Final Thoughts

I am near the end of my class and I can't comprehend where my time went. Everything has been such a rush of emotions and work that I haven't been able to stop  and take a breath. I constantly debate whether or not I should take a break but know it will ultimately leave me guilty.

I have such a drive where I want to continue so I can finish in a shorter span of time. I can't imagine how I would be able to start up again after not doing it for an extended amount of time. Honestly, I am a little tired of doing school work but know it will help me out in the long run. And that's a piece of motivation I use to get through the days where I'm not feeling my best. Especially when I'm not too confident with my school work, it's my little pick me up.

You have to look at it objectively every now and then so you don't lose yourself in a whirlwind of feelings and go crazy. The chaos is something you have to be able to deal with and control so it doesn't get out of hand and ruin you.

I have so many mixed emotions but overall, I know what my responsibilities are and know I have to get them done.

--Kimberly Dinh

Emotions Are Powerful

I generally get upset when my emotions tend to overflow into my work. It becomes a hindrance and I get behind because I don't know how to handle my feelings well. But recently, I've noticed my emotions can benefit my work not hurt it. Since, I am writing about a subject I'm passionate about, I should be able to feel it! Emotions are so powerful that it's a toss-up whether or not they can harm or bless you. That is if you can't control them.

I'm starting to realize I need my emotions regardless and shouldn't box them up and ignore them. I want to start using my emotions wisely especially if they can help enhance my creative work. The only downside is that I don't have much practice with this. Also, I have a difficult time expressing my emotions into words.

Let's give new things a try and see how something I use to negatively think of can become a positive experience!

--Kimberly Dinh

My First Week's Project Anxiety

Usually, we have weekly or bi-weekly projects that haven't given me quite a panic as this month. It's not even a one time job project. It's more of a consecutive build of something larger.

The project entails me to choose a subject that I care about and could help build my professional identity online. It's hard to pick something I'm passionate about without sounding like I have no idea what I'm talking about. It's even harder when your emotions get involved with the subject and you don't want to seem like you don't have any fact about it. I was racking my brain on something I could write about. I had NO IDEA. I was clueless. The minute I had all the power to create, I had a major brain fart. I'm very good at taking direction especially when I'm given a direction to go. This was so new to me because it could literally be any subject I wanted.

Another thing that concerned me was figuring out a subject that was wide enough to write about daily. I didn't want to restrict myself on not being about to write after I have a few times. This has to be a broad subject but not too broad. If it's too broad, then I don't have a well educated topic. And if it's too narrow, I won't have enough material. That's a dilemma.

And there's other little things that have major impact that I have to include like widgets, clean navigation, proper grammar and other things similar to that.

I can finally say with confidence that I have a subject. I'm a little hesitant to write about it but I think it'll be a great experience overall.

OH, and another thing that terrifies me is that this project is 13% of my grade. But I worry about my grades all the time even when there really shouldn't be.

I'm a natural worrier, I can't help it.
--Kimberly Dinh

Feeling of Doubt

I'm entering this month with a bunch of insecurities because I barely skimmed through last month with myself intact. I was quite a mess and didn't have much explaination for it. I'm lucky to have such an understanding teacher that is willing to help.

I have such a hard time asking for help until I have no choice. One habit that I surely need to break... fast! The sooner the better because I cannot end this month the same way I did the previous. And it's not helping that I'm already behind.

Furthermore, I have to kick it in hyper-speed to get on pace with the rest of the class. But I don't need to stress myself out like I've been doing. I am my biggest supporter and enemy.

Let's keep on keeping on. Let's get back on track. Let's do better because you know you can.

Let's do this!

--Kimberly Dinh

Time Managment

Last week I talked about staying composed under pressure and keeping my life balanced. That's more easier said than done. I've been trying to get back on track but feel that my head is still up in the clouds. It's really easy to get distracted and have valuable time slip through your fingers.

At the moment, you feel that you can make that time up but that's not always the case. Time doesn't stop because you do. That would be awesome, wouldn't it? Sadly, it doesn't. But all in all, managing your time is very important. Whether or not you believe it now is all up to you but keep in mind that two hours does not equate with 20 minutes.

