8-2-18

Someone asked me something today that got me thinking... She asked "How are you so fat if you're eating healthy and exercising?"I answered back with a simple thing about how I wasn't always eating healthy and I wasn't taught portion sizes properly and that I'm just now getting into it and I have a long road ahead of me.
She accepted this answer and walked away. but then I got to thinking...
I can and should be doing more for myself. Sure I'm changing my foods and exercising more, but I'm not doing as much as I could be doing for myself or my kids.
I could go out running in the mornings. I could be doing jumping jacks in the living room or using my PiYo discs I OWN or my TaeBo disc I own! but no, I do the bare minimum and then complain when I yoyo my weight around.
Well, I've decided that the only way to become a runner,, is to RUN! and the only way to lose weight is to move faster so it can't catch up with me.
So I'm going to be making a lot of life changes here soon and if you don't like them, fuck you. Some of these changes are for me, some are for my kids, some are just because I fucking feel like it. But all of them will make me a better person in one way or another.xx

7-3-15

Week 2: Assignment 3 

Assignment 3: Two-Point Perspective Imaginary Street Scene

This assignment will familiarize you with creating an outdoor scene in two-point perspective with rectangular and triangular prisms. You will also learn how to use horizontal and vertical convergence to create depth in your scene.

By Friday, July 3, 2015, complete the drawing project and post it to this Discussion Area.

Using your pencils, paper, ruler, and your imagination, draw an outdoor street scene in two-point perspective that contains the following elements:

• A building or house with a pitched roof
• A fence, telephone poles, a row of trees, or some other vertical row of objects that uses accurate vertical convergence.
• A road, sidewalk, or some other horizontal element that uses accurate horizontal convergence.

Tips for the drawing process:

1. Create an area measuring about 9x12 inches on your 18x24-inch pad of paper so you have a margin surrounding the drawing area. This will allow you to place your vanishing points outside the edges of the drawing in the margins to create a good composition that effectively uses space.
2. Consider the placement of elements within the drawing to create a well-balanced composition, utilizing foreground, mid-ground, and background.
3. Be sure to correctly overlap the elements in the composition, keeping in mind the placement of their bases/footprints on the ground plane.
4. Even though this drawing needs to be a scene from your imagination, remember that you can use photographs as a reference to add details such as architectural elements or complex objects to your imagined scene.
5. Leave your guidelines lightly sketched in, and then switch to a softer (4B, 6B) pencil to darken the finished shapes to help them stand out against the guidelines. Do not press down hard with your pencil.

My Work:

6-2-15

Week 2: Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Basic Shapes in Two-Point Perspective

This assignment will familiarize you with the methods of two-point perspective. You will also learn how to reference the perspective grid to overlap shapes correctly in space and understand how vanishing point placement can influence a two-point perspective drawing.

By Wednesday, July 1, 2015, complete the drawing exercise and post it to this Discussion Area.

1. Using your drawing pencils, paper, and ruler, first lightly draw a horizon line and label it HL. Then draw two vanishing points on either side of the horizon line and label them VP. Use the two vanishing points to fill the page with cubes, rectangular prisms, and triangular prisms in two-point perspective.
2. Draw at least three examples of each basic shape: cubes, rectangular prisms, and triangular prisms. This will result in a minimum of nine shapes.
3. Draw at least two triangular prisms as "pitched roofs" with equal sides on top of rectangular prisms. (Use ”perspective center X” to mark the middle of the side to place the top point of the triangle using the method described in the lecture and reading.)
4. Overlap at least two shapes on the ground plane, keeping in mind the placement of their bases/footprints.
5. Leave approximately half of your shapes transparent (see-through) and make the other half opaque (solid) by erasing away the hidden edges. Please do not shade the shapes to make them appear solid.
6. Draw some shapes above the horizon line, some below the horizon line, and some crossing over the horizon line.
7. Leave your guidelines lightly sketched in, and then switch to a softer (4B, 6B) pencil to darken the finished shapes to help them stand out against the guidelines. Do not press down hard with your pencil.

