Final Website Version

When redoing this project, I totally redid the banner image.  I kept the same purple/bokeh background and did a vintage trio of colorized butterflies in purple, pink and white and set their opacity fairly low so that the bokeh showed through.  I also dropped "the" from the title, as it felt unnecessary.  Instead of the plain white background, I'm using a pretty butterfly background in matching pink, purple and white colors.  It's very muted so that the text shows up nicely.  Additionally, I moved the social media buttons and the purple ribbon to the footer, where I added the lupus logo of "I am more than lupus".  

This is what they looked like previously:

Works Cited:

Vintage Butterfly Image. Digital image. Http://estladyjasmine.blogspot.com/. N.p., 15 July 2014. Web. 

25 Aug. 2014 <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/LiEwga6yqVo/UoBJDnbQhtI/AAAAAAAANPA/qzNRhBS5+Zk/s1600/1_+free+vintage+printable_butterfly_clipart.jpg>.

Benadryl Cream image. Digital image. Http://dennischampagn1.typepad.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <http://dennischampagn1.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/benadryl-and-insect-bites.html>.

Flowers and butterflies clipart desktop theme. Digital image. Http://www.fantom-xp.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2014.<http://www.fantomxp.com/wp_23__Flowers_and_Butterflies_clipart_desktop_theme.html>.

Lupus stat image. Digital image. Woman of Faith and Lupus. Google Sites, n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <https://sites.google.com/site/womanoffaithhopeandlupus/>.

Biolage FiberStrong Image. Digital image. Toronto Fashionista. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <http://torontofashionista.com/2014/05/06/the-beauty-box-matrix-biolage-fiberstrong/>.

Purple Ribbon. Digital image. DermaMed Solutions. N.p., 1 May 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <https://dermamedsolutions.com>.

Taylor Garnes & Pamela Moore, West Point, NY. Personal photograph by author. 2013.

Digitized Signatures.

Dig

Butterfly Girls Draft Version

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

This is the draft version of my website idea of "The Butterfly Girls" - which actually *MIGHT* become a real thing eventually.  My daughter and I both suffer from lupus and while there are some decent sites out there, there are none that offer a dual perspective on dealing with it daily.  My lupus is completely different from hers.  Mine started out as the cutaneous (skin) version and then morphed into the full blown systemic lupus.  I have lots of dry, rashy skin problems and my hair is falling out like crazy.  Taylor's on the other hand, jumped into the full blown systemic right off the bat with extreme bouts of tiredness and a multitude of flu-like symptoms.

We would like to talk about products we use (from make-up, lotions to recipes) that make us feel better.  Many of our lupus sites just talk about the symptoms, available meds and where to find other resources available.  The goal of our site would be to educate people about lupus, especially our friends and family, who look at you and say "But you look so healthy!"  (we get that A LOT!)  Lupus used to be thought of as an immediate death sentence and it was hella scary.  When first hear that there is NO cure, you panic and nobody really has answers on how to cope.  The doctors give you a pill and send you on the way.  We would like to show there is a whole life still to live out there!

Avatar - Final Draft

Final Avatar Draft

I'm so glad this project is done and over with.  Blah!!!  I cannot count the hours I have fought and fought with this image and I'm still not happy with it but I said 'enough'!  What I did was basically deconstruct the entire thing and went working backwards layer by layer trying to fix the massive over-Burn tool I did on her cheeks in my draft version.  I also tamed down the Dodge highlights and left them basically on her chin and her nose only.  I took the heavy Burn off the edge of her chin and and the sides of her face that gave her a super heavy shadow effect and also cleaned up the "green" hair issue I was experiencing where yellow + blue = green.  I redid the Liquify effect and pulled her nose down even further and then bloated it some more.  I ended up keeping her eyes the same.  I like that they're crystal-like and shiny.  Of course, I added her to a Deviant Art work of Avatar's Pandora world and the flora there.  

First Draft Version w/ heavy Burn on cheeks & green hair issues.

Original Image

WORKS CITED:

"MisaMakeup.com." MisaMakeupcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014. <http://www.misamakeup.com/portfolio/beauty/38560010-amy-headshot-11-x-14/>.

