Lab #6 Reflection

  For this lab, like many others, we always go through a certain procedure to get an astounding result. In this lab compared to the ones from before, we actually used our own skills with varied tools to fix errors on pictures. There was 4 pictures given to us and we were given instructions on what had to be specifically fixed. The objective was to use photoshop on all 4 photos and make them look good as if they were originals. We were able to complete this task by using Adobe Photoshop CS6. The first image was "a.jpg", this one was of a tower like structure surrounded by grass-like surrounding. The flaws were two sprinklers and the bottom left edge of the picture was ripped off as well. We had to use the Stamp tool to fill in the sprinklers with grass by using the option key to collect surrounding grass sample. The same process had to be use to cover the ripped part of the photo on the edge with the Stamp tool. After we were done with the corrections, we had to separately save our work as "a_clone.jpg". Afterwards, we had to work on the second image, "b.jpg." This picture was of a mountain climbing lady. The flaws were the cracks in the mountains and the graffiti. They had to be covered up and then shift a few things around to make the mountains look as if they were very smooth and no rigid parts on them. The specific tools that had to be use was the Spot Healing Brush and the Patch tool. Same thing had to be done which was to save the fixed photo as "b_clone.jpg." The third picture was "c.jpg". In this one, we had to fix wrinkles on a somewhat old man with the Healing Brush Tool, Content Aware Tool and Lasso Tool. The fixed result had to saved as "c_clone.jpg." The last picture was "d.jpg". This picture was of a window on a house. We had to do modifications of color on different aspects of the picture with many tools to be mentioned. Once I was all done, I saved it as "d_clone.jpg."
   At the very end, we had to use the four photos with the corrections on them to create a collage with our name and everything else on it. This was the easiest part in my opinion because it was very quick and simple to resize and type up a few letters. The hardest part for me was on picture B since it required fine corrections. I overcame this obstacle with the assistance of my fellow peers! This lab  was somewhat difficult but fun to do. We explored many tools in just one lab, which is crazy to be honest. I would use these skills in my future labs and for future designing for companies.
 

Reflection on Myself

  My current grade for visual design is a 90. It was a 98 a few days ago actually but Mrs. Ramirez hasn't updated the jupitergrades, therefore critically lowering my grades. Honestly, I love this class and find it very interesting. It's fun to learn new tech tricks everyday or to just simply be around people who have a passion for web design like I do. I believe the category in which I best perform in for this class is classwork and engagement. I'm the best at this because I actually try to put in most of my effort into all the work I do during class and try to learn a lot in a little amount of time. I believe the category in which I have the worst performance is probably homework/blog. See, sometimes, I can't really post my work on time due to my internet always being cut off or I don't have somewhere from which to post from. I actually don't have a phone either. The days we usually do posts in our blogs are on Fridays; on Fridays I work as well. So, basically I have a tight schedule. I'm not missing any assignment at the moment; everything is turned in and all Mrs. Ramirez has to do is update the work and grades. I can do better by trying to do certain homework's earlier than due and putting in more effort and hard work to obtain better results! I have to keep my head in the game!

Lab #5 Reflection Journal

   For this lab, we basically used all the skills we already knew. The lab itself was quite simple but took time since we had to experiment with filters to our liking. The objective of this lab was to create a piece with 6 layers/photos. The first one on the top left had to be different from the other 5; the other 5 were the same picture but had to be changed with different filters. We did everything in the Adobe Photoshop CS6 application on the computers at school. The introduction to all labs are the same; the format and organized way you have to set up the file is very important. You always have to pay attention to the preset, measurements and resolution of the document before you do anything on the canvas. Saving the file is also another major factor, the way we name it is very precise and shows organization between the many labs we do. So, in this lab, we basically had to pick two pictures: one being a person and the other being an object or a person. The very first layer was the person picture; we had to use the Liquify Effect only and try to exaggerate the effects so that the changes would be really noticeable. Afterwards, for each duplicate of the second picture, it became a bit more fun honestly. We played around with filters, changing the settings for each one, making them look distinct and unique for each photo. Once I was done with all 6 layers, my last filter change was the background; I picked the color I liked and made it had a cloud filter. The very last thing to do was to label each picture appropriately and add my name, class, lab # and date on my work. I tried being artistic and creative with the color choice and font. There wasn't anything that was hard and didn't have any specific obstacle either, except for the time we had. But overall, everything was simple and easy and had a lot of peer review to advice me. I really enjoyed how we got to experiment with the filters for later use in the future. I would use these skills in any labs later on or in this class in general.

