1-28-15

Observational Drawing

Week 2: Assignment 2 Discussion

Assignment 2: Sighting Discussion

By Wednesday, January 28, 2015, complete the following exercise:

The first step in drawing is to understand the basic structure or geometric shape of the object you are trying to depict. In addition, it is important to be able to depict the surface your arrangement is sitting on. Set up a still life with three objects of different simple shapes (i.e., a book, a cube-shaped box, a ball, a can, a kitchen funnel, etc.). To establish the baseline or surface plane of the composition, arrange your objects on a straight horizontal plane such as a table. Position yourself in front of the arrangement, with your eye level just slightly above the tallest object so that your table line runs parallel to the bottom edge of the paper. Visually simplify each object by imagining the geometric shape or a combination of shapes that it most closely resembles. Consider how the bottom plane of each object connects to the surface of the table and work to ground your objects convincingly. Use a #2 or a #4 graphite pencil.

Use the pencil sighting method to determine the scale and relationships between your objects using a basic unit of measurement, and make sketch lines where your measurements fall. Keep the measurement lines visible and lightly sketch in your objects as simple geometric shapes.

This should not be a detailed rendering. It is an exercise in using sighting to create a simplified sketch of your composition. An additional step may include blocking in a broad indication of the big lights/big darks.

Written Discussion
Write a one- to two-paragraph response that addresses the following exploration of technique: In your own words, describe your experience using sighting. Explain how you used the technique of sighting to draw your subject in proportion.

Your answers should be based upon your personal experience with this exercise, as well as the course content and assigned readings, should utilize relevant vocabulary, and should be written using correct spelling and grammar. Post your sketch with your written response to the appropriate Discussion Area.

Revisions

Submitting a revised assignment based on feedback from your instructor is strongly encouraged. This will help ensure that your assignment is completed correctly and allow you to develop your work to its fullest potential. Revisions provide an opportunity to improve your grade and are due by the end of the week. Instructor feedback on revisions will be included in the Gradebook.

My Work: 

For this assignment I had taken the three items (a paperback book, a ball from my son’s bedroom, and a cylindrical box of salt) and I arranged them at least a dozen times before I was pleased with the placement. I wanted to make sure that the objects were close enough together to show relation to one another, but not too close as to over crown each other. I had to take the items and out them up on a folding chair on top of my kitchen table to be able to have the objects have a good grasp on where the horizon line was asked to be in the assignment. After I finally had the objects set up to where I felt comfortable, I took a few minutes to make sure I was using the correct procedure for sighting, I used the tip of my pencil and the closest point of the paperback book spine as my basic unit of measurement. I found that making the image show a spatial relationship was a lot harder than I initially thought it would be. Especially with the sphere. I used cross contour lines to try and depict a third dimension for the ball. I believe that I did obtain a good concept of proportion in my drawing as far as relating how large each object was to each other, however I also know that I have a lot of improvement needed for this to be perfect.

My Instructor's Feedback: 

Hi Bridgette,

Thanks for re-posting and very nice work on your drawing using the sighting method. I've recorded a VoiceThread video (under) for you.
https://voicethread.com/share/6493566/ The top video is the lecture. The bottom video contains your feedback. You are ninth on this recording. Please feel free to post questions or comments if needed. Thank you,

1-28-15

Observational Drawing

Week 2: Assignment 1 Practice Exam

Assignment 1: Exam

Grading Summary

These are the automatically computed results of your exam. Grades for essay questions, and comments from your instructor, are in the "Details" section below. Date and Time Started: 1/28/2015 12:57:12 AM Time Spent: 01 min , 25 secs Points Received: 30 / 30  (100%) Question Type: # Of Questions: # Correct: True/False     5         5     Multiple Choice     5         5

