Progress in the class

This is my first "formal" art class, and I have learned a lot from this class. For my final project, I want to try something new although it still may be not so creative. I think maybe the most significant improvements in my final project is to try something I have never done before. A "math people" want to think in an art way! In the midterm project, the traditional thinking pattern leads me to creating that image because in my mind, the dream is what you want to get in the future, but compared with the images created by peers, it seems a little boring. Therefore, in my final project, I create a image that shows I want to be creative and try something new. Especially, the words on that image shows my topic: changing. Changing your mind and creativity and inspiration will be like butterflies from your brain. And also, the techniques for selecting images have improved a lot through this class. When I was a novice to photoshop, how to select part of a image seems difficult for me (although it's a very easy skill in photoshop) and the only technique I know to do that is to use the "Rectangle Marquee Tool", but the drawback of that tool is this tool is only convenient to select regular image like square, but it's not so useful to select irregular images especially for that detailed images. Now, I know how to select part of the images with various methods such as "Lasso Tool", "Quick selection Tool", "Magic wand Tool" and the color range, which are much easier to select and cut the images that I don't need. For example, I use "Quick selection Tool" and "Magic Wan Tool' to select and cut the butterflies from other images to paste them on this picture. The upper image is my midterm image, and compared these two images, the lower one is much vivid and interesting since in the final project, I use a concrete method to express my meaning rather than a conceptual way. At the same time, the increasing elements in the image also helps me to explore the meaning I want to show.

Big Idea for Final Project

For the final project, I want to try a totally different idea from the midterm. After seeing the projects done by my classmates, I'm so surprised about how creative they are! When I was in China, all of the courses I took are in the science field, like math, physics, biology and chemistry, and now, I'm major in Actuarial Science; so, I always find the correct answer. However, what the art really needs is not a right answer but a creative thought. Therefore, for the final project, I am going to show the bid idea that I want to have creative imagination and try to think in a "art" way. I got inspiration from an advertisement for an electronic cutting machine. Although it's an advertisement for the cutting machine, it meet my idea appropriately.  It shows the cutting machine cut the word and blow it away, and I want to show that I want to blow away the dominant "science" mind away and clear some space for the "art" mind in my brain. I use some transformed and exaggerated font to show the science formulas to show that I want to throw away the previous "science" mind when I do the art pieces and be creative. I will show this image to my friends and tell them try to think in an “art”way when they fell tired from studies. I find I have trouble in removing the rough edge of the image and in my final project, I will do an improvement for that technique and do a better work. 

Inspiration From Artists

I'm a student from China, and this is the first time that I leave my parents for such a long distance, the U.S.! Before I came here, my parents always hesitate whether it's a right decision to let me go broad. On the one hand, it's my decision and it's also my dream; on the other hand, my parents are worried about whether I can "survive" in the U.S.. My father asked me:" Are you really ready for being alone in that unfamiliar environment without the care from your parents?" I promised my father:" I have nothing but courage. It's my own decision, I will go on no matter what difficulties I will meet." Actually, I really met a lot of difficulties when I came here; different culture, environment, friends, language and so on, all of these made me homesick. I really miss my parents and my friends in China, but every time I think of my promise to my father, I told myself: Never Give Up, no matter what difficulties you meet. So, in my midterm project, I use that image to express my Big Idea: Courage. On that image, a person is running on the top of the mountain. The mountain means the difficulties, and as long as you can persist and have courage, no matter what difficulties you have to face, you can make your dream come true. In addition, I use some techniques of photoshop to make the mountain virtual which means difficulties may not be so tough as you expected, and if you have the courage to overcome them, they won't be the obstacles on the way to dream.

For the final project, I got inspiration from a Chinese cartoonist, and his name is Yindao Murong. He created a dog whose name is Daodao. Daodao is a little dog wit big head. He is quiet and not talkative, but his words are warm and philosophy. Yindao uses this dog to express his own feelings and tell people some simple but practical truth. I find inspirations from his artwork, and I think maybe I can use some cartoon character to show my feelings. It will be interesting! Although he doesn't use many digital techniques in his artwork, but his work is still very impressive. His work makes people feel warm-hearted and relax especially when you discourage from life since this little dog lets you realize that being alive is beautiful!
I find some information about Yindao from his blog.

words on the cartoon:
He always sends people gifts
But no one sends him a gift
So, let's give him a hug
Forever "Old-Boy"

words on this cartoon:
Just let stay on the tree
So that I can fall down with leaves when autumn comes

http://baike.baidu.com/view/284455.htm
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1194720022

Make Up

I took a picture for my roommate and use it as a original source. 

Then, I press the Q key and choose the brush tool with 0% hardness and proper size to brush the face in red. After that, press the Q key again and the red area will be selected.                  

I make the lip better with the brush tool in another layer.

Then, I use the brush tool and whitest color to paint the T-area on the face. After that, I use the Gaussian Blur to make it natural. 

I use the brush tool and the blackest color to paint at the cheek bone and use the Gaussian blur to make it nature.

Finally, I use the color balance to make the image look warmer and realistic.

After Make up 

Although it may not be so obvious, but it's a little bit better than before!:)

Link:http://www.worth1000.com/tutorials/161629/make-up

Digital Artist-Lillian Schwartz

Lillian Schewartz is an American artist who was born in 1927. She was a pioneer in the development of computer technology in art in the 20th century. Computer technology was used in her many artworks, including graphics, films, video, animation, special effects, Virtual Reality and Multimedia, and her works were exhibited in The Museum of Modern Art as the first computer-based work (Lillian F. Schewartz: Digital Art&Art Analysis, 2001). 

One of the most famous works of Lillian Schewartz is Mona Leo. On this series of images, obviously, we can see that she put part of Leonardo Da Vinci on that mysterious painting-Mona Lisa. One side of these images is an old and wrinkled face; the other side of these images is a young and beautiful face. Although there are apparent differences between these two faces,  the amazing fact is that the outline of them are too similar so that these computer-made images are so harmonious! In such a case, one of the connotations behind this digital work is that Mona Lisa and Leonardo Da Vinci may be the same person (The Hidden Mona Lisa , 1986)! People are always interested in the mysterious smile of Mona Lisa, and try to interpret the real meaning of that smile and the relationship between Leonardo Da Vinci and Mona Lisa. With the help of computer technology, Lillian Schewartz compared the self-portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci and Mona Lisa, outlines of nose, mouth and face are coincide. Thus, it' s easy to associate that Mona Lisa may be a man instead of a young lady as we usually think. However, because of the lack of evidence and record, the controversy comes out. So, the other connotation is that the similarities between these two paintings are maybe because Leonardo Da Vinci used the same method to paint these two pictures. The mystery of Mona Lisa may be interpreted by the development of digital technology and the effort of digital artists like Lillian Schewartz.

Images are found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Schwartz

http://design.osu.edu/carlson/history/lesson9.html

References:

LaFarge, Antoinette  (1996, October ) . 'The Bearded Lady & the Shaven Man: Mona Lisa,      

     Meet Mona/Leo' .  (p379-383)

     Leonardo: The Journal of the International Society of Art, Science, and Technology, Vol.                           

     29, No. 5    

     Retrieved Jan.13.2011

     http://www.jstor.org/stable/1576403?seq=5

Lillian F. Schewartz: Digital Art&Art Analysis ( 2001, July, 14). Retrieved Jan. 13. 2011

     http://lillian.com/

The Hidden Mona Lisa (1986, APRIL, 8). Retrieved Jan. 13. 2011

     http://lillian.com/?p=47