Artist Exhibit - DADA and Justin Quinn

During the first week of school, I was given a tour of the DADA exhibit in the Jot Travis by my German art history professor and one of my classmates. The DADA exhibit was truly meant for both artistic view and educational value as it served multiple purposes in the Jot Travis building. The middle exhibit helped to really make the exhibit educational yet inviting and interactive. There was a computer, plenty of books, wall pieces of articles discussing the history of Dada art, and a video that played with seats in front of it. The interactive quality of the exhibit was by far very well done, and I felt quite welcome in the space. Due to the welcoming atmosphere the middle room held, I also learned a great deal more about Dada art I had not know before since I read one or two books. The exhibit that by far took my attention the most though was Justin Quinn’s Not Everything Means Something gallery. I found it to be fascinating how Justin Quinn used typography and paper as his main art style and medium in the gallery. The piece that intrigued me the most was the piece on the left wall by the gallery entrance: a retelling of the story of Moby Dick using only the letter E. The pages and structure of the paragraphs were just like the original book. However, the structure changed more and more as pages went on until suddenly the Es were making shapes and forms on their own in the pages. As an artist interested in all fields, it was very astounding to see such a different form of art that I had only really seen one other time in a textbook. The gallery fit to the DADA theme as well. The words did not make sense and were very useless in conveying language. Still, Quinn used that to look into the form of language and give a simple letter in the alphabet another form. Overall, I was very highly impressed with the show that had been put on in the beginning of the semester. It was highly intriguing and very educational, but also feeded on a person’s curiosity and need for interactive qualities. Brett Van Hoesen, Justin Quinn, and all the students of the DADA exhibit did a wonderful job with their show, and I found myself going more than once to observe things I hadn’t focused much on the last time.

Artist Lecture - Justin Maes

During the month of October, I went to the opening exhibition and lecture of Justin Maes’ Return of the Gold exhibition in the Sheppard Contemporary gallery of the Church of Fine Arts. Justin Maes went forward and talked much about his life in art and how he came to do the current style he normally does now. A question I had asked him during his lecture was concerning a certain art piece I had seen coming into the gallery. Standing right by the entrance was this huge pink sheep made of foam and plastic. When I asked him what the purpose of the pink sheep was, he gave me a more simple answer saying that he thought pink would be a color that would grab more attention than simply grey. Maes explained that he made that sheep with no real purpose behind it; he simply made the sheep in the spirit of the western style as well as for fun. This was intriguing since it has been awhile since I have talked to an artist who did not have some sort of intricate meaning to his artwork. It was a good lesson to be learned: not all artists have a big meaning to their artwork but rather make pieces out of their own enjoyment. One of the most interesting pieces in the exhibit was the golden bull located in the back of the gallery. It reminded me of the golden calf from the Old Testament, the symbol of a manmade deity made by a desperate and bitter people. When asked about the golden bull, Justin Maes explained that he had made the bull for the sake of a reminder. In truth, as he said it, he had made his artwork much like the golden bull in the Bible; it had become a symbol of his arrogance. The golden bull stood as a symbol of false idolatry and a reminder that we need to sometimes step away from the work or style we’ve been working with and work with another. Overall, I’d say that his lecture was quite enjoyable. Justin Maes went with such a fun topic that seemed to fit with the Old West Nevada spirit. He used a ton of mediums like spray paint, cardboard, foam, wood, and video. The lecture showed that sometimes we all need to take a break from what we normally do and try out something new and fun at times.

