Project IV - Alex

For the first part of this project, I really enjoyed wandering through the art building and collecting images. I had no specific plans for what I was photographing, the subjects were simply of visual interest to me. After the images I chose were assembled on my board, I noticed three elements of design that stood out: rhythm, contrast, and variety. Rhythm comes in to play with the color pallet that I chose. A mix of pinks, purples, and blues are seen in multiple pictures, while other pictures have a mix of yellow and gray. This pallet is repeated throughout the board. There is also rhythm of shapes: repeated circles, repeated straight lines, and the repetition of the colored paper. Contrast is seen in the difference between the geometric industrial images and the colorful organic paint blotches. There's also a contrast of textures on the board. Some objects, like the round wheel or steel pipes, are very flat and smooth. Other objects, like the colored paper or the stones on the roof, have a very visible surface texture to them. The last element of design I see is variety. Two images contain human figures, which adds variety to the hard industrial figures. There is also variety in terms of the two competing color pallets - pinkish purple and brownish yellow. Most of the industrial objects are monotone while the more organic objects are colorful.
The second part of this project was a bit difficult, because I've never used Photoshop and Illustrator.  Once I understood how to use them, the task became less frustrating and more enjoyable. For the first picture, the all orange one, I ended up only using a small corner of what I originally traced around. After I started playing around with the image, I felt that it had such nice unity, I didn't want to add any of the other elements. This one also has a feeling of motion, as the shapes appear to be moving toward the right side. For the second one, I used the faucet handle in my image board. I stretched out the image, and made it into some sort of "progression". The image reminds me of a sunrise.