Grade Details - All Questions

Question 1. Question : The structure of an object can be thought of as the framework that supports the surface planes of the form. Student Answer:  True  (Virtually everything in life can be visually interpreted as its closest basic geometric shape or a combination of basic shapes that define the structure of an object. These shapes are used as “building blocks,” and they allow us to simplify subject matter for the purpose of establishing perspective and spatial relationships in the overall composition. This structure can be thought of as the framework that supports the surface planes of the form.)  False Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 2. Question : Foreshortening is the illusion of an object or subject coming toward the picture plane or the viewer. Student Answer:  True  (Foreshortening is the illusion of an object or subject coming toward the picture plane or the viewer. For instance, a drawing of a person pointing toward the artist would result in a foreshortened point of view of their hand and arm.)  False Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 3. Question : What is the first step in the 4-step drawing process? Student Answer:  Geometric shapes and platonic form  The “stick still life” or gesture (Step 1 in the 4-Step Drawing Process is: The “Stick Still Life” or Gesture, shown here. The “stick still life,” is a gestural sketch used to spontaneously capture and describe the basic structure and balance of your drawing. This is approached by quickly mapping out the relative position, direction, and proportion of your subject matter using “stick” lines that define the center axis of each object.)  Big lights and big darks  Transitional values and detail Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 4. Question : What is Proportion? Student Answer:  The relative scale and relationships of the parts of a single object  The comparison in size of multiple objects to one other  a only  Both a) and b) (Proportion refers to the relative scale and relationships of the parts of a single object or the comparison in size of multiple objects.) Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 5. Question : Object Relationship is also referred to as spatial relationships. Student Answer:  True  False Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 6. Question : In steps 1–3 of the 4-step drawing process, your goal is to sketch in all parts of the drawing as quickly as possible using a very tight and controlled approach. Student Answer:  True  False  (In steps 1-3 of the 4-step drawing process, you goal is to sketch in all parts of the drawing as quickly as possible, but the approach is to make sure to sketch lightly with very loose and gestural strokes. Using a very tight and controlled approach is counter-productive to the process.) Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 7. Question : Sighting does not use object or spatial relationships to define the scale and/or placement of objects within a composition. Student Answer:  True  False  (Sighting is a method of determining visual measurements and object relationships by starting out with a basic unit of measurement and comparing it to other areas of a scene to define scale and placement. Sighting helps to record object relationships, such as where the top line of one object falls in relation to an object behind it. Object relationships are also referred to as the spatial relationships within a composition.) Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 8. Question : What is the Horizon Line? Student Answer:  The eye level of the artist (The horizon line refers to the eye level of the artist. This line establishes the perspective of the rest of the piece, so it is important that the artist maintains a consistent eye level or view of the subject they are drawing throughout the drawing process.)  The illusion of an object coming toward the viewer  The relative scale of a single object  An imaginary line that runs down the center or middle of an object Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 9. Question : What does the key objective for breaking objects down into basic geometric shapes require? Student Answer:  Grounding your objects convincingly to the surface plane  Planning the necessary volume or space that each object needs to exist in space  Answer a)  Both answers a) and b) (The key objective for breaking objects down into basic geometric shapes is to ground your objects convincingly to the surface plane and to plan the necessary volume or space that each object needs to exist in space.) Points Received: 3 of 3 Comments: Question 10. Question : What is the second step in the 4-step drawing process? Student Answer:  Big lights and big darks  The “stick still life” or gesture  Geometric shapes and platonic form (Step 2 in the 4-Step Drawing Process is: Geometric Shapes and Platonic Form, shown here. At this stage, begin to think about your stick still life as simple. Three-dimensional forms that have depth and are defined in illusory space. This should be approached as a method of searching out the basic shapes and forms of your scene. The background and the surface plane that your arrangement is sitting on should be included to avoid the impression that your objects are floating in space. Consider each element of your scene, and lightly sketch in its closest geometric shape, or break it down into more than one geometric shape.)  Transitional values and detail Points Received: 3 of 3

1-26-15

History and Analysis of Design

Week 2: Assignment 1 Discussion

Assignment 1: Journal Assignment

Deadline and Deliverable

By Tuesday, January 27, 2015, read the two questions given in this assignment and submit your responses in a single post to the Discussion Area. Do not post your answers as an attachment.

Steps to Success
Review the content of the lectures and reading assignment.
Write a response to each question using direct quotes from the lectures, textbook readings, or other sources to validate your answers.
Cite your sources using MLA style. (For information on how to properly use direct quotes and cite sources according to MLA style, go tohttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Additional help on using MLA style and writing essays is available in the Student Portal underAcademics → Tutoring Center.)
Participate in class as described in the Review and Critique section.

Review and Critique

By Sunday, February 1, 2015, post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates by commenting on their answers. Consider what you may add to your classmates' responses to provide supporting information or counterinformation. Detail the information you found in your own search that was similar to or different from that of your classmates.

