My Alphabet Reflective Essay  

      The task I was asked to complete in this project had been to create your own set of the american alphabet including sariff. One idea I learned during this project using adobe illustrator, had been the usage of other alphabet ideas and combining. This idea of creating different combinations of letters the way their form was not easy. So since time was against me I moved on to something else using my shape tool and formed letters from their. Once I had pulled my shapes out I began using mesh tool to literally mesh the shapes to create a new one. After my meshing process I then moved on to editing the fill of the shape and its stroke. This basically means that I took a rectangle from my tool box and using the mesh tool I literally meshed all my edges creating a new letter. My first letter was a lowercase a then a lowercase i making them both my roots for the remaining letters.

 

         In this project I was able to create my letter with the experience from the Four symbols project. Four symbols project had dealt with the skill of curve and molding figures to your very own style and expression. Using this same experience I was able to go through this project a little more easier knowing the rules and knowing when to break them. If two rules prevent me from doing something then there's one rule I would have to favor and the other brake it. This had been challenging because in certain scenarios my shapes had to be curved a certain way but my mesh tool wouldn't curve a specific way I had wanted curve, so I used the eraser tool. This alphabet really doesn't reflect who “ernesto” is but its something that I tried to work with this project really was not my favorite because if I really wanted to show who ernesto was through the alphabets this design was scratching the surface.    
   During this assignment I wasn't inspired to work on this project. This project was fun because of the idea of creating your own alphabet, but I really did not feel like making my own alphabet with the amount of time given. what I learned in this graphic design project is no matter what with any time given we have to put all our effort into our priorities. This project had been my priority and everything had to be put aside to complete the project with all my effort. During this project what I learned about adobe illustrator is how to use mesh tool and slice tool. For every tool used in the software I learned how to be innovative with the various tools. What I learned about myself in this program is that if i’m not interested in something I won't go for it. This attitude is not something great to have I learned to go with it even if I don't like the project it still deserves my 110% effort. If I had another week to do this project I’m sure I would use all my effort to accomplish each requirement.

   In english class were studying who we are and what generates our emotions or way of life. So as we did this project I learned that with my emotions I churned them into a work of art, because of the emotions generated by my environment . These ideas have help me condense my ideas into one simple thought and from their my product had been this project. I don’t know much about the business world, but this sort skill could be most certainly used accentuating or promoting a title of a company.

sketch of the chrysler building

4 Identity symbols reflective essay

           Since the very moment of class starting their has been nothing but ideas and projects presented to us. A task that was asked to be done and really represent who I was had been my four identity symbols project. This was a creative way to represent who I was using four symbols which was difficult at first because theirs a lot of things that I do. For this task we were required to use Adobe illustrator which refreshened my skills and sharpening them as well. The reason is because I haven't used the program in six months straight. First I had to create a 8 1/2 x 11 document, then hunting images that represent who were are. These images had to correspond to the four symbol requirements which was, human, tool, animal, and plant.

            A symbol is used to represent someone or something revealing identity or secrets. When hunting for the four symbol requirements I thought of all the things that I love to do, who am I, and most of all what represents Ernesto. This compelled me to search on and in a way their was an excavation of my personality taking place.When I thought of myself these symbols came to mind the animal symbol had been the great bald eagle. I Chose this because it is animal of strength and renewal simply because when the bald eagle is old and his beak is curving to the point were he cannot open his mouth, he flies to the highest and most jagged moutain. The bald eagle does this beacuse once he gets to the high point he consistintly bangs his or her beak to the most jagged edge letting go of his old feathers and renewing his strength. When I chose my drum set as one of my symbols to represent tools it reminds me that I tend to do things with no sense of direction but theirs rules to follow even when playing an instrument. The acoustic drums is what I came up with as my symbol for tool because it also allows me to be the reckless person who never has the chance to, and in a creative way using my senses to create or follow a beat eventually discover my direction through music. Finding my human symbol had not been so hard I found a symbol representing who I am and because of this I am were I am today in life.This symbol is the cross were Jesus Christ had died centuries ago a man who spiritually, and physically saved humanity who took all the lost souls in hell and earth right away from the devil himself. HE inspires me and through my good deeds I represent who was but never exactly because I'm not perfect their is no such thing as a perfect person I highly doubt it. We all have that one moment were everything just collapse and when I found Christ everything changed. Having to choose a plant was a little difficult for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because once every one in my class had thought of plant they all automatically choose flower and trees. This made me hunt for a symbol that was different and represented Ernesto and what he likes to do. I finally found the plant which was a reef and I chose it because one little hobby that I discovered over the summer had been scuba diving. My love for nature itself was great but when I found the other side to it all my passion for nature grew larger.

          Through out the course of this project I was shocked how rusty my skills were on adobe illustrator and Photoshop. But in this project I was able to sharpen my skills and become creative letting myself go and revealing who I am. So far I have learned that graphic design is a subject that inquires creativity and a person willing to put lots of effort and its consistent. When I began using color effects on my symbols I learned how to use gradient tools and pa-tone colors to variate in my colors but their was a color limit were we used two colors along with black and white. So when I created my symbols I wanted them to stand out and stay bright because I have a everlasting joy and brightness even in the darkness. I learned about myself that I would go the extra mile just to be different that the others and possibly better. As I said before this was a very tedious project for me because I was willing to put all my effort to find myself symbols and this wasnt so easy to start off with. But if i had extended time on the project I think i would change the amount of detail i had on my symbols. When I learned about gradient tools I overcame the problem of trying to make my symbols stand out.

          In English class we were creating self narratives for our colleges essay were the theme was all about us and who we are. The teacher called it excavating in this lost city. When she used rivers as an example as to how they return to where they originated centuries ago during floods, it is like when floods of memories bring us back to where we originated and we discover from that point in life who we are. Their are many ways of finding the lost cities and our origin using our senses and what describes us. These symbols activate my hearing(drums), touch(plant), sight(cross), and attitude (eagle). These ideas and creativity would be used to promote knew ideas and advertising. However when using these skills to promote something it should be for the better and not for the worse.

       

One of my observational drawing of a building that NEW YORKERS should know.