#especially with my art classes and ESPECIALLY with 3d design

[patchwork-artists]

Hey you! Have you seen this post by @pigswithwings? Do you like it? Do you like animation? Well do I have the news for you! With the author's permission and consultance, I am running a 5 minute animation short film on it, called "Angel back at home"!

Now, here's the most exciting news: We are looking for storyboarders, background designers, and 3 voice actors of all genders! Even better, you don't need to be a professional on any of those things whatsoever, only have some knowledge on them (and be of minimum age 16) to try and apply for the role!

Unfortunately, it is not paid, as for legal reasons we can not make profit out of it. Why should you join then, you ask? In this project we guarantee three things:

Portifolio building: Everything you will be producing, you can be using to add to your personal art portifolio, if this is a career you'd like to follow!

Resume: The short-film will be hosted on several film festivals, so you'll be able to put a big list of festivals your work was featured in, if you'd like to follow any art career. If not, the entire experience can be written in several bullet points on a resume ("experience with working in group", "experience of working within a deadline", etc) for any general job.

Advice and art growth: Every art that gets made on this project will be seen by me, the producer, and will be given advice for improvement. This is especially good if you've been on an art block, is self-taught, or overall would like a different perspective on your art. Don't worry, I'm not harsh!

Additional points is that it allows me to know new artists and new talents! From the last project I had run in this format, I had taken notice of 5 to 6 different artists that I hadn't known were so talented for their specific skills, which made me keep their names for the next project I'd produce. I am someone who dreams of opening an animation studio for new underrated talents and non-professionals that are studying to be professionals, so i'm looking forward to finding the artists on this project that will catch my eye and I'll bring over to the next project.

The timing is flexible since it is a volunteer ran project, if I can't pay I can't demand work hours of a job, so the deadline won't be too tight. For 5 minutes of film, the boards, voice acting, and single music will all in total take about 3 months, with the deadline starting in ferbuary and ending in the end of April. The following months will be given towards animation, sound editing and mixing, and video editing.

Requirements for storyboarders: Know how to draw, understand rule of thirds, enjoy drawing expressiveness through body language. You can be using any drawing device, whether that's computer, cellphone, or traditional, as long as you use the storyboard template in question and stay faithful to references.

Application link for storyboarders

Requirement for voice actors: have a somewhat good microphone(doesn't need to be professional and expensive, just good enough so we don't want to give the audio editors too much work), have interest in acting (preferably have had at least one theather class).

Application link for V/A

Lines for V/A

Requirement for background designer: Know how to draw or how to put together a 3d model of free assests, you don't need to be super experienced and specialized with drawing backgrounds but it'll be good to have a basic idea of it. You will be given specific references for the backgrounds, and you won't draw every single background, it'll be split work

Application link for background designer

Applications end by ferbuary 8th, but may be pushed forward if the applications are low. Everyone that passed will be noticed two days after.

Best of luck to everyone!

[j0eyj0rdis0n]

RAMMSTEIN - Teacher AU: what subject they teach

Okay… I know some of this isn’t very realistic, especially as this takes an American perspective on school. But…

I do what I want lmao

BUT Rammstein as teachers has been infecting my brain for a fat minute now. Ever since I read this one fic on ao3 I’ve been dying. I needed to get this out. And lord knows I have more to say than just this one little imagine post. So if you’re interested, PLEASE let me know. I won’t shut up about it then.

TILL LINDEMANN - Vocational Education

Teaches woodworking, metals, and automotive technology. He does it all so classes are pretty sparse. And hard to get into…

He likes the idea that the kids who are seeking out his classes are the ones who are truly interested in the subject. Especially since his classes are decently difficult to get into.

And honestly being a more specialized teacher, he has more freedom to do as he wishes when it comes to the syllabus and activities done in the classroom.

I mean who else in the school is going to know what to teach in that position besides him?

No one.

So he does as he wants!

He definitely holds extra workshops during his free period or before/after school.

PAUL LANDERS - Band/ Orchestra

He has the degree to teach all sorts of performing arts but he really embraced teaching band and orchestra. He’s always been a music guy.

Very supportive to his students! Always making sure they find the right instrument to play if they’re just starting out.

Or showing them different pieces or artists to keep students engaged and exploring music!

One of the more eccentric teachers of the bunch.

But because of that the students absolutely LOVE him. Like they beg to sit in the band room to eat lunch. (Which is against the rules) but he agrees anyways.

Also sponsors the fall play and spring musical with Flake and Richard. Mainly in charge of the music and band, but definitely helps Richard with the casting and auditions.

CHRISTOPH SCHNEIDER - History/ Social Studies

Rigid exterior, soft when you get through to him. Students either love or hate him. NO in between.

He prefers to teach AP European history, AP World history, or AP Psychology. He likes it when the students are actually there because they’re interested, not because the class is required.

Like I said before, students either love or hate him. So they either avoid him like the plague or they follow him like a cult.

Honestly, he likes his alone time, so he’ll 100% lock his door during lunch time so none of the students who enjoy him will bother him.

Hands out a shit ton of homework.

Also has no patience or sympathy for troublemakers. He looks like he got two hours of sleep the night before, don’t test him.

FLAKE LORENZ - Visual Arts

Teaches basic arts classes like 2D arts, and 3D arts. But he also delves into the more complex classes like AP drawing/painting, advanced ceramics, and AP art history.