Final Project - Wiichuck Instrument

For this final project, I wanted to create something that was both interactive and more small. I did not have a certain artist in mind as inspiration for the idea, but rather became inspired through looking at a multitude of art projects centering around working with Arduino boards. From the experiments we worked on before, I grew to be really interested in Arduino boards and how they work, so I decided on a project revolving around them. I decided to use a Wii nunchuck as my other device because of its versatile ability to perform many functions and gain many readings from a computer due to its sensory devices. To me, some of the most entertaining things can be found in some of the smallest devices, and I really wanted to incorporate a more interactive quality to my project so everyone could have fun with it. This project was a bit harder than I had expected to accomplish. I had to relearn my basic coding skills and even then getting the Arduino board to calibrate and recognize the Wii nunchuck was a big process. The hardest part was by far the coding. I had only taken one computer science class, and coding had never been a real strength of mine. Therefore, I needed a lot of help with the calbration of the nunchuck, but I was so happy when I finally saw it working. It took even more time to get the speaker to play sounds according to the movement of the nunchuck and its joystick, but I did eventually get it to work the way I wanted. The sounds give off a very computer-like, futuristic feel in its tones...almost as if the board is speaking its own language through the nunchuck. Overall, looking at things like the making behind circuitry and relearning how to code, I did learn a lot more about circuitry and the functions Arduino boards can perform with different objects. This was by far a fun project to attempt as were all the other projects I had done.

Video Triptych - What Dreams May Tell

Dreams are said to be an unknown realm. Some believe that in the end, dreams may mean nothing after all. Others believe that dreams hold significant meaning and can act as guides or foresights. I made this video to portray both the strange mysterious quality of a dream as well as the feelings that occur when one cannot remember or remembers very little of the dream. The video effects were inspired by Nam Jun Paik and the audio/visual interactions were inspired by Christian Marclay. The left and right videos portray the strangeness of the dream while the center video keeps us centered on the reality of the situation. The left video is noisy and choppy representing the tendency to both forget dreams or remember fragments of it. We never get the whole. The right video is meant to be a foil as it is soft and one constant video meant to be a journey. This video is meant to be subjective and meant for everyone to find their own interpretation and meaning.

Video Triptych - Videos

What Dreams May Tell - Rest from Jasmine Alicea on Vimeo.

What Dreams May Tell - The Walk from Jasmine Alicea on Vimeo.

Musical Scores

Shown above is the musical score created for my whistle by David Kohut. Thinking about the nature of my whistle and the patterns this score created, I decided to read this score like a faint whisper. The three densities of the lines I saw on the score I assigned to one of the three workable blow tubes on my whistle. From there, I read the score very much how I would read or hear something like Morse code with the sounds the different tubes made and the changes they made when certain tubes were plugged. In the end, I played the score very much how I would want a faint message or tune to sound, and I aimed for the audience to concentrate so hard that it did cause a slight headache.

Shown below is the musical score I made for David Kohut's string balloon instrument. His instrument could make certain noises with the balloon under the strings and well as be controlled enough to create a reverb in tune. I aimed for the score to be in essence a downhill spiral with the sounds and noises getting softer and more distanced as the score was played on. In the end, I also wanted to create a sudden pop of noise via the popping of David's balloon. The idea was to start out strong and clear then get slower and softer as time went on until the audience loses attention. At the end, the pop was meant to bring attention back suddenly as well as give a fitting end.

Artist Instrument

For my artist instrument, I wanted to design something a bit different than the normal rubber band string instrument. I found myself really inspired by instruments like the ocarina and the whistle, and I wanted to create a wind instrument that was both quiet and soft like the wind yet held different pitches with each blow tube. Through the use of the 3D model maker, I was able to design this whistle. This whistle is unlike the rest as the sound it produces is faint and one needs to listen closely and concentrate to clearly make out the pitches. It is representative of the small things we fail to hear or see in life as we are surrounded by a fast life and loud noises.

SecondLife Avatar

 My face mesh process. It took a lot of time to do the front side, and the ears and sides of the face seemed to take no time compared to that. I had to fix a few things too even after the first fitting.

This is how the face mesh came out in the end. My nose is way too big but besides that it was an ok mix.

The object I made was a more simple one….a jellyfish. I made two: one for a chair and one as a hat for my second character.

My second character on SecondLife. She's based off of a jellyfish queen character I had made not so long ago. I love how the hat looked on her and almost replaced the head indefinitely. :3

Virtual Sculpture

I'm not going to deny how hard this project was. As a newbie I found myself stumbling on these newfound issues. However, I did have a lot of fun with it. Whatever I couldn't replicate from the sculpture I did my best to replace. It's nowhere near perfect, but it was a good first try.

