Working with Symbols, Part 2
**Reminder that Judith Moffat speaks Tuesday in MRC 4 from 5:30-6:30. Bring your sketchbooks. She will be leading us in a sketch.
Back to Color
 |
| Megan's Target symbol. |
 |
| Sandra's Pride Flag. |
 |
| Martha's olive branch. |
Your symbol work is really great. I am excited to see what will happen as we work with these symbols over the next few days. For the next challenge, you will focus more on color and the manipulation of color with the symbol.
I like to see that people are willing to experiment with medium--in this mix we have pencil, color pencil and watercolor work. I know others (students in LCS220) are also working with gouache (a type of paint that is generally used more opaquely than watercolor and dries more quickly than oil). Others might think of construction paper work.
Before the particulars of the next challenge, let's reflect again on our motivation to keep up with the challenge. Here are some of your fellow sketchers thoughts:
 |
| Martha's create. |
 |
| Megi's free. |
 |
Laura's find passion.
|
The lettering and coloring are great, and imagine how powerful these would be displayed against a crumbling urban landscape, the location of graffiti. You can see how they are responding, as artists, to differing urban street art traditions in their letterings.
And let's look at some of our thoughts on progressions: this is the where we have come from and where we want to go passages. I have seen many of these, and I am actually sort of struck by how many do not see the space for creativity in the future--that work and the obligations of adulthood will not make that possible. Hmm. I think we might want to return to this. Send me your thoughts on how we can think about our future in ways that allow creativity to emerge as a necessary and sustaining part of our lives.
 |
| Lauren's growth. |
 |
| Kayla's growth. |
 |
Lauren's growth.
|
And one last inspiration for us--some thoughts on color as we think about the color of our symbols.
 |
| Tori's second self-portrait. |
 |
| Gottfried's reversed Africa. |
 |
| Joe's second self-portrait. |
 |
| Laura's watercolor wash and collage. |
Here is your challenge for the day.
- Working further with your symbol. Rethink its appearance in terms of the colors that are already in it or you would put into it.
- If your symbol is in color, say it is "red," try to think of a color scheme that you would use that would be different than the one it actually is in.
- Think about how you would use color, too. Would you work bold like marker colors, or light and transparent like water colors.
- Use your chosen medium to do this.
- Your aim is to take your symbol and now bring it to life with color. What would it look like if you designed the color.
Keep the images coming: thassele@bryant.edu
I liked that we had to add color to our symbol because it made me look at it differently. Chinese characters are written in black, so seeing it in bright colors gave it a new representation than it usually does.
ReplyDeleteIt was tough adding color to my piece because my original seemed perfect to me. Obviously some one else may not see the same but my original came out how I wanted it precisely. My color one did not satisyfy my expectations unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about this challenge is almost identical to my post yesterday. This forced me to look at an ordinary symbol in a completely new light and put my own spin on it, except this type choosing an entirely new color scheme was interesting. It almost felt wrong taking something that in the everyday has one correct color scheme and completely changing that.
ReplyDeleteI liked this activity even more than the one yesterday because now we really get to customize our symbol. It's fun seeing the alternate color schemes that you can come up with for already existing-symbols. I drew myself several outlines so that I can experiment with a few different color schemes before the final project.
ReplyDeleteI liked this challenge, but personally I think that my symbol looked better in black and white than the colors that I chose.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this challenge much more than the one from yesterday. I loved being able to work with many different colors because it really made my symbol pop.
ReplyDeleteI liked adding color to my symbol, I am a very colorful person and love bright and bold colors
ReplyDeleteI liked being able to change the colors of the symbol. It made it very vibrant and appealing to the eye.
ReplyDeleteIt's neat to see how changing the color of a symbol makes it give off a different vibe and can even alter its meaning.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this activity more than yesterday. It was neat to play around and change the color of the symbol. It gives the symbol life and more meaning than being in black and white.
ReplyDeleteI really like this symbol activity and working further with it with color! I really like how it appears to look now in color. I played around with the watercolors and colored pencils to re-create my symbol for this challenge.
ReplyDeleteI liked adding color to my symbol because you see it in a different perspective. It was a fun challenge.
ReplyDeleteI liked adding color to my symbol because it gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted with it. I mixed together some weird colors like orange and purple and it turned out really nicely.
ReplyDeleteI loved that I was able to add color to the symbol because it gave it a whole new look and meaning.
ReplyDeleteI liked this activity because I got to add color to my symbol that is originally black and white. I enjoyed painting the symbol I chose again but also adding something new to it.
