First Attempt at an Illustrator Drawing

Midterm Portfolio

When choosing the images for my portfolio, I kept in mind that I am originally a fine artist. I typically deal with drawings, paintings, and sculptures. I wanted the digital work in my portfolio to reflect my artistic roots and teachings.

The following six images are the ones I chose to feature in my midterm portfolio:

The first image was creating focusing specifically on the lines created naturally or by enhancing the photo. I am extremely pleased with this piece mostly for its abstract qualities. I created the dark shadows with the burn tool and used that same tool to boost the colors in the sky. The darker triangle of grass in the foreground was added by me to move the eye into the space. The shadows on the building were originally of a lighter nature but I wanted to make them darker to create an erie space. 

This photo can be found in the photo enhance homework. I think this was a successful piece judging from how I uncovered the original photo amongst the shadows. I used the brightness and contrast tools to pull out the natural colors in the birds and to lighten up the background. I used the temperature tool to do the same effect as well. I adjusted the curves on this photo ever so slightly to fine tune the levels even more. 

This photo is another one of my favorites. It was originally from the composite homework assignment. I combined an image of the waves upon the shore with a photo from a rock sculpture garden. By using the blur tool I could seamlessly transition from one photo to the next. I used the burn tool to bring out a pop of color in the waves and in the sky as well. If I was to change anything in this photo I think I would bring some of the burnt sienna/ ochre color in the background up into the sky to create a more unified image. 

This image was a part of the photo enhancement homework assignment. I think I did a successful job uncovering the people in the foreground from the shadow that was originally there. I also am pleased with the way the advertisement colors were enhanced. I used a variation of brightness and contrast as well as the temperature tool to fine tune the colors of the background and bring out what I thought was the most natural for the feel of the photograph. I think I had some trouble with the overall temperature of the photo. It still feels like an "overcast" day and I would like it to be more of a normal sunny day. I would also like to get more detail into the sky in the background. It feels washed out to me still. 

This photo was part of the composite homework assignment. I think it turned out overall successfuly. I chose to place a city skyline on top of the rock formation. I used the blur and smudge tool to transition between the two images. I also used the burn tool to enhance some of the foliage located on the rock. To create the shadows casted on the buildings by the rocks, I used the burn tool and slightly added darkness onto the front of the buildings. 

 For this image I changed the brightness and contrast of the image as well as the vibrance levels. I also adjusted the curves levels to create a more standout image. I would have liked to make the sky in the background standout more. It seems to be washed out.

Overall, I am pleased with the way my digital portfolio is growing. Before this class I had zero Photoshop knowledge and following each class I am left with a new skill to add to my repertoire. As a future art educator, I believe my growing knowledge in digital media can enhance my future teaching skills. Whether it be designing an introduction to Photoshop unit for a younger audience. Or developing the students already previous knowledge of the software for an older group, I think I would be equipped with enough knowledge after this course to successfully do either.

As far as my individual images go, I am thoroughly pleased with the overall outcome. I did have some challenges along the way particularly with remembering to create a new layer before each movement. But I feel with time I can improve on that skill easily. I also had some trouble creating a smooth transition during the composite pieces, but I felt my final images were an accurate representation of my improvement.