He likes each class for its own reasons, but his favorite is advanced ceramics. He loves the freedom and loves seeing all the interesting designs and pieces the students make.

Also, just like Schneider and Till, he likes that the classes besides basic 2D and 3D arts are sought after because the students actually take interest in the subject matter

Definitely the kind of teacher who fosters a calm environment. Students are allowed to wear headphones but no music playing out in the open.

More often than not sits beside his students and works on pieces of his own!

He also works closely with Paul and Richard when it comes to the school plays and musicals. He helps make backdrops and props. Definitely groans and moans about it, but in the end he loves seeing his work on the stage. Even if it’s on an incredibly amateur level.

RICHARD KRUSPE - Language arts and English

Teaches English language classes, advanced creative writing, speech, and AP literature and composition. Yeah he forced some other unlucky teacher to take on the basic creative writing classes.

He didn’t want to deal with the dumb brats who can’t write or spell. Fuck them kids.

He enjoys speech and English the most, he definitely likes the way the kids squirm when they’re forced to stand up front and speak.

Not a big fan of homework. He honestly neglects grading so he just makes it easy and gives out a one page worksheet, nothing crazy.

Helps with casting and oversight with the students in the plays and musicals. He enjoys helping with lines and memorization!

OLIVER RIEDEL - Buisness/ Computer classes

Teaches intro to business, personal finance, AP business management, and typing/basic computer applications.

He likes that it’s decently laid back. That if there’s a problem, there’s always an answer. Press the “A” key and “A” will appear. You know?

Questions in his class are pretty self explanatory and the guides he gives for the students to work through, aren’t too hard at all.

It’s decently hard to not pass his class.

I mean… shit… there’s no homework. None.

He’s pretty reserved, so it’s not often students talk to him for anything besides questions. Which for the most part he doesn’t mind. But when there’s that one rare student who actually gives a shit about how his day is going, it definitely makes him smile.

[summerbunart]

Hello! So sorry that I haven’t been posting much. I’ve been super busy for the past couple months finishing my first semester in college for animation. Which is why I haven’t had the time to post or work on much personal art.

But now that’s out of the way. I thought I’d show you some art I did for my Preproduction class that I’m really proud of.

For this class we had to create an animatic scene of a creature we had to design, so I decided to use the first dnd character that I’ve ever made! His name is Snom and he is a kobold wizard. He normally wears a purple robe and a big wizard hat, but because I’ve been using him in other classes (like 3D modelling). Clothes can be difficult to work with especially starting out and learning anatomy, so that’s why I had to leave it out.

I really love how Snom turned out, and I hope you all love him too!

Also if you’d like to see the animatic I did as well, I’ll make sure to post it as well!

[trashiis]

Ok this is a bit of a wordy post but bear with me. I've been reading up on the tech literacy discourse and I thought I'd add my two cents, and how it connects to piracy. LONG post under the cut!

I was born in the year 2000, which puts me on the border of being a digital native. I was brought up on tech, but only in my later childhood and teens. I've always considered myself "tech literate," but no more than the usual kid my age.

The first time I ever truly experienced tech illiteracy with my peers was when I was 23, when in one of my college classes a MacOS update rendered the software we used for said class unusable. After a few days a temporary patch was released, which by that point an assignment that utilized the software was due the next day. I followed the patch instructions, which involved navigating to the software files and substituting a designated file with the provided patch. A bit more complicated than a simple update, but the instructions were clear and intuitive enough to easily understand where the file went. The next day, during a class study session, I overheard multiple people come up to the professor complaining that the software wasn't working. After the second person complained with the professor being clueless, I asked the student what MacOS version they were on. Sure enough they were on the latest version, which as we already know is incompatible with the software. I then walked the student through the patching process step-by-step, with them needing to essentially be hand held through the entire process (almost to the point of me doing everything for them). After the patch was implemented, the student thanked me and said "Wow! How did you figure all of this out?" and to me that question was stupid- I just googled "[software] [version] MacOS [version] fix", went to the first result (which was the company website), downloaded the patch zip file, and followed the instructions on the README.txt file. It was so easy, and I couldn't comprehend that this was somehow complicated for other people, especially those my age. I mean we literally grew up using computers. It wasn't until I started learning about tech literacy and learned helplessness that I finally started connecting the dots.

Tech in general is becoming extremely user friendly, almost to a fault. UI and UX simplicity is taking away any critical thinking needed to use any sort of tech. My peers are so used to one-click and/or automatic updates, so the fact that this required slightly more effort than a simple update triggered their learned helplessness. The professor was no help in this case either, since he just extended the due date for those affected with no penalty. I actually ended up making a very detailed (and I mean idiot proof detailed) step by step picture guide with screenshots on how to install the patch for the software for the class. Anyways, back to the main point- How can I blame my peers for not knowing how to install a "complicated" update when they're so used to being spoon-fed simplicity?