Even if you're confident in your skill, you need to manage your time better than you've ever had. Use your time wisely to create the best quality of your work you can. If you don't spend a quality amount of your time, you won't execute quality work.

Short and sweet this week.
--Kimberly Dinh

Balance and Composure

This week is sort of an eye opener with me. I've shared constantly my struggle with the month and trying to achieve and learn simultaneously. And of course it has been a roller coaster and quite difficult. I've realized I haven't been able to connect as easily to my work like I have in the past. I'm completely out of my element and comfort zone.

As much as I get comfort from working at home, there isn't much motivation to it at all. I'm  at home frying my brain because there isn't someone a foot away I can lean over to communicate with. Fortunately, I can communicate with my class online but I feel it's not as effective as it could be in person that's why I've refrained from using it so. But ultimately, I believe I may have to begin using it more often to feel less of a castaway or outcast.

I've come to the conclusion that the reason why I've been dragging along this month, is because I've yet to balance my life out. I've been too stuck in my own mind and blurring the lines of Work and Home. You should never mix the two. EVER. I mean, yes, there are moments that your personal life come into play with your work and that's perfectly fine but what I'm saying is, for me, there hasn't been quite a distinction and I think that hurts me academically and creatively.

Recently, I have taken steps to step back and look at my work objectively and instead of emotionally. I've been to caught up in my emotions from my personal life where I've knocked my work out of sight and that is a big inconvenience.

Slowly but surely, coming to terms of getting balance back into my life, staying composed when things go astray and recovering from that damage I've caused myself, it's going to get there. Baby steps, but stepping forward.

--Kimberly Dinh

Complications

This week we had to create a website for Search Engine Optimization. Recently, I only vaguely knew what it was or at least it sounded familiar. As I was doing research it wasn't that hard to comprehend but it was sure a lot of information. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one but it became a little overwhelming with all the information I was consuming. And to not stress myself out, I took a break and got something to eat.

But that's where my weakness is-- breaks. Since I am a full time online student, my break environment is my house. And there's A LOT of temptation of pushing my responsibilities aside to do whatever. Basically, I'll procrastinate. I have to be on top of my schedule or I'll fall behind and reduce my motivation and dedication for my projects.

I have to keep myself with the mindset of getting my work done or I'll just get out of hand. Usually, I can procrastinate and whip something up real quick and it'll be a decent grade but this isn't high school and I don't want to present mediocre work.

The work is a lot different, the materials are a lot different, and my mindset of getting my work done has to be different. And then, and only then I will be successful.

--Kimberly Dinh

Improving Along The Way

I'm continuing on my journey of HTML and CSS. Even though I technically have a month of experience under my belt, I still feel like I'm only dipping my toe to test the waters. There's plenty of more I haven't learned. Also, there's more to go into depth with.

HTML and CSS are still scary subjects to me and I only hope that I'll get more comfortable and confident in my skills. The subject is a bit overwhelming but trying to apply yourself is going to be the hardest quest in this journey. I may learn little techniques that can help ease my nerves but I have to first choose to apply myself in that element.

Last month, I had a late start and then it got rougher after that. I was so discouraged with everything going on with class and in my life that I continued to procrastinate. And procrastinate I did. It did NOT help how anxious I was to begin with. Eventually, I conquered my demons and was able to create a website.

I did go very simple but as I stated previously, I tested the waters. Dreamweaver didn't seem as scary as I made it out to be once I actually saw progress and then my final product. All in all, face your fears. Whether you decide to take baby steps or dive head first, you have to take the first initiative.

That's all for now.
--Kimberly Dinh

Only The Beginning

I can finally say that I've received my books this week! I actually feel that I'm a part of the class again. I know that I'll be a little more behind than I've ever expected to be but I'll push through and continue for my upcoming months.

I've already gone through my books to get an idea of the material and was so amazed at everything I didn't know along with some things I had a vague idea of. Getting involved with coding made me a bit of nostalgic because the first time I've ever use it or heard of it was because of Myspace.