My Work:

Bridgette Bandell

Maria Ogedengbe

FNDA120 P02

1 July 2015

Assignment 2: Basic Shapes in Two-Point Perspective


For this composition, I decided to place the Horizon Line a bit low so that I had more space to work with on the top area. I placed my Vanishing Points as far away from each other as I could so that the scene was as believable as possible. I found it a lot easier to draw Two-Point Perspective than it was to draw One-Point Perspective. I made sure to check and make sure the Convergence was as precise as possible. I scanned my composition in so that you could clearly see the guidelines I used in completing my assignment. I did struggle with eyeballing the far angle on the pitched roof that is overlapping the Horizon Line due to the shape being so narrow, but all in all, I feel like I grasped this concept quite well.

6-30-15_2

Week 1:  Assignment 2 Discussion

Assignment 2: One-Point Perspective In Action

Original Work:

Instructor Feedback:

You're catching on !

Some of this is really quite good, but there are other areas you can correct - see: http://screencast.com/t/LubDTbp81t

Your presentation looks pretty good, notice the file size we need is 72ppi and about 600 px W x 800 px H.

Revised Work: 

2-8-15_2

Observational Drawing

Week 3: Assignment 2 Discussion

By Wednesday, February 4, 2015, complete the following exercise:

Create a value scale of 10 to 12 values using the HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B drawing pencils. Then, on the same piece of paper, draw a sphere with a cast shadow using as many values from the value scale as you can.

• Begin by lightly sketching in the geometric shape of the sphere and of the cast shadow using an HB or 2B pencil.
• Then, block in the darkest tone or the core of the attached shadow first and render it black using a 4B or 6B pencil, working to soften and eliminate the initial sketch lines of your geometric shape.
• Next, gradate the tone out toward the lighter areas using a smooth gradual transition, or halftone, from the core, or darkest area, of the shadows to the extreme highlight, or the area closest to the light.
• Add a light value to the background around your sphere to allow the contour edge of your highlight area to be defined from the background. Leave the white of the paper to show through for only the most extreme highlight areas; the rest of the composition should have tone.
• Try using a chamois cloth, Q-Tip, or eraser to pull tone out from the darkest areas to create a smooth, gradual blend from dark to light.
• Define the reflected light, or light that bounces off the surface plane and reflects back onto the edge of the sphere where the form and the cast shadow meet.
• Focus on allowing the values to bend and slightly curve to define the rounded form of the sphere.
• Fill in the cast shadow with a gradual blend from dark to light. The darkest part should be closest to the bottom of the sphere. Consider the tonal variations in a cast shadow, and feather the edges to indicate translucency, as opposed to a solid-opaque object.

Written Discussion
Write a one- to two-paragraph response that addresses the following discussion questions:

1. Why it is important to use the entire range of values when shading?
2. What are some key considerations when approaching shading on a realistic rendering?
3. In your opinion, what is the hardest or most confusing part of shading?

My Work:

I believe it is important to use all of the values when you’re shading so that you can add depth to your design as well as set a relative “space” between the subject and its surrounding. Some of the key considerations when I was approaching this assignment that I had to keep were to remember that the shadow isn’t another dimension, but an addition to the existing plane. I had to remember that even though the shadow is 2-dimensional, the way it falls on the table and across the ball were different and they couldn’t be drawn exactly the same because it was different depending on where it was and how close to the subject it happened to fall. In my opinion, the hardest part of this assignment was remembering to not press the same amount of pressure on the pencil when I wanted a different value and to use the pencils in different ways, holding it different depending on the type and thickness of line I wanted. I think that I did alright considering all the trouble I was having trying to get the shading values correct.

Instructor Feedback: 

Hi Bridgette,

Thank you for posting your sphere! I've recorded a VoiceThread video ( under the introductory prompt on this page) for you.
https://voicethread.com/share/6520581/
The top video is the lecture. The bottom video contains your feedback. You are Tenth on this recording. Please feel free to post questions or comments if needed. Thank you,

Pat

2-8-15

Observational Drawing

Week 2: Assignment 3 Discussion

Assignment 3: Drawing Exercise—Basic Still Life

By Friday, January 30, 2015, create a still life made up of at least three to five overlapping objects, such as a cylinder, a sphere, a cube, and a cone. Make sure the composition is a side-view, positioned on a straight baseline. The objects should be opaque and smooth objects as opposed to glass or reflective metal surfaces, and preferably of white or light, solid color. Do not select objects that have text, graphics, or a great deal of detail or texture on them.

