Week 13

Week 12

Happy Thanksgiving!

Week 11

Our assignment was to choose something that we considered ourselves an expert on at Saint Xavier University. Since I do not live on campus and commute everyday, I figured I was an expert at being a commuter student. We first were assigned to write a 1000 word essay on our topic. I chose to talk about traffic, construction, accidents, rising gas prices, commute time, etc. So in order to shoot pictures I chose to pull out things that got you in the mood of being a commuter student. I took 20 pictures of construction, gas signs, cars, and so on.
Once we accomplished that assignment we started to do the layout of our magazine article using the InDesign software. We first had to complete our folder organization in order to be prepared to create this magazine. Once that was done we were free to design our four page spread. I used a few techniques including pull quotes, title fonts, pictures, etc. We learned how to use font colors by using color in the windows option and also text wrap around for the pull quotes. Magazines need to have some order and class, so I decided to combine both words and pictures on each page. I made sure that the pages looked organized and interesting.
I decided that it would also be interesting to get some input from other commuter students. So with my text I did an interview column where I asked four students what their commute to Saint Xavier is like. I used pictures to represent their answers and organized it on the last two pages. I used pull quotes and text wrap in this section as well. I decided to use red for pull quotes and titles to really draw them out of the text.

Week 10

Commuting to Saint Xavier can have its positive and negative aspects, but what would be fun about telling you how great it is to drive here? Driving here each and every day gets real old sometimes, between leaving early to be sure you’re on time, construction, traffic, gas prices, accidents and so on. Being a commuter can really start your day off on a negative note.

Being a commuter student can be quite expensive. Not only do you have to pay for the gas to get to and from school, but also the $125.00 fee for the parking permit. Not only does the expense get to you, but the time you waste to get to and from school. The biggest pain is leaving the house almost an hour and half before class. This time truly depends upon how far away you live as well as you have to wake up at least a half hour earlier than that. So in reality, if your class is at 10 am, you have to be up by 8 am at the last to ensure you will be on time.

The problem of time is just the start of the commute. The real problems start when you leave the house. This is when traffic becomes the problem. Traffic can vary with the time you leave. Rush hour between 4-6 pm and 6-8 am are the worst to be driving. In these cases, leaving for student teaching, observing, clinical etc., can take even longer and require you to leave even earlier. Time is a precious thing not to be wasted in a car for hours and hours.

Traffic jams and parking lots on the highway range from time of departure, construction and accidents. Everywhere you turn there is another delay in commuting time. The most common is construction traffic. There are many ways to get to Saint Xavier and each way has some instances of construction. Construction can include road paving, lane merging and much more. All construction causes problems for commuters, not only can it make you late but can also damage your car.

Commuting can have its perks, but for me I dislike the commute very much. I like the perks of being a commuter, but the traffic, construction, accidents, etc can cause a lot of irritation. It costs money to live on campus and it costs money to commute; there is no happy medium really. Freshman year and sophomore year was not bad at all, but getting into junior and senior year the commute is frustrating.

Interviews
Where do you commute from? I am a senior here at Saint Xavier. I commute from my house in Tinley Park.
How long is your commute? My commute time truly depends on traffic. It can be anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes.
What do you dislike most about being a commuter ? The one thing I dislike most about commuting to school is the traffic you have to drive through. You have to leave your house so early because you can never predict the unexpected.
Why did you decide to commute? I chose to commute because I live close enough to drive without paying so much to live on campus. I could not justify paying that much money to live so close to home.

Where do you commute from? I live in and commute from Orland Park. I am a junior here at Saint Xavier University.
How long is your commute? I commute from roughly 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. I can make it in less time when it’s around 10 o’clock in the morning. It also adds time to the commute when we have bad weather.
What do you dislike most about being a commuter? I don’t like that you have to leave early to park and get to class on time. It’s so hard to park at school because a lot of people drive and classes are all pretty close in times, so the parking lot is jammed.
Why did you decide to commute? I chose to commute because I can live in my room at my house and have more room to live without paying so much money to live here.


Where do you commute from? I commute from Mokena. I am a sophomore here at Saint Xavier.
How long is your commute? It changes from semester to semester; during the winter time my commute is about 35-45 minutes. During regular morning traffic and normal weather my commute ranges from 25-30 minutes.
What do you dislike most about being a commuter? I dislike the construction on every route you take to get to school. The pot holes and the re-paving of the roads are the worst. Not only are they irritating, but they damage your car.
Why did you decide to commute? I chose to commute because I don’t think I could live in a dorm and eat cafeteria food. I like living at my house with room and good food.