I remember how everyone knew the basics to enhance their layout of their page. And now that Myspace is sort of overlooked due to the popularity of Facebook, the DIY (do-it-yourself) coding may of disappeared from my memory.

But the sense of familiarity gives me a bit of confidence to have the ability to learn it again and possibly expand my horizons.

Until next time,
--Kimberly Dinh

Unable to Function

Last week, I discussed about how I was entering a new class and was extremely nervous of learning the new material but I have been unable to really get a grasp of the work. No, not because I don't understand the material but due to the fact that I have lack there of.

So far, I have been in such an unlucky situation where my books haven't arrived and I am far behind my other classmates. I can't really dive into the subject without my books because that's the foundation. Where there is no foundation, everything crumbles. Due to the complications I've been given, I've had to work in a different mindset compared to others. First things first, I have to get my books. Then work from the beginning to get caught up. I foresee sleepless nights but it will totally be worth it in the long run. The skills I'll be learning will help when I step into the real world.

Hopefully, I'll be able to share something specific next week!

Until next time,
--Kimberly Dinh

Delivery Systems Week 1

I've entered a new class and I'm hesitant. I'm probably more nervous than I've ever been for any class. This class involves creating websites and that is the part that scares me. I don't know how much it will take to build a website from scratch. I'm completely in the dark about this and don't have much research about this under my belt. That's probably what the majority of my time will consist of. Researching and researching until my fingers fall off and I'm comfortable enough to possibly launch my own personal website.

I'm thinking about how I've never done this before and my first week in Intro to Graphic Arts and Design. I've never touched any Adobe products before and then I went through my courses picking up techniques and learning that I'm able to do things alone. Hopefully, I'll be blessed with the same outcome in this class.

Still nervous but I just want to do my best! I'll keep you updated on my journey.

Until next time,
--Kimberly Dinh

Grand Opening!

In my last post, I discussed my endeavors about creating my portfolio. I just want to show you what it all turned out to look like even though I didn't have the opportunity to have unlimited resources and supplies. Beginning with nothing, I like how it turned out. Now that I have the experience, I can create a better portfolio when I update it.

As I did have plenty of complications, I truly enjoyed my experience. I can use what I've done here later in the future and I can share my knowledge with you in the most honest way I can.

 My portfolio is basically a three-ring binder with clear insert front. My cover displays my name so anyone looking at it will know the work inside belongs to me. I also put strips of different designs I created to give a little color. These little strips embody me as a designer because it shows a little bit of what I do in a lot of my pieces. The significance of three? Well, the beginning, middle, and end of every project. It just shows figuratively how you work in sessions.

The inside is displayed somewhat like this below. I put my work in page protectors to keep them from getting messed up. I also went with a front and back showcase to put similar works next to each other yet show the differences as well.






Pros:

• I learned how to put a portfolio together.
• I learned how to look at my work objectively.
• I got to be creative (like always).
• I have a portfolio for job opportunities.

Cons:

• Didn't have many resources, material, or budget.
• Used a lot of neighbor's ink.
• Personal issues.

Overall, the pros definitely outweigh the cons and it's a relief to finally have this ready! I don't have much else to say but good luck if you're making a portfolio as well.

And until next time,

--Kimberly Dinh

Under Construction

Being a designer, you have to keep a substantial way to display and promote your work to clients. A client needs to have conformation that you know what you're doing basically. Also, this helps the consumer figure out if your work is what they need for their project or at least the experience and potential for it.

A portfolio is a good way to present yourself for business. A portfolio is a compilation of your work that documents your expertise and personality. Why is this important? Because it's reinforcement. You can't just say something and not have proof.

I've recently began putting together my own portfolio and wanted to show the experience. Let's begin with saying it is my FIRST ever portfolio and it's a learning process. This whole concept is completely foreign to me and I didn't know how much it was going to take to finish it.