Determine a composition that will include the table or surface plane of your arrangement. Light your scene using a spotlight or a lamp with the shade removed. Position yourself so that your eye-level is slightly above the tallest object. Place your paper on a drawing board or an easel set to one side of you so that you are making minimal head movements to view your scene. Use graphite pencils 2B, 4B, and 6B on your Strathmore drawing paper.

• Relax and take a minute to observe your setup from your drawing position.
• Quickly sketch in your objects, table or surface plane, and cast shadows as basic geometric shapes using a light pencil, 2B. Try to record the entire scene using a quick gestural sketch in the first three to five minutes of the drawing process.
• Keep your eyes on your subject at least 90% of the time and avoid looking down at your paper for prolonged periods.
• Once you've recorded your scene, step back, assess the proportions and perspective, and make any necessary adjustments.
• Use the pencil sighting method explored in W2: Assignment 2 to check for accuracy.
• Draw in light and shadows, or the values that you see as basic shapes using line or broad, blocked-in shapes of tone using shading. 
• Concentrate on refining the perspective so that it is correct and all objects are consistently drawn from the same point of view.
• Gradually, add more detail and refine your drawing to make the objects more precise in form and proportion.
• Switch from your 2B pencil to the softer 4B and 6B, and notice the difference in effects. Switch back and forth between the pencils to match the type of line you want to create.
• When you are finished, you're encouraged to photograph your arrangement to include with your drawing.

My Work:

I struggled with this assignment from the very start. I've never been very good at drawing anything with more then a flat plane and my imagination. Once you introduce that third dimension and shadows, I'm clueless. But, nevertheless, I tried my hardest. I drew this one four times and I had to re-draw it again and again, because I felt it wasn't good enough. My mother is an artist and has already attended school so I asked her if she could give me tips or tricks and she told me to take a non flash picture of my setting that I was to draw and then put it on the computer and flip it upside down. She said that this would force my eyes to see the shapes of everything and not the items themselves. So, I tried it her way and this was my result. Even though it isn't perfect, I would have to say this one is the best out of all of the ones I did complete. I plan to keep practicing, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I did include a picture of what I was drawing, but only because I think it might help in getting feedback from the instructor if she could see where I went wrong.

Instructor Feedback: 

Hi Bridgette,

Thank you for posting your basic still life! I've recorded a VoiceThread video ( under the introductory prompt on this page) for you.
https://voicethread.com/share/6500772/ The top video is the lecture. The bottom video contains your feedback. You are fifteenth on this recording. Please feel free to post questions or comments if needed. Thank you,

Pat

2-7-15

History and Analysis of Design

Week 3: Assignment 2 Discussion

Assignment 2: Studio Assignment

Deadline and Deliverable

By Friday, February 6, 2015, create a poster promoting a social event, such as a theatrical, political, advertising, or cultural event, based on one of the historical periods covered in the lectures. Develop thumbnails and roughs along with a written rationale for the design. 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

1. Read the lectures and choose a historical period on which you will base the poster. Research the historical period online and find images and typography that match the style you will use. Cite the sources of your research using MLA style.
2. Decide on the social event you will promote and write a rationale for using the historical style. Validate your rationale by using direct quotes from the lectures, textbook readings, or other valid sources. Cite the sources of your research using MLA style.
3. Complete at least six thumbnail sketches and two rough designs as preliminary work.
4. Complete the final design.
5. Combine the inspirational images and type, thumbnails, roughs, and final design into a single document. Create a PDF and save it as W3_A2_lastname_firstinitial.pdf.
6. Write the rationale and post it to the Discussion Area. Attach the PDF to theDiscussion Area.

