So, this isn't technically doodling, so I kind of feel like I'm betraying the spirit of this blog. However, I think that the pictures I took today are pretty darn cool, considering the camera that I have (Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixel).

The trip was to the Big Basin Redwood National Park, and I went there with my mom, who came up for the day to chill with me. It was amazing fun, and I definitely plan on visiting this and other local national parks over my spring break, because the park was absolutely gorgeous.

This is the entire bunch of ~250 pictures that I took at the park before my camera's battery died.

Doodle of random boredness.

I did this in my art history class instead of take notes. Well, I took some notes, but none so important as this. It's just Sharpie on paper, the fat chisel tip Sharpies and regular old computer paper. I had to gussy it up in Photoshop because I lack the scanner required for translating analog into digital. I'm thinking about turning it into an Illustrator image, just so that the lines aren't so choppy.

Speaking of Art History, I have a few hours of reading to do. I should get on that.

I got bored. And so I started doodling. And then I decided to translate one of my doodles into Illustrator. And then I did that. And then I decided to make a post dedicated to my Illustrator doodle. That would be this post.

I don't know why I doodled a mushroom with eyes. I could make something up, but I don't feel like it. Although, the doodle before that one was of a brain and its stem. Maybe I'll draw a brain in Illustrator next.

Radiohead

So, Radiohead is the best band ever. That's all you need to know. Yes, better than the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Take that classic rock.

This is a project that I did for my Graphic Design 2 class last quarter. You may have heard me mention it in my last post. I'm very eager to share it with you, as I think it's one of the best things I've ever done.

The project was to create a design for an existing band of our choice. I, of course, chose Radiohead. I wasn't the only student to do so, actually, which I found pleasantly surprising. The other student went a different way with her design than I did, but I think she had a much better understanding of the tools that we were using (ie Illustrator, which I was basically clueless about last quarter).

I did all of my art work in Photoshop, using my Wacom tablet. The guy in the picture is from a picture I found of a 3-D practice rendering using newish software that Nvia (I think that's right) created. The original is creepy. Until I read the site, I wasn't sure if I were looking at a real guy or not.

The colored ones are the ones which I ended using for the finished project. I threw in the others because I think they're just as interesting as the others.

This link will take you to the merry land of the Radiohead.

Double the fun.

I'm throwing these two together because I did them in the same lesson for my Illustrator class. I thought they were nifty. The lesson was basically just learning how to manipulate text in interesting ways, as well as boring ways. (The boring ways are character and paragraph styles.)

The "House of Cards" one was particularly fun. It's nice to know that I haven't forgotten the last lesson (which involved manipulating objects, and was, frankly, a lot to cover in one chapter) and that I know how to use the "Help" function. The "spoon" one was just fun and easy to do. I like the colors I chose in both, but the "spoon" piece is probably my favorite, color-wise. "House of Cards", by the way, is the title of a track off of "In Rainbows" by Radiohead. Of course, all of you should know this already.

Hm. I was just reminded of a project I did for my graphic design 2 class last quarter. It involved designing a CD case for a band of your choice. I really enjoyed doing that one. Mayhaps I'll post the pics from that one for your viewing pleasure.

On crazies and Art History profs.

Having had to attend a short lesson on how to use the library (outside of class, of course), put on by my Art History professor, I'm a bit disgruntled right now. Well, that and people are crazy. There's a lot I could blather on about, but my thoughts are too scattered for them to make any sense.

I will say that the only thing keeping me sane right now is knowing that I have an excuse to read for the next 12 hours. Of course, it's all academic reading, which is pleasantly dry.

Ok, I do a small topic to focus on now. When my professor rails against the Internet and the misinformation it tends to spread, he comes off as unpleasantly anachronistic. The internet is here, ok, and it's probably not going to go anywhere for a while. People are going to use the Internet as a tool. They need to know proper researching techniques before they use it. Someone who doesn't know what a primary source is will fail at research no matter if they're doing their research in a library or on the Internet.

And instead of complaining about the misinformation and dumbening of people through the Internet, he could, I don't know, do something about it. Other than spend ten minutes of every other lecture telling the entire class that the Internet is a horrible place, sure, this is an Information age, but the information is crap. What are we supposed to do with this rant? Nod and agree? Throw a few lolcats at him? (Hm, actually, lolcats would be hilarious to put in my research paper - which is on manuscript illumination). He's the one with the college degree. He could start a blog, edit a wiki, any number of things.

I suppose my thinking is a product of the eAge. There are many bad sources of information, but there are great, vast, amazing sources of information too. And Wikipedia is not the demon he makes it out to be. It's not peer-reviewed, per se, but it isn't just some random git uploading whatever s/he wants to (which my professor seems to think happens all the time - because, gee, nobody would notice wrong information on the internet).

I guess it particularly irritates me because I've heard him mention wrong information once for sure, and probably at least one other time. He is in the "omg cell phone radiation causes cancer camp." Why? "Because we don't know about these sorts of things. I mean, it was military technology just rushed into the consumer market, and they didn't do the proper tests to make sure it's safe."

Guh. I could tear into this on so many levels. I'll just restrict myself into stating that cell phone "radiation" isn't actually radiation (ie, rapid atomic decay that results in bursts of high-energy particles that are small enough to damage your DNA and cause you some problems). They're a form of radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves which have less energy than infrared. Ie, they are more "sluggish" than visible light, which hasn't ever been implicated in causing cancer (yet).

And don't just take my word for it. From the NASA site: "Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves can be longer than a football field or as short as a football. Radio waves do more than just bring music to your radio. They also carry signals for your television and cellular phones." (Bolding mine.) It's a helluva neat trick for a light wave the size of a football to damage your DNA.

And the crazies. Oh boy, don't get me started on the crazies.

My cat is awesome.

My cat is awesome. Period. About 20 minutes ago he was ferociously attacking my left foot, and now he's curled up asleep on my bed. I wish my life were that simple.

I'm giving you all a painting today (and it would appear more than one person is reading/glancing at this thing, so cheers!). It's a little something I did in my final acrylic painting class. For the last two quarters of this three quarter series of classes, Acrylic Painting B & C, the students were able to set parameters for their paintings, ie a theme. My theme for B was figure painting, and my theme for C was superheroes.



This is my favorite of the four or five that I completed for that class. It's based on "Superman: Red Son," a great comic, by the way. I actually free-drew the entire thing, except for the symbol. I had to reference the comic for that.

I really enjoyed my acrylic painting class. I really wish I had the free time to continue painting - maybe I'll take a whack at it again this summer.