But hang on- how was I the exception? I'm just as used to tech simplicity as anyone else, it's not like I'm using anything differently or making things harder for myself on purpose (I'm looking at you, linux users). So why was I the only one who knew how to install this update? It wasn't until I had a discussion many months later with my mom about this tech illiteracy epidemic that I finally thought it through. I acquired problem solving skills through piracy. To start off: not piracy but adjacent- learning to install mods in Minecraft when I was 11 taught me file navigation and what a README.txt file was, as well as the importance of version specificity/compatibility. Figuring out how to play Pokemon roms on the family computer and my iPod touch when I was 12? That's piracy, and it also taught me how to work with different platforms and the art of jailbreaking. Installing custom firmware on my 3ds so I could pirate games when I was 16 taught me how to follow written tech instructions without any visual guidance. Pirating Adobe software on my MacBook in high school taught me about patching files on MacOS. All of this knowledge and inherent googling that came with it made installing the patch for my class software look like a tiny drop in the bucket in terms of complexity.

So why am I saying all of this? Am I suggesting people learn to pirate to become tech literate?

yes.

With everything becoming pay-walled, subscription services running rampant, the proliferation of closed-source "ecosystems" *cough* Apple *cough*, and (arguably) most importantly media preservation, piracy is a skill that will serve you well in the long term. It will teach you critical thinking in the tech sphere, and if enough people learn then we can solve this ever growing epidemic of tech illiteracy. I'm not really sure how to end this post, so if anyone has anything else they'd like to add please feel free to.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[thelibricidearchive]

Final Critique – Big Reveal, Writing Initiative #7

As we conclude the semester, please write a summary of your experience as a final blog post, including responses to the following:

What have you learned about yourself doing this self-directed assignment?

I felt that having the opportunity to come up with my own projects really helped bring out my creativity. I was able to use materials I hadn't used before and push my limits. I also got the change to create/make things that I had always wanted to do but never got the opportunity or space to do so. You could say it was a good motivation for me to actually go and do those projects. Like the installation and video.

What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of your chosen assignment? Creativity? Research? Connecting design to research? Craft? Organizational skills? Time management? Something else entirely?

The most difficult part for me was probably just sticking to one idea. I feel like especially with the reflective I wanted to try so many things, but I would shift a lot. That and also the ideas I would come up with were too late, and I would not have been able to produce a final product in time. For example my reflective (the third version) I wanted to create a video that spoke about sliding doors, or in other words different opportunities. The film would have had potential paths I took in black and white, and the one I was on in colour. Almost like representing several timelines where things could have gone an alternate way.

What did you enjoy about this opportunity?

I learned a lot more about being creative in the physical realm. I think like most people in our class I worked mostly on screen, creating art through my laptop. This semester I really tried to stick to working with my hands. Even with the video it was just some editing that I did, but majority was composing the poem and creating all the shots. It felt refreshing to do something like this and that was what I felt was missing in my career. I will 100% be working analogue more, even if they are personal projects.

How would you rate your performance over the course of the semester?

I definitely feel like if I had known what I wanted to do from the start I would have been able to produce better pieces, but given the time, and the different directions Id say I did pretty well. I was very open to feedback from my peers, and made sure I made some sort of progress every week.

Hindsight is 20/20. What would you do differently, now that you've had this opportunity to work this way?

If I had the change I would probably make the 4D more whimsical. I thought about maybe making it a circus tent after, and go with the narrative that the outside represents entertainment, or distractions (since the circus does a lot of that) and the inside becomes a chance for you to find pieces of a poem. I would have decorated it with bright colours and signs, and have lights on it as well, maybe even make it spinning. For the reflective I already mentioned before what I would do. I liked how my 2D and 3D turned out, it came out better than I thought it would. I would just have spent more time working on the quality of them!

[journalsouppe]

hi! i just found your blog recently so apologies if you've already answered this, but (if you remember) how did you get into journalling?

Hi no worries! I don’t think I’ve answered this before!

The short answer is that back in 2021 I realized I had a super unique opportunity to record all my experiences becoming a Zelda fan for the first time as I had not consumed anything Zelda my entire life. I got a small pack of pens and washi tape and a themed journal and a Zelda sticker book and just had so much fun that I’ve expanded! I now have all types of stickers, post it notes, stamps, washi, etc that I’ve collected over the years as well as starting a new journal for all video games I play! It’s been a great outlet for me to not only write but understand design choices and practice freehand lettering, and to support all my favorite artists who sell stickers. It’s been such a fulfilling hobby I genuinely recommend it to anyone who’s interested.

The long answer is below as well as tips to get started! (Sorry it got pretty long fdslijf)

So part of it was that for a long time I’ve always wanted to get into journaling but nothing would stick: I tried daily aesthetic bullet journaling but got burnt out, I tried journaling things retaliated to exercise but it wasn’t as creative as I wanted it to be, etc. I even used to rewrite all my notes in college to make them look nicer and more legible (and to also review all the notes we took in class) but that was just homework and not stress relieving.

Then back in 2021, I was going through a some major life events during my senior year of college and had to step back from doing a lot of things I normally would, especially social things. So I ended up getting back into video games which is smth I hadn’t had the time to do since…. Junior year of high school I think (With animal crossing being the exception bc of course). I always wanted to get into Ocarina of Time so I played that and Majora’s mask (more specifically I watched someone play them ^^;) and realized I had the golden opportunity to record my experience getting into the Zelda community and games as an adult since I had never consumed anything Zelda previously. I believe I started journaling when I was almost done playing (I did actually play this time) breath of the wild so my first true live reaction spread was a link between worlds. And it was so fun writing down all my commentary, I felt like my own personal let’s play YouTube channel where I could look back at all my reactions and thoughts to games.

