small, and can support white space (not all modules need to be filled).

33. Be Rational

Modular grids are perfect for rationing space and breaking a page into a step-by-step visual guide.

34. Vote For an Ordered World

Information design epitomizes hierarchy of information.

35. Modules Do Not Need to Be Squared Off

Within a consistent modular program, it’s possible to vary shapes, sizes, and patterns and maintain a sense of order and delight.

TABLES & CHARTS

36. Think of the Chart as a Whole

Use shades of a color to help the user navigate through dense information. Rules can distinguish particular sections and, in the case of timetables, define specific zones of content.

Be certain to leave adequate space above and below each line, even when there’s an abundance of information. Space will aid readability, which is the first principle of a timetable.

37. Illustrate the Charts

Illustrated charts and tables can be easier to read. Charts and tables with graphics are more memorable than those without graphics.

38. Design Beyond the Expected

Repeating icons are more memorable than mere lists of numbers.

39. Frame Boxes With Discretion

Sometimes a communication involves so many discrete elements that the clearest approach to controlling data is to frame each unit.

Heavier weights set off certain kinds of material and call attention to the most important text or headline.

40. Go Beyond Boundaries

Grids can be set up to organize unconventional shapes, breaking space into discreet areas. A circle can be bisected horizontally and vertically to create quadrants, or cut radially to make pie shapes.

AIIM: Day 169 – Direction, Position & Grid Exercises

Design Layout

Perfect Bound Book #3

Design Layout

Visual Weight

Design Layout

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AIIM: Day 168 – Texture & Diffusion

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 167 – Linear & Triangular, Rhombic & Circular Groups

Design Layout

Perfect Bound Book #2

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 166 – Symmetry, Asymmetry, Monosymmetric, Multisymmetric

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 165 – Repetition, Frequency & Grid System Exercises

Design Layout

Notes from Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids:

ELEMENTS OF A GRID

1. Know the Components

COLUMNS: Vertical containers that hold type or images.

MODULES: Individual divisions separated by consistent space, providing a repeating, ordered grid.

MARGINS: The amount of space between the trim size, including gutter, and the page content. They can house notes and captions.

SPATIAL ZONES: Groups of modules or columns that can form specific areas for type and images.

FLOWLINES: Alignments that break space into horizontal bands. They are a method for using space and elements to guide a reader across a page.

MARKERS: Help a reader navigate a document. They include page numbers, headers and footers, and icons.

BASIC GRID DIAGRAMS

2. Learn the Basic Structures

SINGLE-COLUMN GRID: Generally used for essays, reports, or books. The main feature on the page or spread is the block of text.

TWO-COLUMN GRID: Controls a lot of text or presents different kinds of information in separate columns. Can be arranged with columns of equal or unequal width. When one column is wider than the other, the wider column is double the width of the narrow column.

MULTICOLUMN GRIDS: Afford greater flexibility then single or two-column grids, combine multiple columns of varying widths and are useful for magazines and websites.

MODULAR GRIDS: Best for controlling the kind of complex information found in newspapers, calendars, charts and tables. They combine vertical and horizontal columns, which arrange the structure into smaller chunks of space.

HIERARCHICAL GRIDS: Break the page into zones. Many are composed of horizontal columns.

DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE GRID

3. Assess the Material

SINGLE-COLUMN GRIDS are good for continuous text such as an essay or a book. A single column of text can seem less intimidating and more luxurious than multiple columns, making it suitable for art books or catalogs.

TWO-COLUMN/MULTICOLUMN GRIDS are good for more complicated material such as websites. They afford flexibility.

MODULAR GRIDS help to arrange units of information into manageable chunks. They are useful for calendars, schedules, newspapers, charts and tables.

HIERARCHICAL GRIDS divide pages or screens horizontally and are useful for simple websites.

FORMATTING TEXT

4. Put First Things First; Do the Math

Grids depend on the content. Determine the amount of space needed for text and images.

HIERARCHY OF INFORMATION

5. Go Easy on the Reader

Make the most important information larger or bolder, or set it in another face. The location of a head and the amount of space surrounding it can also convey importance.

It’s OK to set material within boxes.

GRID & IMAGE

6. Determine an Order

Image size indicates importance. Variation also keeps the reader engaged. Occasionally breaking the grid can add drama and call attention to an image. It’s possible to signal the importance of an image by the amount of space it fills.

COMBINING GRID, TYPE & IMAGE

7. Consider All Elements

A grid can let an image march across columns in a horizontal fashion, with captions below, or it can stack images vertically, with captions to either side of the image.

COLOR

8. Define Space With Color

Color makes modules or sections stand out.

Color defines space.

Color helps organize elements within a space.

Colors provide a psychological signal for the kind of message that’s being conveyed.

Colors can act as containers for separate bits of information.

Saturated colors attract attention, while desaturated colors support the material in a more understated way.

SPACE

9. Communicate Using Space

A large amount of space creates drama and focus. Space can signal luxury or importance.

RHYTHM & FLOW

10. Pacing Sets the Tone

Pacing of material makes a difference in attracting or sustaining interest. Pacing can stem from variation in sizes and positions of images and typography as well as the amount of margin around each image.

SINGLE-COLUMN

11. Give the Subject Matter a Face

Some faces are classic and neutral and work with most material, while other faces give a point of view and nearly mimic the topic.

12. Design With Ample Margins

The amount of spacial loss in the gutter depends on the length of the book or brochure as well as the binding method. Generous margins take into account elements such as charts and sidebars, which are set to wider measures than text. Wide margins also act as buffers for images.

13. Work in Proportion

The foot margin is slightly larger than the head margin.

A centered page number (folio) is a signal of a classical design.

TWO-COLUMN

14. Give Columns Equality

Symmetrical columns give a sense of great order and comfort for conservative editors and readers. Two even columns can present the same information in two different languages.

