Assignment 3 - Thoughts

Classroom Activity

To capture and input an image within a frame poses some limitations to consider:

• It is important to be aware of a boundary - the frame. Hence, it is essential to put what is intended in the picture and extract unnecessary elements within the picture to make it distinct in relaying its meaning.

• The camera and the human eye have different perspectives. Therefore it is necessary to consider this aspect when taking photographs so as to avoid missing or accidentally cutting out a main subject.

(Missing out on such a subject would render the image meaningless or even bring about a misconstrued logic.)

The picture above shows a boy chasing after his ball, which had bounced onto the road, before an approaching vehicle. The picture is not effective as it by itself already tells a complete story. There is sense of anticipation nor intrigue on the audiences' part, for the image seems to tell everything.

* A more effective picture would be to hide or partially display a subject would would be essential in injecting meaning to the picture.

In this context, the focus can be zoomed in onto the child onto the road or just show the tip of an approaching car on the border of the frame.

*Audiences are intelligent. They have a mind and can think on their own.

Hence, creating an incomplete image may very well be more effective than showing the whole picture.

Assignment 3

Representational Techniques II

The assignments seem to get more interesting with each passing week. One thing is, it's rather fun doing them. Downside however, its not easy. Tsk.

Taking pictures are a fun thing to do, but taking GOOD pictures is another thing altogether. In undertaking this assignment, I seek to play with different perspectives and angles and explore what effects they bring about.

My 1st picture shows me as the main subject. To further imply that I should be the focus, I utilised the dodge tool in Photoshop to lighten and blurred the surroundings and background, leaving me and a particular subtle subject in focus with fresh and bright colours. I've kept the other subject small in the picture as a way to convey the message that I am not aware of his presence.

(The second subject is the guy in the blue cap, if you haven't already noticed.)

The 2nd picture shows me getting up from my seat and leaving the eatery. This time, the shot is taken from the side of the second subject, in a bid to bring out his existence. I made the subject tilt his head to face me, to tell the audience that he is taking note of me. Once again I used the dodge tool to slightly render the background into a lighter shade.

In my 3rd picture, the subject leaves his seat and his location suggests he is intending to tail me. Again, his attention is on me, while I am still oblivious to his presence and his attention on me.

In the 4th picture, I decided to take a step back and use a shot that zooms out from the 2 of us as the main subject. In this image, it is still obvious that I am being tailed through the crowds. To allow the audience to focus on the 2 of us, I used the dodge tool again to lighten the back ground. The fact that I am in black and the stalker is in white helps in bringing out this effect.

In the 5th frame, the audience sees me entering the gents, still unaware of the stalker's presence. I left the stalker out of this picture so as to create a form of suspense. This will induce the audience to guess if I am still being tailed. Furthermore, the fact that I am entering a toilet, which is a confined area, helps in building up tension in the plot.

My 6th image returns the stalker back into the picture. In this frame, the stalker is seen peering into the toilet. His suspicious stance would bring about an air of mysteriousness about him and the audience will be coerced into guessing his motive and intention of tailing me. This helps in building up the climax and enhances the plot of the story.

The stalker and I are the only subjects in my 7th frame. The picture shows the stalker approaching me and about to tap me on the shoulder. Still, I am unaware of his presence, for I am shown relieving myself, oblivious to the surroundings. At this point in time, the audience will be anticipating the next frame. The climax of the plot starts to emerge.

The 8th frame depicts me turning in shock to discover that I am being approached in the toilet while relieving myself. Here, the audience can visualise me reeling in shock and disgust upon seeing the mysterious guy in the cap behind me. Again, the audience is left wondering what will happen in the next picture.

With my fist in the air ready to land a punch, the 9th frame tells of my reaction to being approached while relieving myself in the toilet. Here, the audience will be leaded to think that the stalker have some ulterior motive for following me, hence my aggressive stance in the picture. To further play on the violent about to erupt in this frame, the picture is taken from a low angle, in a bid to land the focus on me towering over the stalker.

My final picture, the 10th frame,

reveals the intention and motive of the stalker. The image depicts the stalker with an arm up fending himself from my impending punch while stretching out the other hand, with my wallet. Hence upon seeing this, the audience will get the plot of the story and see the twist at the very end of the 10 pictures. The face of the mysterious stalker is also finally revealed in the last frame. The cap had been a decoy in misleading the audience into thinking that the stalker is a bad character in the plot.

* To avoid having boring pictures, try

playing with different angles and perspectives while taking photographs so as to effectively bring out different essences in the pictures.

(I had loads of fun doing this project, even though I had to risk looking retarded while in a public place! Thanks for your help and enthusiasm, Clarence and Ambrose.)

