Manifesto Post

Manifesto Post 

After reading through some of the manifesto's Stacie posted on the Visual Communications website, I kind of realized that my manifesto would probably not take the basic paragraph form. As a person, I don't usually do things the way others do. Sometimes I mess up and start all over again, my curiosity can get the best of me. Other times I can be stubborn about things, but always try to be flexible when it truly counts. I can be incredibly spontaneous and try silly things at the drop of a hat and I feel this reads into my designs. Out of the manifestos posted I connected most to Bruce Mau's incomplete manifesto. 

It has the same type of format I'd like to go for mine. His manifesto is more about a singular idea and then a couple sentences explaining this idea. It really is inspirational to read. I really love lists. It makes me feel like this is what I need to do rather than just comprehending a set list. 

Although I feel like my manifesto will have more visual sensations, I want there to be a feeling people can connect to through a visual explanation. My first draft for my manifesto touched on this, but I focused too much on relating my ukulele. After my long drive for Thanksgiving break and just seeing the visual wonders of how land and sky connect on a lonely road, my eyes have opened to the real meaning of my manifesto. I want to talk about the experiences we have in life that continue with us on the road of life. We carry these snips of life in a metaphorical suitcase, so when they're needed we can grab them. 

I feel this idea will really work and maybe I can add my ukulele to the pecha kucha part of the assignment. For my physical making of the book for the manifesto I hope to do a passport. The final format will be more of a spoken poem. I think i'd like it to be passionate, but more about the visual aesthetics that we connect with. Only time will tell. 

Response to Megan Snelten's Christmas Card Post

Response to Megan Snelten's Christmas Card Post

I really enjoyed these cards by Stephen Maurice Graham that Megan posted. It reveals the cynical side to Christmas that we tend to overlook. The art style is interesting and on some of the cards the humor is slightly disturbing, but it makes fun of the time of year we tend to look at with rose colored glasses. Also, the color pallet is simple, but responds well to the drawing style. 

Response to Grace Pritchett's Quote Post

Response to Grace Pritchett's Quote Post

I really like this quote by Annie Leibovitz that Grace posted. I feel this is incredibly true for designers and people in general. Our minds are constantly going and comprehending what our eyes see. This is an endless process from the day we're born to the day we die. At times it's hard, but I feel this is one of the reasons I'm personally so fascinated with the world around us. I tend to see it with my eyes wide open, so as to not lose a moment of it. This feeling is what I want to create in my pecha kucha. That feeling of wonder that we tend to lose as we get older, that feeling of curiosity. 

Response to Shelby Jacobs's Timeline Post

Response to Shelby Jacobs's Timeline Post

I really liked Shelby's Timeline it was really interesting to read and find out a little about another classmate's life. I feel like she's accomplished a lot in this last year and find it  motivationally inspirational especially starting to volunteer at the humane society! I liked the limited pallet choice, but found the font choice could've used some work. Overall, I think her timeline was effective in the goals of the project.  

Response to Ben Newmark's Post

Response to Ben Newmark's Post on the Series Bee and Puppycat

I whole heatedly agree with Ben's comments on this newly made series. Over the past summer channel Frederator released the two episodes of Bee and Puppycat. The episodes were beautifully animated and the colors are great. It's a lot like the magical girl series I watched as a little girl, only Bee is a grown adult like me. It's incredibly enjoyable to watch Bee go through these abnormal situations and react to them as an adult. This style of show is usually aimed at children, but it's really fun that it focuses more on an adult audience. 

Kiki's Delivery Service Appreciation Post

Kiki's Delivery Service Appreciation Post 

Kiki's Delivery Service is a childhood film that I hold dearly to my heart. It was created by the renown Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. As a child I always remembered how different it looked in comparison to all the Disney films I'd watch like Beauty and the Beast. I think its the design qualities that stood out to me. The backgrounds of the film are visually detailed from the streets in the town Kiki is training in to the bakery she helps out. Kiki and the other characters are designed so endearingly. Kiki is a witch in training that must leave home for a year, so she leaves home and finds a large town by the ocean. Here she works very hard and creates her own flying delivery service. Through trials and friendships Kiki learns about believing in herself and letting that belief fuel her powers.

Overall, I love the various atmospheres in Kiki's world. From her childhood home to her friend the artist's cottage in the woods, Kiki's world is so warm and inviting. I would love to live there since it's so cozy. If you're looking for a film that's sweet, warm, and nice simple tale Kiki's Delivery Service is for you. Another thing I love is all the food in this film. I feel a lot Studio Ghibili films has the quality. They make you want to eat and try all the foods the characters are surrounded by. Also, I love the mixture of magic and realism in this film. Kiki can fly and such, but otherwise the story is highly realistic and tells more about her coming of age. There isn't any sign of sparks and such. It makes the film all the more interesting with the hints of magic you see. Kiki's Delivery Service is more about the magic within than external magic and that's what makes this film a gem. 

Avatar the Last Airbender- Appreciation Post

Avatar the Last Airbender: Appreciation Post

This show is probably one of my all time favorites. The plot is amazing
 and flowed between seriousness and humor with ease. At the heart of Avatar is its characters. Each character is so well-rounded and fleshed out. They all have their strength and weaknesses not only in battle, but personality. 