15. Design For Function

When the purpose of an information-rich piece is to be open, readable, and accessible, an option is to construct a grid containing a narrow column and a wider column. The wider column works well for running text, while the narrow column can hold captions, images, or tables.

Chapter openers often have more space before the text starts (also known as a sink, or drop) than a normal text page.

The type in the narrower column is set in the same typeface as the running text but in a lighter-weight font to add texture.

When there are few or no images, the structure of two uneven columns can support a page with nothing in the smaller column.

16. Rules Rule

A vertical rule can function as a dividing line between columns. Horizontal rules can separate information within columns by dividing running text from boxed material, or by separating the overall text area from the running feet and folios by means of another horizontal rule.

17. Use the Entire Area

Wider images, sized to two columns, or captions set out into the margin, can enliven the project.

18. Use Typography to Define Zones in the Grid

Type in different zones can distinguish various kinds of information.

19. Mix Quirks With Consistency

The most successful grids have consistency, order, clarity, and a strong structure – then they shake things up.

Consistent elements in many projects are:

- A heading area at the top of the page

- A consistent text box in the same location on both left and right pages that acts as an effective signpost for the reader.

- Running feet and folios to help the reader navigate through the piece

20. Alternate Formats

Within one piece, it’s legitimate to combine a number of grid and typographic systems.

Perfect Bound Book #1

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 164 – My professor is having us make several perfect bound books over the next eight weeks.

Design Layout

AIIM: Day 163 – Since yesterday was the first day of class and we didn’t do anything, here is a picture of a cat.

AIIM: Quarter 6 Recap (Digital Illustration)

January 2012

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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January 2012

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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February 2012

Ink on paper / Adobe Illustrator CS5

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March 2012

Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop CS5

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March 2012

Ink on paper, Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop CS5

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March 2012

Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop CS5

AIIM: Day 162

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 161

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 160

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 159

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 158

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 157 – Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 5

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 156

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 155 – Shark Coloring & Clown Sketching

Digital Illustration

 

AIIM: Day 154 – Shark Tracing

Digital Illustration

Face Spoon

AIIM: Day 153 – Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 3

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 152 – Breakfast Mock-Uping

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 151 – Breakfast Coloring

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 150 – Breakfast Inking

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 149 – Breakfast Sketching

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 148 – Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 00

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 147 – Mesh tool cont.

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 146 – Mesh tool, oh yeah

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 145

Digital Illustration

AIIM: Day 144

Digital Illustration

This is my idea of a good time.

AIIM: Day 143 – I’m gonna attempt to manually trace this guy using Illustrator

Digital Illustration

Happy Birthday Clare!

AIIM: Quarter 5 Recap (Art & Design Concepts)

Oct 2011

Adobe Photoshop CS5

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Nov 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Dec 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

Logo Design for lilsluggerstwincities.com

AIIM: Day 142

Art & Design Concepts

Click to enlarge

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AIIM: Day 141

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 140

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 139

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 138

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 137

Art & Design Concepts

Dearling Physique Flyer

 

AIIM: Day 136

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 135

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 134

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 133

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 132 – 1″ Buttons

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 131

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 130

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 129 – Sea Lamprey

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 128

Art & Design Concepts

AIIM: Day 127 – Dolphin!

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 126 – hannaheustis.com Redesign

Art & Design Concepts

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AIIM: Day 125 – Shark!

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 124 – Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and a Whole Lot of Manure

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 123 – Vultures & Moai

Environmental Science

AIIM: Day 122 – Full Circle

One year and 152 posts later. Here’s to another 152.

AIIM: Quarter 4 Recap (Typography for Digital Media)

July 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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July/Aug 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Aug 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Aug 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Aug 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Aug 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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Sep 2011

Adobe Illustrator CS5

Logo Redesign: Extreme Sports Channel

Logo Redesign: Custom Skateboard Dealer

AIIM: Day 121 – Logo Redesign: KTM

Typography for Digital Media

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AIIM: Day 120 – Poetry layout with inDesign

Typography for Digital Media

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AIIM: Day 119 – Logo Redesign: Comerica

Typography for Digital Media

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AIIM: Day 118 – Logo Redesign: Pizza Man

Typography for Digital Media

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Logo Redesign: Aramith 2.0

AIIM: Day 117 – Logo Redesign: Aramith

Typography for Digital Media

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AIIM: Day 116

Typography for Digital Media

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AIIM: Day 115

Typography for Digital Media

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I didn’t write any of these phrases myself. However, I was responsible for presenting them in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

AIIM: Day 114

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 113

Typography for Digital Media

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(click to enlarge)

AIIM: Day 112

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 111

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 110

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 109

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 108

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 107

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 106

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 105

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 104

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 103

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 102

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Day 101

Typography for Digital Media

AIIM: Quarter 3 Recap (Color & Design)

April 2011, 16 x 16″

acrylic on canva-paper

April 2011, 14 x 19.5″

acrylic on canva-paper

May 2011, 16 x 16″

acrylic on canva-paper

May 2011, 8 x 18″

acrylic on canva-paper

May 2011, 8 x 13″

acrylic on canva-paper

June 2011, 16 x 20″

acrylic on canva-paper

AIIM: Day 100

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 99

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 98

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 97

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 96

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 95

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 94

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 93

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 92

We did a painting in class today and I forgot to snap a photo of it before turning it in, but here’s another project that I’m working on: coloring an illustration by Meaghan Myers. (Haven’t yet decided what colors I like best.)

AIIM: Day 91

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 90

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 89

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 88

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 87

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 86

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 85

Color & Design

Blue/Orange Thumbnails

colored pencil on 4 x 4″ graph paper

AIIM: Day 84

Color & Design

Near Complement: One color with another color directly next to its complement (Blue/Red, Blue/Yellow, Red/Yellow, Orange/Green, Orange/Violet, Violet/Green).

