Week 4: Color Value & Textured Drawings

For week three of our Computer Graphics class, we were given two different tasks. The first was to make three drawings using values of color to render an image. The second task was to move away from line strokes and use a letter or number to create an image. All images were made using Adobe Illustrator and a Bamboo graphic tablet. All images were completed on my Mac Book Pro.

This is a wine bottle. A small brush was exclusively used, using both horizontal and vertical lines. The size of the brush shows the lines as well as the negative space, giving the appearance of a wire or wicker construction. A black box lies behind half of the image. The box draws the eyes of the view through it's contrast to the white, as well as emphasizing the blue of the bottle.

This piece was a rendering of a bottle of laundry detergent. The image was constructed with thick, horizontal lines to quickly define the boundaries of the object. Five different hues were used to represent the visual effect of lighting on the object. This piece uses a variety of different lines. The main body of the work was drawn with a thick brush, giving the appearance of a smooth plastic surface. Small lines, both vertical and horizontal, were used to represent the highlights on the bottle. Smooth, thin lines represent the screw-off lid. Combined with different hues, this give the appearance of a clear, plastic surface.

This is a metal water bottle. The image was initially constructed with quick, horizontal lines, then covered with fat, vertical lines. Small lines were used on the top of the water bottle in order to capture that various light values as well as give the top an appearance of depth. Rather than drawing a line to represent the rubber stop under the bottle top, white space was used to represent this area as a way of drawing the attention of the viewer towards the top of the image.

This is a texture drawing using the number "3" as the stroke. The stroke gives the entire image a hazy, unfocused appearance, making this image appear as if it were made with finger paint. Small strokes were used at the top of the bottle to represent the values of light as they reflected against it.

A green background was used to represent this half-image of a tea cup on a saucer. This piece uses a variety of stroke widths in order to form the rendering. Thick "D" strokes were used on the surface of the cup to give the appearance of a clear and reflective surface. Very small "D's" are used to represent the highlights and different values of red on this image.

Is image is of a bowl, using "X" as the stroke type. Early on, I realized that the "X" was going to create a very different type of image than the other values I'd used previously. Even when laying the backdrop of the image, this would not be a smooth or soft piece like the others. Aware of this, I chose to emphasize the harsh and jagged nature of this rendering. Initially the eye is drawn to the large black X, with the bowl sitting in the center. The small brush creates a thatched look, as if the bowl could actually represent a blue bird house. Overall, the use of this stroke creates an angry, almost "angsty" feel when trying to render a smooth glass bowl.

Included with every post is a picture of my desktop:

Week 3: Value Drawings

This week's assignment was to use different shades of grey to create the illusion of lighting on a 2-dimentional rendering. Adobe Illustrator was used for all drawings. All but one of the drawings were made on my MacBookPro. The assignment called for 5 drawings, however I had a busy weekend designing a new web template for a client, and was only able to do 4.

The first image is a coffee cup. It was drawn in the classroom around 11AM. The cup was at eye level, providing light from the right onto the vessel. I used a 2pt brush (a brush I like using) to render the object.

The second image is a coffee mug. I used a ceramic mug with the light almost directly above the object and slightly to the right. It sat on a slightly reflective surface which produced different shadowing effects. The object was rendered with a 2pt brush, then a 5 pt brush was used to cover the extra negative space. A small 1pt brush was used to render the thin shadow lines.

The third object was a ceramic salt shaker. It's octagonal shape created a unique series of shadows that proved challenging to render. A 2pt brush was used to render the object. The light source was a lamp without the shade 45 degrees above and right of the object.

The last object is an expresso cup. This object was unique for two reasons: I used a 1pt brush to render the drawing, and I positioned the cup in such a way that I looked down on the vessel. I regular lamp was used for the light. A 1pt brush left a lot of negative space as I drew, so I used fast, vigorous strokes to draw the lines.

Included is a screenshot of Adobe running on my MacBook.

Week 2: 100 Stroke Sketches

The first lesson of the class focused on getting to be comfortable using a graphic tablet for drawing. The assignment was simple: make 5 sketches using exactly 100 strokes in each drawing. The drawings should use long, filling strokes instead of outlining the object.

All images were done using Adobe Illustrator on my MacBook Pro. To become more familiar with this skill, I bought an inexpensive WACOM graphic tablet to outside of class.

The top drawing is of a 3-stemmed candle holder. I used this image as the thumbnail because I felt the most comfortable drawing this object. Using a graphic tablet takes practice, and this image felt fluid. The drawing uses both vertical and horizontal lines to represent the rectangular edges on the base. A 2pt brush was used.

This was my first image: a soda can. Honestly, this was a "warm up" image. There wasn't much detail in a can, and it gave me the opportunity to really explore my strokes. A 1pt brush was used, creating a scratchy look.

The coffee cup sketch allowed me to work on my vertical stroke...something I already recognize as a weakness. I actually drew this image 3 times...this is the drawing I chose to keep.

The candle holder was an image I tried with a smaller brush. I found the smaller brush to be tougher to use, and that it renders a scratchy look to my drawings. Like the coffee cup, I drew this image several times before choosing to keep this one. In the future, I will prefer to use at least a 2pt brush.

The hexagonal vase proved to be a tough image to draw for two reasons. First, it used vertical strokes exclusively. Second, the shape of the object presented some issues I'd not foreseen...issues in the fact that I am not a artist and I could not sufficiently render the dimensions of the object. In it's defense, the vertical strokes felt more fluid in this drawing.

These objects were all found in the friary where I live. I have the Adobe Suite, version 5.0 installed on my MacBookPro and am able to do my graphic design from my own personal computer. Here is an image of my desktop. (I run a dual-monitor configuration and only captured the Mac desktop):

Thanks for viewing.

Intro: Hello World

My name is Vito, however my professional title is Brother Vito. I am a Franciscan friar with the Order of Capuchin Franciscans (OFM Cap). I live in a community with 15 other friars near downtown Chicago.

I currently attend Saint Xavier University to finish an undergrad in Computer Studies while also fulfilling my Philosophy requirement. I intend to pursue priestly ordination, so after I finish my undergrad, I will attend Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park. At the same time, I hope to pursue a Master's in Web Development at DePaul's College of Digital Media.

As a professional religious and the computer tech, my role is that of the "digital friar." Most of my work is with internal business: network routing and administration, hardware and software support, training for the older friars, website design and development, IT consultation, and sometimes I still have to install a VCR.

My hope for this class is that it will help me design web-based images and/or site templates.