Inspired Etches

Post-Modernism was an era beginning in the 1970s that allowed artists to find their passion and pursue it. The movement itself fi represented in many different mediums and is recognizable as the highlighted graphic design used today.  One design ideology of this movement was that style was content. Adhering to this ideology, developed the supergraphic which is an extremely sized pictograph that integrates itself to the environment. Immediately recognizable by bold geometric shapes and colors supergraphics have become social media staples and focus points of many places.  Tampa bays is home to many innovative and trendy dining options. As an up and coming city, it prides itself on the number of photo spots the city has to offer. Many of these places utilize supergraphics to get their image posted on social media to build buzz. For example, the recently renovated Channel side is now home to Sparkman’s Wharf. Here, renovated shipping containers with supergraphics affix...

            Bauhaus changed the relationship between student and teacher forever as artists collaborated to create new visions for tomorrow’s everyday life. Teachers and students heavily advocated to incorporate technology into design. A strong advocate for this was Laszlo Moholy- Nagy. His belief in technology, specifically photography, would show the world things people could not see with their own eyes.             Eventually photography meshed with graphic design to create powerful works utilizing camera angles, lighting, zoom in, and framing shots. Maholy-Nagy created  The New Vision  which was dedicated to look at the world through a camera lens. Eventually, photography became a viable alternative to paining. Everything Maholy-Nagy and all the other Bauhaus artists were working on was completely experimental. However, captured were images tha...

Known as “ The Style ” in Dutch, De Stijl was a new art form which simplified elements of the world down to pristine geometric shapes. Running parallel to other European art movements through this time, such as Dada, De Stijl viewed abstraction in a cleaner way.  De Stijl utilized abstraction neatly and simplified the shapes down to their simplest geometric form. Overall, this movement was a contributing factor to Bauhaus and many other architecture based art movements.   The meaning behind these movements was to create an “utopian idea of harmony and order.” Reducing elements down to their simplest forms reduces critiques which can appeal to a larger demographic regarding interior designs for stores and frequented fast food restaurants. A key element revolving around De Stijl was that form met function. This is a key component for interior design and even more so, mass produced interior design. As someone who has stared at the wall and the floor...

Constructivism is a word with two entirely different meanings when referred to Art or learning theory. However, an explanation of what the Russian Constructivism Movement has done for the world can be related and personified as how a person might acquire the knowledge from their experiences. One of the first lessons I learned from my parents was when they selflessly confessed that they did not and could never tell me all the answers I would require reaching my goals. Thus, they encourage me to seek out leadership in fields of my interest and learn from experiences beyond their capabilities. I found my passion and motivations for my goals through experiences I had and overcoming obstacles allowed me to work on my flaws and be continuously be guided through trial and error. Similarly, the Russian Constructivism was similar.  The Constructivism movement in Russia originated when a group of about twenty-five artists renounced creating art simply just for the design. Instead, these...

The Earth itself is its own self-cleansing organ. It produces all humans. All humans are artists. All artists and the minds within them create structure, organization, and set the rules of society of what is considered beautiful. Yet, humans are arrogant and restless creatures. As a society, we do not allow norms and world leadership to go unquestioned. When more and more people question, the world changes. When the world changes, a movement occurs. And it is infectious. Dada was the infectious cultural movement that the world may have cleansed itself from once it ran its course. Yet, the next movement and every movement thereafter has been impacted by these artists. Since Dada, The Earth has forever lost its immune system that kept out the unstructured raw beauty created by this new wave of artists. A lot was in the mind of Swiss artists from 1916 through 1922. Every day was a question during World War I. Artists could answer the question of how their tomorrows would be with ...

For those who have ever seen the television phenomenon,  Game of Thrones , they could give you a brief spoil-free synopsis of the show by saying the plot revolves around determined characters who question the past systematic process of who will be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. No matter who has a successful quest at the end of each episode or season, all contenders are seeking a better future for their people. Similar to the actual era of futurism which was an art movement in art, music, and literature glorifying the future and utilizing these mediums to promote movement within work to emphasize that futurists were not going back!  Game of Thrones portrays this theme of futurism through their plot set design, and even within their opening credits.  If you haven’t seen the television series, watching the 2-minute opening credit scene could foreshadow a futurism theme. Going through the five senses, first, you hear an orchestra buildup of violi...

Peter Behrens was the father of corporate identity. Based on research into his work, he created the idea that “form follows function- and it can be beautiful too.” Today our world is not in awe of revelation, we expect it. When a pain-point occurs in our lives, we as people find ways to alieve it. Behrens gave us this industrial framework to create beauty while fulfilling our needs. However, has his standardization and neutrality into the graphic design world brought the world closer together? Or has finding aesthetically pleasing and simplifying solutions reduced the number of channels people have had to undertake thus, hurting the basic human need of interaction.  Peter Behrens was a German artist, architect, and designer who some might say is the “father of industrial design”. He designed and manufactured everyday products such as tea kettles, streetlights, clocks, and more. What differentiated his designs from any others were the simplicity of the designs that standa...

The Art Nouveau movement was the era of lines. If there has ever been a diagram in a textbook to be studied, it can be traced back to the early essences of Art Nouveau 1800’s Ukiyo-e movement. These smooth calligraphic linework, lead to a lot of simplification to create decorative patterns as well as recognizable shapes.  Flowy and twisty lines became the simple base of design that today gives us not only admired work but, tools such as illustrators Pen tool to keep this movement alive.  The Japanese used simple lines that presented “suggestive impressions rather than detailed depictions” Here, they allowed their illustrations to be interpreted with creativity, while still relaying their message. “Uki” translates to sadness and “yo” for life relating to the concept that life was a “transitory illusion”. Knowing this, the term then evolved to represent the earth’s highlights.  Adobe Illustrator is a staple in the graphic design world. Half a century bac...