I wanted the journal to be special so I got myself a new pack of pens, a journal that’s themed to Zelda (it ended up being a shitty journal fdkshlfd but I still love it), an “official” sticker activity book based on all the official art from the 3d Zelda games, and some cool tone washi tape that had gold accents (aka green blue and purple designed tape). And I just fell in love with journaling. I discovered zines around that time so I ended up collecting more and more stickers and stationary to put in my journals and then I wanted to play more games than just Zelda so I got another journal to continue writing there! I even have new journals in the future specifically themed to final fantasy and castlevania to start when I finish Zelda. I also decided I love journaling so much that I plan to open up a shop to sell journaling stickers and eventually book bind my own journals. It’s still a work in progress but that’s just how much I fell in love with my own style of journaling.

It wasn’t until I played the great ace attorney (DGS) where I really appreciated these spreads as I was losing my shit through live reaction entries. I talked about that spread online and my first dgs mutual ever encouraged me to post it… and I had fun doing that so I made this side blog and kept posting. I’m shocked at how many people like my spreads! I prioritize them being for me first but I will do extra things to make them nicer for yall such as not getting sloppy with my hand writing, taking nice photos, and typing up all my words so that they’re more accessible to read. It’s been such a fun journey I can’t recommend getting into journaling enough. You don’t have to even post them online like I do.

If you’re ever interested in journaling, my advice is to do what YOU want to journal. You don’t need to start out with buying super fancy materials or anything, I got a couple of materials since i knew that I wanted to invest in this journal but you can use any pen or sharpie you have at home and just write. You could even draw images instead of using stickers or use highlighters and markers you’ve collected overtime from school to add that pop of color by highlighting words that speak out to you. If you have a printer, you could even print out images (not fanart!!) from the games you play, my oracle of seasons and oracle of ages spreads have printed and hand cut out paper of the sprites from the game.

Don’t watch any aesthetic ‘here’s my daily bullet journal spread’ videos, you’ll get intimidated and if you try it you’ll be burnt out. Journal at your own pace, I dedicate a day once a month to set up like 4 spreads so that whenever I play games I can just jot down my thoughts and keep my journal just next to me when I play. I also don’t force myself to play games all the time so it’s nice having this nice pace to journal when I want.

Find a topic you’re interested in, and just write about it! Could be games, movies, bugs, theme parks, shoelaces, literally anything. Anything that’s a YouTube video can be transformed into journal spread. Find a journal that you have at home or if you want to splurge a little find one that speaks to you in a store! My only advice is that you want the journal to have thicker paper so that none of your materials bleed (make a test page at the back to make sure what bleed and what doesn’t before you start!) and to have strong binding. My Zelda journal has thin paper and a glue binding and omfg I’m stressed about her exploding.

I don’t want this to get crazy long but you’re more than welcome to dm me or my main blog PumpkinSouppe if you have any more questions too! Or feel free to send more anons here I don’t mind! The world of journaling is such a great place where you decide how the world is structured and how you want to live in it, so don’t feel pressured to do something that you know will exhaust or drain you. Tysm for the ask!! ^_^ sorry this got so long fhdljsf

[comfymoth]

a few plans, but the first thing will be getting some elbow braces :T

this last semester I took a 3d art design class and it (especially that rivet gun) really messed up my arms

I think I somehow got both carpal and cuboidal tunnel issues from one semester of hands on work (context: im also an artist, have been for many years, no issues from that)

oh my god! i’m sorry anon, that’s gotta suck!! hopefully the braces will help at least and it’s not too much of a bother :(

a 3d art class sounds like it would be cool though, aside from the horrible side effects. i’ve only taken one, but it was just an intro course, we never used anything like a rivet gun. i was supposed to make a lamp for it, but i never finished it so all the pieces just kinda sit uselessly in my basement. whoops

hopefully none of your classes next semester cause you that much trouble though!! man, what a pain, i really am sorry

[thoselethalarts]

A couple of those ask things I'm curious about

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left or right (or forward even)

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

12. Easiest part of body to draw

14. Any favorite motifs

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left or right (or forward even)?

You know, I haven't really thought about it much before �� I feel like left vs right is about the same difficulty level for me to draw, both for 3/4 view and for profile view. Though 3/4 view is probably easier for me to draw of the perspectives. Front-facing is fun too to see a facial structure from a different perspective- literally!

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw?

WEAPONS! Dear god I am AWFUL at drawing weapons, all of them. Guns, knives, swords, bats, whips, spears, crossbows, morning stars, brass knuckles... I am absolutely dogshit at drawing weaponry without some kind of direct reference to trace over, which really sucks because I love weapons and think they're super cool! I have so much respect for people that design their own weapons, especially the ones that have to work with time period-specific limitations (lookin at you, Vinland Saga)

Also as a side note: fuck shoes. I can't draw shoes (or feet) for shit. Every time I draw a shoe I hope ya'll know that it took me at least 5 different references and a 3D model in order to make that happen.

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate?

Pixel artists and animation, ESPECIALLY animation. I simply do not have the patience for any of it, especially hand-drawn animation; I took a class for it in high school years ago and while I did just fine in the class it made me realize that I do NOT have the patience for the medium. 3D animation was a little easier for me but I'm still not skilled enough at timing and distortion to satisfy my creative image.