Questions
What parallels can you draw between the information explosion of the fifteenth century and the information explosion that is happening today on the web? How have they affected the lives, livelihoods, and societies that they touch? Find sources beyond the lectures to support your ideas. Look for valid resources on the Internet. Use direct quotes from the lectures and the sources you find to validate your answer. Use MLA style to correctly cite your sources.
What four major typefaces developed during this period (early printing) are still used today? Make sure that you understand the difference between a typeface and a type style.

My Work: 

Question 1- What parallels can you draw between the information explosion of the fifteenth century and the information explosion that is happening today on the web? How have they affected the lives, livelihoods, and societies that they touch? Find sources beyond the lectures to support your ideas. Look for valid resources on the Internet. Use direct quotes from the lectures and the sources you find to validate your answer. Use MLAstyle to correctly cite your sources.

For this question, I wanted to focus on Gutenberg's invention of the printing press around 1445 and how his invention has strongly impacted our technology filled lives today.

Before Gutenberg's world changing invention, every existing book and it's illustrations and words had to be copied by hand, usually on parchment and animal skin. This process would usually take the copier one year or more to complete, which made the books very expensive to reproduce. This all changed with the invention of the printing press. "Because Gutenberg's press could produce books quickly and with relatively little effort, bookmaking became much less expensive, allowing more people to buy reading material." (Renaissance--Printing and Thinking)

As the years passed, book production became vast and plentiful, which became bothersome. "Is there anywhere on earth exempt from these swarms of new books?" (Erasmus, the great humanist of the early 16th century)

"Around 1500, humanist scholars began to bemoan new problems: Printers in search of profit, they complained, rushed to print manuscripts without attention to the quality of the text, and the sheer mass of new books was distracting readers from the focus on the ancient authors most worthy of attention." (Blair)

I believe that Gutenberg's invention of the printing press was one of the most important inventions in human history but not without consequence. Many people, including myself believe that we are now in an information overload, like that of the early years of printing. "Worry about information overload has become one of the drumbeats of our time. The world’s books are being digitized, online magazines and newspapers and academic papers are steadily augmented by an endless stream of blog posts and Twitter feeds; and the gadgets to keep us participating in the digital deluge are more numerous and sophisticated. The total amount of information created on the world’s electronic devices is expected to surpass the zettabyte mark this year (a barely conceivable 1 with 21 zeroes after it)." (Blair)

Many people, like myself also believe that within the next ten years, printed newspapers, books and other materials will become obsolete because everything will be digitized, thus making the printing press a thing of the past.

Question 2- What four major typefaces developed during this period (early printing) are still used today? Make sure that you understand the difference between a typeface and a type style.

For this question, I found several typefaces that are indeed listed in my font book. I wanted to focus on "Old Style" typefaces in regards to my answers to this question. "Old Style (occasionally referred to as Humanist) typefaces are based on hand lettering of scribes and they first appeared in the late 15th century, before modern typefaces." (Farley)

The first I found was Garamond, which was created by publisher Claude Garamond in the mid 1500's. I use this typeface quite often and am surprised to learn about it's origin.

The second I found is the very popular Roman typeface, which was created in the mid fifteenth century by NicolasJenson Roman type is now the "standard" for book typography.

The third typeface I found was the Monotype Bembo typeface, which is a serif typeface style and was created around the late fifteenth century.

The fourth typeface I found is Caslon, which was created around 1722 by William Caslon. This typeface in particular was not listed in my font book but is available for download.

Works Cited:

"Renaissance -- Printing and Thinking." Renaissance -- Printing and Thinking. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Blair, Ann. "Information Overload, the Early Years." Boston.com. The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

"5 Families of Typography: History and Examples of Each Style Family." Bright Hub. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Farley, Jennifer. "The Old Style Typeface." SitePoint The Old Style Typeface. 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

"History of Typography: Old Style — I Love Typography." I Love Typography RSS. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

1-25-15_8

History and Analysis of Design

Week 1: Assignment 3 Discussion

Assignment 3: Studio Assignment

Deadline and Deliverable

By Friday, January 23, 2015, choose one of the historical styles covered in the lectures and create a design for a business card for a client in the tourism industry. Include the design and supporting materials used to create the design in a PDF and post the PDF to the Discussion Area.

