Wix: Portfolio Part 1

I have started the foundation for my portfolio on Wix.com.  This is how I began my process:

Learning to setup Wix, adding pictures, publishing...

Creating required pages

Choosing Color Scheme

Choosing Fonts

Selecting Pictures

I would still like to:

• Create a Logo
• Implement a Sticky Menu
• Fill in appropriate contact information.
• Revise Bio. 

https://kerstc.wixsite.com/carriemason

I created the website for our Town Library using WordPress, using Wix seems too simplified for me. In my experience having a streamlined website platform pigeon holes you creatively.  I will have to research how to create a Sticky Menu, but the template I chose, or the free Wix programming might not even allow me to have one. 

On a positive note though, Wix was easy to get a website up and running, it didn't take too long create something that is acceptable and can help a novice build self-confidence with website designing and be able to update changes.

Photo Retouch Part 2

(Before)

(After)

I chose this picture of my grandmother as a child because I have wanted to restore it for a while now.  This seems to have a lot of damaged areas to play around with for this project.  I think it turned out great.  

To continue with my first posting, these are the steps I used:

Step 2 – Levels and Curves

I used all the droppers to select areas of white, gray, and black to tone the picture correctly.  Then I made a very slight S curve. 

Step 3 – Tackle the Details

·         Specific Target Areas:

·         Bottom right corner is missing, the top left corner is blown out color wise.

·         Creases throughout

·         Spots

·         Water Damage

·         Fading

Step 4 – Crop the Edges.

My Process:

·         This process was so much fun when using the healing brush blurred the details of the trees in the background, I found it better to go in and edit the pixels individually for better control. 

·         To create the extension of the logs in the bottom right corner I used the clone tool. 

·         For the trees in the top left corner I used the clone tool to fill in a few branches to make it less blown out.

·         To take care of the creases, spots and water damage I used the healing brush.

·         To get rid of the fading I turned the picture to black and white and then used a medium orange-brown overlay.

Photo Retouch Part 1

This is a photo of my grandmother when she was a teenager.  It needs a lot of restoration, I found this the perfect picture for this project because this picture is about 100 years old. I would like to redo this photo for my father so he can have a nice image of his mother as a young girl.

Step 1 – Assess the damage

·       Tonal Corrections First!

·       Specific Target Areas:

·       Bottom right corner is missing

o   Rebuild picture

·       Creases throughout

·       Spots

·       Water Damage

·       Faded areas

·       Skin tones corrections

·       Poor Contrast

·       Reduce Vignette

·       No Metadata

Sketches:

Book Cover Part 2

The project was such a joy, I loved recreating a book cover with new graphics.

(Original Cover)

(My Updated Version)

  

This book is such a popular book at our library, and it was a quick read.  I thought the original cover needed a more in-depth graphic to convey the meaning of this heartfelt book.  Having the focus on the woman the book was named after with the concept of "hiding in plain sight" was the deepest meaning that I got from this novel.  I used the Gestalt principle of anomally by having the woman face blend into to birds chest.  I tried many different filtering techniques, from liquify, to the notepaper in the filter gallery found under sketch.  I loved the look of this but the woman's face was too difficult to see so I wasn't able to use it.

I also used the filter of oil paint on the Authors name but it didn't really match very well with the bird so I left it natural.  The Authors name I used puppet warp to take hazel tree branches to warp into the shape of the letters.  I liked this look best so I kept this.  

Book Cover Update

"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

I chose this book to remake the cover for because I felt that most of the story didn't take place in Paris, and the original cover doesn't really convey the elements of heroism that make this book.  I would like to have the image of the back of Isabelle's head hidden amongst the bird's feathers to symbolize hiding in plain sight.  Isabelle should be the focus of the book, not the location, in my opinion. I would also like to create a twig texture over the text of the author's name, this would be great for the bird to be able to perch on.

A few of the creative effects that I would like to play around with for this project are:

• Curves Adjustments
• Monochromatic Tint Effect
• Oil Paint Effect
• Blend Modes
• Crystalize
• Liquify
• Zigzag

I am not sure which Gestalt Principle I will use yet.

Crisis Hotline Awareness Poster

I have been impacted by the news of the latest school shooting in Florida, and I wanted to have an instant solution for those in trouble with their thoughts, or emotions.  Many people are abused and need someone to hear them, giving them a chance to call and be in contact with someone immediately is key to helping them make better decisions.

I chose to use images of people instead of silhouettes because I think it had more of an impact.  I wanted words of different sizes that I stamped on my masked images by creating a brush instead of using the Text tool.  I think this gave a better blur to the pictures.  I wanted to do more with the doors, but I ran out of time. 

M3 CP Part 1 Awareness Poster

I feel that it is more important to give people an immediate solution instead of pointing the finger at a problem that you know might not be resolved in the near future.  People need to know that they can talk to someone without judgment, they can get help and start on the path of least destruction.  They deserve better from the world than being ignored and falling through the cracks.  

The silhouettes will only consist of words in the shape of a silhouette.  I will add a few 1-800 numbers for someone to contact if they need help.