Pritteeboy. Pandora Flora. Digital image. Deviant Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Aug. 2014. <http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/166/e/d/pandora_flora_by_priteeboy-d693lwa.jpg>.

Avatar Assignment

I fought and fought with this assignment.  Did you know the video doesn't match up with the written instructions?  Yeaaaaah.  There's a couple of things he did in the video that didn't match up to the written bits.  Anywho....this is my first draft version.  I have some work to do on the cheeks, especially the camera left side.  That first round of dodging/burning where you can't see what you're doing?  Yup...that's what happened.  Too much burning.  And remember that old adage from art class that yellow + blue = green?  Yup.  So I have spots where you can see green hair.  I tried to get them all but I think I missed a few.  This was definitely NOT my favorite assignment....not.at.all.

Edit - I forgot to add the original picture.  I obviously cropped her.  The hair over the shoulders on the right gave me too much issue and the necklace was a pain to try to paint over each little bead.  It was just taking entirely too long so I cropped her.  Also, if you look at her eyes in this original picture, you can see there is a lot of glare from the photography lighting being used.  When I blew up her eyes to work on them, there wasn't very many highlights at all to use, which I think made her eyes look wonky in the draft version above.

M4 Book Design Final Version

Final Version

This is the final version of my Identity: Mina Caputo book.  I went back to the project and added a black baroque damask patterned background on the front cover to give it some depth.  The edges were designed with a vignette around it to give it that dark edge look.  While I really liked the first draft picture as it was simple and elegant, taking Mr. Hiuni's advice, I went back and added a "metamorphosis/rebirth" cosmic layer behind it and colorized it the same pink hue that is in the spine coloring and Mina's name, which, came from a sample of her lipstick.  I brought back in some more color to Keith but I still wanted Mina to stand out prominently, as juxtaposition to her past incarnation, so she is still vibrant and almost ethereal.

On the back cover, again taking posted advice, shrunk the text size and made the microphone stand a little less faded so it pops some more.  I also flipped the spine titling to where it should have been.  (oh, and the black border was removed)  All in all, good revisions I think, but I'm still more fond of the first draft picture version.  (personal choice, I guess!)

First Draft Version, for comparison

Works Cited:
Cosmic star formation. Digital image. Photobucket. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/DementedDamnation/media/Stock/1024026_71798202.jpg.html>.

Abstract Black Swirl Wallpaper Background. Digital image. Sentrip. N.p., 4 July 2014. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://www.sentrip.com/1080p-wallpapers-of-abstract-black-swirl-wallpaper-background-jpg/>.

Vocal Microphone On Stand. Digital image. Live Sound Audio. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://livesoundaudio.com/rental-store/media/wysiwyg/LSAImages/Vocal_Microphone_On_Stand.jpg>.

Diamond & Pearl Tiara. Digital image. Tumblr. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://31.media.tumblr.com/41a4448d2fd505e3c4670a0ed5725d98/tumblr_mo517gNPZp1s8a280o1_1280.png>.

Standard Book Barcode. Digital image. SA Barcodes. N.p., 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://www.sabarcodes.co.za/blog/getting-an-isbn-barcode-on-your-book-in-5-easy-steps>.

Aragon, Liz. Black and White Monarch Butterfly. Digital image. Sweet Clipart. N.p., 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://sweetclipart.com/black-and-white-monarch-butterfly-467>.

Keith Caputo. Digital image. TMobile Music. N.p., 30 June 2011. Web. 12 July 2014. <http://www.t-mobile-music.pl/koncerty/zapowiedzi/keith-caputo-na-trzech-koncertach-w-polsce,4466.html>.

Mina Caputo. 2012. Personal Collection, New York, NY.

M4 Book Cover Design Draft

With Mr. Hiuni's blessing to change genres, I chose to feature Mina Caputo for my book cover design.  I have been so inspired and amazed by Mina's story that when we received this assignment, I immediately knew I wanted to feature her.  I first discovered Mina, as Keith, her former male incarnation.  I fell in love with his solo song Selfish and his shy, boy-next-door looks.  His youthful looks changed over the years into a rugged, bearded handsome man who could belt out some seriously loud, aggressive and throaty vocals as can be seen in Within Temptation's video What Have You Done Now.  He was the lead singer of the popular NY heavy metal band Life of Agony for years before branching out on his own solo career.  He was at one time even considered to replace the flamboyant Scott Weiland as lead singer when Weiland was kicked out of The Stone Temple Pilots for repeated drug use.  Few could live up to the vocal range and ability established by Weiland but Keith Caputo was on the immediate short list of acceptable replacements.

