Square Fruit

In this unit we were meant to learn the techniques necessary in to transform an object into a geometric shape through liquification. I was surprised to find how difficult it was to create a 3D frame for reference, and even more surprised to find how much more difficult it was was to then shape the object to the frame. It was a very time consuming process, and much of the object's detail was lost in the liquefying, but it came as a great relief when i realized i could use the patch tool and the original image of the object to return detail to the transformed object. I was very happy with how my final image turned out. As a concept, i love it. As far as realism is concerned however, i may have been able to improve. But it isn't exactly a simple task to make a pitbull with a square head look real.

Chocolate Milk Frog

In this unit we were meant to learn the techniques required in order to coat and object with a liquid of our choice. We learned how to make realistic drip affects as well as how and when to use the smudge tool to obscure detail. i was surprised at how easy it was to make drips, and yet how hard it was to make them look realistic. I really enjoyed this project and was very pleased with the way that both pieces turned out. If i was to do this project again i would probably take more care to label my layers, as i would find myself on the wrong layers often. I think the most useful thing that i learned from this unit was the utility of the brush palette, as it has limitless uses.

Dark Faces

In this lesson we were taught how to incorporate textures and shapes taken from other images into images of our own. I attempted to re-create the project image with very little instruction, and as a result, was not completely satisfied with my end result. However, i was still able to learn plenty of DOs and DON'Ts of object and texture incorporation. In this project, i realized the importance of merging layers when it is no longer necessary to keep them separate. This can save you a lot of grief, But be careful not to merge layers too soon.

Reaching Out of Bounds

In this unit, we were meant to learn spacial relations and how to add dimensions to a piece. This unit has made me come to have negative feelings about the pen tool. It's not that I don't love the utility of it, but rather get annoyed with how perfect I feel the need to make my lines while cropping. Although achieving my self imposed pen standard is time consuming, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as it pays off in the long run. If I was to do this unit again, i would attempt to make a more unique piece, with a flashier final product. I think that this unit does a very good job of teaching how to add dimensions to a picture, and I cant really think of any way to improve upon it.

MorphingCreatures

In this unit, I was given the techniques necessary in order to help me match color and brightness levels, as well as texture, and there were many steps involved in transforming the images. As I was following along with the instructional video, I would notice that certain things didn't look right in my image, and would change them, only to find that these would have been steps addressed later on in the video. It was a good feeling to know that I could find and fix inconsistencies in the photo before I was even instructed to do so. I didn't expect some of the tools available in Photoshop to be so effective. Some were able to do amazing things which are still beyond my understanding. I think that this particular lesson is an excellent one, with lots of excellent information, and an amazing, yet not too difficult to attain final product.