My Work:

    Sketches

Final Design

When I first started this out, I had read the lectures over and over and decided that I wanted to stick with the Industrial Revolution theme as in the lectures this week. I didn’t know very much about the Industrial Revolution other than what was in the lectures, so I went online to start searching. I found that there weren’t very many good reasons for having a poster or billboard like I wanted to find, so I decided to go with an advertisement for a hair growth serum. The reason I decided to go with an advertisement is that “While in earlier times, it would be unusual for an individual to travel much beyond the county or state of her birth, with the appearance of new forms of transportation technologies -- railroads, steam ships, automobiles, and airplanes -- whole new vistas of travel, cultural exchange, and commerce appeared.” (The Industrial Revolution) Therefore making it easier to get new products being sold my traveling salesmen. When researching things that traveling salesmen sold, there were a lot of random inventions, potions, and serums. I decided that a hair growth serum would be the most fun to work with.

I like to play video games in what little free time I do have, and one of my favorite games to play on my fiancé’s Xbox360 is Fable III. This game is based in a British town and in the game it is during the heart of the Industrial Revolution. I realized this after reading the lectures for this week’s lesson. So, I paid closer attention to the posters on the game and saw that there were quite a few and for many different reasons.

I found a few advertising posters from the Industrial Revolution while looking for inspiration on Google Scholar and decided to make my poster look something like the ones I found online. I used an advertisement from the Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration in the Gilded Age article for cocaine toothache drops as my guide for style and authenticity.

I used a parchment type texture for the background because with this being the age of industrialization, the paper would have been rough textured and not uniform in color for the most part. I went to dafont.com and was looking for a wood type font for the poster and ended up finding Woodcut and was quite pleased with the way it stood out and was very legible on the poster. I also used Baskerville Old Face that was a stock font already in my computer for the body of the poster. I put a picture of a man that is clean shaven on the left above a “before” ribbon, and on the right, an “after” picture of the same man but with a beard grown that I found in an old newspaper clipart image. The name of my salesman is a name from the video game I mentioned earlier because I couldn’t think of anything else at the time of designing. Overall, I am happy with the outcome and I believe it is generally true to the time period.



Works Cited:
"Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration in the Gilded Age."Hist111/industrialization. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

Olson, James. Revolution in America. Ed. Robert Shadle. Vol. 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Group, 2002. 313. Print.

Video Game Screenshot. Fable III. 2010. Lionhead Studios.

"The Industrial Revolution." 1. NCSU.com. North Carolina State University. Web.

"Woodcut." Dafont.com. 29 June 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.

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

1-24-15

Quitting smoking is proving to be harder this time than it was last time... I swear I'm just... I want one, but I don't WANT one... I also have had a lapse in counseling visits My counselor went out of town and rescheduled everyone so I won't be seeing her again until almost March, I mis my sister, I am trying to plan a wedding without knowing what the heck I'm doing... I just wish I could get a job... my mind is all over the place and I'm doing my best to get everything done, but if al I do is keep the house clean and kids alive, happy, clean-ish, and fed, I'm happy... lol Just wish this quitting smoking thing was easier. :/ 

4-22-12

Okay, so I meant to write last night... I really did... but I ended up talking to my friend Angelique until I literally fell asleep on the phone.. Yesterday, Rob texted me and told me that Tracy is still looking for me. I wish she would just leave me alone. I love my kids. I know I fucked up in the past, but I'm trying to fix it now. 
Plus...
Technically...
it's really none of her business. I realize she has been their mommy for almost 4 years... but seriously? She needs to be an adult. 

I was told today that Ace has a new email adress... 

fubridgette@gmail.com

I mean...really??? Grow up man! I am so glad that I am done playing his games. From now on, the people I have in my life are going to be there by choice... not force... Only positive people, and only people who support me loving my children. I grew up... It's time to get rid of those who haven't. I have one more thing for Ace though....

NO MORE HARM

By the powers of three

I bind thee Ace

from harm upon others

and harm upon me

By the powers of three

I bind thee Ace

from harm upon others

and harm upon me

By the powers of three

I bind thee Ace

from harm upon others

and harm upon me

Blessed Be and Solemn Speak

and.....

Now it's time for lunch! Man I can't wiat to get all this situated... 

1. Family Promise
2. Eryn Childcare
3. Job
4. Place to live minimum 3bdrm
5. Pray he's as true as I am
6. vehicle & license

All in that order....

My 30 day goal is number 1-4.. and it starts tomorrow...

I won't give up

Ever..!! 

Love

Always

Birdie Lou'