totally not the last day, I don't know what you're talking about.

                       This last month has been one of the most amazing exeriences ever. I'm crossing my fingers that pre-college at Parsons will soon be college at Parsons. If I wasn't madly in love with the school before, I am now. I feel like I've become a better artist and have learned a lot of new skills, gotten better at old ones, and learned a lot of things about art and artists. Thank you so much to my fantastic teachers, Frank and Paul, for all they've done for me.
                      Friday was not all peaches and cream though. I got in early, around eight to go finish printing. I had put my magazine in the drop box so I could open it on another computer. When I opened it in the lab, though, it told me I didn't have five links embedded, which is not possible because I had printed the day before. I tried everything I could to make the magazine come out the way I needed it too but it wouldn't work. I now have 18 copies of unworthy magazines. The rest of the morning and afternoon was really great though. I loved seeing everybody's posters and work hung up the way it was. It looked almost like an actual gallery to me. I'm really going to miss this program but hey, sleep.

Last Thursday

                           Even after a late night Wednesday, I still came in early to get a head start on my work. However, it did't really help. I thought I was all ready to print but it turns out I didn't have a bunch of links embedded, which became even more of a problem because some of the pictures had been nowhere to be found. Eventually I fixed my cover and it was ready to be printed. When it came out of the printer ,I realized that it was too orange- Jana looked like she had been hanging out with Snooki. So I tried editing it, which involved more links, but eventually it came out looking nice. Get my magazine ready was a struggle though. I went onto my online drop box where I had all my pictures save and somehow they all gt deleted. So I had to use pictures I already had. I cropped them though so you couldn't tell that they were. I accidentally only printed one magazine but I figured I can go back early Friday and finish the rest. Besides, the printers we being overflowed with work so there would have been a possibility that it would't have even come out right then and there.

VOILA! 

halfway there except not really

                            Again, I spent the entire day sitting in front of the computer. However, instead of six hours, it was eleven. Can I put that on my college app? Will that get me into Parsons? I'm somewhere in between "my magazine is coming together" and "what is on my computer screen?". I definitely got the hang of AdobeID and Photoshop today but I spent a lot of time making sure everything was perfect (nothing is perfect yet, I only left because I didn't want to be riding the train at 11:30 at night). I'm making myself go in early tomorrow to get as much done as possible. I'm trying really hard to make this look nice because I want to use it in my portfolio. I think I'll look at some magazine and see how things are set up in there and try to incorporate it in mine.

7/23

                         I did miss drawing and painting but I liked working on the computers. I'm learning a really cool and useful skill and making something pretty awesome. I started my magazine lay out and got almost half way there. I'm still a little confused about how to work some of the things but throughout the day I gt the hang of it. My cover page looks nice in my opinion but I'm having trouble making the inside look nice. I want to make it as close to perfect as it can be though because I definitely want to include it in my portfolio for college.

What my entire day consisted of.

July 22nd

                             Today was our last day of drawing and painting and I'm extremely upset about this because A) I really like the class, B) it means that summer program is almost over, and C) I may or may not be coming back ever again (cross your fingers and your toes that I will be). Today, we drew from the model one last time. It was also a little deja vu to the first time we used gouache; rather than using just black and white, we filled in the foreground and the background using colors that are similar in tone and have the same value.
                            In the afternoon, we learned how to use Adobe In Design aka Adobe ID aka Adobe, I'm Done with you. I just want my Photoshop, I can make a decent magazine on there! I probably should learn though, I'm sure once I get the hang of it it'll make more sense.

Friday (again)

                                  About four or five of the dresses that were already finished and had been shot were placed in the back of the room and we painted them for six hours straight. I used my gouache in a more watercolor sort of way and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. However, I'm thinking of sketching it again and painted it using acrylic paint because I think the fabrics would look really nice with a shiny paint as well as if it could be blended a little bit more.  

I'm gong to sketch this same picture again and then paint it using acrylic, or maybe even oil.