The main character is the actual Avatar named Aang. He wakes after being frozen for one hundred years to find the world unbalanced and at war. It's the Avatar's job to bring peace, which Aang at the young age of twelve must do. With the help of his friends they begin a journey. This journey is fleshed out through its vivid use of animation and colors. The details make the show worth watching visually as well. I love the style and how it evolves through the seasons. 

Also, the whole lore on the Avatar is really engaging and makes you want to know more about it. In the recent sequel series The Legend of Korra, that I believe is by far inferior to its predecessor it did have an hour episode over the creation of the Avatar. This episode was by far one of the best in a long time. The entire episode had the feel of the original series with a unique art style to match. Avatar the Last Airbender is a great animated television show that I highly recommend not only for its plot, but beautfiul design details and animation. It's one of the reasons I wanted to go into Illustration in the first place.  

Response to Grace Pritchett's Post

Response to Grace Pritchett's Post

For the beginning of our fourth project we had to make a list of events in our life for a timeline we would be creating. I love Grace's version of her events. She mainly put basic words like birth, but then proceeded to add just locations like states. It's nice to see another way people are taking this project and the way their mind goes through the thinking process. 

Kyoukai no Kanata Appreciation Post

Kyoukai no Kanata Appreciation Post

This is an anime that is currently airing in Japan this fall. Most anime shows air up to 12 or 13 episodes a season. Some get a second season while many only have a single season. Currently, Kyoukai no Kanata is a single season show and it really works for it. When anime shows have single season (in most cases) it makes the show a lot of more interesting. The creators have to tastefully put a lot of plot into a small amount of time and it works. This gives them the ability to focus on those twelve episodes rather than making an incredibly long series. It makes the single season that much more enjoyable and beautiful to watch. They really think about the design and story combined. The attention to detail can be seen more in a single season rather than a multiple seasoned show. I feel this is the defining difference between Japanese and American shows. 

While America is about continuously making something that is past its prime (Like Two and Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, etc.) Japan focuses on trying and experimenting with new styles and plots. After a season if it works to a certain point, they may make another season. In most cases though, a single season can act as a stand alone story. Now back to Kyoukai no Kanata. This show is really beautifully animated. The animation flows well together and the color scheme really works with whatever mood the creators are trying to make. 

Although the basic plot is a bit cliched for an anime show, it works well. They redevelop the cliches and the colors are really beautiful. I especially love how the main characters are the ones with the lightest or different colored hair. The thing I love most though, it the female protagonist. She is the cutest character I've seen in a while and I would love to be just as cute as her. She always wears this big pink cardigan with her red glasses and she just is too cute! The design team did a great job on making her as cute as possible. From her klutzy habits to her big appetite and how her glasses become crooked on her face every now and then. I really love her design. She is just too adorable for words. Although the plot is just starting in Kyoukai no Kanata, I highly recommend it for its animation and great use of colors. The show is one that you shouldn't miss. 

American Horror Story: Murder House- Appreciation Post

American Horror Story: Murder House Appreciation Post

Now I know this is a very different show than I normally talk about, but I just spent the last twenty-four hours binge watching the first season of this show. It is great. The design of this show is amazing I love it so much. All the scary aspects of horror are placed in this show, but its well done and a new twist is added to these usually cliched elements. A brief synopsis of the show is your basic "American Family" moves into this house where its previous home owners were brutally murdered. After further research, the family discovers a number of people have died in or around this house. As they learn of all these deaths, you discover the imperfections of the family as well. 

One of the best points about the show is each episode begins with a specific person or group of people's deaths. It explains the back story of why certain ghostly characters are the way the are. Then throughout the episode aspects of their death are reawakened. I really love this tone of the show. One important thing this show has that makes it so great is consistency. I feel some horror movies/shows lose this after a while, but even within each episode a consistent theme is displayed and it works really well. Besides the great interior design of the house, each character has their own style and qualities that make the show all the more interesting. 

Although, I feel my favorite feature of the show is its intro. I love it so much. The combination of the music, the sharp cuts between various scary or suspenseful images really contributes to the entire show. It gives the viewer the essence of terror with a basic understanding of the show, without giving any of the story away. It could almost work as a stand alone art piece, but I love that it's combined with such a well done storyline. I'm looking forward to watching the second season and hope I'm not disappointed. 

Response to Kaitlin Obermeyer's Post

"All you need is one good comment, just one little thing to hold on to." 

-Elijah Gowin explaining what it's like to be in a design critique.

Response to Kaitlin Obermeyer's Post

I think this quote Kaitlin posted is incredibly true. In design critiques are increasingly common and you have to be able to take them constructively if you're ever going to survive. It's something I've learned the hard way, but now have moved past. I prefer criticism over compliments, because I feel they further my designs rather than compliments do. Now looking at how this semester has developed I realize how much I've come to mature through the criticism. On rare occasions recently I've felt down about my designs, and those singular compliments have kept me going. They make me realize how much I've come and how far I still have to go before I feel I can call myself an Illustrator. 

Response to Ben Newark's Post on Superman

Response to Ben Newark's Post on Superman

It was really interesting to find out that Superman has been around for 75 years. I loved the animation style of the video Ben posted and how it went through the years. Although I haven't seen the most recent film, I love how people still enjoy him today and how Superman can be enjoyed by all generations.