SmithDB ART 2104 Blog

Here's my update! I took away the masks and triptych framing, allowing the background colors to blend together giving a softer transition both literally and metaphorically -- as babies transition through development very quickly and seamlessly. I also used one version of my hand-written haiku repeated in the background to make a (hopefully subtle) texture, and to emphasize the message. I feel that the message is important for viewers to consider. I understand some messages work better without "instructions" or precise direction and emphasis, though I thought it would be another design element that would nicely add-to the composition. I also added more to the blue and yellow backgrounds and added a new foot on the middle baby image with my Wacom tablet. For my next set of critique comments I'd like to know do you feel the texture pattern of the haiku works as-is, should I modify it, or should I get rid of it? Also, do you feel this composition works well without...

Although I thought the last version was pretty resolved I started adjusting the elements, taking away the triptych frame and the open space where the haiku was typed. I used the Wacom tablet to hand-write the haiku and adjusted the size and position of the first and second images. I also added a bit of black outline to the middle and last image to make them less photorealistic. I had natural media filters on them to make them look like paintings in the last version, but I guess at a low resolution on a screen it might have been harder to tell. This is IN-PROGRESS, and I am trying to think of how to further develop and resolve this latest version. Part of me wants to "complete" the ultrasound image that I drew, but I think a bigger part of me wants to leave the hard edges. Below is the original image. At that stage of development the technician could not fit the entire baby in the view because he had gotten bigger. Earlier ultrasound images don't have such a cute baby...

This post is for an in-progress critique. I feel that it is pretty close to complete / resolved. I decided to keep the open space on the lower left panel and write a haiku about the images. Growth of life can be Full of unknown and known Blessings are made clear I used natural brush filters and effects to make the middle and right images look like a painting, and then used my Wacom tablet to hand-paint the background and around the figures. I also used the Wacom tablet to completely draw the Ultrasound image. I used yellow in the middle panel to represent the fear I felt at and right before the birth due to the high-risk pregnancy I had, as well as the emergency c-section delivery. I chose the use of the blue color for the right panel to represent the calm and good health of our present day.

For project 4, the Visual Sequence Narrative , I immediately thought of comic books and animatics / storyboards. Though this was my first thought I stopped myself and asked a hard question: What matters to me? What is important? What tells a good story in my life? I have two children, and both pregnancies were difficult at times. My youngest's birth, though, was a very scary and difficult experience. I had developed a condition where my blood had become toxic and almost shut down my kidneys and liver. I had to have an emergency c-section. Sparing the details, I wanted to use the classic triptych design to represent three stages of my son's life: in the womb, first born, and present-day. My boy is a healthy and active two-and-a-half-year-old with a wonderful and funny big sister. Below are the beginning ideas for my triptych narrative. My goal is to use photographs to reference and to digitally illustrate each image in Photoshop using my Wacom Tablet. In version one (v1) I...