Flash and Emo Shapes

I'm going to preface this whole entry with one claim: Flash is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Apparently it's just one of those programs that should come with a complimentary straight jacket. 

Anyhoo, for the shapes/emotions/colors project in Flash, I decided I would choose sadness as my emotion that I was going to express. I chose this emotion because this weekend was a particularly dreary one, and it seemed to fit the general mood of the approaching winter. To express this emotion, I chose to use a dark blue background. For the shapes, I chose to make them neutral dark tones that are generally associated with being sad. As for the movement of the shapes, I wanted to make them interact in a way that made it seem like one was barely missing the other, or was only able to have a limited time with the shape they were interacting with. Also, by moving many of the shapes away from each other, or by changing their form slightly, I tried to convey the feelings of isolation and depression that accompanies sadness. I'm not entirely sure that sadness came across in some parts of the piece, but I tried my best.

Here's an animation that I found on Youtube that I really like because it retains the drawing element of animation that I think is often overlooked today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46eaeAfeqw

Banksy Tribute

I was thinking when we were doing critique in class about how I seemed to rely heavily on manipulating reality instead of just coming up with an entirely different world like many of my classmates had done. This got me thinking about other artists that do the same thing. In particular, I thought about a popular London graffiti artist that goes by the name of Banksy. In truth, this is probably just an excuse to talk about his work, but what the hell.

Last year I was shopping around downtown when a book cover caught my eye. It was the cover of Banksy’s book Wall and Piece. It’s basically a compilation of his work coupled with some hilarious stories about his late night tagging escapades. Graffiti is something usually reserved for postulating gang symbols and such, but here was a guy using cardboard stencils to create some really interesting images in downtown London. Not only was he using stencils, but he was using his imagery to create some really vivid social commentary. I thought it was great!

What I consider the best part about Banksy’s work is his use of comedic opportunity. He manipulates the structures already set around him and has his character’s interact with their surroundings in an unusually hilarious way. He also manipulates the viewer's expectations, something I've been thinking about exploring in my own work.

Banksy's art isn't all fun and games, however. After Katrina hit in New Orleans, Banksy traveled down there and used his graffiti to express his displeasure with the way the disaster was handled by the government.

Here’s his website if you want to check out more:

http://www.banksy.co.uk/

What "Paris Hilton's: My New BFF" Can Do For You!

So this week I was scanning across some t.v. channels and happened upon MTV during the first episode of Paris Hilton's: My New BFF. It got me thinking about how people don't seem to value independent thought anymore, and how horribly fake our generation seems to be. I know this sounds pretentious of me to say, but how many fake blondes have you encountered today? You probably couldn't even count them on all your fingers and toes, right? SO, to demonstrate the way people are becoming startlingly similar to each other, I'm going to utilize a common mass-produced object: dolls.
For this project, I'm hoping to combine several different problems I see in society today to create a sort of commentary for each. By having them interact together, I'll show how they influence each other in daily life. As well as the social commentary using the doll, I'm going to combine imagery that speaks about the oil crisis, as well as the economic strife of America today. Keeping in mind the use of lines, light/shadow, and color I'll create a picture in which all of the objects (hopefully) interact in a realistic way to force the viewers eye to every topic being addressed; sort of like movement without moving.

(where a picture of a doll should be, but since I'm using my parent's computer nothing shows up.)

Hello, Dali!

William Wegman's depictions of surreal animals, as well as the dreamscape art of Salvador Dali are similar effects I wish to achieve with my project. They both use powerful animal imagery to make the viewer think, "what if?" They make you think while still maintaining a level of silliness to them that I find very endeering.

Wegman's photography showcased his Weimaraners (dogs) paired often with the bodies and clothes of human models. At first, this work was thought of as disturbing by many since humans tend to think of themselves on a higher level than other animals. The aspect that struck me the most about his photography is the humanity that he is able to establish in the facial expressions of the dogs. It must have taken him hours to get the right raised eyebrow or poignent look. I had enough trouble just trying to get my cat to look at the camera for my project, let alone emote!

The use of animals in a surrealist setting-as I am doing in my project-is a trait that is attributed to many of Dali's paintings. I remember when I was younger, looking at his paintings of
skinny-legged animals and thinking how terrifying they looked. In his surrealistic dreamscapes, there is a definate sense of the morbid. This is a quality I hope to achieve with my project. I'm not going for something as morbid as Dali, but I wouldn't mind making some people uncomfortable. Maybe I'll go for morbid with a bit of fun.

What am I doing?

So as the first project comes to a close, I'm feeling much more comfortable with Photoshop, etc. etc... I don't feel like a complete dumb-a** when I'm trying to figure out how to do something (unless it's something new like the pen tool), I still have no idea how that business works.

Anyhoo, I wasn't exactly sure what this blog was supposed to be about. I kind of gathered that we're supposed to be thinking about a new kind of fantasy sport for our next project, but other than that I'm lost. I was walking along on campus the other day, and I overheard (like it's hard) some crickets in the bushes by the Union. So, naturally, the words "cricket boxing" popped into my head. I think that would be a fun thing to create, but I'm not sure that just changing the species of the thing boxing will be enough to count it as "fantasy". Of course, normal rules of boxing would have to be thrown out the window because of the air time generated by one cricket leap, but other than that I think it would be very similar. Maybe there would be more kicking. There'd have to be.

SORRY if I completely missed the mark on this blog assignment, but at least I got something interesting out of it!



Look at the fight in his eyes!

Week Two

Hey there!

Week two was a week of picture taking as I struggled to think of what I wanted to do for my project. Finally, I went through the pictures stored in my camera and found one that I think will work out for what I want to do. It's a picture of my cat, Butters, and I snuggling under the blankets on my bed. I hope to combine that with some natural elements, as well as pictures of my art to complete the project. I'm not convinced that this is going to turn out really well, but there's always hope! ;P
If that picture doesn't work out, I have several others lined up that I could use. I think I'm getting better at understanding Photoshop, and I hope that there won't be any major snafoos while I'm trying to make my picture. If there are some problems, I won't be surprised, however.

Cheers!

Me Introducing Myself

Hello! My name is Jillian Campbell (or Jill, because it's easier to yell), and I am technically a Senior this year at Indiana University. My major is in Studio Art, and although I have dabbled in Printmaking and Painting before, I am still in love with the one form I came into IU to study: drawing. I am minoring in Poetry, and am very influenced by the writing styles of Yusef Komunyaka, W.S. Merwin, and the dark style of Edgar Allen Poe. Lately, I have been inspired by the writings of Aracelis Girmay--specifically her book Teeth--because of her raw style, and current social commentary.

Normally, the things that influence my art and my writing are events and feelings I encounter in my daily life. The start of school generally means a rush of ideas after a long and uninspiring summer of minimum wage jobs, so currently I'm feeling a bit frazzled while I try to get all of my ideas down. If I don't write down what I'm thinking during a moment of inspiration, I tend to lose it automatically, which stinks when I have nothing around me to take notes on.
Music also inspires what I do, as well as snippets of conversation I catch on the bus or walking around campus. It's amazing what great inspiration you can find just from catching a line or two from an interesting conversation! My friends also supply me with phrases of inspiration at unexpected times. In fact, I have a whole book of quotes by them!
I am also inspired by my friends, my family, strange people I see walking on the sidewalk, nature, and basically anything that catches my eye. Hopefully, these things will help me create interesting projects in Digital Art!