Reading #6 Questions

1. The author gives a lot of comparisons to digital media now and digital designs of the past. What are some other examples of fast yet older technology besides cinema?

2. The author states the truth of the degradation and loss of information in digital images and the use of "lossy compression" can show the amount of information lost in an image or video. Do you think this situation will last for awhile or pass quickly?

Artist Lecture - Clairissa Stephens

On April 24th in the Jot Travis, Clairissa Stephens presented a discussion and lecture on her masters of art exhibition as well as her love of land art. Displaying both works that would be shown in her exhibition and works of years past, she spoke about the driving forces of each piece and her inspirations as well. Unlike artists like Erika Harrsch, Stephens held a more simple approach and meaning to her works. She meant for each piece to be a new treasure in her travels, and she used them as newfound pieces of a map she herself made.

Clairissa held a vast love for discovering new things and mapping out unknown territory. In fact, she loved finding new treasures in her quests and hikes. 40.6159. -115.3987 was a clear example of this as it is a map of Thomas Canyon drawn on maple wood with silverpoint holding bighorn sheep wool in a container. Dated on the exact location it was found, the wool was a true treasure found for Clairissa when she and her husband could find no bighorn sheep in the canyon. I can relate very closely to this feeling and experience. I have been on many hiking and camping trips in my life, and I tend to take a small treasure home with almost every expedition. 40.6159. -115.3987 is a statement to the unexpected things we make find in a journey. Stephens loved looking at the change in an ecosystem and contours in spaces. Her work, Memory Map: High Rock Canyon, envelopes the truth that a map is never truly accurate in its content. The piece is presented on 14” by 20” embossed paper which holds a soft and comfortable touch. The embossed paper can be shifted and changed giving the impression that our memory can make a map of what we see, but it is flawed by our perceptions and time span. The world continues to change, and personally I loved this ideal she hit with her work.


Stephens held a great love for the changes in an ecosystem in aspect to light and color quietly over time, and she found even the most minor things to hold extreme significance. Her 2012 piece Aspens is a perfect example of a presentation of change in light and color. She made the trees out of organza and thread in order to give the impression of a quiet and soft movement in the trees. Furthermore, she used the materials to give the trees a sense of illumination. This is very astounding since it must have felt like you were in the woods themselves with the sense of tranquility it brought. Her most recent work, Crystal Peak Horizon Line, focuses on the horizon line that makes the relationship between the sky and the mountains for those of us who watch it. It uses quartz tied with string to make the line, and it gives an interesting view in that the sky is now the positive space as it is hung. Crystal Peak Horizon Line also reinforces that feeling of treasures in a hunt as every piece of quartz was taken from the location they stand in the horizon line. Stephens showed to be such a deep thinker in her pieces as well as creative in the way she exhibited them.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Clairissa’s lecture over her art. Land art was a new topic to me since I had only recently read about it in contemporary art, but I must say that she is a wonderful example of a land artist. Her reasons for her works really reached out to me since I myself have had many outdoors exhibitions and similar experiences as a child. It was almost like I was reliving memories from her words, and I greatly enjoyed the nostalgia that came with it. I do not find myself changed by her work, but I do find a part of myself revived by it. Her work was very inspiring, and I am very glad for going to both the lecture and the opening of her exhibition.

Artist Exhibition - Phyllis Shafer

        At the Nevada Museum of Art, I was able to see and look at every piece in Phyllis Shafer’s exhibition named I only went for a walk.... Based off of the expedition and regionalist art of naturalist John Muir, every piece of art is a fun mixture of abstract and realistic regionalist landscapes. One of my favorite paintings was Lily Lake (2005).

