Visual Arts I

#1 (Attach a screenshot of Animation)
I believe that my animation, project 7, was my most successful due to it's complexity and application to the modern world. My main focus while completing this project was to create fluid motion and realistic proportion.

This project went under several stages: modeling, rigging, posing, rendering, and after effects (also known as post processing). Modeling consists of creating 3D models of objects, environments, and characters. Most of this was done in a program called Blender, which is used by big name companies such as Pixar and Digital Extremes. Once a realistic, digital "clay" model has been formed, I moved on to rigging and posing.

Rigging & Posing is the process of adding bones to a "clay" 3D model and giving it a specific motion every frame (a frame is a picture; 12 of them run together with the clay bones in different locations creates one second of animation). To achieve this, I used my laptop's webcam to track the motion of several black dots placed on my arms, legs, neck, torso, and head. Motion tracking creates smooth movements and realistic facial expressions. The motions are then applied to the digital bones, and we can begin rendering.

Once you tell the bones where to go each second, they need to actually moved, and the movie then needs to be saved to your computer. This is called rendering, and takes the most amount of time. Each frame takes about a minute to render out - that's 12 minutes per second of animation. This in mind, I travelled to several computer labs from Apex High and previous schools. I was then able to render more seconds of animation per minute.

Rendering also includes adding textures to your clay models like hair, scales, leather, etc.

Finally, we come to post processing. This is what makes movies look realistic. Your eyes don't see definite lines; they see a blur and generalize where lines would be. This is why when you look at a shadow, you can't tell exactly where it ends. When a digital animation is rendered, everything has a definite shape, light only bounces once from one surface, and shadows have no depth. By using post processing, I applied a blur effect to each frame, as well as bloom (hue saturation and increased light bounces) and dynamic lighting/shadows (light wraps around corners, and blurs when it meets a shadow). This gave the movie the atmosphere most people are accustomed to. Before my project was complete, however, there was one more problem: cycling. When you look at someone's head, light is absorbed into each hair. Light absorption is cancelled by dynamic lighting and bloom: each ray bounces off of their hair, clothing, and skin, giving it a shiny appearance.

Cycling fixes this. By adjusting where light travels, we can give the best appearance possible. If you've ever been to a photo shoot, you may see a white, red, or black screen behind the subject. This is not because it looks "cool" or "unique"...this is real-world cycling. These screens are given a concave form to bend and absorb light according to the photographer's needs. Applying this same logic, I used "clay" surfaces behind and around my scenes to move and soak in light, changing the values. Once this is applied to each frame, the animation is complete.

I would use the same process if I were to animate again; this is the most appealing route, visually and logically.

#2 (Attach a photo of the original color draft)
This is my hideous mess. Take a good look - you don't want art to end up like this. The painting is the original draft for my color project. What was supposed to be a harbor in old Singapore using watercolor ended up looking like something out of a Jackson Pollock collection. The main error here was use of material. The circular, blurred look I was trying to capture would have been much easier had I used oil pastels, or even acrylic paints. Watercolor ran over the canvas, and became too blurred with little variation of color. Through this, I learned to check the use of materials and make sure my art logic is correct.

#3 (attach letter here)
As you can see, I've had quite an artistic journey. Line definition and value have become a part of my drawings, giving a more realistic feel. I've also added a purpose to my artwork - political standpoint. I've been able to incorporate my own personal opinion using the same subject: hands. As an artist, I've found that it's not practice that improves artwork - it's learning from others and your past experiences. I've been able to improve form, as evidenced by the nails as knuckles. Shading and value has become second nature for me; I didn't even include shading in my first picture.

#4 (attach a picture of animation)
Once more, I'd like to refer to my animation. This teaching style of no due dates and freeform material selection is ideal for art classes, as it allows creativity and true expression. Had there been a set due date for my animation, it wouldn't have been completed. Also notice that the materials are not commonly found in an art class - the ability to select a medium allowed my creative nature to show.