AIIM: Day 83

Color & Design

Optical Mixing: How colors change over distance (colors blend “in the eye”).

Scheme: The dominant colors in a design.

Subordinate Colors: Colors used to support the dominate colors.

Two ways subordinate colors support a scheme:

1. Colors are analogous to the dominant colors

2. Colors are mixed from the dominant colors

Triad: A scheme that uses three colors on the color wheel that are equidistant from one another.

Monochromatic: A scheme that uses any shade, tint, or tone of one color.

Achromatic: A colorless scheme using blacks, whites, and grays.

Three ways colors may dominate in a design:

1. Amount

2. Placement

3. Distribution

Archetypal Form: Basic form, fundamental to all design.

Tint: hue + white

Tone: hue + gray

Shade: hue + black

Squares

acrylic on canva-paper, 14 x 19.5″

AIIM: Day 82

Color & Design

Split Complements: Using a color and the analogous colors to its complement color.

Color Wheel

acrylic on canva-paper, 16 x 16″

AIIM: Day 81

Color & Design

AIIM: Day 80

Color & Design

Chevreul’s RYB chromatic diagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Colors (red, yellow, blue): Colors that cannot be mixed from other colors.

Secondary Colors (green, violet, orange): Colors mixed from two primary colors.

Contrast: Relevant difference.

Three ways colors contrast:

1. Hue (complementary colors = high contrast)

2. Value (light/dark)

3. Intensity / Saturation / Chroma / Brightness (pure colors are brighter than mixed colors)

Complementary Colors: Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet). They brighten each other when viewed together. Two complementary colors mixed together + white = gray.

Analogous Colors: Colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel (colors that are harmonious have low contrast).

Tertiary Colors: A color made by mixing one primary color with one secondary color (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet).

AIIM: Quarter 2 Recap (Image Manipulation, Intermediate Drawing)

Jan 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

Jan 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

Jan 2011

photoshop CS5

Feb 2011

photoshop CS5

Feb 2011

photoshop CS5

Feb 2011, 15 x 22″

india ink on watercolor paper

Feb 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

Feb 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

Feb 2011, 9 x 12″

pencil on paper

Feb 2011

photoshop CS5

Feb 2011

photoshop CS5

Feb 2011

photoshop CS5

March 2011, 8.5 x 12″

colored pencil on paper, photoshop CS5

March 2011

photoshop CS5

March 2011, 8.5 x 12″

colored pencil on paper

March 2011, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil on pastel paper

March 2011, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil on pastel paper

March 2011, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil on pastel paper

March 2011

photoshop CS5

March 2011

photoshop CS5, dreamweaver CS5

March 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

March 2011, 18 x 24″

charcoal on paper

March 2011, 18 x 24″

pastel on paper

AIIM: Day 79

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 78 – Gaurk.com Reboot 2011

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 77

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 76

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 75

Intermediate Drawing

Worried Worm

Colored pencil on pastel paper, 8.5 x 11″

AIIM: Day 74

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 73

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 72

Image Manipulation

Banana Hill

Colored pencil on pastel paper, 8.5 x 11″

start to finish: 5 hours

This Shit is Bananas

Colored pencil on pastel paper, 8.5 x 11″

Poisonous

Colored pencil on paper, 8.5 x 12″

start to finish: 13 hours

AIIM: Day 71

Intermediate Drawing

FAiL

AIIM: Day 70

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 69

Intermediate Drawing

mpls

AIIM: Day 68

Image Manipulation

Explosive

Colored pencil on paper, 8.5 x 12″

AIIM: Day 67

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 66

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 65

Intermediate Drawing

Today is Presidents Day

AIIM: Day 64

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 63

Image Manipulation

Motorhead

Ganesha

The top image is a photo that I took of Ganesha at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the bottom image is my 9 x 12″ graphite rendition of said photo.

AIIM: Day 62

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 61 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lessons 11 & 12

Image Manipulation

Chapter 11 on the mixer brush. Oh, and a brick hat from chapter 12.

The Morning Wood

A logo that I whipped up for my buddies’ facebook page.

A Couple Charcoal Drawings

18 x 24″

18 x 24″

India Ink Landscape

India ink on watercolor paper, 15 x 22″

DOPE

AIIM: Day 60

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 59 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 9

Image Manipulation

This first image was created using some images out of our textbook. The second image is a panorama that I shot outside my house the other day – click on it.

AIIM: Day 58

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 57 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 10

Image Manipulation

More stuff from the textbook.

AIIM: Day 56

Intermediate Drawing

Frozen

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+

+

+

=

AIIM: Day 55

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 54

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 53 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 6

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 52

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 51 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lesson 5

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 50

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 49

Image Manipulation

Messing around with layer styles and blending modes.

AIIM: Day 48

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 47

Intermediate Drawing

Worked on this one for about three and a half hours. Charcoal on paper.

Peaceful Still Life

Worked on this one for about six and a half hours. Charcoal on paper.

AIIM: Day 46

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 45 – Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book: Lessons 1 & 2

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Day 44

Intermediate Drawing

AIIM: Day 43

Image Manipulation

AIIM: Quarter 1 Recap (Fundamentals of Design, Drawing & Perspectives)

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Oct 2010, 8 x 10″

ink on paper

Oct 2010, 8 x 10″

ink on paper

Oct 2010, 8 x 10″

ink on paper

Oct 2010, 14 x 17″

pencil on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Oct 2010, 8.5 x 11″

pencil on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Oct 2010, 11 x 17″

pencil on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

black and white chalk on grey paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

ink and pencil on paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

ink on paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil and ink on paper

Nov 2010, 9 x 12″

india ink on watercolor paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

ink on paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil and ink on paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil and ink on paper

Nov 2010, 8.5 x 11″

colored pencil and ink on paper

Dec 2010, 18 x 24″

pencil on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Dec 2010, 11 x 11″

colored pencil and ink on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Dec 2010, 8 x 10″

pencil on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

Dec 2010, 13.5 x 22″

colored pencil and ink on paper

photo by Carl Nyflot

AIIM: Day 42 – The Last Day Before Winter Break

Fundamentals of Design

This is my final project for this class. It’s a map of my entire life. The very top of the map is the beginning of my life, and the very bottom is the end of my life. The image is based on a toy that I used to play with as a child called a marble run. A marble run is a structure that’s created out of pieces which connect to one another, and you can connect the pieces however you want. A marble is placed in the top of the structure and you watch it roll down to the bottom.