ReplyDeleteIt was really fun to be able to add colors to the symbols. I was able to use the patriots colors on the bruins logo and it was interesting to see the change.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was interesting. It was hard for me to not use the black and gold color scheme of the Bruins Spoked-B. I decided to work with red to orange to yellow.
ReplyDeleteAdding colors to the symbol really made it pop, now it stands out with its unique colorway.
ReplyDeleteComparing this activity to the last activity, I liked working in black and white a lot better than color. It made it look bolder and sharper compared to when I added colored pencil to my design.
ReplyDeletei liked this challenge because i got to add more to my symbol then i would of and make it stand out more.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was fun and easy at the same time. My symbol which is originally green, is now blue. It was interesting to go out of the ordinary and put vibrant colors into my symbol.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this challenge. It allowed me to look at my symbol, which is usually just black and white, in a completely new way by adding different vibrant colors in a watercolor medium.
ReplyDeleteI decided to change to shape of my symbol to see if that made any changes for me in the way I considered it. This time instead of seeing it as a flag or banner I saw the image as something more organic and full of life. I made connections to other bands of colors. If I had more colors in my box of pencils I would have varied colors and opacity a bit more but I cannot blame my tools; that is way too easy.
ReplyDeleteI would like to throw in my two cents about building creativity into our adult lives. I offer this opinion as I think the oldest individual in the Sketchbook Challenge. I would suggest that all of us should be self-appointed creativity provocateurs. We should print business cards that identify ourselves, as Chief Playmate or Fun Organizer or Chaos Designer. Or whatever. We cannot wait for someone else to take the lead. And, as a professor here, I would to state without equivocation that I welcome creative ideas in my classroom and would love to entertain new ways to learn and engage. We have to know that we are all tired and stressed but maybe that is not because we are doing too much, but instead doing too much of the same thing which is killing our souls.
Sandra, thanks so much for this observation. I would love to see if we can construct an activity along the line you are talking about--maybe we can add a sketch a little further along that would be our individual business cards--one that sees creativity and exploration as a fundamental part of our adult identity--whether at work, home, whatever.
DeleteAnd as someone who is yet to be an "adult" . . . . .
DeleteThis challenge was somewhat redundant from the last one with values of black and white. Preferred doing the first challenge instead.
ReplyDeleteI feel like changing the colors of my symbol changed the meaning of the symbol. I think it definitely looked better with the black and white colors than with the colors I chose
ReplyDeleteAdding color to our symbol really impacted it. I like how it brought out the emotion and energy in the sketch, and it was fun to go further with it.
ReplyDeleteIt was really exciting to change the symbol, making small adjustments, and bring it to life with color. I decided to use bold vibrant colors, which is very different for me. It definitely suited my attitude toward the symbol and what it represents.
ReplyDeleteWorking with a symbol that is frequently interpreted in color made this activity interesting. Would I follow the ordinary colors associated or change the colors entirely. Perhaps rearrange the preexisting colors into a new pattern.
ReplyDeleteI like playing with the symbol and manipulating it to make it look different from the original. I think that using color definitely gives it a different life and look. I appreciate that color and gray scales can have that affect on something.
ReplyDeleteI love working with color. Adding color to my symbol made it pop off the page a lot more than the black and white version.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this challenge. I decided to work with markers. I used pink and purple in my new symbol. In changing the colors, you were still able to identify the symbol by its shape.
ReplyDeleteI liked being able to use color much more with this because I felt like I could express myself better. I liked this assignment a lot and loved developing my symbol.
ReplyDeleteI liked my symbol better black and white bc it made the symbol more balanced on the page. But adding color is always fun to do.
ReplyDeleteAdding color definitely helped to develop my symbol although I still liked it with just black and white. The color helped me to express myself further.
ReplyDeleteWorking with color is a lot different then working in a gray scale. I can see where you said in class that working with color is complex. Each color can evoke such specific emotions and the different shades of color can mean such different things. I really like working in color though, it makes the symbol more alive.
ReplyDeleteI liked this challenge more than the previous one because the colors really made a difference on my symbol. It was like changing the meaning of the symbol and making it better.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this challenge and am very pleased with how it ended up looking.
ReplyDeleteI liked that I got to create my own version of the symbol. I chose the symbol for a specific meaning and I chose the colors for a specific meaning too. I used the gouache, which made the symbol even better.
ReplyDeleteI liked that we went back and added on to our previous sketch.
