Artist Statement

I am trying to communicate the message of importance of the bell. Having just the bell, big and in the center, with a black background, shows that this object is the main focus, and most important part.

I have used the bell as a symbol for my childhood. Since it is one of my first memories, I thought using it would be a great idea.

This has personal meaning to me because it is one of my first memories. It not only represents that, but my family as well. It is ripped down the middle to show the separation of love, but was painted over to show a sense of "trying", I guess you could say. They tried to keep it on positive terms for my little sister and I.

I am using the element of boldness to help convey a sense of importance/focus. The black background with the large, red/green bell clearly shows what you should be looking at in this photo.

I created balance by putting the background as a solid black colour. Not only did this show the bell in a more bold way, but kept any colours from clashing/putting a sense of discomfort in the painting. Making the top of the painting red not only complimented the bell itself, but was also the ceiling colour I had at the time, so that was a happy coincidence.

I struggled at one point with the ripped line down the canvas center. I was unsure if it was going to still look professional, when the damage was already done. I thought different ways to show it was in fact ripped but not in a tacky way, so I decided to re tape it from the back, so the eye could see the change in depth without needing to touch the painting.

I only used one material on canvas, paint. I also used tape on the backside to help with the reforming of the ripped canvas. 

I chose the colour red and green because that was the colour of the bell. I chose red as my top colour as I believe my ceiling was red. I used solid black as the background image to help convey a sense of boldness with the bell and unknown. By unknown I mean, I really only remember the bell, not what was around me.

I am especially pleased with how the tear in the canvas covered up. After taping it up and painting over it with multiple coats, I'd say it isn't especially obvious that I ripped through it. It looks intentional, which it should, because it is.

SNOOOP DOGGGGG

Before:

After:

1. I logged onto my computer and opened photoshop.

2. I went on Safari and went to Google.ca

3. I searched "Snoop Dogg" and in a second tab, searched "Backgrounds".

4. I put both on my desktop and opened Snoop Dogg's photo first. I then placed in the Background image. I dragged Snoop Dogg's photo onto the background and then using the quick selection tool, deleted the background Snoop Dogg is actually at and placed him into the new background.

5. After step 4, I clicked the Mask button.

6.I then used an adjustment layer to alter the contrast of Snoop Dogg so it would make this photo more believable.

4 Principles of Stop Motion

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKiD0nQVMic (Sorry in advance for the music)

Anticipation: The lead up to an action. For example, a person doesn't just throw a football. They bring their arm back and wind up the throw, then throw it.

Squash and Stretch: Giving the perception of, lets say, ones weight. Say a person was carrying something heavy, like a log over their shoulders. The person would not just walk straight and with ease, they'd be hunched over, walking at a slower than normal pace.

Staging: Lets say someone was trying to show a character of theirs that they were mad, and wanted to do so obviously, so anyone could identify it. This person would have the character's eyebrows downward, arms crossed, pout in the lip, to show off a non-pleasant mood.

Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose Animaton:

Exhibit of Optical Toys

I found this website to be very well created. It is very simplistic, and informative. It has a nice, simple yet bold, home page. From there you can choose from a picture of each invention, then seeing the history, purpose, and the way it works. It is not a site with all things everywhere, no need to click three things to get to what you want. Just look at the photos, click one, and all information comes up, including GIFs and video to see how each thing is operated, which is my favourite part of this site.

One thing that that stood out to me was definitely the Kinora, a picture viewing device created in 1912 by Louise and Auguste Lumiere. This device is essentially a crank powered flip book, which I find really interesting as it really helps to show what exactly was used before cinematography, and it shows the steps inventors went through to get to next stage. What I also liked was that ordinary people could go out and purchase the required paper and make their own movie. This device worked by putting in paper, then cranking it so the pictures would quickly show for the viewer to see.

GULP: WORLDS LARGEST STOPMOTION

When I first watched "GULP" I had no clue it was real. It was so well done I thought it was claymation. Learning that it was real life was a shock, Everything down to the man himself looked clay.

The measures they went through, the time they spent on making this video, the dedication to make this is astonishing. It would have taken a long time to create, and it would not have been easy to make, either.

The fact that I couldn't differentiate claymation and this, just goes to show they really cared about the quality of this video, and we're committed to creating this.

Chess Piece

This chess piece is not very accurate on porportion. What I drew is probably 3x bigger than the original chess piece. In terms of value, It all depends on the lighting of said object. Given the light when I drew the piece I'd say it's accurate. The whole thing was pretty dark, especially the left side.

     I created pattern by putting two symmetrical lines in the background. This also helps show movement, as the lines are going to the right. I chose to put my piece on the left side and have the lines starting at the left side, moving towards the right, which also helps show movement.

     I made it the focal point by making it the boldest thing in the drawing. The background, while having shaded areas, they are not shaded to the same degree that the chess piece is.

Frida Kahlo

Realism: On this painting I would say it would score a 5/10. I saw this because the woman is drawn very well. She has been drawn with lots of attention to detail. The shadow on her neck from her head is showing where the light is coming from (Right side). The indents, little fading lines to show wrinkles, are very realistic.

  Though there is all this realism in the woman, I can't really say the same for the monkeys. The monkey's heads are very small compared to the body, and they seem to be missing necks. Monkeys have eyes very similar to humans, but in this they are blacked out except for the pupil. They are not the main focus of this image, but it wouldn't hurt to put a little more detail.

Emotionalism: This photo, for the woman anyway, doesn't really give off a negative feeling, nor a negative. She seems very straight-faced, like a woman who has been posing for a while.

    The monkeys, on the other hand, do give off a noticeable feeling. A feeling of interest. The left monkey seems to be in awe of the woman, while the right seems very focused on her face, and the way she looks.

This painting, in my opinion, is a 9/10 for emotionalism. It has emotions, which you can notice right off the bat. Although some may differ on the woman's expression. I believe most have it come off as a "straight-faced" emotion.

Formalism: I would think this piece of artwork would score high on formalism. It has lots of unity. The colours go well together, the background colours seem to blend into the next colour. This painting also has very good texture. By this I mean, by looking at said object in the painting, you can sense the feeling of it.