If the marble run is my life, then that would make me a marble (as illustrated by the black circle). I placed myself about a third of the way down the map, because I’ve lived through about a third of my life (assuming that I die from natural causes). The marble is painted on the back of the sticky part of a post-it note so that I can move it around.

The coloration of the different paths is supposed to make the drawing look more like a map. I drew inspiration from the Chicago Transit Authority’s colorful train map.

A week ago I was at school talking with my buddy Mike, who was trying to decide what medium he was going to use for his final project. He pondered whether he should use markers, or his own blood. I commented that using marker would be less painful. He said to me, “life is pain.” Such a poetic and oftentimes true statement.

I finished this drawing the day before it was due, and spent a total of 56 hours working on it (over the course of three weeks). It’s made of colored pencil and Sharpie on 18 x 24″ paper.

Skull with Cigarette

This is an assignment from my drawing and perspective class. The assignment was to reproduce any piece of art that has been created by a professional artist. I chose to copy an M. C. Escher drawing. My rendition is 18 x 24″ and made of graphite on paper. I worked on it for nine hours straight.

AIIM: Day 41

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 40

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 39

Drawing & Perspective

Meanwhile, in Fundamentals of Design…

AIIM: Day 38

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 37

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 36

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 35

Drawing & Perspective

Meanwhile, in Fundamentals of Design…

AIIM: Day 34

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 33

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 32

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 31

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 30

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 29

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 28

Fundamentals of Design

Psychology

Health psychology: Study of the ways in which behavioral principles can be used to prevent illness and promote health.

Hypochondriasis: A preoccupation with fears of having a serious disease. Ordinary physical signs are interpreted as proof that the person has a disease, but no physical disorder can be found.

Aggression: Any response made with the intent of causing harm or achieving one’s goals at the expense of another person.

Learned helplessness: A learned inability to overcome obstacles or to avoid punishment; learned passivity and inaction to aversive stimuli.

Altered state of consciousness: A condition of awareness distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness. In waking consciousness we perceive times, places, and events as real, meaningful, and familiar. But states of consciousness related to dreaming, meditation, hypnosis, fatigue, delirium, drugs, euphoria, sensory overload (for example, a rave, Mardi Gras crowd, or mosh pit), monotonous stimulation (such as “highway hypnotism” on long drives), and unusual physical conditions (high fever, hyperventilation, dehydration, sleep loss, near-death experiences) may differ markedly from “normal” awareness.

Dreams: Most people dream four or five times a night, but not all people remember their dreams. Dreams reflect our waking thoughts, fantasies, and emotions, which are often expressed in images that are symbolic rather than literal. People awakened during REMs report vivid dreams.

REM Sleep: The two most basic sleep states are rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. REM sleep is strongly associated with dreaming.

Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness characterized by narrowed attention and increased suggestibility.

Classical conditioning: A form of learning in which reflex responses are associated with stimuli which previously produced no response.

Operant conditioning: Learning based on the principle that acts which produce positive results tend to be repeated.

Extinction: The weakening of a conditioned response through removal of reinforcement.

Punishment: Any event that follows a response and decreases its likelihood of occurring again.

Positive reinforcer: Anything that produces pleasure or satisfaction.

Short-term memory (STM): The memory system used to hold small amounts of information in our conscious awareness for about a dozen seconds. It is used for thinking and problem solving.

Procedural memory: Long-term memories of conditioned responses and learned skills.

Declarative memory: Long-term memories of specific factual information.

Recall: To supply or reproduce memorized information with a minimum of external cues.

Repression: The unconscious process by which memories, thoughts, or impulses are held out of awareness. Also referred to as motivated forgetting.

Cognition: The process of thinking or mentally processing information (images, concepts, words, rules, and symbols).

Stanford-Binet Test: The first intelligence test was assembled by Alfred Binet. A modern version of Binet’s test is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. The Stanford-Binet (or SB5) is primarily made up of age-ranked questions. It measures five cognitive factors (types of mental abilities) that make up general intelligence. These are fluid reasoning, knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, and working memory. Each factor is measured with verbal questions (those involving words and numbers) and nonverbal questions (items that use pictures and objects).

Insight: A sudden mental reorganization of a problem that makes the solution obvious.

Intelligence quotient (IQ): An index of intelligence defined as a person’s mental age divided by his or her chronological age and multiplied by 100.

Creativity: There is a small positive correlation between creativity and IQ.

Motivation: Internal processes that initiate, sustain, and direct activities.

Primary motives: Innate motives based on biological needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy: Needs at the bottom of the hierarchy need to be met before needs that are higher up. From bottom to top: Physiological needs (air, food, water, sleep, sex, etc.), Safety and security, Love and belonging, Self-esteem, Self-actualization (enlightenment).

Primary emotions: The most basic emotions are fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation, joy, and acceptance.

Intrinsic motivation: Motivation that comes from within, rather than from external rewards; motivation based on personal enjoyment of a task or activity.

AIIM: Day 27

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 26

Fundamentals of Design

AIIM: Day 25

Drawing & Perspective

AIIM: Day 24

Fundamentals of Design

Check out those pyramids. Those are some nice looking pyramids.

Psychology

Hey look, more Psych vocab:

Primary motives: Innate motives based on biological needs.

Stimulus motives: Innate needs for stimulation and information.

