Art Finals Part 2

Leah C.

December 19, 2009 - 6:30 PM

In this second part of my "Art Finals" segment, I will be discussing my Digital Imaging final (ARTD 360). For the final project, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted, as long as it related to the class, and is approved by the professor. I decided to do a CD cover because I wanted to do something that related to packaging and graphic design, and what better way than to capture the image of another artist, a cellist.

Although my friend insisted that she was not good enough to have her own album, I insisted that she should be the main image of my cover. With only a week to work on the project, my original idea of having a rock band composed of classical musicians fell apart since I was unable to get a group together. Instead I asked my friend Candace for help. A musician herself, I gathered photos of her and composed this mock CD album. I really wanted to relate the design to her personality which was hip, silly, yet serious at the same time.

I retouched some of the photos, adjusted the colors as well as adding a filter glow. On the back cover of the CD, I added "Candace Chin" on the Portland sign which I thought was a funny and personal touch. The titles of the pieces are personal quotes that relate to her life, and the title, " Reinventing the Cello," fitted perfectly with what I was trying to portray and that is a different kind of classical musician. One that is not tied down with the stereotypical classical image, rather a sort of rugged, punkish cellist.

For the entire design of the album, I downloaded some paint splatter brushes to use in photoshop to tie in with the rugged idea I wanted, adding it to the fonts as well as the musical notes. The base clef was the one thing that Candace wanted to be included in the cover, so I took that image and redesigned it. I also thought that the image of the base clef complimented the shape of the actual CD very well, and made it the main logo of the album. The cello is mainly a base instrument and what better way to represent it than this musical symbol.

ARTD 360 is probably my most favorite digital arts class so far. Not only is this class more focused on what I am interested in, but it was taught in a way that allowed me to choose what and how I wanted to express my works. When I first came into this class, I was expecting an advanced photoshop lesson, but the class soon learned that the grading and work were to do is more based on the idea and the visual interpretation. I would've love to learn more about the software, but developing my ideas and my own skills is just as important as well. I've been asked by other students whether ARTD 360 teaches students how to use Photoshop, and unfortunately it doesn't. Even the prerequisite courses I took last year went over the tools just barely enough to get by in the class. If students are interested in learning the program they should take a course that teaches them how to use the software such as Photoshop, or Illustrator. Unfortunately these courses are usually taught at night, for 4 hour, and is only worth one credit. If any student is interested in digital arts, I suggest learning the programs through tutorials online before getting into one of these classes. Most of the time, I find students who are more advance than what the class is teaching, and one of the ways to stand out is to be familiar with the tools your using. For me, learning how to use the program is not an issue, but learning how to be unique among those who are familiar with the tool is my main goal as a student and an artist.