HW: Notetaking

   In our visual design class, the best way to remember the steps we do is through notetaking. To be honest, not many do it since we interact with the computers more than what we write. Sometimes, all the notes we need is already online somewhere or we go through the steps many times and remember them. But usually, the notes we take are for our background knowledge and for us to go back into if we have to remind ourselves of something specific. For example, the instructions to a certain format needed for a document, lab, project, etc. We also copy notes from the white board in front of the classroom or from a power point. In our school, Cornell Notes is reinforced so we usually try to put our notes in that specific style. Cornell Notes is somewhat helpful in a way, but I personally feel like it's the same thing as jotting down notes by bullets or by subheadings. If something is important or a term that should be remembered, I usually put a star next to it or highlight the word. I'm somewhat OCD, so I also like to keep my notes neat and organized by color-coding my work with different pen colors! The way you take notes is important because you can flow through them with ease but taking notes overall is also helpful since it provides information for later use.

Queens College Trip Reflection

    On Thursday, November 5, the visual design family including a few juniors, went on an exciting trip to Queens College for a STEM presentation. We didn't really know what to expect from a casual event but we knew we had to show the best traits of ourselves to represent Info Tech and us as students in general. We went in public transportation and it was my second time visiting. We went into a large building at first, as Mrs. Ramirez directed us, and ended up getting lost since we didn't find the ballroom on the 3rd floor. We left that building and had to go another one named 'Student Union,' where the event actually took place on the 4th floor. There were 3 elevators and the class total was 30+, so we had to split into groups using the elevator. The first two groups going up the elevator were fine, but the last third group (MY GROUP!), got stuck in the elevator on the 2nd floor! I honestly found it crazy but surprising because I would have never seen something like that happening. It was really hot and stuffy inside the elevator and I really couldn't stand being around 5+ sweaty people! I felt trapped in a corner but at the same time I wasn't worried about us being stuck. During the time that we were stuck, people from my school were cracking jokes, saying silly things which helped pass time. Soon, Mrs. Ramirez called for help and we were rescued at the second floor. I was most certainly glad because I was getting a huge headache since it was getting really warm. Afterwards, we got to the designated floor which was the 4th floor and were soon on line to get our name tags. Getting to the exact location was a struggle, but it was fun going on a mini adventure with my classmates.
   Once we got our name tags, we stepped to the side where they would escort us to our indicated tables. We each got a raffle ticket for the giveaways the sponsors were giving which were Google Nexus phones. I really wished I could've won one but I didn't even though there were three chances to get one. So, once we sat at our tables, more schools were coming in and there was very few time left for the event to officially start. I sat next to most of the guidance counselors and 4 other guys that I didn't really speak to. At the beginning of the event, a host came to greet us and explain to us why we were there, what it meant & what it was for. Afterwards, two captains were introduced to us and we got to know what they do for a living. They explained with such enthusiasm on how being a part of the Army and STEM programs have helped them grow into the person they are and what it really meant to them. It was great listening to inspiring words from elders who knew what they were talking about and the true feeling they feel towards the topic. Soon, one took the spotlight and mic and asked many questions that had thorough answers to them. He made us elaborate on what the definition of specific terms meant to him and us. He was very unexpected as well, since in the beginning he made us do a push-up each! I thought it was a crazy remark, but it was fun to do. Afterwards, we had lunch, ate a bit, and got the panel presentation. There were 4 really important & intellectual people in front of the whole room, on a stage. They went from one by one, asking each one a question which made them think and answer in a delicate manner. It took a while since each response was pretty long but detailed. It was really interesting hearing what each had to say. At the end, we took pictures as a group/school and the Army officers were giving away bags, pens, frisbees, etc to people who didn't get any during the event. It was so much fun being outside with my classmates. I was able to talk to them more then usual and get to know a bit more profound! There wasn't anything I didn't really like from this trip, a lot of the material and intel given during this event will soon become of use to me in the near future.