Symbols #2                  For a website titled Inspired “Etches,” it is no wonder that there is a post here talking about cave drawings, hieroglyphics, and other carved symbols and shapes. When we follow through their evolution, they have the greatest impact on not only me, but everyone who associates symbols with loved ones, pictures with loved ones, and anyone who has ever seen a movie. For me, this subject is very raw and that is great because it means that it is powerful and may help me pay closer than normal attention to detail on this post.                   This year, the last Saturday in February, my Mommom passed away from a stroke. When the initial shock died down, we began to realize that she was now with her late husband, my Poppop, and to handle her affairs here on earth were 6 children she ra...

 Paper/ T-Shirts             William Baumol once wrote a manifest explaining that in cultures, we derive our innovation based on what societal norms and the cultures depiction of wealth and prestige in a society. In Baumol’s words, it is the “Rules of the game”. In Ancient Chinese civilization, their “rules of the game” were based on what they valued in their culture. In Ancient China, wealth and prestige was associated with scholarship. For this reason, even though China was technologically ready for a variety of advancements, the innovation of paper was invented by  Ts'ai Lun because their “rules of the game” encouraged it. Overtime the process became simplified and is now synonymous with all cultures. At times, I feel that I live by my own “rules of the game” and create things based on my demographic. For me that is Sorority T-shirts.            ...

            In my life and for this idea, I would like to be able to say that I am great at something. In grade school, I was never picked last for a team in gym, yet I was never picked first either. However, after 21 years there is one thing that I am better at than anyone else in the world: knowing movie quotes. There is something beautiful about being connected to others through repayable words in a movie, song or sitcom. The feeling of connection is a hunger that is never fully satisfied and only tasted in addicting doses. Today, we have shown that are known by all such as the classic show  Friends that have connected the world through laughter and witty puns. This powerful art of connection can be related to and traced back by the connection society felt when it was given one of the first massed produced copies of print that could easily connect everyone.          ...

#8 The Arts and Craft Movement              There is no better people on the planet that are influenced by arts and crafts as a a sorority girl. I want to express apologies if this is found stereotypical because it is meant in quite the opposite way. Developing objects that enhance the way we see the world and keeping them as memories is a way for a sisterhood bond to be locked for years to come.                A quote from  HistoryofGraphicdesingn.com  also similarly states, “During the 1880s and 1890s the Arts and Crafts movement was underpinned by a number of societies and guilds that sought to establish democratic artistic communities united for the common good. These ranged from exhibition cooperatives to communes based on socialist and religious ideals.” As a sister in Delta Zeta, I can pin point key elements in the arts and craft’s revolution tha...

#7 The Industrial Revolution                  Walt Disney World has changed my life in the ways that many people can surely relate too. Walking up that slight rise in the Magic Kingdom, seeing all the original architecture, characters, and everything else with all the fixing’s make the Disney name synonymous with entertainment and enjoyment. However, perhaps as I get older and more cost-conscious I can start to see the cracks and deception within my childhood. Disney at time can appear to lose its magic when moving towards almost a mechanic viewpoint. At times, it relates to the way the Industrial Revolution caught lash back for forcing those to adapt to change that may or may not have been ready for it.                   Both Walt Disney World as well as the Industrial revolution sparked enhancements that cha...

# 6                  The arrival of printing brought the world to a place where looking back was never an option. On a business standpoint, marketing has never been the same since branding now can not only design a marketable design but, are able to replicate it with complete accuracy. It is so common for things to be mass produced that we crave to be different. As a society, we are so used to taking for granted the ability Gutenberg’s press and the Qing’s dynasty left us with moveable and replicating printing.                    I am no exception to this rule as I have an over two-hundred fifty piece Disney pin collection that I pride myself on for filling my collection with rare, limited edition, errored in production, and many more distinguishable qualities that make my collection stand out from t...

           My senior year of high school, A brain injury ended my athletic career and I had to stop playing sports I loved. Today, it has been a long journey back but, I would not have survived without another constructive outlet that filled a void in my heart that sports once had. It was a gift that allowed me to make gifts with endless possibilities and cut out any and every shape I wanted. Receiving my Silhouette Cameo was a gift and a task all at once and I was grateful for it. The very first thing I used it for was a gift for my mentors in high school. The first, a Silhouette outline of Goofy, just on cardstock. With this, I spray painted a canvas silver, and then placed my goofy cut out on the silver canvas as a filler and spray painted again black. Once I removed the cardstock, I was left with Goofy himself. A gift I’ll remember giving forever and it would have never been a possibility without the amazing capabilities of my Silhouette Cameo Ma...

After countless hours and struggles with this project, I can say that I will leave all animation up to those with the patience. Here his a screen grab of not only my animation but the sound bytes behind it as well. Also included is a link to watch it on youtube! Enjoy a very rough story of a man who is dreaming of the northern lights and his dream of a dancing light princess. https://youtu.be/RqW6DQNLALs

Here is a poster that I hope encourages people to see things from a different perspective.  This last project in   adobe illustrator   allowed me to create a poster with a message. Our inspiration that I tried to incorporate was the street artist; Banksy. This  silhouette  is made with the tracing tool in illustrator and it is   colored with neon brushes and fill styles.  

For this project we had to show something that makes us insecure about our lives. For this I chose to expose my wish that I wish on days I was feeling so low about how I look or my weight, I wish I could just unzip my outer shell and step into the person I want to become. There's also different qualities! Enjoy! 0 quality  25 Quality  50 Quality 75 Quality 100 Quality