I began with the mindset of this being another project for my class but it was completely different than anything I've ever done. It took more of my energy than I figured. A portfolio is no joke! It is something you have to constantly work on to perfect and you have to keep asking yourself, "How does this represent me?", "Is this something I want to show my clients?", and a myriad of other self-exploration questions. Everything begins with what you're to broadcast for others to see. I had to go through the archives of my work and search for multiple pieces that I was proud of, showed my experience and technique, and had my personality in it. After the selection process, I had to tweak anything I deemed as unfinished. It also helps that you remember critiques you've received from you peers and professors.

I selected a few of my pieces that represented my style. Without inflating my ego, I would say I work very well with layers and know how to work them together. I stated in a previous blog post that my professors even noted that I can create textures and that's how I found my calling if you say. It was something I did with ease and it become something I was kind of known for. Some of the pieces below will show you what I've been trying to explain.

  

After picking my pieces, I had to modify a few to make them complete and then print. I have to adjust the final size of my larger work due to my portfolio's size. I had to get a little crafty when it came to my portfolio because of budget and resources. All in all, make it work! (as said by Project Runway's Tim Gunn) Being a college student struggling to find employment and living with a single parent, you don't have the most lavish budget and had to think of a solution fast. I then realized I still had page protectors and binders from high school I could use. Hoping they were in good condition, I searched through the graveyard of school materials. It was a sense of relief that I had this laying around and it would help immensely for my portfolio.

Everything inside your portfolio is a huge chunk of representation but don't forget about the cover! I know the saying is, "Don't judge a book by its cover" but how else will we be interested in something that has no pizazz or lures us in to pick it up. I began sketching thumbnails and roughs of how I wanted to present my name and how I wanted some type of image to follow that. At this time, I had no idea what type of display picture I wanted to showcase. A lot of ideas bounced around and I finally decided to make my own.

 

A sneak peak into my process with thumbnails (left) and roughs (right).

Ultimately, I was satisfied with it after trial and error. That's the point of design, you have to constantly work on something until your deadline (if you have one). And the hardest aspect is having a finished product because you might believe it needs a little more work but your client might like/want it the way it is. That's where communication comes in handy. But the difficult part was I was my own client and had to fulfill my purpose with my portfolio cover design.

This is probably the hardest thing I had to do to date. I entered very dim about the idea of a portfolio and worked myself constantly to finish and I've learned so much. I had to many obstacles I worked around due to everything that is limited to me. Overall, I have a better understanding to make a better portfolio next time I update while my work progresses.

Until next time,

--Kimberly Dinh

Local Work

I've recently moved to a new location and haven't been able to connect with this town. I came from a larger and fast-paced environment to something the complete opposite. A small town has its ups and downs but I can be certain that any type of change will get the attention needed.

Due to its small population and local owned Ma and Pa shops, I feel that I could make a difference in anywhere I get my foot into. I could tweak the local flower shop's design to give them potentially more business and who would deny a booming industry?

I can't quite say there is a company I would be dying to get my hands on but I can say that I will enjoy any experience, if any, that comes my way.

Arcadia is an open field of opportunities regardless of its size.

Until next time,

--Kimberly Dinh

Reflection

Sometimes questions are good for the soul. You need to check up on your goals and needs to figure out where you are and where you need to be, so take a look at yourself and answer these questions. I'll be doing it too!

Reflect on Your Work

1. What kind of work do you like to do?
I like to do work that is more stationary meaning posters and such. If I can work out of Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, then that's where I lean towards more.

2. What kind of work do you do best?
My best work is interpretive pieces I've done for school. The project would tell me to illustrate one of the seven deadly sins, a song, or font. I like the freedom it gives me yet I have guidelines to follow.

3. Was there a particular project that you really enjoyed working on?
I really enjoyed working on The Seven Deadly Sins project. I had to illustrate Lust and had a good creative experience with trying to not generalize the idea of lust and making it over-sexual. Instead I showed how the lasting effects of the deadly sin.

4. How would you define your talents and skill set?
My talents and skills are very new and still in training. I would say that is a bad element to my business because if I'm still learning then I'm still growing. I'll be growing my aesthetic for years to come and won't get too comfortable with a style if I can switch it up and reach out to different demographics.