Also I have so much respect for pixel artists you wouldn't believe. I used to use Fireworks to fill out pixel art bases on DeviantART over a decade ago and while I did have fun with what I did and could still theoretically do it now, it'll never look as nice as I want it to look in my head 😔

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw?

Jackets and sweaters, but also I LOVE drawing things like scarves and capes that can billow in the wind and shift with the movement of the wearer, cuz it adds a whole new dimension of action to what could otherwise be a static pose!

Also also I'm a sucker for fishnets 😊

12. Easiest part of body to draw?

So fun fact about me- I actually LOVE to draw human anatomy. Whenever I draw a character I always start by fully drawing out the character's physical anatomy, and then I draw the clothes, hair, and faces on top of that! Here's some sketches from the Soul Archive to show my semi-chaotic workflow~

So I guess the answer is anything that isn't feet is easy for me to draw lol

14. Any favorite motifs?

Repeated phrases/symbols that initially appear to have no meaning but then the meaning becomes abundantly clear in hindsight as it's revealed throughout the story, or alternatively a phrase/symbol that has a specific meaning that's relevant only to the initial introduction of it which changes over time to mean something entirely new, symbolizing the growth and evolution of the character/identity that uses it, or the shift in tone/focus of the overall story.

EX: "It's eternity in there." and "Longer than you think." - Emesis Blue "One of us must die." - The Doomstar Requiem additionally: The Open Hand - Army of the Doomstar / SOS - Dethklok

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated?

Oh, EASY. My slipknot-inspired TWST piece I'm still incredibly proud of (even if I've redesigned Phobos since then)

[morgenlich]

What art program do you use and can you tell us a little about your art journey? If you don't mind me asking.

I use Clip Studio Paint and love it! The 3D models are great, it's so helpful not only for pose references and the like, but i also have custom models saved of the characters i draw the most so i have consistent body type + height reference (this is especially helpful wrt ivan lol), also clip studio assets is just. a fantastic resource to have

i was always an artsy kid, i took art all 4 years in high school which at my school meant taking ap 2D studio art senior year (got a 4/5 on my portfolio which i'm still pretty proud of ngl). at my first college, i minored in studio art (it was actually taking an art history survey class for this minor that resulted in me switching from studying graphic design to studying art history which is a whole other story lmao) so i got to continue taking art classes in college. i won't post my favorite pieces on tumblr directly bc they're from a life drawing class lmao so they feature explicit (artistic) nudity, but here's a tweet i made sharing them if you're curious

i fell out of art a bit when i dropped out back in early 2019, because i suddenly lost any motivation or inspiration to do anything in general (this was easily the lowest point in my life and that's including when my mom died in 2015 lmao), and then later felt only inspired to do fanart but traditionally drawn fanart has never been popular unless you're really good lmao so i was intimidated. then a couple years ago i broke down and got an ipad and i love drawing on it tbh, i'm so glad that i did. (it's also great if you like mobile stardew valley btw).

very very slowly i've been trying to get back into traditional art too, because for one i like it, but for another thing, i very firmly believe you should have hobbies that don't require looking at a screen. i actually have plans for doing a little drawtober kind of thing though we'll see if it actually pans out lmao, in general i am hoping that moving to berlin will help reignite some more inspiration even if it's just in the form of going around making sketches of buildings lol

[rhartistic]

Curated Portfolio

This semester was different compared to the other classes I attended, as it was very experimental of how I can expand my artistic skills. I respect the dedication of having to sculpture, pose, sketch, glaze, and so on. These two classes were really a tough challenge, but I still managed to somewhat accomplish with what I have done. I am hoping to start working out on these on my free time next time.

The posts of my figure drawing and 3D design assignments are separated.

Gesture

Contour

Blind Contour

5 Minute Poses

Blind Contour Hands

Studies of Skulls

Thoracic Cavity

Self Portrait (3 views)

Perspective Studies

Mid-Term Assignment

I wanted to find some clothing that bests fit me before I prepared myself to start the real thing. My posing on the other hand was pretty simple to figure out. As for the process of my midterm, I thought I could've done more with it, especially the visibility of it. I thought it was too light from my perspective.

Final Assignment

This assignment was quite a struggle for me to accomplish. Still, I have managed to try and do my best to whatever approaches me. I have mainly taken inspiration from two pieces of arts, and try to tell a story about them by adding figures.

The first one on the left took inspiration from one of the arts from the museum where the text gets lost in translation.

The second was an expansion of an art piece which I interpret as a rainy place, where rocks stand by.

[hoangthuhuyen]

WOII: Week 11 - Postmodernism

Postmodernism refers to a reaction against modernism. It is less a cohesive movement than an approach and attitude toward art, culture, and society. As Gary Aylesworth once said, “its differences lie within modernity itself, and postmodernism is a continuation of modern thinking in another mode” (2005). Rooted in mid- to late-twentieth-century philosophy, postmodern art emphasized individual experience and personal interpretation, valuing these as more tangible and meaningful than abstract, universal principles.