One thing to comment Phyllis Shafer on in her artwork is her extroadinary use of line and movement in her paintings. Almost nothing in her paintings is completely stagnant. You can feel the movement of the grass in the painting as well as the movement of the water in the rivers and lakes. You can even trace the movement of the wind and clouds in some of her paintings. This is all due to her careful work with painting gesture lines onto her subjects. These lines also give the subject a sense of rhythm and harmony within. For example, some of the rocks, trees, and mountains are painted this way in a few of her paintings. When I see this, I feel as if there is a never ending connection between the powerful forces of nature.

Another thing to compliment Shafer on is her use of color. Her color scheme sticks true to the image she looks at when she is painting, yet Shafer also cleverly pays attention to contrast, lighting, and hue in her paintings. Grass in particular is a fun example to go by. With grass, Shafer goes from using different hues and tints of the color to create a sense of light and shadow to using analogous colors to portray the same thing. She also takes note in using complimentary colors to define good contrast.
Personally, my favorite thing about Phyllis Shafer’s art pieces is her switch from realistic to abstract painting. A lot of Phyllis Shafer’s works are very abstract in design through her use of coloring contour lines. It seems realistic yet looks like something from a cartoon. Overall, Phyllis Shafer is an amazing artist with a talent unlike any other I have seen.

Art Lecture - Erika Harrsch

       Earlier in February, Erika Harrsh presented her work in an artist lecture in the Knowledge Center. Showing each work she had presented in exhibitions, she explained her reasons and inspirations for each piece. The butterfly, the monarch butterfly especially, inspires her in every piece she creates as it stands as a symbol of life, death, change, and indigenous culture. Erika Harrsh also bases her works off of powerful themes such as identity, migration, materialism, and music.

This artist showed a true creativity in her approach to certain powerful themes of her art pieces. For example, her first piece, Imagos, were Photoshopped pictures of butterflies from around the world. There is a subtle difference however; the center body of the butterfly has been replaced with different pictures of female genitalia. It never truly showed until you looked at it for some time therefore showing her cleverness in the collage. Once the truth was revealed, her theme of identity became so much more powerful. One of her most creative pieces was her United Nations of North American Passport. The amount of research she took time to gather certainly showed in the final product. Her passport is almost identical to a normal passport, and she creatively combined the symbols of all three North American countries to create her concept of a passport for one combined nation. The factor that truly touched me was her willingness to go out and make a fake passport stand in different countries. The stories she had to tell from each hit home for me. Erika Harrsch’s theme for this passport was migration, and her journey from country to country made it stand out all the more.

        Her attention to detail and the complimentary factor of sound to art astounded me. By far, her most interesting piece was the Erika Harrsch LED Cello. The amount of work she placed into making each sound have their own piece of art accompany it on the LED screen amazed me so much. The art and animation shown on the LED screen varied from analogous to complimentary colors in order to create good contrast. The art itself was one very well placed collage. In my mind, Erika Harrsh created a dual purpose: giving a beautiful visual concept to the sound of the cello and giving her artwork a sound to have it transcend to affect more senses. 

         Overall, her visions behind the works as well as her works themselves made her lecture far more enjoyable than I had originally expected.

Artist Paper - Human Race Machine and Web of Life

      In the growing age of digital media, there are many different types of digital artists that have grown to create outstanding pieces for the world to see. Some of these pieces hold a meaning and moral for the world to understand; others, a personal reflection for themselves. Nancy Burson and Helene Kippert are two digital media artists with different approaches to a similar general goal: gaining a bigger understanding and reflection of ourselves as individuals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1x3DUep-eI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnf0fiNuO0Y

Nancy Burson is a photo manipulator that has been working on many diverse projects and designs since the 1980s with one of her most famous being the Human Race Machine. Having been first made for the Millennium Dome in London in 2000, the Human Race Machine became very popular to the public, and more were made around the Unites States specifically in colleges and universities. The process of the Human Race Machine is easy to follow with some help. The Human Race Machine first takes a headshot of the person in the booth. From there on, the person can toggle with the features of the headshot and figure out what they would look like as another race. There are 6 races to pick from: White/Caucasian, African, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic. As years went by, new features came into play in the machines as well. For example, people could see how they would look with certain disorders. A person can also see how they might look in a few decades, and Nancy Burson has had much experience in manipulating a photograph to mess with their future age. The Human Race Machine plays with the concept of race as a genetic factor rather than a social factor.