5. How would you describe the styles, forms, and concepts with which you prefer to work?
As of right now, I've discovered I can work well with layers and form textures easily. My professors have told me that they can see my eye for texture and sometimes people have to learn to do what I did in the few weeks I was in class. That was nice to hear that something unique was just natural for me. I prefer my work to have some texture because I believe it gives it dimension and doesn't look too plain.

6. How would others describe your talents and work you do?
Others would describe my work as a modern and whimsical. I like to express in dream-like structures and colors. It's more of a reality escape form of work.

7. What does your body of work say about you?
My work definitely says I'm a dreamer. I am very ambitious and motivated to reach my goals.

8. Is there something missing from your body of work that you think you need?
I feel that I need more photography shots. I'm not the biggest fan of editing pictures but that is something I need to learn and get a grasp of to get into that part of the scene of being a designer.

Reflect on Yourself and Interests

1. How would you describe yourself as a creative professional?
I am an introverted designer. A lot of the process is within myself and I have a hard time communicating unfinished ideas to others. But the minute the ideas unfold fully, I can tell my clients I have idea A-Z for them and we can make adjustments to their preference.

2. How would you describe yourself in general - your personality, work ethic, beliefs, etc.?
I'm not as shy with myself as I am with my work. My work is very personal for me to share and when I do, I'm very vulnerable to my audience. As a person, I am more geared to conversation than being to myself and I am also a caring person. I like to help others when they need it.

3. How would others describe you?
Others would describe me as shy until you get to know me, helpful, ready for the worse, caring, and welcoming to name a few. A lot of my friends have seen me blossom from the mousy friend to someone that isn't afraid to speak their mind.

4. Are these qualities communicated through any of the pieces you've worked on?
Depending on the project, my work communicates different aspects of myself. Some will show that I'm loving and caring and others will show a darker thought side. Overall, what you see is what you get but what you feel is completely different.

5. What do you have to offer a company or client?
I have my ambition to offer to companies and clients. Ambition is something everyone needs to have purpose in doing something. If you're just doing it to pass time then you don't have your heart into it and it'll show. I am such an ambitious individual that anything I produce will be up to par. I don't want to produce shoddy work if my level of experience doesn't match.

6. What types of experiences engage you?
I believe just about any experience you encounter engages and takes a hold of your life. How you experience it will give you the wisdom needed to share with others. In the end, anything you can reflect on has imprinted onto you and you have that to pull from for emotion to share.

7. What do you find most interesting about the world around you?
The most interesting thing about the world is the beauty it holds. It blows mind that we all see beauty at a different pace and angle. I can hardly imagine some the work I've seen was of the simplicity of an object that was overlooked by many but acknowledged by few.

8. What do you find most interesting about photography, art, and/or design?
To be honest, it's interesting how I can express myself even though I know that's a given. I never knew that I had such a wide range of products that could help voice who I am, how I feel, or what I do.

9. Whose work influences, attracts, and inspires you? Why?
The people and things around are what inspire me because I don't really have a background of what has been done. I don't really know any professional work to compare to but I do have the world to look at.

Reflect on Your Future

1. What kind of work do you want to do?
My all time life goal is to be a fashion designer and have my own store and hopefully branch out and own a few other types of companies as well. I plan on becoming an entrepreneur because of how many ideas I want to execute.

2. What kind of creative do you want to be?
Hopefully, I can be one of those creative that can work as you go. I have a hard time following through with an idea if another one comes into mind. I usually pause the first idea and start working on the second idea. That isn't something I need to do when I'm building and decorating businesses of my own. I need to stick with an idea and tweak it on the way instead of trying to start from a clean slate.

3. Are you doing the kinds of things now that you want to be doing in the future? If not, how can you position yourself to get to where you want to be?
Learning Graphic Arts and Design doesn't sound like it'll help me with business but it has. I've learned tricks and skills that I can do myself instead of hiring someone to do them since I know the design side of a company. All I need after that is the business side on how to run one.

4. What kind of company or client do you want to work for?
Ultimately, I want to be my own boss and that is what I plan to work toward. Before that, I want to work with people that believe in my work style and aesthetic.