For a designer, postmodernism holds even greater significance. It offers the freedom to create without being bound by traditional rules or principles (see fig. 1), allowing designers to explore styles they may have never considered before. These experiments can lead to success or failure, but what truly matters is the courage to take risks and step outside the comfort zone. Constant creativity, a willingness to explore the unknown, and the drive to challenge oneself are key to a designer’s growth and success.

Last semester, I had the opportunity to explore postmodernism in a craft workshop, where we chose a prompt and expressed it by cutting and pasting images from newspapers and magazines (see fig. 2). It was something I had never done before, and the experience really helped expand my imagination.

This semester, I continued to challenge myself by stepping out of my comfort zone, especially during exercises. In Digital Skills, for example, I applied postmodernist principles by rejecting a conventional grid layout and instead structuring the text within a skewed 3D form to resemble an abstracted office tower. Rather than presenting a fixed message, the layout invites viewers to interpret the visual form in relation to the text content (see fig. 3).

Fig. 1: David Carson commissioned work for the Smithsonian institute, Washington DC, June. 2014,

https://www.davidcarsondesign.com/work/

Fig. 2: This is a collage portrait exercise I created for the Studio module, inspired by the prompt "I know what you did last summer".

Fig. 3: As part of a Digital Skills class exercise, I explored different approaches to designing engaging and dynamic layouts.

( 269 Words)

References:

In MLA style–ref the Learning Center website.

Gary Aylesworth. "Postmodernism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, First published Sep 30,

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/

[yujiehuang0711]

05/04/2025 What Flow (2024) Taught Me About Storytelling and Scope

In class, our professor mentioned the production process behind this year’s Best Animated Feature winner, Flow, and suggested we do some research on it—it might spark some inspiration. What makes Flow stand out is that it wasn’t made by a mainstream studio like Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks. Instead, it came from an independent studio in Latvia. It’s a ground-breaking success for several reasons.

First, the film was made entirely using Blender, a free 3D software. For those of us in animation—especially small studios or solo creators with limited budgets—that’s incredibly inspiring. It proves that high-quality animated features can be created without massive funding or expensive software.

Second, due to budget constraints, the team had to work within tight timeframes and limited computing power, which meant they had to be extremely efficient. In interviews, the director explained that every element—modeling, lighting, textures—was designed only for what appeared in the frame. If something wasn’t visible, it wasn’t made. As a result, they had almost no deleted scenes. Every shot was essential.

These insights inspired me to consider using simple 3D modeling to test different angles. This would save time and help me feel more confident when drawing keyframes, especially regarding perspective or camera positions.

Another thing that stood out to me was Flow’s use of visual storytelling. Due to limited resources, the team maximized the storytelling power of every frame. Rather than relying on lengthy dialogue or flashy effects, they focused on conveying meaning visually. I’ve been thinking about how to do the same—using environment design and character performance to enhance the story, rather than over-explaining with dialogue. This also ties into my proposal’s core approach: expressing key concepts through visuals instead of spelling out themes with words.

The production process behind Flow also made me reflect on how to better manage my own time and creative resources. In interviews, the director mentioned that they spent a lot of time upfront refining the story and storyboard. By making sure every shot had a narrative purpose, the production phase became more efficient. That really resonated with me—since I’m still in the concept development stage, locking down story beats and pacing early on could help me avoid unnecessary revisions later.

It also reminded me that when I work on keyframes and storyboards, I should identify the scenes that are crucial for character growth or emotional shifts and prioritize those. Instead of creating tons of concepts up front, I can focus first on what really matters to the story. This mindset might help me complete my Semester C goals more efficiently, while still delivering a coherent, polished project.

Lastly, during both class and tutorials, my professor suggested I consider the runtime of my project—whether it’s a short film or a full-length feature, a TV format or something else. Initially, I imagined a one-hour animated movie, but during the tutorial, my professor reminded me that pulling off something that long, solo, in a short time could be extremely challenging.

So now I’m exploring alternatives, like a TV-style short or even a standalone piece around 10–20 minutes. This kind of format would not only make the workload more manageable, but also give me space to fully develop my concept art and keep the project within my actual capacity—without burning myself out.

Reference

Swamp Jawn (2025). Flow: How He Made a Masterpiece on His Laptop. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiF3UUzgCws [Accessed 05 Apr. 2025].

3DVF (2024). Flow: Exclusive Interview With Gints Zilbalodis! [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkncKAGzFH8 [Accessed 28 Feb. 2025].

Hebden (2025). Flow. [online] Hebden Bridge Picture House. Available at: https://hebdenbridgepicturehouse.co.uk/movies/flow [Accessed 05 Apr. 2025].

Marsh, C. (2024). ‘Flow’ Review: A Cat’s Life. The New York Times. [online] 21 Nov. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/movies/flow-review.html.

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[tactioninaction]

3D project process

For my 3D I wanted to create a touch box/sensory box to compare how different people's brains processed touch without other senses. For the objects for the box I wanted to transform common household objects, like surrealist sculpture. I was really influenced by Méret Oppenheim's Le Déjeuner en Fourrure, the texture looks so upsetting to me. I also really liked the idea of mixing hard and soft textures in unexpected places, especially with textiles since they are comforting soft textures. Marie Rullions daily haptics ceramics collection was another inspiration.

For the actual box I originally wanted to use rapid prototyping to create a wooden box, I made this cardboard mockup with interlocking joints. It wasn't very sturdy, I used a similar method to make a lamp for my GD3 class and it took alot of glue to make it stand. I decided to just buy a storage box from ikea, cut a hole and hot glue fabric to cover the hole.