Secondary motives: Motives based on learned needs, drives, and goals.

Theories of emotion:

Cannon-Bard theory: States that activity in the thalamus causes emotional feelings and body arousal to occur simultaneously.

James-Lange theory: States that emotional feelings follow bodily arousal and come from awareness of such arousal.

Schachter’s cognitive theory: States that emotions occur when physical arousal is labeled or interpreted on the basis of experience and situational cues.

Maslow’s Hierarchy: Needs at the bottom of the hierarchy need to be met before needs that are higher up. From bottom to top: Physiological needs (air, food, water, sleep, sex, etc.), Safety and security, Love and belonging, Self-esteem, Self-actualization (enlightenment).

Primary emotions: The most basic emotions are fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation, joy, and acceptance.

Facial expressions: Reveal pleasantness versus unpleasantness, attention versus rejection, and a person’s degree of emotional activation. Body positioning expresses relaxation or tension and liking or disliking.

…………………..

Learning: Any relatively permanent change in behavior that can be attributed to experience.

Reinforcement: Any event that increases the probability that a particular response will occur.

Classical conditioning: A form of learning in which reflex responses are associated with stimuli which previously produced no response.

Operant conditioning: Learning based on the principle that acts which produce positive results tend to be repeated.

Cognitive learning: Higher-level learning involving thinking, knowing, understanding, and anticipation.

(via Psychology: Modules for Active Learning)

AIIM: Day 23

Drawing & Perspective

Check out that vanishing point. That is a nice looking vanishing point.

AIIM: Day 22

Fundamentals of Design

Check out that well. That is a nice looking well.

Psychology

Hey look, some Psych vocab:

Sensory memory: The first, normally unconscious, stage of memory, which holds an exact record of incoming information for a few seconds or less.

Short-term memory (STM): The memory system used to hold small amounts of information in our conscious awareness for about a dozen seconds. it is used for thinking and problem solving.

Procedural memory: Long-term memories of conditioned responses and learned skills.

Declarative memory: Long-term memories of specific factual information.

Episodic memory: A subpart of declarative memory that records personal experiences that are linked with specific times and places.

Semantic memory: A subpart of declarative memory that records impersonal knowledge.

Implicit memory: A memory that a person does not know exists; a memory that is retrieved unconsciously.

Explicit memory: A memory that a person is aware of having; a memory that is consciously retrieved.

Repression: The unconscious process by which memories, thoughts, or impulses are held out of awareness. Also referred to as motivated forgetting.

Suppression: A conscious effort to put something out of mind or to keep it from awareness.

Intelligence: An overall capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with the environment.

WAIS-III (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Third Edition): The first adult IQ test.

Intelligence quotient (IQ): An index of intelligence defined as a person’s mental age divided by his or her chronological age and multiplied by 100.

Giftedness: The possession of a high IQ or special talents or aptitudes.

Intellectual disability (formerly mental retardation): The presence of a developmental disability, a formal IQ score below 70, or a significant impairment of adaptive behavior.

Familial intellectual disability: Mild intellectual disability associated with homes that are intellectually, nutritionally, and emotionally impoverished.

Creativity: There is a small positive correlation between creativity and IQ.

Divergent thinking: Thinking that produces many ideas or alternatives; a major element in original or creative thought.

Intuition: Quick, impulsive thought that does not make use of formal logic or clear reasoning.

(via Psychology: Modules for Active Learning)

AIIM: Day 21

Drawing & Perspective

Don’t Stop Dreaming

AIIM: Day 20

Fundamentals of Design

Here are my final two (out of three) drawings from our latest assignment in Fundamentals of Design. The assignment was to make a design which encompasses the letters of your first name, and to make a design which encompasses the letters of your last name. Also, the designs had to somehow represent a quality that you possess.

The bike is my last name. The reason that I drew the bike is because I was trying to think of something that would represent the quality of being efficient, and so that made me think of my bike. I took a photo of it, printed the photo out, and then traced over the printout with a pencil and a pen. It took about 4 hours to finish. The back wheel and part of the frame is a ‘G’, the middle of the frame is an ‘A’, the u-lock is a ‘U’, the gears and bottom half of the chain and part of the frame is an ‘R’, the right handlebar and brake and front reflector is a ‘k’, the front part of the frame and part of the front wheel is an ‘E’, and the front wheel is an ‘e.’

The rainbow is my first name. The reason that I drew the rainbow is because I was trying to think of something that would represent the quality of being open-minded, and so that made me think of rainbows. I drew it freehand with pencil, inked it, and colored it with colored pencils, a process which took several hours.

So now that we’re done with that assignment, we’re on to the next one, which also involves three drawings. The first drawing must convey this sentence: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. The second drawing: Jack fell down and broke his crown. The third drawing: Jill came tumbling after. The catch is that you can only use squares, circles, and triangles to create the drawings.

Psychology

Yesterday we watched a film called The Secret.

AIIM: Day 19 – Dry Medium Value Study

Drawing & Perspective

This past Wednesday, we critiqued the dry medium (I used pencil for mine) value study and ink wash drawings that we’ve been working on. I’m not done with my ink wash piece yet, but I’ll finish it up and post it either tonight or Sunday night.

AIIM: Day 18

Fundamentals of Design

Here’s my first (out of three) finished drawing from our latest assignment in Fundamentals of Design. The assignment was to make a design using your initials. The above ground train is my first initial (M), the tall building piercing the cloud is my middle initial (T), and the building on the right is my last initial (G).

I made this design by first drawing it on the computer, and then printing it out and tracing over the printout with pencils and pen, and then I used drawing pencils to fill in the sides of the buildings. It took about 5 hours to make. The reason that I chose to draw this is because I like really dense urban areas, such as downtown Chicago, which I visited for a few days a little over a month ago.