5. What kind of company would fit your lifestyle? Are there compromises you are willing or not willing to make (travel, moving to a different location, long hours, etc.)?
I believe the majority of designers are freelance which is interesting in a way because the business is made up of you individually. Some designers work for companies and have to abide by the company's rules and everything. I could work in either environment but either one would be the same amount of stress because you want to produce quality work in order to receive more clients. There is always going to be sacrifices you make for your career and you have to be willing to make those in order to make a living off of what you do. If you can't compromise, you have to find someone or a company that can support you.

6. Where do you see yourself in one, two, or five years?
I would like to say I have my life planned out year by year but honestly, I don't. And I sort of prefer to live that way. Life is an unexpected journey and it's not about the destination. I have ideas of what I want to do but don't know when I'll begin or finish them and it's hard to map out something that you're still developing.

7. Is there someone in the field who you admire? Would want to emulate? Why? How did they get to where they are?
As I said previously, I don't really have anyone I can compare work with and show you. My inspiration is with my life, the people in it and everything around me.


I know this is a long post  but it's a good idea to think through these to figure out where you are with being a designer.
Until next time,
--Kimberly Dinh

My Work

This weeks is probably the most different from my previous posts but it's just as important. I'm going to answer a few questions about my own work and its aesthetic and so on. Enjoy!

Q1: Who is your audience?
The majority of my work is directed toward people around the same age as me. I'm 19 so people aging 15-26 to put a range on it. Usually depending on the project I'm working on, will have the audience different from the next.

Q2: What is your area(s) of practice or specialty?
Being in college right now gives me the chance to try a fair amount of Adobe products. I've worked in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. I'd like to say, the programs I'm most comfortable with are Photoshop and Illustrator.

Q3: Visual Character or Visual Style: What characteristics does your work communicate?
I believe my work has visual style more than visual character because you can see the design I've put into it more than a tone in my work. Don't get me wrong, there are pieces that have a personality. I'm not a boring drone that just puts my flare on a task without thinking about its purpose. And there are pieces that have both aspects.

Q4: What skills and capabilities are featured in your work?
You can see in most of my work how well I work with layers. I can make multiple layers look like they belong in one piece. I got comfortable making/mixing textures in Photoshop.

Q5: List adjectives and adverbs that describe you and your creative self.

• Texture
• Structure
• Original
• Modern
• Saturated (with color)

Overall, my work is new and innovative but who's work isn't? Especially if this is a passion of yours.

Until next time,
--Kimberly Dinh

My Final Thoughts For This Month

I know I haven’t been having the best month and it’s been real tough to keep positive. Everything that could go wrong, has. It’s been a complete train wreck and it’s just been piling up. I’m getting overwhelmed. Monday night, I wanted to finish up the lat bit of my animation project before class Tuesday. I go to check my work from my thumb drive and turns out, it’s COMPLETELY BLANK. I have no idea what happened or how it happened. I was mortified! I spent all of the night trying to figure it out and that cut into my sleep schedule. To take a break from all the built up frustration, I continued to work on my group project. I got frustrated with that because my laptop was running severely slower than normal. I decided to take a break and move back to recovering my animation project. This time, it didn’t want to open AT ALL. Just my luck, right? I gave up all together and hoped for the best in the morning. Hoping and praying that I saved it on one of the desktops at school. AND thankfully, it was!

As much as animation was a struggle for me this month, I can honestly say I’ve learned a lot. I figured out how to mulnipulate every little bit of movement. I’ve also learned to take risks and try new things out. I’ve also learned to ask for help. That’s why your professors are there day in and day out teaching us specific material. I’ve learned not to be so tough on myself. I am a budding designer and shouldn’t expect my work to be overly magnificent. I’m surprised at my level of technique now because I had no idea how to work a Mac computer and not to mention the least tech savvy child in my family. And with this generation, that’s saying something.

I just want to show appreciation for something I was dreading before it even began. Don’t let your pre requisitions keep you from learning. As hard as it may seem, keep an open mind and light heart and it’ll always work out.

