Homework 7

      Back away from the computer and create things with your hands. The computer is not some evil device, it's just limiting. As Kleon wrote, "Instead we're just typing keys and clicking mouse buttons," like we all are right now. I really enjoyed the quote form Edward Tufte, "I have stared long enough at the glowing flat rectangles of computer screens. Let us give more time for doing things in the real world... plant a plant, walk the dog, read a real book, go to the oprea." It kind of a smack in the face. You never really realize how much the computer and technology can take over your life.
     Engaging more of your senses gives your freedom. There is just that sense of freedom and relazation you get form physically letting your hands and mind create together. For me drawing is something that relaxes me. Ideas come much quicker to me with a pencil. For example, if I have essays I have to write, I like to actually write it down before I type it on the computer. It may take a little longer but I am able to think and write quicker than I would on a computer.
     A computer puts a barrier between you and your work. You cannot actually touch it. That barrier also causes you to pause and rethink about your ideas. Like Kleon wrote, "There are too many opportunities to hit the delete key,""we start editing things before we have them." Using a pencil and paper allows your ideas to flow with no pauses.

      Here is my analog space and the finished piece. The space got messier and crazier as I went along.

Homework 6

Create what you like, not what you know.  Kleon wrote a sequel for Jurassic Park based on what he liked and wanted to see. He didn't base it off of something he already knew. He began writing fan fiction. All fiction is fan fiction because you base it off of something you are a fan of, something that you like. I really like the questions Kleon asked at the end. "Think about your favorite work and your creative heroes. What did they miss? What didn't they make? What could've been made better? If they were still alive, what would they be making today? If all your favorite makers got together and collaborated, what would they make with you leading the crew?" You will pick your favorite thinkers because you like their work. All of these questions help guide your thoughts.

If I re-wrote my life, I would be working more with animals, possibly even be a vet. I would still have a love of art. In the next few years I would work in a shelter, rescue, or animal hospital and design things for them like their website, advertisements, posters, and flyers. I would be able to combine the two things I love. It would be a dream of mine to double major in Vet Tech and Graphic Design but they are both very demanding majors. I don't even know if anyone has ever tried to major in those two subjects before.

The two makers I would work with are Kyle Cooper and Walt Disney. Kyle Cooper has a grungy look to his work and he does not use many bright colors. He usually uses more muted colors. Walt Disney is known for creating Mickey Mouse. With the collaboration of Kyle Cooper, Walt Disney, and I leading the team, I present Grunge Mickey Mouse.

Inspiration

Walt Disney

 

Kyle Cooper    

Homework 5

All I kept thinking when I read this chapter is, "Be yourself. Never try to be somebody your not." Umm................... I guess that doesn't apply here. The title of the chapter really threw me off "Don't Wait Until You Know Who You Are To Get Started." I always thought developing you own style was good for an artist but this put it in a new perspective. Kleon is saying to look at your inspiration and run with it. Look at it, steal it, and adapt it. He is not saying to be a poser your whole career, he is saying you will find yourself but it is going to take some stealing and acting like a poser to get there. You might as well have fun while your waiting. The quotes are what really stood out to me and helped me understand this chapter. The two that really stood out were, "We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can't steal. You will take what we give you and you will put it in your own voice and that's how you will find you voice. And that's how you begin. And then one day someone will steal form you." – Francis Ford Coppola and "I have stolen all of these moves from all these great players. I just try to do them proud, the guys who came before, because I learned so much form them. It's all in the name of the game. It's a lot bigger than me." – Kobe Bryant.

You do not just want to steal from you inspiration, you want to see like them. Don't just look at their work, do some research. See what the piece is about. See who/what inspired it. See where your inspiration gets their inspiration.

When you imitate someone or something, you are simply copying them. You are trying to do exactly what they are doing. You make no adjustments whatsoever. Emulation is taking something but adjusting it to fit what you want and who you are. You are trying to make something better.

Okay so my mentor is Walt Disney he is famous for Mickey Mouse. I am not just going to take Mickey Mouse a draw him. Everyone knows what he looks like. They will know it's not "original." I should look at the different types of Mickey Mouse that have been drawn throughout the years. I should look at his friends and his environment. To truly emulate someone you have to do RESEARCH!!!!!!! Without that you will never be more than and imitator.