Project #2 Reflection

Lesli Cuamani Visual Design
November 2, 2015    Period 7
 Project 2 Warhol Portrait – Reflection Journal

   Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1928. His parents, Julia and Ondrej Warhola, were immigrants from what is now known as Eastern Souvlakia in the early 1920’s. Warhol was a successful magazine and ad illustrator who became a leading artist of the 1960s Pop Art Movements. He experimented with a wide variety of art forms, including performance art, filmmaking, video installations and writing. In the late 1950s, Warhol began devoting more attention to painting and soon in 1961, he revealed the concept of ‘pop art’- paintings that focused on mass-produced goods. Throughout Warhol’s artistic career, he painted vivid celebrity portraits as well as everyday consumer products which created a major stir in the art world. Up to this date, his famous paintings can be seen at The Andy Warhol Musuem in his city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately he passed away on February 22, 1987 in New York City. Viewing Warhol’s creations, I would buy his artwork because they capture simple colorful objects or people that are intriguing to the eye and make you reconsider your perspective on how it would look like before the mash-up. His artwork doesn’t necessarily remind me of something specific but it’s giving me a hint to be different personally and generally. Doing what others are doing is repetitive and soon sounds or looks dull; his artwork displays how you can become imaginative with small everyday things that are overlooked. It reminds me to show off who I am inside disregarding negative commentary. The association is both pleasant and important because his work just goes to prove that there is no real limit to being expressive.
Critics in pop culture discuss and evaluate any artistic activity and dramatize the art with the current meta, which is high-level analysis or commentary. However, criticism is made by people who generate informed and uninformed opinions to point out faults. An informed opinion is based on knowledge of the facts and carefully considered principles; it relies on evidence instead of limited personal experience. But an uniformed opinion is a statement with no real research or studies to support it. This is very similar to that of taste and bias. Taste is when one does not pick a side to an argument because they like it, but support it with reason, but bias is when a person is prejudiced in favor or against one thing or person usually in a way that is considered unfair.
Warhol’s protraits have somewhat of a similar aspect in terms of colors, shape, balance, etc. His color scheme in each portrait varies due to it being unrelated to the emotion the work gives off. He has many ways of making his works ‘pop out’ by having a complementary color scheme, which the colors that are used are opposite on the color wheel. Warhol uses a monochromatic color scheme as well, meaning he uses tints and shades of just one color and more. Just like color schemes, he also follows the Rule of Third since his portraits are not directly centered in the middle of the whole. Portraits are important to use because it displays a certain type of feeling or emotion that can be perceived in many ways. It shows you a bit of the artist, a bit of the viewer, and a bit of the world in general. The artist wants to persuade you in thinking like he/she did and make you feel deep down inside. Artists have been painting portraits throughout the ages to express a certain vision in the form of art, such as: paintings, drawings, photographs, etc. Apart from visualizing, they may be painting portraits to create a homage for a certain family member, person or celebrity (famous figure). Making a portrait like Andy Warhol makes me feel grand and was a really fun experience to play around with colors. It was very difficult because if you messed up in the beginning and didn’t go back to correct yourself, once you get to the adding color station, there will be a certain problem you might face so you have to start all over again. There were many steps taken during this project but as always, peers are always there to help you out and give you advice on how to improve your work. I can see myself using these skills in the future in schoolwork or when it comes to being artistic on computers. Knowing how to change colors to fit my personality is an advantage from the things I learned in this project.