Steps to Success
Look through the lectures and textbook reading and find two or more images that are the source of your inspiration for your design. You should have at least one source for type and one source for imagery.
Using a pencil and paper, sketch at least five different ideas for a business card. Scan the sketches.
Search the Internet for imagery and type that match the historical period you have chosen. Using Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign, create your favorite version of the business card. Remember, the business card must match the design style of the period you have chosen.
Write a 300- to 500-word explanation of your idea that covers the following information:
What historical period did you choose, and what were the sources of your inspiration?
How does the type you chose for the design match the historical period?
How does the imagery you chose match the design for the historical period?
Combine the 300- to 500-word explanation, the images that were the source of your inspiration, the preliminary thumbnail sketches, and the final design into a single document. Make a PDF from the file, save it as W1_A3_lastname_firstinitial.pdf, and post it to the Discussion Area.
Participate in class as described in the Review and Critique section.

My Work:

For my historical period I chose the medieval time period. However, instead of deciding upon English or British medieval times, I decided to use medieval Scottish Highlands as my inspiration. I don’t have any sites to use for my reasons for choosing this time in history. My reasons are simple, Ever since I was a little girl I have loved Scotland with all my heart. I have always wanted to visit or one day maybe live there. But I absolutely loved the stories of before there were cars, industry, and technology. To ride across the plains and meet a laird. Being of Scots-Irish descent, I have always been fascinated by these lands, so I used this as my chosen time period.

The sources of images that I used for inspiration were images of a Scottish Flag, some castle remains, and a historical statue at a museum I found on the sites listed below.

The typeface I used for this project is a standard type kit font on most computers named Papyrus Regular. I used this font because it looked very much like the quick calligraphy one would find on a scroll of parchment back in the 16th century and being as scrolls were a major form of communication, it seemed to fit nicely. On the background of the front of the card, there is a tartan from the Stewart Clan. This is my family clan, so I was just putting a little bit of my family history into the card. I took a rectangle and made a 65% transparent white rectangle on top so that the font would stand out more but that you could still see the tartan color. I put the name of the tour agency on the top of the card with my name and position underneath. I left aligned the name and position and then created a new textbox to input the phone number, address, the website and email address. I also added a silhouette of a bagpipe player to the lower mid-left of the card due to bagpipe music is widely known for the Scottish culture and it helped make the card come together. For the back of the card, I just kept it simple and made it a Scottish Flag. I was going to put words or something else on the back, but I figured that the simple picture, no words, no fancy slogans, would be the best to suit this card.

Works Cited:

"Scotland, Castle, Ruin, See, Water - Free Image on Pixabay." Pixabay. 22 Sept. 2008. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://pixabay.com/en/scotland-castle-ruin-see-water-12074/>.

"Scotland National Flag." Scotland National Flag Stock Photo 124620805 : Shutterstock. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://shutr.bz/13NOGwW>.

1-25-15_7

History and Analysis of Design

Week 1: Assignment 2 Discussion

Assignment 2: Journal Assignment

Deadline and Deliverable

By Tuesday, January 20, 2015, read the two questions given in this assignment and submit your responses in a single post to the Discussion Area. Do not post your answers as an attachment.

Steps to Success
Review the content of the lectures and reading assignment.
Write a response to each question using direct quotes from the lectures, textbook reading, or other sources to validate your answers.
Cite your sources using MLA style. (For information on how to properly use direct quotes and cite sources according to MLA style, go tohttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Additional help on using MLA style and writing essays is available in the Student Portal underAcademics → Tutoring Center.)
Participate in class as described in the Review and Critique section.

My Work: 

Being a book cover artist, I have a lot of font use involved and therefore I have to make sure that my fonts are legal and that they are able to be used either for free or to purchase a license for a commercial license to use the font. The site I use most often is dafonts.com. I find that the fonts there are very precise in the terms and that you can get a hold of the creator if you need to purchase a commercial license. According to the information given by dafont.com,
“The fonts presented on this website are their authors' property, and are either freeware, shareware, demo versions or public domain. The licence mentioned above the download button is just an indication. Please look at the readme-files in the archives or check the indicated author's website for details, and contact him if in doubt.
If no author/licence is indicated that's because we don't have information, that doesn't mean it's free.” The general breakdown of this statement is that there are buttons on this site that allow you to download the .zip file of the font to install to your computer. However, above the download button, you will see the status of the licensing of each font to dafont’s best abilities. Any font created before 2005, if they don’t have access to the creator, has limited information for the licensing available for each font. The best way to go about using fonts from this site is to read the extra “read me” file that comes with each font, or to do some quick general research to make sure the font is indeed free, and if not, who to contact for an extended license.