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time deciding what colors to use with my symbol. In fact, it took me about 30 minutes to finally decide I wanted to use on simple color. (hence why this is being posted 20 minutes past midnight) The thing I love about Celtic knots is the fact that onlookers cannot see where the knot ends and where it begins. I was afraid if I added colors, people would see the change in color as a beginning and end. Therefore, I ended up using one solid color for the knot.
ReplyDeleteat first I had trouble choosing what colors tp go with but once I got past that and began to see it come together it got easier to continue.
ReplyDeleteit was hard to figure out what colors to use for my symbol. but i enjoyed this challenged because i had the chance to evolve my symbol and add life to it
ReplyDeleteThe way this was set up reminded me a lot of tattooing. you always use your grey wash and shade before you put in your color. It was really fun to do!
ReplyDeleteThis was pretty cool as I chose to keep the body black and a vibrant green for the hair so that it stands out even more. The use of a dark black body and a vibrant green really helped in magnifying my best feature, my hair.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed being able to pick a color for my symbol and playing with the different shades of it on my paper.
ReplyDeleteI moved from black and white to color. It changed the presence of my symbol on my page. - I tried posting this last night but went through the comments and could not find it today.
ReplyDeleteI liked this challenge. I have always had a thing for keys. They have always been a symbol for unlocking more than just doors.
ReplyDeleteI loved being able to work in color for this one! I was getting frustrated with trying to make so many different grays for the symbol previous to this so it was a nice change.
ReplyDeleteI liked combining different colors to make my symbol pop. This challenge was stress free compared to the gray challenge.
ReplyDeletei like using colors to make my symbol stand out! however it was difficult to draw it again since the symbol a chose was a little bit difficult to draw. I wasn't expecting that in this challenge i had to draw the symbol all over again!
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was one of my favorites I liked that by just adding color the symbol looked different. This activity showed the importance of colors and how by just adding colors a different image is shown.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the more enjoyable challenges for me. I liked working with and mixing a bunch of different colors.
ReplyDeleteI liked this challenge a lot because it allowed me to see the symbol in a new light. Experimenting with the colors was fun, I got to see what perception of the image it gave off
ReplyDeleteI liked how we had to change the color scheme of our symbol to make it stand out on the page. Seeing the image in a different color scheme other than its original was fun.
ReplyDeleteI tried to use colors that were the exact opposite of what is traditionally found in the new York Knicks symbol. I wanted to give the symbol more of a hippy feel.
ReplyDeletei implemented color to my symbol, by doing this i brightened the symbol and i believe it gave more meaning to it
ReplyDeleteThis challenge I enjoyed because I like working with colors. Also it brought me to resemble to symbols or ideas that I see a lot in.
ReplyDeleteWhile I usually enjoy working with black and white the most, this challenge turned out really well. I initially wanted to work with colored pencils because I thought I would have the best control with them. The more I thought about how to add leaves to my tree, the more I realized that leaves are scattered and sway freely. This is why I chose to use spots of paint in many colors to make the appearance of tree leaves. Sometimes less control is a good thing!
ReplyDeleteBringing colors into the symbol brought a bunch of need emotions to the forefront of my conscious. Seeing how a symbol that once had such a specific meaning to me change before my eyes wight he use of color really taught me the power colors have.
ReplyDeleteAdding color to this symbol was very enjoyable. I felt like it gave my symbol life instead of just the plain black, whites and grays.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed playing with bright colors and bringing out different shades over time!
ReplyDeleteI used red and blue to do my money sign. It came out different than I thought it would have. I like the way it looked with the black and white colors.
ReplyDeleteMy symbol was originally solid black, so when changing the color I chose a dark lavender because I consider it to be a very relaxing and soothing color, much like the symbol itself.
ReplyDeleteI decided I wanted to make my symbol a bit more bold; I wanted it to stand out. I used the red water color mixed with a bit of gold flare. I know we are supposed to just draw our symbol, but I felt like I needed to add something else to the page. I ended up drawing loose lines everywhere and it actually came out looking like flames. It added the nice flare I was looking for in the end.
ReplyDeleteThe holy cross looked a lot better in orange and yellow than it looked in dull colors. It was also a lot of fun to paint.
ReplyDeleteAgain, using the Cross of Jesus Christ, I believe the colors I applied made it stand out far more and it perhaps brings out the true meaning and reason for the Cross.
ReplyDeleteOnce again adding color to any piece really makes it better I feel that the color gives it personality. I used certain colors to help convey the meaning of my symbol.
ReplyDeleteI added color to my smiley face. The color really brought out the feeling and power out of my symbol. A yellow happy face is a lot better than a colorless one.
ReplyDelete