Assignment 2 - Final Symbol

I chose this as my final symbol for at the very next stage the image will start to lose its meaning. This image still hold resemblance of a watch, for there is an indication of time (12), plus the presence of the strap and circular interface gives it a clear distinction that it is a watch.

Without having to input explanation, the audience or viewer will know instinctively that the image is a watch. Therefore, having the required specifications make the image an effective sumbol.

Assignment 2

From a realistic Emporio Armani timepiece, I simplified and made abstract the concept of a watch in 5 stages.

• The first change I made to the watch is to remove the most important thing; that is, the instrument that tells the time. I extract the hour and minute hands together with the brand label and also the date indicator. As a result, the watch have been relegated to just a brandless timepiece.

• Moving on, I simplified the interface of the watch by removing some elements of the intricate design. The end result leaves just the numericals without the roman numbers and the other circles within the interface.

• Next, I removed more details from the watch by simplifying the interface. I decide to leave just four numbers to indicate that it is a watch with a simple design.
  

• The next step results in just the number 12 in the interface with the strap and strap holder in place.
  

• Lastly, I removed the strap from the watch and concluded with just a cirlce and a 12 at the top.

Assignment 2 - Thoughts

Representational Techniques

To bring about immediate association to an object or concept just by a glimpse of the image highlights several pointers to mind:

• The image must be of common understanding to the community. In other words, there must be a common agreement by the people that such a symbol or characteristic is symbolic or representative of a particular idea. E.g $ = Money

• The image presented must be commonly and strongly associated with what it intends to portray. E.g. A pair of long ears = Rabbit

• A designer have to ensure that his representation of a particular concept must be unique or accepted by his intended target audience. If there is a case of miscommunication or misunderstanding with regards to the design, the intended or desired effect from the audience will not be achieved.

I experimented with several objects to see how I can simplify and yet maintain the essence of the subject. A handphone might prove too simple to simplify, given that phones nowadays are getting smaller. A bicycle is just to complex to sketch, a house is already rather simplified, and I decided to choose the watch. It is not difficult to draw and a watch is also a rather common object, hence it will be a safe option to work with.

Update on Assignment 1

I had some thoughts about the first assignment after the presentation in class. The assignment requires you to design your name in such a way that it shows, or is representative of what you like or hate. The issue brought up in class was that many people had pictures incorporated into their designs and the pictures are necessary in order to depict the whole picture. In other words, if the picture is removed from the sketch, the name alone would not imply nor symbolise anything.

This issue only dawned on me when I attempted to improve on my first assignment. I decided to shelve my Adidas and running designs and come up with 2 new ones depicting my hate for mosquitoes. Here they are:

The first sketch shows an insecticide aerosol spraying can with my name as the killing or exterminating element that would kill the mosquito. To depict my hatred for mozzies, I inserted arrow heads into the design of my name. The arrows are also positioned facing the insect, and the lines following the arrowhead indicate swift movement towards it. Besides being portrayed as deadly, the arrowheads also brings about the notion of the devil. In this context, my name is the devil to be feared, for I am out to destroy the insect. To show that the mosquito had succumbed to my arrows, I drew circles to signify it as suffering from dizzy spells about to knock it out.

My second sketch is also a pictorial of how I hate mosquitoes. In this context, my name is the burning element that is burning the insect to death. In other words, the flames are feeding off my name to bring about the combustion that is burning the pest. To further enforce the message that I hate mosquitoes, a circle with a line across it is inserted. This sign is used universally to show a "No" Message. For example, a circle with a dash and a cigarette means "No Smoking."

* A lesson learnt is that when one uses complex and intricate drawings, one may face difficulties in transferring them into computer graphic files or prototypes, for small and fine details are very tedious and difficult to show.

In this case, the insect will prove to be a daunting task to reproduce using computer software.

Assignment 1 - Part 2 - Continued

There you go. My two prototypes. These are 2 things that I like and am able to present them in drawings. The first one, Adidas, I believe, is very distinct and sharp in the sense that once you look at the logo, you know it refers to the Sports giant Adidas. I inserted my name below the logo to show my liking for it. (I drew the logo out! I never copy and paste ok!) To further complement the design, I decide to design my name by using the trademark 3 stripes. However due to my limited photoshop skills, I had to shortchange myself and settle for one with 2 lines. The original Adidas logo had the words in small letters. In a bid to prevent an attempt at copying wholesale, I decided to insert my name in capitals instead. In this way, my name is able to stand out.

(However during presentation, I received comments about copyright infringements. It may not be wise to copy their logo and just insert my name. I guess it would be a safer option to go with another design.)