Helene Kippert is both a fractal digital artist and a mixed media artist in Western California. Fractal art is a strange and unique kind of art where an artist used mathematical formulas to make the fractal objects displayed in the image resulted. The most common form of a fractal is a spiral. However, Kippert doesn’t take the common approached with her work and instead decides to create more abstract and original designs. She uses this as a form of self expression for her own thoughts and reflection coming to be known mainly for her fractal art. With every piece she makes, she adds in a poem as a description to express her thoughts while making the piece. Only a few of her pieces have been shown in exhibitions and magazines some being due to coming to be a finalist in some contests. One of these pieces is “Web of life”. Made in 2009, it was one of Kippert’s art pieces to be published and made as postcards in Australia. Like many of Kippert’s fractal art pieces, “Web of life” holds an outstanding form and energy to it. In her description of “Web of life,” Kippert adds a poem by Rumi with the strongest line being, “You breathe, and new shapes appear.” (“Web of Life by Helene”) The work itself truly looks like a web of boundless, bouncing energy with streams and spirals of energy flowing through it as well.

Both The Human Race Machine and “Web of life” hold a value to a sense of connection to one another. Though people divide themselves by different means, there is an overall connection between every person that makes everyone the same. The Human Race Machine does a brilliant job in defining this within its meaning as it means to have people think deeper about themselves. Race is truly a social standard not a genetic case; in all honesty, we are genetically all 99.999% alike (“Human Race Machine”). It aimed to dispel stereotypes about races and speak out to say that we are all the same in the inside although we may be different on the outside. People who sat in the booth and played around with their features had a lot to think about after as even their own race may not have fit in with the stereotypical look. It asks the real question of who we are and the true connection between us all as people. “Web of life” conveys this connection in a more hidden and subtle way. As Kippert says, this world and everything in it, including ourselves, are surrounded in an invisible sea of energy (“Artist Statement”). People are connected to not just each other but the natural world as well through this energy, and Kippert uses fractal art as a means to give this energy a visible form and life. “Web of life” plays with the idea of that energy that gives form and breath to every life in the world whether it be the world itself, the plants, the animals, or the people. The work of art stretches out its web, entangles everything in its many strands, latches to every place in the world, and lets its energy flow and stream through every natural form in the world. Both works hold an important value to a deeper understanding of ourselves, and they use lighting to help them in conveying this message.

The form and aspect of light is an important part of both the Human Race Machine and “Web of life”. As a creation of photography still, lighting plays as an important aspect of The Human Race Machine particularly since it helps to show the face and all of the face’s features along with it. Too dim of lighting or too bright and the camera can’t pick up all the features of the face. It works within the standards of photography; the lighting has to be set just right in order to get the best results for the headshot that appears. Without the lighting, the Human Race Machine would never be so effective in its approach and meaning. Lighting in “Web of life” held both a similar and different approach. The light in “Web of life” helps to give the work of art the feeling of its boundless energy. With its different, ever-changing, vibrant colors, the differences in light in areas help give the lines a sense of almost child-like energy and life. The light is strongest in the areas where a multitude of strands touch which, in a way, could signify a stronger energy in the connection of different lives in the world. The web itself in the center that courses throughout the piece is well lit as well as if to give a bright sense of light to the world. 