However, in July of 2011, things changed dramatically.   After 20 years of performing as a man, Keith announced his transition into the female incarnation he called "Mina" and posted pictures of the transformation via Twitter and Facebook for fans to experience.  The resulting reviews were at first, mixed, but it was clear that Mina wasn't going away and was here to stay.  With a rebellious "in your face" attitude supported by a huge wave of fan support, Mina confronted critics head on by releasing new songs and a series of videos that showed the new feminine side that had been hidden for so many years.  Celebrating her new found confidence and creative freedom, Mina's videos are fresh, sensual and sassy - the most memorable of which show her new curvy, womanly body in lacy black lingerie.

While designing this book cover, I had a hard time trying to decide which version I wanted to capture - the handsome man I first discovered or the sexy new vixen I fully supported.  No matter what picture I tried to manipulate, nothing seemed to fit and on a whim, I reached out to Mina via her website and within 2 days, she reached out to me with help.  I asked her that if a book were to be written about her life, what picture(s) would she most like to represent her?  Would she acknowledge the past or just embrace the present?  She wrote me a lovely letter back to tell me that a book was, indeed, in the works but she, too, was having trouble deciding on how it would be presented.

I asked her to pick some of her favorite pictures and in my design, I layered two of them together, facing each other.  This is reminiscent of her video Identity, where she spends time confronting herself and her new image in the mirror.  I also included a butterfly as the publishers mark as a nod to Mina's own website as a symbol of her transformation.  The pink color on the spine and Mina's own name is taken from the lipstick she is wearing.  I also chose black as a nod to the picture of Keith and his black leather jacket he's wearing and for the association with his heavy metal music.  The microphone stand on the back cover is pretty self explanatory.  :)

M3 Poster Final Version - Gay Marriage Equality

Final Version

This is the final version of my Gay Marriage Equality poster.  I followed the suggestions made by Mr. Hiuni and moved the wedding rings below the word "marriage" and centered it to be inline with the flowers.  I also shrunk the type so there was more of a border present along the sides.

I ended up sticking with the same fonts and not changing them as I had thought I would.  I like the way the "M" scrolls up into the tux a bit and nothing else looked just right to me.  I tried to change up the colors of the fonts but didn't like the boldness of black against the pink sparkle so I did the dropper on the tuxes to pull the font colors out from there so it would look more cohesive.

I also blended the flowers more so they weren't sticking out so brightly against the tuxes. I also added a drop shadow to the flowers to mimic the shadow on the rings.

First Draft Version

My friend suggested to change one of the tux colors but I decided to keep them both black in an effort to show "sameness" or "equality" if you will and that the two grooms would be standing side by side as they say their vows.  It just felt right to keep them both black.

The first draft version can be seen to the right for comparison.







Works Cited:

LeoSynapse. Formal1. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., 2 Dec. 2005. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://www.freeimages.com/photo/418618>.

Gay Wedding Rings. Digital image. Queerty. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs/2013/08/Gay-Wedding-Rings.png>.

Christmas Background. Digital image. The English Wedding Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://english-wedding.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/christmas-background.jpg>.

Sepia-Bokeh3. Digital image. Meghan G Photography. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://meghangphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/sepia-bokeh3.jpg>.

Gay Marriage

This design was inspired by my best friend Sean and his boyfriend, Billy.  Their life together is very complicated.  Billy is an active duty solider in the Army and years ago,before he met Sean and before gays were allowed to have same sex partners in the military, Billy married his lesbian best friend so they could benefit from the spouse/dependent status.  This meant more money for them and better housing choices at their stations.  Now, Billy and his "wife" live in separate states with their new chosen partners, yet are still married to each other.  While Billy lives in a state that supports gay marriage and he could happily marry Sean now, his "wife" doesn't and so they remain married for convenience until she is stationed somewhere else that upholds gay marriage.