For images, I normally purchase directly from the photographer, however in cases where using a stock image is permitted, I normally use Fotolia LLC. You can purchase a subscription from their site allowing you to purchase stock images for personal or educational uses, and if you need to use the images commercially, you can purchase extended licenses for each photo as needed. Part of the extended license agreement states;
“Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Fotolia hereby grants to the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, non-transferable sublicense to use, reproduce, modify or display the Work an unlimited number of times in the authorized media solely for (a) personal or educational purposes and (b) in connection with the operation of a business, and in the case of each of (a) and (b), with the right to sell or distribute for sale the Work or any reproductions or modifications thereof, if incorporated or together with or onto any item of merchandise or other work of authorship, in any media or format now or hereafter known. The Non-Exclusive Downloading Member shall have no right to grant further sublicenses. The Non-Exclusive Downloading Member shall have the right to transfer files containing the Work or permitted derivative works to employees, or have the Work reproduced by subcontractors, provided that such employees and subcontractors agree to abide by the restrictions of this agreement. In the normal course of workflow, the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member may also convey to a third party (such as a printer) temporary copies of the Work that are integral to the work product and without which the work product could not be completed. Third parties, employees and subcontractors shall have no further or additional rights to use the Work and cannot access or extract it from any other file provided. The Non-Exclusive Downloading Member may create a digital library, network configuration or similar arrangement to allow the Work to be viewed by their employees, partners and clients. The Non-Exclusive Downloading Member shall pay to Fotolia a sublicense fee in accordance with Fotolia’s Standard pricing and payment policies; provided however that such fee (or a portion thereof) may be required to be paid by the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member to Fotolia’s subsidiary, Fotolia Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., depending on the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member’s country of residence or on other similar parameters to be determined by Fotolia. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, with respect to electronic formats, the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member's reproduction, distribution or display of the Work : (i) shall be limited to a resolution of 2,000 x 2,000 pixels in website uses (regardless of the resolution of the Work available for downloading from the Fotolia.com website); and (ii) shall be limited to the resolution available for downloading from the Fotolia.com website in other electronic uses. For clarification purposes but subject to the foregoing restrictions, it is intended that this sublicense shall permit use, reproduction and display of the Work in or for a business or commercial setting or circumstances, display in an office or other place of business, on advertising and promotion materials, and the like.

For clarification purposes but subject to the foregoing restrictions, it is intended that this sublicense shall permit use, reproduce, distribute or display the Work in connection with design template applications intended for resale and use, reproduce, distribute or display the Work in connection with any goods or services intended for resale or distribution, including, without limitation, mugs, t-shirts, posters, greeting cards, posters or other merchandise, and any of the foregoing in "print on demand" or tangible or electronic formats, as applicable; use, reproduce, distribute or display the Work in connection with a PR campaign aimed at the promotion of goods or services to the medias. Furthermore, if the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member is incorporating a Work into a promotional press release that is being released to the media, then the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member may distribute the stand-alone image file of such Work to the media in connection therewith, under the condition that the media may only publish such Work in connection with the publishing of such press release, and that the Work shall not be used or disseminated by the media in any other manner.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement (including, without limitation, the restriction in subsection 3(a) below), the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member may utilize all the rights under this Agreement for itself, and additionally, on behalf of one (1) of its clients. As such, the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member may sublicense its rights and obligations hereunder to one (1) such client, and such client shall have all the rights, restrictions and obligations under this Agreement, but without the right to further sublicense these rights to additional parties. If the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member desires to use the Work on behalf of more than one (1) client, then the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member will have to download and pay for additional license(s) to the same Work.

Notwithstanding the above, if a Work is in violation of Fotolia’s Terms and Conditions of Use, Fotolia reserves the right to instruct the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member to cease all use, distribution and possession of such Work, and the Non-Exclusive Downloading Member must promptly comply with such instructions.”

One form of visual communication used in the early years is the cave paintings at Lascaux, France. According to our lecture for this week, it states
“There have been no definitive conclusions about what is being communicated. It is clear, however, that there was a desire to communicate, and record some of the experiences of the people who created them.”

Now while most people aren’t going around drawing on walls to get these memories, this is a lot like a tattoo, pr photography. We use tattoos to record experiences, or moments in our lives that we want to remember and be able to share with others. The same can be said for photography as well. I know that I take pictures with my iPhone on a daily basis. I can’t go a single day without finding something to photograph whether it be with my phone, or my camera, I’m always catching a good shot to share with family and friends on social networking sites and in print.