There are many differences between Burson’s Human Race Machine and Kippert’s “Web of life”. To begin, the approaches Nancy Burson and Helene Kippert took to each of their works almost reaches to opposite planes. The Human Race Machine is pretty straightforward and realistic in its design. The method is simple: enter the booth, take a headshot, and experiment with the settings to see differences in appearance. It is meant as an interactive process for anyone in the public to go and try out. On the other hand, “Web of life” is a simple design and digital piece of artwork. There is no interactive play for the audience to take a part in, and the work itself is heavily abstract. Though both pieces leave the public to think deeper on the topic, “Web of life” works like many abstract designs. To each individual that sees it, they see something different and think more deeply on the hidden meaning behind the work itself. Also, the level of popularity between the two is massively different. The Human Race Machine is well known in both the United States and Great Britain. There are booths in museums, universities, and colleges that people can walk to and try out. It has even been featured and used on shows like Oprah. There are also volunteers who show others how the machine works and help them understand and go through the process. “Web of life” is in the opposite area. Although it has been published, it is not known at all in the United States and is now used as a postcard in Australia. Finally, the general audience differed for each work. The Human Race Machine is meant for the general public with an emphasis towards students. On the contrary, “Web of life” was more geared towards Kippert herself as a means of personal reflection and awakening.

Overall, The Human Race Machine and “Web of life” are two great examples of the difference in digital media. The Human Race Machine, meant for more educational purposes and awareness, gives the public a very interactive and fun experience in discovering a little more interesting information on ourselves as people. “Web of life”, a statement to personal reflection and connection, gives people a new and unique type of art that comes alive in its vibrant colors and boundless energy. By all means, these two pieces are extreme opposites in approach, but they share a similar goal in display a higher connection to ourselves in life. Unfortunately, neither of these artists contacted back as to their own words on the matter.

Works Cited

"Human Race Machine." Nancy Burson RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://nancyburson.com/human-race-machine/>.

"Publications and Exhibitions." Fractal Worlds: Energy Art for the New Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.helenekippert.com/publications-and-exhibitions.html>.

"Web of Life by Helene." Redbubble. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.redbubble.com/people/helene/works/1278677-2-web-of-life>.

"Artist Statement." Fractal Worlds: Energy Art for the New Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.helenekippert.com/artist-statement.html>.

"Skin Deep." Oprah.com. N.p., 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Skin-Deep/1>.

"SEATTLE FRACTALS DIGITAL ART." What Are Fractals? Northwest Web Designers, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://fractalarts.com/SFDA/whatarefractals.html>.

Interventional Media Project - Monsanto

For my project on interventionist media, I chose to revise the Monsanto corporation site. Thanks to my mom, I do know of Monsanto in the agriculture area and its wide history of things such as consistent herbicides and pesticides, law suits against many other farmers, and GMO's. I have never quite been comfortable with them; in fact, I don't agree with some of their tactics. I grew up and am a person who prefers organic, non-GMO products. Monsanto, after much research, stood out to me as quite an evil corporation. From the constant bullying to other farmers around the country and world to their suspicious secrecy, this corporation stands for lots of ideals I am completely against.

Rita Raley Questions

1. What do you suppose Rita Raley is trying to say when she calls tactical media a "performance"? After all, a performance can go into a multitude of things. What rules do you think tactical media would uphold in order to it to be a successful "performance"?

2. Who uses the receiving end of the tactic in tactical media?

Video Art Project - Writer's Block

Writer's Block - Video Art from Jasmine Alicea on Vimeo.

So this is my video art for digital media. My idea came from Ron Mann;s "Poetry in Motion". It's a compilation of different people speaking out poetry. My idea was to use the audio as the thoughts going in different writers' heads as they wrote. I use silence to my advantage for the writer's block portions...nothing comes to mind after all. It's meant to be a parody...rather than expressing one's results of good creativity...it's expressing one's frustration when they can't think of anything at all. Original Video ---> http://www.ubu.com/film/mann_ron_poetry.html

Reading #3 Questions

1. There are many different types of mediums used with art. How does video as a medium impact the message of the art piece contrary to a painting?

2. What's the difference between "art" and "artful"? They seem similar to me yet apparently something can be "artful" while not being art"? I'm confused.

Steampunk Animation with Sound and Transition!

Steampunk Animation (with Transition and Sound) from Jasmine Alicea on Vimeo.

Well here is the video with a combo of sounds now. At first I thought that maybe a bit of music would help, but I quickly changed my mind after playing around. Hearing the clockwork, steam, and different little sounds helps bring out the whole machine process of this collage which is what I wanted to compliment in the end. The transition was a bit more of an experimentation as was the sound I added to it. Again, nothing really complicated with the sounds...just a clock and wing flapping.

