Self-Evaluation Anna Ling Project number: 5 Title: ‘Dreams’ Media: Photography/Graphic Design

Date completed: February 15, 2011 Dimensions: 420 x 297 mm What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style. For my fifth piece ‘Dreams’, I used a series of photos of my dream catcher. The

dream catcher created many interesting shadows in the light, and relating it to the themes of dreams, the shadows were very mysterious looking and not too clear which to me, is very dream like. I used Photoshop to fiddle around with the

effects and different color combinations. At first, I colored in the net of the dream catcher, and I was going to make something out of that, but as I was asking for advice, my art teacher suggested that I should not take it too far because there

are so many possibilities with the pattern I created. So keeping the piece simple and versatile, I decided to use a series of pictures

of the dream catcher and focused on the shadows it created. My motto for the compositions was to keep it dreamy, and have subtle colors in it to enhance the theme of blurriness and mysteriousness.

What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how? I used photoshop to edit the pictures and combined them with layers of different opacities, so you can see the variations of the shadows. This way, the image has more depth, and I like the fact that you cannot see everything clearly. While I

was making the design, I took snapshots of the process to compare what I did and see the variations of combinations. This helped me comparing the different images because I can put them next to each other, and see what I like better.

I also printed the finished design on several different types of paper, to see what with best fit the design. There were thick papers to rough, thin, recycled colored

paper, which really did change the feel of the design. After printing it on paper, I tried different types of medias, to go over it for just experimenting what it will be like. Going over it with dark marker stood out the most to me, and made a totally

different impression to the organic touch of the design. How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during the semester, both from fellow students and teachers? Did you seek any? If so, was it useful? I think I am becoming more open about asking for advice and listening to

criticism or suggestions because I am getting more confident in my pieces. I think the patterns I created can create many pieces in the future, so I am excited. I learned that when asking for advice, it is more like a discussion rather than

asking for what to do, or which direction I should go with my piece. After all, it is my project; therefore if I don’t like the advice or suggestions, then I don’t have to listen to them. Therefore I don’t need to be afraid of what anyone would say

about it. My biggest advice for this project was that don’t over-think of what to do. Since I

had a good base for my future projects, I shouldn’t go too far with it, and start with simple things like for this piece, and build up as I go. Because it is simple, I can use this for another project, and that way, I can make several pieces as I

make more. Another thing that I learned that helped me a lot was to brainstorm the possibilities, although experiment as I go. There were so many things I could do with the pattern, I really got stuck on what media I should use, or what to

make. However thinking about that can be endless, so experimenting as I think was the best thing I could do without wasting time.

What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, ranging from a technique to an idea, not just the Theme itself. My fifth piece ‘Dreams’ is a graphic file, so I can use this to print on fabric, or use it as some kind of background, or rearranging the layers to make bigger, or several prints with different colors or textures. I can also directly paint or draw

over the prints, see what kind of media will fit best for the print. I liked layers in the images because it added depth to the picture, and even though it is 2-D, it looks more than that. Also by adding effects and changing the original images

added some abstract feels to it, however it also looks very soft and organic, so I can play around with the concept of it too.