Works Cited:

"DaFont.com." Dafont.com. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://www.dafont.com/>.

"Extended License." Extended License. 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://us.fotolia.com/Info/Agreements/ExtendedLicense>.

"PETROGLYPHS.US." Petroglyphs, Pictographs and Rock Art. Web. 9 Dec. 2014. <http://www.petroglyphs.us/>.

"Royalty Free Images, Photos, Vectors and Videos on Fotolia." Royalty Free Images, Photos, Vectors and Videos on Fotolia. Fotolia LLC, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://us.fotolia.com/>.

1-25-15_6

History and Analysis of Design

Week 1:  Assignment 1 Discussion 

Assignment 1: Introduction

Deadline and Deliverable

By Monday, January 19, 2015, introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates by providing a brief autobiography. Include additional information as detailed below. Post your autobiography directly to the Discussion Area. Do not post the autobiography as an attachment.

Steps to Success
Write a 1-paragraph autobiography to introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates.
Include information about a famous graphic designer, a period of art history, or a typeface that you like, including the reason you like it. By Monday, January 19, 2015, submit your autobiography directly to the Discussion Area.
Participate in class by welcoming your classmates and commenting on their posts. Review and comment on the autobiographies of your classmates by Sunday, January 25, 2015.

My Work: 

Hello everyone, my name is Bridgette Bandell and I am a 29 year old mother of 6 who recently moved to Richland, Washington. I have chosen to pursue an education in Graphic Design. I have always been a creative person drawing, coloring, editing almost every picture I can before anyone sees it, etc. I have experience in J Wildfire and Photoshop CS6, and some GIMP but not much. I have already successfully started my own company Bookworm Productions. We are an independent author, service provider. I have already created some successful book covers for authors and edited two books and would like to be able to have a better grasp on a few things designing wise so that I can make better covers and have more schooling behind me to prove that I know what I am doing in this field!

Charles “Chip” Kidd. Kidd is a graphic design professional that is most widely known for creating book covers for authors. Charles was born in 1964 and went to school for Graphic Design at Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 1986 and began working for Knopf Publishing where his career skyrocketed where he designed thousands of book covers in addition to his personal freelance projects. Kidd’s job is to develop a cover for a book that is appealing to the eye as to cause a reader to desire to pick up and purchase the book for their reading collection. Having been an avid reader, blogger, and reviewer for many Independently Published authors, it has come to be seen that all people judge a book by its cover at one point or another. If the book on the shelf doesn’t appeal to your visual standards or interests, you are not going to be likely to turn the book over to read the blurb on the back due to the lack of visual appeal. Many factors come into play when designing a book cover for an author besides making the author happy with the result. The first book cover that I have chosen from Kidd’s works is rather famous. The author’s name is Michael Crichton, and many know this man as the one who wrote Jurassic Park. Kidd designed the now famous tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton silhouette that many have come to recognize as the face of the Jurassic Park movies when he designed Crichton’s first Jurassic Park book in 1990. This was my main reason for choosing this artist. Everyone who grew up in the 90’s and forward recognizes this book cover whether they've read the book or just seen the movies.

I can't wait to be able to give my customers the best I can do for them!

Some examples of my most recent work for some books on Kindle are as follows:

Raven's Armor - http://amzn.to/1uVveKu 

Zombie Addiction - http://amzn.to/1kKVLjH 

On Dreaded Wings - http://amzn.to/15uV5Oq 

1-25-15_5

Observational Drawing

Week 1: Assignment 3 Discussion

Assignment 3: Drawing Project—Gesture Study

By Friday, January 23, 2015, complete the following drawing exercise.

To truly explore the gesture drawing process, it is necessary to begin by creating a series of 1–3-minute gesture drawings using single objects from nature such as a branch from a tree, flowers, or a plant as your subject matter. You may use several different subjects to create your series; however, it's important to only draw one object per composition. Bring your subject(s) indoors and stand them upright by leaning them against a wall or putting them in a container such as a vase. Select a container that has a non-reflective, matte finish and is free of textures or graphics.

Gesture is the act of rapidly sketching in the internal structure of your subject using as few lines as possible. Your objective is to capture the essence and spontaneity of the subject you are drawing with fluid, graceful, descriptive lines before attending to the contour of the edges.

