Activism in Art:

For this project, I chose a topic
that was close to heart: Poverty. I had to figure out a way to
turn paintings into a 3-D project. This assignment was a challenge,
because I had a very limited amount of time to paint 5 paintings and come
up with a creative analogy to use in order to get across a creative and
quirky message. I ended up painting a picture of two little guys starving,
a teenage guy with a revealing spine and rib cage, and two older guys,
one sleeping on the ground, the other nearly collapsing. These pictures all
had pretty strong compositions by themselves; they all contained one subject
and had a cohesive color scheme. Once, all the paintings were finished,
I managed to get fake fruit to emphasize the topic.
The idea was that we have fake food, and these people (portrayed in the
paintings) have nothing. If I could change anything, I would add female
figures (because all the included subjects were male) to make it more realistic
and universal. All in all, I am satisfied with my results. I found a new love for doing
collective series instead of one piece. It was also my first time doing so and it
was a lot of fun figuring out how to turn 2-D into 3-D.

[Alter Ego Assignment](Photo illustration)

Picture 1: This picture represents the everyday[vulnerable] Tashia,
hence my body position.. The images in the background represent who
I am and who I'd like to further become: an Artist. The CD is significant
because it represents my love for not only music, but more
simpler or original forms of music. I specifically did not include
a high-tech ipod; I'm more of a vintage type of girl.


Picture 2: This picture represents the more self-assured Tashia.
It's presented in my stance and body position as well. The background
represents my ideal bedroom which would be art-studio-like with my own
illustrations on the walls. The color of the room is to help emphasize
my attire; it stands out against the bright colors.


Picture 3: I call this picture "The Dreamer". The green poof-like object
with the light bulb symbolizes dreams of bright ideas. My looking off
into the distance represents me looking off into the future. Lastly, I
juxtaposed the little person on the couch to make it seem as if I (as well
as my ideas) were larger than life. This play on scale was pretty interesting.

In conclusion, photo illustration is something I am indeed interested
in; I just need more experience. If I could do this over again, I'd choose
better color schemes to cater to the mood of the picture and I'd have a
more coherent series of work involving more pieces and different
media.

Maya Angelou Assignment

This assignment was really cool. Being that I'm a writer, it was
very interesting to get a chance to incorporate poetry into my
photography. I looked-up Maya Agnelou quotes online and when
I found the one that interested me most,
I shot a picture to match, and this is what I
came up with. I'm very satisfied with the picture
and I feel that i have improved.

Anything Photo Assignment

[Cameraface]





















[Dark Suspension]

[Season/Color Pallet Brush Assignment]

[Photoshop Brush Assignment]

Using the brushes for the first time was definately a challenge.
The first time I attempted to photoshop a picture using the brushes,
I ended up with terrible composition and a bad color pallet.
Things looked completely random and just overall weird. After a second
trial and a fresh start, I began using the brushes again and with
your advice(Ms. Miles), I was able to come out with better results.
This image is simple but definately not plain or boring. I'm
satisfied with my work and I'm more experienced in
using brushes because of it.

[Portrait Assignment: FlawlessSkin]

I think this assignment will help me a lot
in the future of photography; we very frequently use
(human)models as our subjects, and people rarely have perfect
skin. It was actually fun to read the directions on the photoshop-
essentials website, follow along, and watch the image change
before my eyes. Carlo was an awesome model that was easy
to shoot; I didn't have to direct him as much, and that made
my life a lot easier. I love the lighting and contrast of this
picture. Overall, I am satisfied. The only thing I wish were
different was that I was able to keep in mind the Rule of Thirds.

[The ELEMENTS of DESIGN]

I learned a lot in doing this assignment; a lot of helpful things to keep in mind when photographing. I also learned the difference between photography and taking regular pictures(a.k.a. snapshots). Photography is done with intention(a goal). I learned that thinking actually goes into photography, which is essentially, the difference. Having the elements of design in mind makes photos more interesting and also makes it easier to portray particular moods, when the photographer knows EXACTLY what their looking for. This assignment in comparison to the others was fairly easy, and I learned a lot from it. Im more than satisfied with the way my "Elements of Design display" turned out. The only thing I wish were different was that I had time t actually research both, the elements AND principles of design; because, now, i'm only aware of one of one of the two.

[Fashion Photography Assignment]

This was probably the most satisfied I've been 

with the outcome of an assignment. It was totally

fun and I acquired some experience with both, the strobe

light:), and more of Photshop. I love that I was able 

to use a good friend of mine[who happens to be a dancer] 

as a model for this particular shoot. It was easier to 

work with him than it most-likely would have been 

to work with any one else. I really wanted to show off

the wrinkles in the sweater, the fitness of the jeans and

the clothes overall. I think the stripes of the sweater

make the picture more interesting and the light spots, 

grainy effect[adding texture], and pose of the model adds 

to the complete ambience of the photo.

[Playing With Photoshop]

In this assignment, I learned a lot more about Photoshop

while expressing myself and who I am through a picture.

In this assignment, we were required to add our favorite

number, a letter of our name, 2 layers, and the watercolor

filter. I decided to go against the norm and actually use 

my very own hands to show the number 3. The water

color effect gave my picture a more dream-like feel, which 

entirely describes the way I think of myself and

see the outside world, and im also an Aquarius. 

I decided to go with a bright letter, the first letter 

of my name, that matches the highlight of my face. 

In this decision, i thought it best to stick with 

Times New Roman font for striking simplicity, and 

I also used at least two layers. In this picture, 

I'm not looking directly into the camera, purposely. 

Its because I'm usually somewhere in my own world 

dreaming into the future; setting goals and imagining things..