for this project I tried to get very clean individual photos that focused on texture, color and composition. 

Final Art Process Reflection

due 9am Tuesday 5 June

1. Identify two works from this school year that you find to be the most successful examples of your creative development. Include image, title, and project for each.  My favorite piece I did this year was the work I did in photoshop with the urban landscape and the beac and the drawing at the top from the House of my Mind Project.  This project was the first time I excelled in photoshop and really got me inspired to work hard for the rest of the year because I saw how my hard work on this project payed off.  My next most successful piece was the photo of a pink flower in the most recent project.  This project allowed me to experiment with studio lighting and an off camera flash, and to perfect my eye for composition and texture.  The series as a whole was very successful and was a great way to end the year
2. Explain, using art vocabulary relevant to the project, why these works stand out to you. Also, articulate the development each work illustrates (ie the craft, formal and/or conceptual qualities that you honed in the making of the works). The House of My Mind piece stands out the most to me because I put in the most work on it - drawing in the buildings at the top took forever! But, this project sparked a light in me for the rest of the year, enormously helped me improve in photoshop, and taught me to have patience in the process of making a successful piece.  My flower series stand out to me because It is my most successful series of the year and really speaks to how much I have grown as a true artist with intention this year.  I improved in studio lighting and aperture. 
3. Identify your least successful work. What did you learn from the experience of making the work? What would you do differently knowing what you know now? My least successful work is the transforming materials project, the first project of the year. I learned to take my photography seriously if I wanted to improve my photography, and the next House of My Mind project, definitely proves I learned my lesson. Knowing what I know now I would focus a lot more on constructing a series that flow together, focusing on composition and texture.
4. What skills do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Even though I am not the best with actually maneuvering photoshop, I consider the works  that I did in photoshop to be my best, and one of my best strengths.  Also, I think my compositions have improved tremendously.
5. Evaluate your overall effort in this class. (In what ways did you give it your all? Where could you have improved?) In the projects that really inspired me, like the House of my Mind Project, I really went for it and gave it my all. I think in the early projects I could have worked harder but after the House of My Mind Project I really hit my stride and worked very hard the rest of the year.  I worked at least 2 weeks on my best photograph from that project, (the urban landscape with the drawing and the beach) and the great results inspired me to carry that energy level throughout the rest of year. My Book and stop action animation that I made this year are also works I am extremely proud of.
6. What are you most excited about pursuing in future artistic endeavors? I'm really excited to do more works in photoshop, like the House of My Mind Project.
7. How might skills you've developed in this class impact your learning and process beyond the art studio? I learned how to be persistent, how to follow through with an idea all the way to the end, and that hard work pays off, which are lessons I can take with me through all of my future classes and life in general.  

Future Tense Book

Reflection Questions:

1.  My intention was to create a thoughtful compositions of childhood, sisterhood, and playfulness. I hope I evoke nostalgia yet a sense of happiness  from my readers.

2. I desaturated all of my photos in this collection. I return to the composition of zooming in on one of my sisters faces to get at emotion.  I repeatedly use the rule of thirds as well.  All of my photos are all taken in the same place (either on a play structure or the street around my house.)

3. The advice I would give to someone who was planning on embarking on this project would be to come up with a definite theme before you start to shoot.

Kill Your Darlings

1) I improved a lot in the darkroom.  This time around I was able to make my own decisions for myself regarding exposure and time.  I was able to be more independent in the dark room and not have to so heavily rely on Ms. Seal.
2) It was really difficult to use the fibonacci sequence to layout the photos I was taking.  In my first role of film I was so concerned with my photograph strictly matching up with the fibonacci sequences, my film turned out dull and uncreative. In my second role of film I slowly fazed the view finder out of my photo taking process, but was still aware of my composition.
3) My over-arching theme of my photographs was solitude/loneliness. My first roll of film was objects in solitude.  My second roll of film I moved to people who were alone, which I enjoy much more and find much more interesting to photograph and look at.
4) The photograph I killed was indeed darling.  It was very intriguing because it was dark and mysterious, and even went alongside with some of my other photos, but it ultimately had to be "killed" because there wasn't enough information.
5) The photo I chose for the foyer is definitely my favorite photo I took. It captures the moods of loneliness and solitude nicely, I think.  I really like the composition and the depth of field.
6)I pretty much agreed with what everyone said about my photos, and I was going to kill the same photos that my peers didn't like.

Stop Action Film

sterling from Ms. Seal's Art History on Vimeo.


1)The narrative of my film was a "typical" day of my little sister. She wakes up and gets ready for school, trying a bunch of crazy outfits on because she can wear whatever she wants.  Then during her little fashion show for herself she hears her alarm- she was dreaming the whole time!!! That's the climax and crisis of the story. She is then forced to put on her uniform in real life to go to school.

2)When Jada is getting ready for school during her dream she's very happy and excited so I chose a song that reflected that morning, happy, girly vibe, which fit perfectly. Then when she is forced to put on her uniform in order to go to school in real life I chose a song entitled, "The Show Goes On" which is exactly the type of message I wanted to send to the audience and what I wanted her emotion to come across as. I think the audience can see that especially when she shrugs her shoulders.  I also added sound affects for the ringing of the alarm which was a crucial transition from her dream to real life.

3)I think my film had a very strong and relatable narrative with a climax/crisis.  It was understandable, fun, and enjoyable to watch.  The music went along perfectly in my mind, and I'm glad I went the extra length to loop the beginning of the first song.

4)I would try to vary my camera angles and lighting.  Other than that I had a pretty smooth editing process and was happy with the outcome.