This cause is very near and dear to my family and I as we know how much Sean wants to be married to Billy.  We fully support marriage equality for them and everyone else who is suffering unfairly while these archaic state laws are still in effect that prevent their very happiness.  When I told Sean I was making this poster, I asked him what message he would like to see and the answer was heart-breaking:  how would his marriage destroy the "sanctity of marriage"?  So while designing this poster, I wanted to make something that reflected Billy and Sean's personality/style while still getting the message across.

This is just my draft version...I still have some touch ups to do like blending the flowers more.and I might fiddle with the fonts.  I wanted a "wedding invitation" feel to it but I'm not sure this is the one exactly.  We'll see how the final edits go!

Module 2 Final

I realized after posting my original concept version that I had forgotten to activate a background layer of distressed, splattered music sheets.  So, that is now turned on and you can see it running in the background now.  I took the advice about the green lights and brought them forward a layer and enhanced their green, vivid color more.  I extended the lights to reach the full page length too.  I think it fits better than stopping mid-way. The girl didn't really blend well in my concept art and so I ran her through a soft, warming action to blend her better into the scene.  She's not quite sticking out like a sore thumb any longer.  I also fixed a boo-boo on her lip area that I "thought" was a smear on my screen!  Turns out it wasn't and my color range selection deleted part of her lip area in my original.  I also did an inner shadow/gradient work on the logo as I didn't quite like it standing out off the page either.  I think this final version is much richer and more vibrant.  Still has that bright, funky "dance club" feel to it that I just love.  Very happy with this final version.

For ease of comparison, here is the original version.

Works Cited

Broken CD. Digital image. Duplication Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2014.

Ematil_1023. Backlit Microphone. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 May 2014.

Green Laser Light Show. Digital image. Casa Laser Lights. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.

Ilkaysan. Curtain 2. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., 22 Nov. 2009. Web. 31 May 2014.

Royalshot. Woman with Headphones. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., 18 June 2010. Web. 31 May 2014.

Wandrei. Abstracto Musical. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2014.

DJ Cosmik

Since I just received my new Wacom, I decided to use it for my sketching to get in some practice in!  As you can see, since it looks like a 3 year old drew it, I definitely need more practice with the digital pen!

My concept here is based on one of my favorite genres - techno!  This would be the cover art for DJ Cosmik and it features some of the most essential tools that a DJ would use - a turntable and a microphone for shoutin' at the dancing mob!  Behind the girl with headphones is a bright, wavy, funky curtain effect.  Everything is just very bright and colorful, reminiscent of what a dance club would be or maybe even a rave.

My second sketch is a darker take on the CD cover design, this time reaching into the cosmos where music mixes with the stars!  I had considered using a moon in the middle but I think I will choose a CD instead (or maybe I will meld the two together) and then have this bright, eye catching explosion happening behind it.  The DJ is still there, as well as her trusty turntable.

However, what I ended up with was something totally unexpected.  I tried the dark version and didn't like it.  It did give a "cosmic" space-y feel but yet, the club type atmosphere I was going for was missing entirely.  I went back to my first original sketch and played around with it some more.  I didn't like the turntable effect I had.  It just seemed out of place so I found a broken, scratched up CD and manipulated it instead.  I also HATED the color explosion effect I had so badly wanted.  I wound up taking a club scene and pulling out the green neon lights and flipping them upside down from the top of the page.

I feel like my montage is definitely effective in bringing you a dance club/rave type feel to it with the flashy bright colors.  I think I'm missing is a smoke machine!  The font has a very fresh but funky, playful type vibe to it - the dots sort of remind me of a DJ's mixer board lights.  There is a very faint microphone present - an absolute must have tool of the trade for a DJ to get the crowd on their feet and keep them there! The CD on the right is cracked and scratched whether from repeated wear & tear or you could even so venture to say that the music is too awesome to contain on a mere CD!  Behind her, is a rippled, rainbow curtain effect that hints towards those all special VIP areas that are cordoned off at the best clubs.  It almost looks like she is happily getting lost as the music carries her away; she is gazing upwards and that's why I angled my neon light effect upside down from the top.  I just love this very ambiguous picture of her - do you see her as just a listener or the DJ?  Totally open to the viewer's interpretation.