Another mentor of mine is Kyle Cooper. He is an amazing movie title sequence designer. We had to make a t-shirt for AIGA and the inspiration had to be form a certain designer. I was lucky enough to pick Kyle Cooper. He is best known for his title sequence for the movie Se7en. I did not want to design something after the first thing I saw on google. I RESEARCHED and found one of his less known title sequences for the movie The Island of Dr Moreau.

Kyle Cooper

Mine

Homework 4

Here are 10 books that I want to read. Some I want to re-read and some are brand new to me.

These are ten books that I really want to read. I am a big fan of fairy tales, sci-fi, and mysteries. It's a little bit of a weird mix.

I want to read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. I have always really enjoyed comics, and I would love to learn about the process of designing them,

Homework 3

I am a pretty guarded and cautious person so I am very particular to who and what I let into my life. I don't let too many people into my life at once. Now as far as art goes, that is the one thing I will let my guard down for. Whether its paintings, drawings, music, or movies I am completely open to anything. Art is just something I have enjoyed my whole life and I am always excited to let some new art into my life. I do sometimes wish I would let more people in my life so I would have some different influences because the people that I have let in my life have been there for a long time. I need to let some new people in so I can see some new things and new views. I guess I just need to listen  and try to be around new people and places so I can broaden my influences.
     My mentor is Walt Disney. Three people Disney was influenced by were his brother Roy O. Disney, cartoonist Winsor McCay, and artist Ub Iwerks.

Homework 2

     I really enjoy this book. It takes a subject that everyone is afraid to address and explains it really well. The author makes it very relatable to anyone and not just designers.
     I feel that it is ok to steal other people's ideas. It is leagal. You cannot prove that you stole an idea unless it is identical, and even then it is not an actual object to steal. Stealing an idea is only moral if you do not have/make an exact copy of that idea, but morality is up to each individual. We all see it differently.
    Today, there are no such things as original ideas. Everything that will be thought of, already has been thought of.

      You can be a better collector by keeping a pen and sketchbook with you where ever you go or just find a way to keep paper with you at all times. You collect things to use them for inspiration and you will want to be able to easily find them, so you should have a "swipe file," a file that holds all of the things you have swiped and collected. I really need to take this advice. I just keep my collection loosely in my sketchbook and I am always loosing things. I stash most of my Internet links in my bookmarks on my laptop. I also store some links in the bookmarks on my phone. I also use Pinterest a lot. https://www.pinterest.com/shelrich989/
     A thinker I really love is Walt Disney. This is a drawing from his childhood.

"The only art I'll ever study is stuff that I can steal from." David Bowie
I like this becasue it is what all artist should think. If you want to steal it, that means it's something good.

HW1

     Hi, I'm Shelbee Richardson. This is my fourth semester here at Parkland. I was born and raised here in Champaign Urbana. I hope to graduate next year.
     My creative process happens pretty quickly. All of my thoughts and ideas usually come to me all at once and I have to write them down quickly or I will forget them. I usually execute my ideas using Adobe Illustrator. The is the Adobe program I feel most comfortable with. I get my inspiration form all over the place, but I would have to say animals really stick out to me for some reason, whether they are pets or are wild. I just really try to keep an open mind when coming up with different ideas. I don't want to limit myself to much. I would have to say my struggles would be focusing on something too long. Like I said before, I am open to everything but my mind can get stuck on one particular thing sometimes.
      Creativity is extremely important. If there was not creativity or creative people there would never be anything new. We would be stuck in the same time period forever. One of my idols is Walt Disney. He invented Disney, you can't get much more creative than that! Another creative idol of mine is Thomas Kinkade, a painter. I do not limit my creative abilities to just the computer, I also love to draw. That is one of my biggest passions.
     This is one of my favorite and most creative works from my portfolio. It is a Tshirt designed for AIGA inspired by film title sequence creator Kyle Cooper, in particular his title sequence for the film The Island of Dr. Moreau.