For the second design, I attempted to show motion. I decided to use dashes and lines to represent movement and speed. To create such an effect, I opened up Paintbrush and drew the lines using the Pen tool, after which I copied and paste them in Photoshop.

To further imply in my design that movement is involved, I slant and italicised the letters. The slanting of the alphabets gives a motion feel to the design, just like how a person leans forward when running or sprinting. Sweat droplets are also included into the prototype so as to bring about a more human feel to it. I added some gradient to the colour and toning of the letters to give it a more sleek look. By incorporating subtle human elements, I have managed to humanise my design.

* I learnt that it is of paramount importance to follow guidelines and instructions provided in presenting a project.

For instance, this assignment required us to present on A5 size paper, with the words "My name is..." and "And I like..." and the top left and bottom right corners respectively. Failure to conform to such requirements would render the project invalid.

Assignment 1 - Part 2

Okay this week was real panicky. No joke. When asked to develop our chosen sketches into digital format or using software to render in a prototype, I must admit I was at a total loss. I seriously have VERY limited photoshop skills. And the fact that my tutorial is on Monday didn't make things better. It just made me realise I don't have time to waste.

- Anyway, the 2 of my chosen sketches are here:

YES I know they are very simple, but I cannot afford to create a more complex or at least a more interesting design! I remember getting frustrated at this point in time. People who lack such photoediting or application software skills are definitely at a disadvantage. I recall dreading presenting my work for fear of being marked down. Any guy with some photoshop skills can easily reproduce my work in like under 15 minutes.
But to me, getting this assignment done is a real feat I never thought I could have completed. Thank goodness for my kind-hearted sunshine friend who took time out to provide pointers for me, if not I would not have anything to present in class. Geez. (",)

I made a pact with myself to improve on and amass more photoshop skills!

* I learnt that A5 is half of A4! Heh.

Assignment 1

I realised I cannot draw very well when I got started on this assignment. I found myself looking around at the others scribbling away furiously while I tried hard to visualise my thoughts.
Come to think of it, when one is asked to produce something on the spot, one would often meet with a blockage of the mind. Tsk.

* Besides this, there were several issues that struck me. I felt constrained by what I know how to draw. That is, I can only design my name to what I can sketch. Hence if I have complex and abstract ideas, I may have to shelve them for my drawing skills would not allow me to present them on paper. Attempting to do so would put me at risk of producing spastic scribbles that might prove impossible to comprehend.

* On another note, what I draw may relate only to me, for I am drawing from personal anecdotes and experiences. The audience or viewer, may not grasp what my sketch is portraying. A certain term or concept may mean one thing to me, but another to a third party. This is one limitation to grapple with when it comes to designing.

(!) (Just a useful pointer that people won't usually think of doing.)
When you're doing sketches, use a HB pencil instead of a 2B. If you need to erase and finetune your drawings, the light shade of the HB pencil would be much friendlier on your paper than the heavier 2B.
HB do not leave unsightly marks on your sketch books too, that is if you don't draw with too much pressure.
After you decide to finalise your drawing, use a 2B to go over to darken and give adequate toning to the sketch.

Let's Get Started!

After seeing all the updates on the other's blog, somehow I feel the need to do mine up too. Heh. Its abit too empty. Tsk. Blogging is just not my thing, though I do like to write (or type, rather). Let's begin with my thoughts of the module so far.

.1. The lecturer speaks too fast. Really. Haha.. Sometimes he goes off in a whizz and when he
ends, I have no idea what was just said. I believe many share the same sentiments. But well,
it is fun though. Haha..

.2. Okay I must admit I took this module PARTLY because its a non-examinable one. And I
heard its fun. But BOY! I didn't expect it to be sooo heavy. Tsk tsk. I see myself cooped up at
home during the weekends cracking my brain on how to do my next assignment
EVERYWEEK. Its abit too intensive for my liking. But well, I'm surviving. For now.



.3. I envy those people who have their tutorials later in the week. My Monday tutorial devours
my weekends! Not that I go out to play often, but I need a break from my 5 DAY WEEK!

.4. The lecturer speaks too fast.
(And the module link in IVLE is useless. Haha. Cute.)

My First Time.

Tsk.
This is actually the second blog I created for this particular purpose. (Learning Journal for NM2208) I came up with one just 2 days back and couldn't remember BOTH my username and password. Tsk.

Well, here it is. My 'first' blog. Haha.. Look like I'd have to dedicate some time to keep stuff in here updated. And it'd need some getting used to. Will post again sometime soon. I hope. Heh.

* I'm officially a blogger! (",)