Keith Kerscher Week 6, Assignment 1: Final Project: Description of process.

Here, at last, is my final project. The title is "Caeruleum, ruberque flavus: Four Seasons". The Latin means simply "Blue, red and yellow". The titles above each are also in Latin, and translate to: spring, summer, autumn and winter. I decided to use all four of my original thumbnail designs to represent the four seasons, each using primarily the blue, red and yellow triadic color scheme. Other than adding colors, I really didn't change any of the designs substantially from the grayscale drafts of Assignment 2 of Week 5. I had found it so difficult to decide which of the four to use for my final that I made the mistake of trying to make a new design based on various elements of all four. That, of course, didn't work out. So I just went back to what, according to Professor Jeffrey and my classmates, worked. Ironically, I didn't need to alter the order of my four scenes. Maybe this was theme was somewhere in my subconscious mind when I first arranged the rough thumbnail designs. Overall, I am pleased with how this turned out.

Week 6, Assignment 2: Final Project – Artist Statement

My desired objectives for the final project were to create a thought-provoking design using the principles and techniques that I learned throughout this course, and expressing myself effectively through programs (Illustrator and Photoshop) still fairly new to me. Additionally, I wanted the design to be portfolio-worthy. I feel that I have accomplished these goals. My final design is only slightly different from what I had proposed in Assignment 1 of Week 5. For example, I did not end up using as many warm colors as I had anticipated. However, I think I did make good use of scale and value to give the work depth and visual interest. It is certainly something that I will be pleased to share with others.

In the first part of my design, “tempus vernum”, the focal point is the brilliant starburst light towards the left side. All the other elements in the scene lead – or “spring” – the viewer’s eye back to this point. Balance is achieved in the second part, “aestas”, by the partially-transparent blue “ghost” next to the vertical row of red “pots”. These pots diminish in size toward the bottom of the scene. The last, tiniest pot is flipped vertically to direct the viewer’s eye back into the center. Here the warm background colors suggest summer heat. It is the background image that makes the third part, “autumnus”, not only different from the other three, but the most stunning visually. Here, the starburst near the center can be considered a focal point initially; although the intricate detail and powerful colors in the photograph eventually engage the viewer. In fact, I intentionally added only transparent objects, so as to avoid unnecessarily “hiding” any of the powerful background. I felt that the most colorful scene should represent the most colorful season – fall. The final section of my design, “hiems”, features the soft blue, bumpy background with a “snowy” feel. Similarly, the largest object on the right is meant to appear “icy”. The glowing rainbow sword and brightly-hued floating macaroni pieces give the viewer some contrast from the wintry, “overcast” look of the scene.

The title of my final project is "Caeruleum, ruberque flavus: Four Seasons". The Latin means simply "Blue, red and yellow". The shorter titles above each part are also in Latin, and translate to: spring, summer, autumn and winter. I decided to combine all four of my original thumbnail designs to represent the four seasons; each section using primarily a blue, red and yellow triadic color scheme. This common color scheme brings unity to the composition. Other than adding colors and adjusting the sizes and positions of various elements, I really didn't change any of the designs substantially from the grayscale drafts. I had found it so terribly difficult to decide which of the four to use for my final that at one point I made the mistake of trying to create a new design based on objects from all four. That, of course, didn't turn out so well. So I just went back to what, according to Professor Jeffrey and my classmates, worked. Ironically, I didn't need to alter the chronological order of my four scenes. Maybe this seasonal theme was lurking somewhere in my subconscious mind when I arranged the rough thumbnail designs in the first place.