Reading #2 Questions

1. In the 8th section of the discussion, Walter Benjamin states that one of the disadvantages to a film actor contrary to a stage actor is the use of optic angles and the idea of acting via the means of a camera. He states that the positioning of the cameras for a film actor gives him less advantage to move in his own manner. However, thinking about it, a big part of a scene for a stage actor's performances is the choreography. A stage actor himself is positioned and placed in the correct spots so that it would look more appealing to the audience. I don't quite see a difference between these two, however what do you all have to think on the matter?

2. “The film actor,” wrote Pirandello, “feels as if in exile – exiled not only from the stage but also from himself. With a vague sense of discomfort he feels inexplicable emptiness: his body loses its corporeality, it evaporates, it is deprived of reality, life, voice, and the noises caused by his moving about, in order to be changed into a mute image, flickering an instant on the screen, then vanishing into silence .... The projector will play with his shadow before the public, and he himself must be content to play before the camera.”

I read this specific section in the 9th section of Benjamin's article. His statements on the life a film actor are very cynical, but I can't deny that I find this quote to be fairly accurate. With film actors nowadays, people don't just monitor their acting in movies but also their actions and mistakes in real life. In a way, these actors could have no privacy at all. What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree on the matter?

Digital Media Assignment - Animation

Digital Media Steampunk Animation from Jasmine Alicea on Vimeo.

To be honest, I actually forgot to keep a copy of the original collage with all layers so I had to redo this. I'm glad it came out so well. One of the key things I wanted to do for this animation was have the machine girl and all the clocks move as if it were just all one machine working together. Steampunk is very much focused on gears, machines, and steam, so I wanted to give that effect...as if the machine caused the other images to appear. I had a lot of fun with the flying steampunk girl.

Triptych Panels

These three images are the resulting panels of my triptych. When I thought of the theme "steampunk time travel", I had a bunch of inspiration come to mind...mainly the idea of clocks and gears. I think the time part spoke out to me most in this project. With the different methods of flying vehicles, the words "time to fly" seemed to fit the best for this triptych.

Discussion Questions - O'Reilly's Animation Factors

So after reading David O'Reilly's article, here are the two questions I came up with out of pure curiosity:

1. There’s a point in the document in which David O’Reilly states about making an object fade by somehow fading the picture out pixel by pixel so it would look like a fade. This doesn’t really make sense in my mind maybe because I am still not that familiar with animation use; in my mind it still looks like an opacity fade. Anyone care to elaborate on this?

2. To compliment the aliased image appearance, O’Reilly decided to use to not use any blurs. I guess this could work, but when I looked at the aliased focal blur he used in his image, it was so choppy that it reminded me of tilting my head while watching a film in IMAX 3D...everything is so choppy that essentially it makes your eyes hurt. Despite what he says about keeping coherence to his animation, I feel like this focal blur move actually repels an audience’s eyes rather than keep them satisfied (in that minute I mean). What are your thoughts on it?

The Hay Was Not Secure Enough! Reapers Noonday Rest GIF

Here is my end result after messing around with the moving image. :) Used my first storyboard. Basically, I had the hay/wheat go and fall on the men and the man on top of the hay roll over sleeping while the dog's tail was wagging. This is my first attempt at this so personally I think it came out pretty ok. I think the hay was the hardest part of it...as well as the timing.

Used: Photoshop CC.

Storyboards for 1840s GIF project

My first storyboard based on changing Reapers, Noonday Rest. This one is actually the storyboard I like the best. It's simpler than the other two yet still funny.

This was actually the last storyboard I made. Simple in art movements and winks...but a bit more worrying since well...it's very busy so I'm not sure it'll actually show.

The Golden Stairs storyboard. This one would probably be the hardest to do considering I had envisioned a domino effect with some of the girls. o_o; If I could do it right, it would be awesome, but I do hold some doubt in my ability to do it at this point.