Psychology

This past Tuesday in Psychology, we talked about Chapter 8: Intelligence, Cognition, Language and Creativity and we got a vocab worksheet to fill out, but I haven’t had time to go over it because I’ve been working on a bunch of drawings for my other classes.

AIIM: Day 17

Drawing & Perspective

This past Monday, we drew still life drawings with black and white conte chalk on colored (in this case grey) pastel paper. This drawing took me about two and a half hours.

AIIM: Day 16

Fundamentals of Design

Robert Breer, Rug 1968

No class on the 28th. Instead, our assignment was to go to a museum and take a photo of something that we liked. That first photo is one that I took with my cell phone, and the second image I found online. It’s a photo of Robert Breer’s “Rug” from 1968 and it’s currently at the Walker Art Center.

Rug is a 4′x4′ aluminum sheet which bunches itself up and then unfurls and it continually repeats this process very slowly via hidden motor and ultimately this movement makes it look like it’s breathing, so I thought that was pretty cool looking.

Psychology

We talked about Chapter 7: Memory, and then watched some videos on youtube about memory. We got a little vocab worksheet to fill out, but I haven’t had time to go over that because I’ve been working on two drawings for Drawing & Perspective and three drawings for Fundamentals of Design.

AIIM: Day 15

Drawing & Perspective

Today we made an ink wash piece using India Ink, which is a type of black waterproof drawing ink. An ink wash is similar to a watercolor piece, except you’re only using one color and variations of that color, in this case black and grey. I worked on this 9″x12″ piece for about two hours.

Instead of using the overhead projector to draw the apple/shoe box combo, which is what we’ve been using to display still life photos that we then work off of, we brought shoe boxes and apples from home, and shined flashlights on them. It was pretty impossible to get the lighting to look right because the lights in the classroom were on.

AIIM: Day 14

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

I worked on this nearly finished ink and pencil drawing for almost three hours today. I was able to get perfect lines because I designed it on the computer first, and then I printed it out and traced it.

PSYCHOLOGY

Today was our test on chapters 1-4. It was a pretty quick and painless multiple choice that I think I did pretty well on. That was the only thing we did, and we got out early, which is nice because now I have time to go back and review the Chapter 5: States of Consciousness vocabulary worksheet from last Thursday:

Altered state of consciousness: A condition of awareness distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness. In waking consciousness we perceive times, places, and events as real, meaningful, and familiar. But states of consciousness related to dreaming, meditation, hypnosis, fatigue, delirium, drugs, euphoria, sensory overload (for example, a rave, Mardi Gras crowd, or mosh pit), monotonous stimulation (such as “highway hypnotism” on long drives), and unusual physical conditions (high fever, hyperventilation, dehydration, sleep loss, near-death experiences) may differ markedly from “normal” awareness.

Sleep Stages: Levels of sleep identified by brainwave patterns and behavioral changes. Sleep occurs in four stages: Stage 1 is light sleep, and stage 4 is deep sleep. The sleeper alternates between stages 1 and 4 (passing through stages 2 and 3) several times each night. The two most basic sleep states are rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. REM sleep is strongly associated with dreaming.

REM Sleep: Sleep marked by rapid eye movements and a return to stage 1.

NREM Sleep: Dream-free sleep.

Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness characterized by narrowed attention and increased suggestibility.

Psychoactive drug: A substance capable of altering attention, memory, judgment, time sense, self-control, mood, or perception (in other words, a substance that alters consciousness). Most psychoactive drugs can be placed on a scale ranging from stimulation (caffeine, nicotine, hallucinogens (LSD, mescaline, mushrooms), cocaine, antidepressants, amphetamines (speed)) to depression (tranquilizers, alcohol, heroin and other opiates, anesthetics).

Psychological dependence: Drug dependence that is based primarily on emotional or psychological needs.

Physical dependence: Physical addiction, as indicated by the presence of drug tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.

(via Psychology: Modules for Active Learning)

AIIM: Day 13

Drawing & Perspective

Cross Contour Still Life

AIIM: Day 12

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

We got a new assignment today, which is to create three ideograms. An ideogram or ideograph is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept. They convey their meaning through pictorial resemblance to a physical object, and thus may also be referred to as pictograms. One of them will contain our initials, one will contain our first name, and one will contain our last name. Two will be in black and white and grey, and one will be in color. The letters can be in order, but they don’t have to be. They aren’t supposed to look exactly like letters, rather, they’re supposed to sort of seamlessly blend into the image. If I had some more examples to show you, it would be easier to understand/explain. Frankly, I’m not even sure if I’m doing it right.

Also, our drawings have to represent qualities that we possess. How do you convey a quality as a physical object? Use metaphor? I don’t really know.

Anyways, at this point I’m not going to even try to explain my little sketch. I’ll save that for later. However, I will say that my initials (MTG) are in it — you can probably spot them fairly easily.

PSYCHOLOGY

Today we went over Chapter 5: States of Consciousness, but I don’t really have time to get into that right now because we have a test on Tuesday which covers chapters 1-4, and I need to make flash cards to study for it:

Psychoanalytic Theory/Sigmund Freud: In the late 1800′s, Sigmund Freud developed Psychoanalytic Psychology, the study of the unconscious.

Nature vs. Nurture: Nature refers to heredity, the genetic transmission of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children such as eye color, skin color, temperament, and susceptibility to some diseases. Nurture refers to the environment, which is the sum of all external conditions affecting development, including especially the effects of learning. These conditions can include socioeconomic status, religion, politics, family size, abuse, peer group, culture/ethnicity, if you live in an urban or rural environment, if you live with an alcoholic/addict, etc.

Cognitive Behaviorism: An approach that combines cognition (thinking) and behavioral principles to explain behavior.

Humanistic Psychology: A view that focuses on subjective human experience, human potentials, ideals, and personal growth.

John Watson: A Behaviorist who objected strongly to the study of the “conscious experience,” he believed that introspection is unscientific because there is no way to settle disagreements between observers.