I decided on 3 objects- a stuffed rabbit filled with rocks, a knitted swatch stiffened with glue and a glass covered in fabric. I used mostly objects/materials I already had. The rabbit came from a crit, Paul said that a past student did something similar for their project. I wanted to knit because I really like the texture of it and I wanted to subvert the softness. And the glasses are inspired by a project my Dad whos an elementary art teacher did with his students.

The knitted swatch took ages to dry and the centre wasn't fully dry when I started the experiment, I had to hold it under the bathroom hand dryer :/

Here I'm testing out different methods for tying the tights around the glass, I went with hand stitching.

I then asked 10 people I know to touch the objects, draw what they felt and write observations. I went with 2 minutes to touch the objects and how every much time they needed to write and draw. I was originally going to do each object separately but I decided to put them in the box at the same time so It would flow smoother and be faster.

Thank you to my friends, classmates and prof for participating!!

Right now I'm finishing designing the booklet collecting all the drawings. Something that came to mind when organizing everyone's responses was google's Quick, Draw!, it's a game designed to train a neural network on users drawings. The sets of data remind me of my data, with how the drawings range in detail and how they are influenced by people's frame of reference.

I was also thinking about the Aphantasia test diagrams, measuring how well someone can picture objects. I think that ability plays into how accurate people were doing my test. It'd be interesting to ask people where they fall on this scale.

This linear format also influenced how I am arranging the drawings in my booklet

[skylerch]

Introduction

Hi, My name is Ziyou Chen and you can call me Skyler. I am studying the animation major in the BGIE program at QUT. I have been playing video games since childhood, though they are mostly simple browser flash games back then. I started playing games on steam in high school and immediately fell in love with them.

I enjoy various genres of games, from casual games including farming simulators to more fast paced games like strategy and action games, but I especially love games with rich stories. I’ve always been drawn to games that combine great storytelling with engaging mechanics, as they create such an immersive and fun experience. Creating a game that perfectly balance these two elements is my dream.

My main focus is on art. While I don’t know much about drawing, I can do a bit of 3D modeling. In the future, I hope to work in the game industry, probably as a game artist. However, the idea of being an indie game developer is also tempting because I really want to get creative and make something that is truly my own, though I do fear it will leave me broke… and the fact that my programming skills are terrible does not help.

This unit is my first real experience with a game engine and actually making games. I will be working on three small projects using GDevelop and also utilizing the theories and methodologies learned in class. I will create prototypes and test them, then reflect on the players’ feedback and keep refining through iteration. I will record my progress in this blog along the way. Hopefully, by the end of this unit, I will have a deeper understanding and new insights of game design and development!

[astradcreations]

Reworking and improving my work

As agreed with lecturers they decided I can do a rework of my project due to my health issues.

Reviewing and look at previous works feedback :

The artefact shows some potential, but it ultimately falls short in delivering a cohesive and complete look of the universe of “Matsuyama: Curse of The Mirror”. The document feels very rushed, and it’s quite a short concept artbook for a final major project at MA level. The pages do show some care in the general branding, but it doesn’t have a cover and the level of polishing of the artwork varies quite a lot from picture to picture. There are some strong elements in both the document design and the work showcased in it, I like how each page seems to have a different branding based on the “universe” the assets are from, but only the branches and the waves of the page design are fully polished, and the page branding of the universe of fire and pg 4 do not seem to be cohesive with the rest of the document design. Most of the assets presented in the document are severely under-developed: pages 2 and 4 feel both very rushed and all the assets in these pages are not polished enough to be considered ready for publication, especially when assets like the “Fire Priest” and the “Fire Temple” Environment are developed to a much higher standard.

Well done in the details of the “Fire Priest” ribcage being almost a furnace of light, it adds such a strong level of contrast and storytelling to the characters. This is the level of polishing the other environment and characters should be at.

The dragon Ghost feels too rushed. The illustration feels very flat, Aya is very hard to spot in the composition, and while the design of the dragon shows a strong silhouette and pose, it needs more work to be developed fully, both as a character concept art and as an environment work. Those sketches in the bottom right corner do not add much to the page.

The main Character Aya does show some promising design choices. It would have been great to see another drawing or two about how she uses the weapons she finds and other variations on her appearance.

The Samurai Soul has an interesting concept, and you describe quite a lot of cool game mechanics, but where are the visual elements of these mechanics? While the design is developed to some extent, this character needs more work to give a proper idea of how big, strong, and powerful they can be. The final character artwork feels too rushed but does show an interesting silhouette that works well with the general concept. Consider developing other drawings and quick sketches alongside your main illustrations, this will give you chances of developing characters move-sets or alternative poses.

The environment of the Ghost City feels too rushed. While the mood is well suggested, this piece of environment art needs much more work to be able to suggest what textures, materials, assets and elements this universe is made of. In your blog you showcased some 3D models for this city, it could have helped taking a few elements from that render and add them to the houses walls.

