Brush

My tag brush is shown above in pink. I chose pink because I wanted a brighter color to allow my logo to stand out even more. I also really liked the color pink so it was an obvious choice. As for my logo, it represents aspects of my heritage and personal identity. The flower is due to me being named after the jasmine flower and the Chinese symbol in the center translates to “treasure”. It’s a symbol that’s has always been used in my family because my last name is Jewell. The design represents me in many ways and acts as a portrayal of my identity. The tag brush will be my signature on the rest of my designs.

My Favorite Illustrator cc Tutorials

These are my favorite Illustrator cc tutorials.

1. https://youtu.be/pTV2n7fT4fk

This tutorial teaches the basics of illustrator by showing the process of creating a design of little potted plants. It makes it a lot more interesting than traditional tutorials that tend to just flip through the different tools. The tutorial was really easy to follow and the format of the tutorial was more interesting than others. 

2. https://youtu.be/Tw2qUdfvbEQ

Although this video is longer, I think it really covers the most essential facts that will allow you to be successful in Illustrator. Out of all the videos, this one proved to be the most informative out of all the videos I watched. I feel I learned the most from this video and was able to use the knowledge I accumulated in my project.

3. https://youtu.be/3GzumUieDPY

This tutorial covers the essentials in a quick, easy, and digestible way. Every element covered by the creator of the video was important and helpful. It was defined well presented and crafted. I think it could’ve been a bit longer to include more information.

Self Portait

My self portrait design is fairly minimalistic and modern. I chose this style because I found it most appealing to the eye. The reference photo I used was of me holding a penny up to the camera. I liked the photo and I thought it was a bit more interesting than a normal shot of my face. I drew up my design on Procreate (a drawing app that I have on my iPad). Then, I transferred the image to Illustrator and used the pen tool to create the shapes. The words I placed over top the photo were meant to incorporate more modernistic elements and make the design look more like a poster. I chose some song lyrics that I liked. It refers to youth and hippie culture of the 60s, with mention of long blonde hair often tied to the style back then. By cutting your hair you are shedding your youth or a lifestyle you once lived. I didn't have a strong concept going in other than that I wanted it to be modern and simple. The photo and words I chose had little correlation when I began but i think it the end the idea was developed.

Gradient Mesh Project

The purpose of my work was to demonstrate and understanding of the gradient mesh tool and well as an understanding of color. I chose a photo that I had taken, so that I could create a pumpkin. I wanted something that was fall themed and had a general amount of colors that would allow me to utilize gradient mesh to the best of my abilities. I used gradient mesh to build in shadows around the pumpkin to create depth and shape. I used the pen tool to outline the shape of the pumpkin and then filled it with color. After, I used the gradient mesh tool to build in the shadows.

Illustrator Project

For my design, I chose a symbol that had personal meaning by its physical representation of my name. I used a jasmine flower to symbolize my first name and the Chinese symbol for my last name to add elements of my heritage. The symbol is something that my family uses a lot. Also, i'm half Chinese so adding this element to the design made it even more personal. I used path finder tool to create the petals on the flower. For my color choices, I wanted to give myself a variety of different options. The jasmine flower is a a white flower so I initially had some difficulty figuring out where to add color. I ended with 3 options in with the first is my favorite: one with minimal color, one with only a colored outline, and one more colorful option.

Calligram

The purpose of my work was to demonstrate an understanding of illustrator's tools and developing a clear shape using typography. When choosing a design, I wanted a shape with natural curvatures that would allow me to bend the type easily. I felt that a butterfly offered me with a variety of ways to utilize different tools like "type on path". I used a poem for my text entitled "An Irish Blessing". I felt it was the perfect length for the design. I bent the type to build the shape of the butterfly wings and used solid letters to form the body and antennae. To further form the shape of the design, I used the type on path tool to outline the whole design. I really like butterflies and am drawn to natural shapes found in nature when choosing my designs. I spent a lot of time manipulating the type to get it to the correct composition I desired. I also drew inspiration from the inserted photo. This is an old Bandana.