Neurotransmitter: Any chemical released by a neuron that alters activity in other neurons.

Limbic System: A set of brain structures including the hippocampus and amygdala, which support a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, and long-term memory.

Sympathetic Nervous System: Part of the Autonomic Nervous System, its general action is to mobilize the body’s resources under stress; to induce the fight-or-flight response.

Hypothalamus: A small area at the base of the brain that regulates many aspects of motivation and emotion, especially hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior.

Cerebral Cortex: Neural tissue that is the outermost layer of the cerebrum.

Corticalization: An increase in the relative size of the cerebral cortex.

Temperament: The inherited, physical core of personality. It includes sensitivity, irritability, distractibility, and typical mood. Most infants fall into one of three temperament categories: easy children, difficult children, and slow-to-warm-up children.

Developmental Level: An individual’s current state of physical, emotional, and intellectual development.

Attachment: The quality of attachment is revealed by how babies act when their mothers return after a brief separation. Infants who are securely attached have a stable and positive emotional bond. They are upset by the mother’s absence and seek to be near her when she returns.

Cones: Visual receptors for colors and daylight visual acuity (sharpness).

Rods: Visual receptors for dim light that produce only black and white sensations.

Olfaction: The sense of smell.

Clairvoyance: The purported ability to perceive objects or events at a distance or through physical barriers.

Eyewitness Testimony: Mostly considered to be a subfield within legal psychology. Research in cognitive and social psychology indicates that the reliability of visual reports are often much overrated.

(via Psychology: Modules for Active Learning, and Wikipedia)

AIIM: Day 11 – CONTOUR LINE STILL LIFE

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

Headphones, Bottle of colorful sand, Johnny Bravo, Grenade, Vampire Krusty.

11″ x 14.5,” drawing pencils on paper

Today we critiqued the contour line and cross contour line drawings that we’ve been working on. I’m not finished with my cross contour yet, but rest assured that there is a shark in it.

AIIM: Day 10 – BLACK SQUARES

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

So our first assignment for Fundamentals of Design has been to translate the shape of 3-D paper squares onto a 2-D surface. We were told to illustrate concepts of the words Split, Sputter, and Splash. We bent our squares, folded them and twisted them into a variety of different shapes. For example, you can roll your square up into a tube shape, and then you’ve got a cylinder, or you can look through the tube and then you’ve got a circle. You can enlarge or shrink your squares to make them appear closer or farther away. It’s hard to explain, but you could pretty much just draw whatever you wanted so long as it looked neat (in both senses of the word) and you could half explain why you drew it the way that you did. For instance, take a look at the top drawing. Those four squares were once part of a whole cylinder, which has now split apart into four equal sized pieces.

The second drawing starts out really bold at the bottom, and then peters out towards the top. It’s a visual representation of starting a motor, and then the motor sputters and dies.

The third drawing seems to jump out of the page at you. Or rather, some object was thrown into the middle of the page, and thus the squares are splashing outwards.

These were drawn on printer paper that I cut down to 8″x10.” I used a ruler, a compass, a variety of ink pens, and a calculator to create them. Split took me a little over three hours, Sputter took me a little over two hours, and Splash took me a little over four hours to finish.

PSYCHOLOGY

We watched a made-for-HBO documentary called ADDICTION. Let me sum up the hour and a half long film’s findings: Addiction is a brain disease which causes abnormal behavior. This unnatural behavior can be successfully treated, as long as the addict has access to proper treatments and medication. Unfortunately, most addicts don’t have access to the rehabilitation treatments and medicines that they need because they can’t afford them, and health insurance companies are unwilling to chip in.

Well there you go, addiction in a nut shell.

AIIM: Day 9

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

Today, using charcoal, we worked on gesture drawings. Gesture Drawings are quick and simple, and they try to capture action or movement.

So far in Drawing & Perspective, the professor, Doug, has been using a projector to display photos and images for us to draw, and that’s how we’ve been creating our drawings. The above drawings were done on 14″ x 17″ newsprint paper.

AIIM: Day 8

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

This past Thursday was the third and final class period that we used to work on our Split, Sputter, and Splash ink drawings. So far I’ve worked on this one (Splash) for a little over three hours. It won’t take much longer to finish coloring it in.

PSYCHOLOGY

During the past two Psychology classes, we’ve gone through two ENTIRE chapters from our e-book Psychology: Modules for Active Learning, in two hours. Today we discussed Chapter 3: Human Development, and now I present to you the worksheet that our professor gave us to work on:

Heredity (“nature”): Refers to the genetic transmission of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children such as eye color, skin color, and susceptibility to some diseases.

Environment (“nurture”): The sum of all external conditions affecting development, including especially the effects of learning.

Temperament: The inherited, physical core of personality. It includes sensitivity, irritability, distractibility, and typical mood. Most infants fall into one of three temperament categories: easy children, difficult children, and slow-to-warm-up children.

Attachment Quality: The quality of attachment is revealed by how babies act when their mothers return after a brief separation. Infants who are securely attached have a stable and positive emotional bond. They are upset by the mother’s absence and seek to be near her when she returns.

Authoritative Parenting: Authoritative parents supply firm and consistent guidance, combined with love and affection. Such parents balance their own rights with those of their children. They control their children’s behavior in a caring, responsive, nonauthoritarian way. Effective parents are firm and consistent, not harsh or rigid, and they encourage the child to act responsibly and to make good decisions.

Ethnic Differences in Parenting

African-American families’ values emphasize loyalty and interdependence among family members, developing a positive identity, and not giving up in the face of adversity. Parent stress obedience and respect for elders. Child discipline tends to be strict. Hispanic families place a high value on family values, family pride, and loyalty. Asian cultures tend to be group oriented, and they emphasize interdependence among individuals. In contrast, Western cultures value individual effort and independence. In Middle Eastern cultures, children are expected to be polite, obedient, disciplined, and conforming. Punishment generally consists of spankings, teasing, or shaming in front of others. Arab-American fathers tend to be strong authority figures who demand obedience so that the family will not be shamed by a child’s bad behavior. Success, generosity, and hospitality are highly valued in Arab-American culture.