A gestural drawing is more of a study than a finished render. Consider the movement of the subject and the unique characteristics. Strive more for a sense of movement than a likeness at this point.
Use your vine and compressed charcoals for this exercise to help keep this drawing loose. Do not use your drawing pencils and do not erase.
Place your paper vertically or horizontally on an easel or on a drawing board against the back of a chair so that it is parallel to the picture plane.
Position your easel and paper so they are facing you and allow you a clear view of your subject as you draw.
Establish a distinct light source. Keep in mind, the higher the wattage of the bulb in your lamp and the closer the light source is to the subject, the more dramatic the shadows.
Stretch and try to relax prior to beginning to sketch, as this is a spontaneous gesture exercise.
Use your entire arm starting out with large circular movements in the air prior to touching your drawing medium to your paper.
Hold your charcoal between the thumb and the forefinger gripping it loosely and resting the length of the tool in the palm of your hand instead of holding it as you would a writing pencil. This allows full range of the wrist and arm as you work.
Think about moving around your subject as you draw, creating a three-dimensional illusion of volume.
Step back occasionally, look to see what needs adjusting, sit back down, and continue to draw.

My Work:

For my gesture drawing assignment I had been cutting up a pineapple earlier thinking about the objects I’d like to use and decided that the top of the pineapple was perfect for this assignment so I used that, then I had my five year old go outside and find me a stick and that’s the one she picked and the feather is one that fell off of a dream catcher that I made that I decided to draw before re-attaching to the dream catcher. I believe that the pineapple top is my best out of the ones I shared with the class because it felt easier to do than the others. The feather was the hardest one to do a gesture drawing for and I think it was because the edges are smooth and does not leave room for anything other than a contour line to be used to draw it, but I did my best.

My Instructor's Feedback: (Second Image)

Click the small boxes in the bottom right and find the second image and click, press play and listen.

1-25-15_4

Observational Drawing

Week 1: Assignment 2 Discussion

Assignment 2: Drawing Exercise—Modified Contour Study
By Wednesday, January 21, 2015, complete a modified contour line drawing of your hand, opposite your drawing hand, holding an object. This drawing should take approximately 10–15 minutes.
Begin by setting up your drawing paper on a vertical surface such as a drawing board leaning against the back of a chair or an easel, so that it's parallel to the picture plane. Make sure your paper is secure and will not move. Place your paper 90 degrees away from your body, so that your subject is outside of your peripheral vision.
Place your pencil on your paper and draw the contour of your opposite hand holding an object by pretending your eyes are an ant crawling very slowly along the contours and cross-contours of your subject. Your eyes and your hand should be moving together at the same slow speed.
Look at your paper as often as you like to orient yourself but do not move the pencil while you're looking at your paper.
Keep your eyes on your subject and slowly draw one continuous line. Do not lift your pencil off the paper, except to reposition it if you get too far from where the contour line should actually be.
Pick out every detail. This exercise is designed to train your eye to see all the variations of the contour of an object. It is also an exercise in hand-eye coordination to train your hand and eye to move together.
Again, this may feel very uncomfortable to you—but force yourself to do it. Remember, this is about the process of visual investigation, not necessarily a finished drawing.
Create several drawings if need be. Make adjustments, but keep your pencil on the paper at all times!

 My Work:

I have taken this class  previously so this time I made sure to get as much out of the assignments as possible to do my best. I wasn’t really successful with the continuous line drawing method because I sketch from time to time and the urge to lift my pencil was immense. I had to redo this assignment a few times and then ended up actually completing it while in a doctor office waiting room on a paper that wasn’t even my sketch pad. I had a focused moment and just went with it. This was much harder than I initially thought it would be.


Contour drawing has many different types, I had never tried blind contour drawing before, but after reading the lectures and watching the videos, I have come to learn that blind contour drawing is where you don’t look at the paper at all while drawing, keeping your eyes on the subject and drawing what you see without looking at the shapes you’re actually drawing. Not that you don’t care what the final outcome is, but that you want to be able to put what you see onto the paper without modifying the outcome by trying to correct yourself and not actually getting the idea of the feel of the subject.


Cross contour drawing isn’t just drawing the basic outline of a subject. It’s the drawing of all the edges of the entire subject in actual dimension, outline, front, bottom, top, all edges around the entire subject. Not necessarily so the finished product looks like an apple, ball. Block, egg, etc. but that the viewer can look at the finished product and see, and understand that there’s a sense of proportion and dimension of the subject, no matter what it is.

My Instructor's Feedback: (Third Image)

Click the small boxes in the bottom right and find the third image and click, press play and listen.