The “Mother Spirit” monster form is very strong: the silhouette with these branches being part of the hair really creates a monstrous visage worth any Japanese Horror movies, well done. It also works well with the illustration of Aya being dragged into the mirror, with a few elements clearly “mirroring” the design of the monster. The human form is polished, but very generic and doesn’t seem to tell us much about the mother in his life. She looks too much like Aya (also sharing a similar colour scheme and clothing!) and this can be confusing for storytelling purposes, and, most importantly, it doesn’t create a brand new character to learn about. The mother would need a complete different set of clothing (maybe a more regal and “high-class”?), different silhouette, style and face to achieve that.

In conclusion, the artefact itself only has a few character design elements that feel completely finished and polished, being the fire spirit, the fire temple environment, and the monster form of the Mother. A few elements of the main character Aya are also coming through, but only marginally. The rest of the work is unfortunately not polished enough and feels incomplete in some parts. Those early black and white sketches are not worth showing at this stage (you showed these at your pre-production stage), you could have instead show more variations for the main character and a few experimental sketches you did of the creatures you developed. You clearly showed some strong improvement in your work and techniques, but you need to work on your time management and make sure to be able to deliver the same level of polish and finishing on all the art assets to the same level.

Promo Video

The promo video is more of a slideshow of your images than a promotional video of the project and, most importantly, of you as an artist. There are no links to your socials and, while it gives some idea of what the project is, it ultimately does not help the audience in getting to see the artist and the work you have put behind this. Most of the elements requested by the brief for your promotional video are not being met here. Some images are presented with some strong backgrounds, and this makes the video interesting to some extent, but it needs to be developed further to promote you and your project much more in depth.

Blog

Blog shows some insightful analysis of your process and you are clearly looking into topics that are relevant to the forefront of your field. The forefront posts are rather short though, and while they give some insight into the current state of the industry, it would have been nice to see more connection to how these could have influenced your own practice. The brief asks to research ‘why the people, ideas and artefacts you have identified are at the forefront or cutting edge and how the work you are doing relates to them”: this last part need a bit more of care, and it would have been a great addition to some of your forefront posts. Please also label your “Forefront” posts clearly in the future so that they are easier to identify from the more direct research posts done for your artefact.

Presentation

The presentation was a deep dive into your own artefact, which should have been only a part of the whole process, and you went a bit too much into the details of the project. The brief required you to also deliver an academic evaluation of your artefact and discussion about how your project would have been disseminated to reach your target audience. It would have been better to create a separate set of slides to discuss these elements instead of using the actual artefact. When prompted at the end you gave some strong insight about the skills you developed and how the project helped you in reaching those goals; these answers should have had some dedicated slides to support your major study project.

General

Some of the ideas behind the characters of “Matsuyama: Curse of The Mirror” are extremely original and proposing some impressive examples of character design, but only a few of the elements are properly polished to a level which can be considered fully finished. The majority of the art assets (characters, props and environment) ultimately feel rushed or incomplete and this unfortunately impacted the quality of your submission. The blog and the presentation felt rushed in a similar way, and it feel like your time management skills were tested in different ways throughout the final semester, and this clearly had an impact on the quality of your finished artwork. The finished artworks (especially your characters) show a different and stronger artist from the one that started back in September 2022, but you need to work on your consistency: you have developed a strong methodology of blocking out a 3D model, enhance it with photo-bashing and use a variety of paint-over techniques. Keep that up! If you try and use this method on all your artworks and give yourself proper deadline to complete each of the phases by (for example, half a day of sketching, 1 day for blocking out 3D models, 1 day for photobashing, etc..), you will be able to plan accordingly and deliver all of your work to the same level of your “Fire Priest”, which is by far the most impressive artwork of your submission.

[katebrown2025]

X, Y, and Z Graphic Design in Space James Goggin's RISD class archived link references

"Course Description How might contemporary graphic designers operate at multiple scales with greater awareness of the discipline’s latent anthropometric [anthropometry:  the study of human body measurements especially on a comparative basis—Merriam-Webster], spatial, dimensional, and relational capacities? In turn, how might graphic designers more effectively recognise, and experiment with, our role in translating and reproducing such experiences or phenomena (including art, architecture, fashion, writing) into widely-accessible media at different scales and in multiple formats?

This course will involve a range of collaborative exercises, inquiries, experiments, lectures, readings, screenings, site visits, and projects, exploring graphic design as an inherently multidimensional and spatial discipline. 3D, not 2D. Graphic design as object, as projection, as display, as gauge, as structure, as installation, as sound, as architecture. Not just the X and Y, but also the Z axis.

The course’s subtitle is “Graphic Design in Space,” a literal example being Carl Sagan’s “Pioneer Plaque,” the sum of humankind and space travel etched in pictographic form onto a pair of 9 × 6 inch aluminium plaques attached to NASA’s Pioneer 10 probe on its 1972 mission to planet Jupiter. We will also investigate more terrestrial, yet equally literal, types of space and how they relate to the human body: letters, words, paragraphs, pages, screens, rooms, buildings, and cities.

My aim for students in this class is that, with greater interdisciplinary, contextual, and proprioceptive [of, relating to, or being stimuli arising within the organism—Merriam-Webster] awareness, you will work towards developing what feminist theorist and architectural historian Jane Rendell has termed a “critical spatial practice” as graphic designers. Ultimately, we’ll consider graphic design as an anthropometric system that is not only orthogonal (operating in multiple dimensions), but also orthographic (interpreting and communicating these dimensions through signs and symbols)."