(via Psychology: Modules for Active Learning)

AIIM: Day 7

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

More cross contour drawings today. This took me about two hours.

The Lost Boys

This is a flyer that I designed a week ago. The lettering that makes up the dirt bike is all hand drawn.

Happy 22nd Mara!

This is a watercolor and sharpie piece that I did a little over a month ago. It’s a birthday gift for my friend Mara.

AIIM: Day 6

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

Today I finished my ink drawings for “Split,” and “Sputter.”

PSYCHOLOGY

Today in Psychology, we discussed how the brain affects behavior. This lead to a discussion about depression.

Neuron: A nerve cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral ganglia.

Neurotransmitters: Chemicals which transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse.

Neuropeptide: Molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other. They influence the activity of the brain in specific ways and are involved in particular brain functions like analgesia, reward, food intake, learning and memory.

Central Nervous System (Brain and Spinal Cord): Controls behavior.

Peripheral Nervous System: The main function of the PNS is to connect the central nervous system to the limbs and organs. Unlike the CNS, the PNS is not protected by the bone of spine and skull, leaving it exposed to toxins and mechanical injuries. The PNS is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

A. Somatic Nervous System: The SNS is the part of the PNS associated with the voluntary control of body movements, and with sensory reception of external stimuli (i.e. touch, hearing, sight, taste, smell).

B. Autonomic Nervous System: The ANS is the part of the PNS that acts as a control system functioning largely below the level of consciousness, and controls involuntary functions.

1. Sympathetic Branch: Part of the ANS, its general action is to mobilize the body’s resources under stress; to induce the fight-or-flight response.

2. Parasympathetic Branch: Part of the ANS, it’s responsible for stimulation of activities that occur when the body is at rest, including salivation, urination, digestion and defecation.

Cerebral Cortex: Neural tissue that is the outermost layer of the brain.

Brain Stem: Part of the brain which connects the brain to the spinal cord.

Limbic System: A set of brain structures including the hippocampus and amygdala, which support a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, and long term memory.

Amygdala: A group of nuclei located within the brain, which perform a primary role in the processing of emothional reactions. The amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.

Hippocampus: A part of the brain which plays important roles in long-term memory and spatial navigation. It is part of the limbic system.

Hypothalamus: A part of the brain which controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, and fatigue.

(via Wikipedia)

 

AIIM: Day 5

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

Today in class, photographs of telephone poles with power lines (pictured above), plants, and bicycles were projected onto a screen and we drew them using negative contour. Negative Contour deals with negative space.

We also drew a still life using cross contour. Cross Contour deals with parallel lines with line variation that follow the form of an object.

AIIM: Day 4

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

Continuing our assignment on split, sputter, and splash, we now have to enlarge three of our thumbnails into 8″ x 10″ ink drawings. This is the start of my “Split” drawing.

PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology is the scientific study of mental and behavior processes.

Brief History of Psychology:

Psychology began as a part of philosophy, the study of knowledge, reality and human nature. Psychology dates back about 100 years.

Wilhelm Wundt, referred to as” the father of psychology,” was the first to set up a scientific laboratory to study conscious experience.

Edward Tichenor called Wundt’s  ideas Structuralism because they dealt with the structure of mental life. The structuralists examined mental life through introspection (to examine ones own thoughts and feelings).

William James, an American scholar, broadened psychology to include animal behavior, religion, and abnormal behavior. He helped to establish the field as a serious discipline. He developed Functionalism, a school of psychology concerned with how behavior and mental abilities helped people to adapt to their environment.

In the late 1800′s as American Psychology grew more scientific, Sigmund Freud was developing Psychoanalytic Psychology, the study of the unconscious.

In the early 1900′s another school of thought came about called Behaviorism, the study of observable behavior.

Beginning in the 40′s, Humanistic Psychology was developed. It focused on human experience, free will and choice, and became very popular in the 60′s and 70′s.

Today in Psychology, we discussed Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapy, Behaviorism, and Humanism. We also discussed how someone’s mentality and behavior are affected by nature (biology) and nurture (environment). For example, on the  NATURE side of the spectrum, some things that can affect you are:

- Physical ailments

- If you are an introvert or an extrovert

- If you are genetically prone to depression or addiction

On the NURTURE side of the spectrum, some things that can affect your psychology include:

- Socioeconomic status

- Abuse

- Religion

- Politics

- Family size

- Peer group

- Culture / Ethnicity

- if you live in an Urban or Rural environment

- if you Live with an alcoholic

AIIM: Day 3

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

More contour line drawings today. Everyone had to draw their shoes. We talked a little bit about composition, and also learned about the 3 kinds of movement: Vertical (denotes strength), Horizontal (stability), and Diagonal (movement). For the remainder of the night, I’ll be attempting to draw more black squares that “split, sputter, and splash.”

AIIM: Day 2

FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN

First day of Fundamentals of Design. Todays assignment: “Using four black squares, illustrate the following concepts: Sputter, Split, and Splash.” Confused? Yeah, me too…

PSYCHOLOGY

First day of Psychology. We basically just went over the syllabus.

AIIM: Day 1

DRAWING & PERSPECTIVE

First day/class of college. Pretty painless. The professor, Doug, went over some of the syllabus with us and showed us some slides of simple line drawings. He talked about contour line drawings for a while, and then we did some quick “blind” and “partial peek” drawings of our hands. We also did line drawings of the profiles of our classmate’s faces.

A Contour Line drawing uses nothing but lines. Where there is shadow, the line is dark and bold. Where there is light, the line is thin.