Where do you commute from? I commute from Homer Glen. I am a freshman this year.
How long is your commute? My commute is about 40 minutes depending on the weather and traffic. Also depends on speed limits and construction speed limit changes.
Why do you dislike most about being a commuter student? I don’t like the parking and how jammed the lots are all the time. You have to get to school about a half hour before class to make sure you find a parking spot somewhere.
Why did you decide to commute? I chose to commute because it’s cheaper to live at home than to live on campus in my eyes.

Week 9

I first thought to do cons of being a commuter student. I hate the traffic, construction, accidents, etc. So I decided to take a picture of the constructions signs because it never fails there is always construction on some road. I have been commuting for three years already so I consider myself an expert.

I also thought to do the parking problem at school. I have been parking here for three years and consider myself an expert. You have to leave early just so you can get a spot in order to be on time to class.

I also thought maybe I would do the shuttle situtation. I dislike this new shuttle system because it is inconvenient for us students. We have to wait around for it if our class gets out early or late. I took a picture of the shuttle we have to take to the VAC and others places on campus.

I also thought I could do School of Education. I am currently a student in the Early Childhood Program at Saint Xavier and thougt being at the prime of my major classes as well as all the steps it takes to become a teacher I could refer to myself as an expert.

Special Edition

Art Institute of Chicago

This picture is unique in which the colors and theme of the image gives off a calming and relaxing mood. The colors are dark and then in the center there is a glow of light blue and white showing you it is roughly sunset set, early evening, or sun rise, early morning. I think of sun set because the colors are what I see in the evening. I like the trees in the front also because it shows that single white house in the background and allows you to feel alone. This picture speaks for itself in portraying the calmness and tranquility of the colors and atmosphere.

This picture is also unique in the color palette used. I like the black and white of the bordering skyscrapers and how it forms a border of the picture. What I like most is the color distinction of the Eiffel Tower in the center. I like how it seems to be breaking through the center of the picture. It is this fantastic architechture built in with all these other buildings. I also like how the the picture is cartoon like because of the colors and shape of the buildings.

I enjoy this picture because in a strange way it portrays love. The entire piece is black and white except the pink floating hearts above their heads. The way they are placed in the center allows these images to be the object that draws you in. This picture seems to give off the sense of happiness and excitement. The way the man is throwing the girl up into the air is quite playful. I also like the way LOVE is built into the side with flowers to incorporate sweetness and kindness into the piece as well.

Week 8

The people of Old Town take part in friendly social activities. Everyone in the town seems to be interacting with someone special whether it be at a restaurant, on the sidewalk, or on a park bench. This Old Town arch in which they are sitting is located in only a few locations; this arch is unique to Old Town and Old Town only.

Welcome to Old Town. This is the home to Second City. This attraction is what brings most visitors to Old town. Second City is a unique place to visit. The town is always on the go and seems to be a fun place to live. The townspeople are always smiling and friendly.

This statue of Saint Michael’s Archangel is located in one of the oldest churches in Old Town. Saint Michael’s church was one of the only churches to survive the Chicago Fire. This angel is what welcomes you to the entrance of the church

Week 7

These colors are used quite effectively using a brighter color as the focal point and still light but darker colors for the background. I like this color scheme because the white and yellow truly stand out and draw your attention in. These colors are quite vibrant and exciting and that was the feel I got in Old Town.

I also like this color scheme as well with the faded blue and purple in the back and the orange and light pink flowers as the focal point. I like the way these colors work off of eachother to really draw your eye into the center of the piece.

This image also shows how color can draw your eye in. This yellow lemon as the focal point and the bright blue plate all really draw you in from the pale pink of the background. This image is another combination of color I like. This color palate also reminds me of the relax feel you got from the people in this town.

Week 6

In order to create this first image of the series to describe Old Town I had to choose a background picture. For this first picture the object of attratcion is the town sign and by doing so I am displaying location/place in this piece. I chose this picture because it gave the essence of the town. Second City is a landmark known by many and is displayed in this image. I also like the way the shops are set up with the very unique architecture. I decided this sign was significant because I saw many throughout the town making you become aware that you are in Old Town. I decided by desaturating the background that the sign would pop and draw your attention in.

The second image in the series is to draw attention to a thing of the town. I chose a significant thing in the town the Saint Michaels Church. This church was one of a few churchs that survived the Chicago Fire. I thought by making a collage of the many images I took at the Church would allow this object, the church, to be the main focus of the piece. I decided to choose the entrance of the church as the front piece of the callage in order to label what the object was in this scene. I cropped out the street sign, the building, the entrance, the statue out of other pictures and added them into the background picture of the ramp leading to the entrance. I created a unique placement in order to draw your attention to the church; that is why I put the full picture of the church in the left hand corner, tilted in order to draw your attention to the object.