Until next time,

—Kimberly Dinh

ANTI-mation

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I think I’m heading into animation this week and this makes me severely nervous. I’m probably just freaking myself out for no reason because remember how nervous I was coming into this class? The fact that I’m going to make my own animation excites me and frightens me all at once. I don’t want to mess anything up but maybe I’ll find my niche. Don’t knock it until you try it, I guess.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

I’m probably having the hardest time grasping animation. I don’t have any ideas and if I do I am having difficulty executing it. I’ve constantly been frustrated this whole entire and still don’t have a game plan. I don’t know why this is such a hard concept for me. I was doing the 3D aspect just fine and dandy but now I’m just at a loss. Hopefully, my momentum will be restored because I am completely bummed out about the fact that I am having problems.

It’s been completely frustrating to the point where I want to give up. But I don’t want to because animation is a extremely cool concept. Does anyone have any tips on how to ease my way into this? Or helpful quick tips? Thanks!

—Kimberly Dinh

Overcome The Difficulties

My 3D journey has just began and I’m starting to get comfortable and figure out what I’m doing. But there have been some minor difficulties along the way because I’m still no expert and trying to get a grasp of a new program. I like the whole idea of making 3D objects but there are a few things I personally feel that you have to continuously keep in mind while working on your 3D object.

I’ve found myself forgetting to work in different camera views sometimes. You definitely NEED to adjust your perspective to make sure your work lines up, connects, and even looks realistic. For example, if your object has a limb and you need to connect it to its torso, the different views will help you and tell you whether or not the limb is in its proper place. You don’t want to just assume that you have it together from one angle and then all of sudden you begin to animate and it’s floating about in its own vacuum of space.

Also, check your rendering view every so often. Just because you’re working with your object and it looks one way on the grid, it can look completely different when you render. From a personal experience, I was creating a 3D character and I was basically making my own take on a robot. I wanted to keep him grey and decided to give him and inner glow to show some shine on his exterior. I soon got frustrated because my grey color tones weren’t matching what was on the scale. I didn’t know why it still appeared to be unchanged. Then finally, I clicked on my render view button and saw what I was doing. Then flipped back to modeling mode and continued on with tweaking the material of my character.

These were some of my difficulties so far with learning something new. I wanted to share it and see if anyone else had similar issues. Or perhaps, other issues you’ve overcome with 3D prospects?

Thanks! Come back again!

My introduction into 3D Modeling and Animation

Every month of classes is always a new experience. Whether it be from meeting new classmates or picking up new techniques. Of course, each lecture is going to teach your something new but this month is completely different for me. I know I’m going to gain some knowledge on something I never knew I had the possibility of doing.

So far, I’ve learned a lot of design techniques to use for business and such. And it was becoming second nature to me. I was getting comfortable and understanding every review we had because I new it naturally and almost instinctively. I still receive a plethora of knowledge that helped me grasp ideas that are firm in my wits. But when I say this month is completely different, I mean it.

I began class this month on the well-known prankster day of April Fools or if you’re like me, I just think of it as April 1st. Much to my uncertainty of what this class entailed, I was nervous. I was frantically against my wits— basically scaring myself for failure because of something unknown. But nothing ventured nothing gained, right? Anyways, the first day was very nerve-racking because I seriously could not wrap my mind around me doing any 3D work on software. It didn’t make sense to me. I was questioning the laws of physics and most science because I didn’t think you could do anything 3D through a screen. With my lack of awareness, I had no idea that 3D or three dimensional objects didn’t mean physical 3D objects in your hands that you can hold and to things to. It’s visible but not completely touchable.

The minute I understood that concept, I was able to ease my way into creating something three dimensional without having to physically sculpt it like I previously determined in my head. It was three dimensional because I had to and I mean HAD to view my object constantly from a 360 degree perspective. If I didn’t constantly check, the placement of my project wouldn’t be aligned. It would just be a bunch of shapes floating randomly in the air.

I’m beginning to understand what this class is about and so far, I’m enjoying it. I’m excited to learn more tools and techniques so my 3D work can stop looking amateurish.

Until next week!

—Kimberly Dinh