The last image of the series is people; I chose this background image because it not only had one of the Old Town Arches in it, but it shows the quaint atmosphere of the town. The people were placed where they are because I felt that the metal off the signs created a bench through the center of the photo. I put the people there because it seemed like the best location to really draw your attention in. These people are positioned in this way because everyone around the town looked to relaxed, talkative, friendly, etc. I also chose to desaturate the people because I thought it would draw even more attention to them.

Special Edition

Pilsen Art Walk

Throughout this experience I noticed many pieces of work in which I got some kind of story, an emotion, a feeling, etc. But certain ones grabbed my attention much more. I enjoyed seeing the light displays, the sculptures, videos, and collages. But these three pieces of art got my attention the most.

The first one I felt showed me an image and I was able to pull out my own thoughts was the one of the moon. This canvas painting created a sense of calmness. What I got was the moon is always present and the mixture of colors signifies the times of day and seasons. I saw purples, red, pinks,oranges like when the sun is setting; i also saw oranges, red, browns, and yellows like when its summertime. The way the paint looks like it is running down the page in unique and a great way to entice people to take a closer look. This one just was so interesting and immediaqtley drew your attention to the moon.



Also the next one that stood out to me was the water tower creation. This piece I enjoyed because my boyfriend and I take pictures outside this building every year around Christmas time. I love the architecture of this building and in this picture the color scheme excentuates the architecture. I like how they added a red and yellow into the black and white sketched looked painting. By doing so your eye immediatley is drawn into the building itself. i also like how the picture is created with written words faded into the background. This image uses many techniques to draw the observer in and I feel it was quite successful in doing so.



This next series was one that I also liked. I got my own theory on what this series looked like. The first picture is and outdoor, tree scene that the background looks like the sun is about to rise. It gives you a sense of calmness when you look at it. I like how they only drew attention to the colors of the sun whereas the rest of the picture is black and white. In the second picture of the series I like the way it makes the sun seem to be fully out and shining. This gives you a sense of daylight and day time. Finally the last one seems to be the sun setting. The colors display the night time and a sense of peacefulness. In all works the color schemes are amazing; I am a fan of black and white photos, but with color mixed in to draw attention and set a scene is amazing.

Week 5

In order to begin this assignment I first decided which picture of Old Town I wanted as my background image. I decided the one in this photo because I wanted an image that gave me space to add objects and have it look like a natural scene. I also chose this one because of the way the statue is a different color than the rest of the photo. I began to look through my other photos and see where I could crop people out and add them to this background page. Old Town was quite a busy area so I figured because the town was so busy I would make this scene full of people. The project was to have the people in the piece catch your eye first. We were shown many ways in order to accomplish the task of drawing the viewers eye to one main idea. I felt that I accomplished this in a way by blurring the background; I used the gaussian blur in order to have the background be less dominate because of the darkness of the background. One thing that should be different in this piece is how small the people were; unless you are looking at the piece right in front of you the only thing that catches your eye is the statue. But I needed to be able to catch your attention with people from far or near. I need to create a background that is less dominate and draw your eyes to one person in particular. As well as these suggestions I need to also touch up the way my people are cut out; some have mishaped edges and parts from the originial picture that need to be erased. The craft of the poeple are a bit poor. I needed people for the project and I found I took very few pictures with people in them, so the ones I used are from a distance.

Week 4

In order to create this collage of Old Town I cut out objects from pictures and pasted them to a new document. By doing this I was able to make a scene with the objects. I was able to shape them the way I wanted as well as use many other techniques to create an interesting piece of work.






This image was created with the street sign as the focal point. I created this image first by choosing which object I wanted to draw attention to in the collage. First I selected each object in the image and used a COLOR technique. I went into the adjustments tab on photoshop and chose to desaturate each object to the extent they became grayscaled.







This image was created using the design technique of BLUR. This allows me to have a focal point on the colorful flowers in the collage. I used this design using a special blur option in photoshop; it was called gaussian blur it allowed me to use a scale in order to increase or reduce the blur to each picture.





In this image the focal point is on the colorful blue Old Town signs. I chose this for REPITION mainly because these were located all over the town. This is a way of drawing attention to one object many times. i was able to do this by copying each one from one picture to the next. Each time I copied the sign I placed it in random spots and changed the positioning using the tilt options.





The option of using SCALE to draw attention to the focal point is another obvious but great way to relay a message through your work. The clock tower was enlarged to be the center of the image. I did this by using the command t to tranform the object by expanding it. As well I used the same command to make the others much smaller.