Thursday

                       I made another axiometric drawing, fun stuff, but most importantly, WE FINISHED THE DRESS! AND HAD OUR PHOTO SHOOT! Finishing the dress didn't go as smoothly as we had planned but it still came out great. Fastening the bustier was a challenge so we ended up taping her into it. I did her hair (why aren't I backstage at Chanel?) and Sami did her makeup. Taking photos in the lobby was a great experience. It was just, stand there and let me take some pictures. We were using tools and having to fix the dress and having an actual photo shoot. We decided that we had spent so much time on the dress that we had to go out to Union Square, no matter how hot it was. People kept telling us how cool it looked, asking what it was made out of, congratulating us and wishing us good luck in the future. One woman even asked for a picture of us! It's weird that everything we've been working on for the past three weeks is done. I had so much fun working with Sami and Jana building the dress, one of the greatest experiences ever.

Sustainability Sisters.

Wednesday

                         The Guggenheim is another museum that I've been to at least twenty times but it's one o those museums that will only supple a few pieces that I find appealing. I like big and in your face kind of stuff so I really enjoyed the installation which was there. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't see down the spiral (which is actually a good thing because I probably would've fainted), but what was there instead was worth it. The viewer is forced to interact with the piece in order for the illusion to work which I thought was neat. I couldn't believe that the black screen we were staring at was actually a twenty foot deep whole in the wall.
                         The last time we went to the Met, we spent most of our time drawing. I (and I'm pretty sure the entire group) was much to drained (and hot) to hold a pencil and think. I was originally dreading having to walk through a museum but looking at the paintings turned out to be exciting. I learned many interesting facts and got to see a part of the Met which I never wandered into before. I still would have liked to draw i Central Park though. It was cool in the shade!

That's ceiling. Trippy.  

 

Tuesday

           We branched off from value and dappled with color theory. We learned a neat technique to decide whether the next color step is a good one which is by using the gray scale. It makes me even happier to be at Parsons because I don't think I've learned anything really valuable in my art course at school other than how to pull a concept right out of the air and sell it for millions. I do enjoy those classes where we sit and mix paints, it's a little tedious but I also find it relaxing.
           We began making our accessories for our dress today. We decided on a bag made of weaved and ironed plastic as well as metal bracelets. I've also almost finished attaching all of the fabric to the skirt. One more day and it should be complete. Then, photoshoot! Woo! Art!

Monday

                    Continuing our adventures with value, sketched a model and filled in the shadows darker than fifty percent grey with the devil's blood- I mean gouache. I didn't enjoy the actual exercise too much but I did like the outcome of the piece (sort of. I didn't finish and me drawing people is kind of a joke but I try). I think photographs, movies, and paintings done like this are very beautiful. Te piece I did for homework turned out nicer though. I think this is because I had all the time I wanted and the light was directly on the objects I was drawing so it was easier to see what would be black and what would stay white.
                     Our dress is started to come together well! On Saturday night, I tossed the hoop and started building  new one. I had originally though that by wrapping wire together, I would be able to shape a hoop. Unfortunately, I forgot that shaping wire is harder than it looks and it also wasn't strong  enough to support and weight (it could hardly support itself). Do, what better way to build a hoop than with a hula hoop? There isn't any. Because the hoop I built was fantastic. I went to a toy store and bought two hula hoops and then to AC Moore to get sticks. I drilled five holes in the hula hoops; two closer together in the front, one on each side and one directly back. Then, I cut the second hoop to make it a little smaller and stuck the stick through those same holes. I used the two smaller wire circles I had made as the last two for the hoop. To fasten everything, I taped it. In order to fasten it around someones waist, I took wire, created belt loops, and strung a belt through it. Voila, fabulous, strong, hoop. I'm pretty proud of it. We finally finished the bustier and we began attaching some of the plastic fabric I had ironed. I can't wait until it's done!

Hey Lolita, hey. 

Friday

                          We visited one of my favorite museums in the world. the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I though I would stay afterwards and try to see the rain room but that line plus my aching feet equals a giant no. Maybe another day though. I think it's something that's really neat and I probably won't chance to see it again as well set aside a day (or two) to see it. I've been to the MoMA a hundred times before and I was really impressed by the visiting exhibitions I saw there this time. I thought the first one was aesthetically pleasing but I enjoy art that's both that and conveys a concept. As for the second one, I can only enjoy architecture in the form of three hundred year old churches so I wasn't too excited. What I did really enjoy, however, was all the Andy Warhol pieces. I know it's a little cliche to say that my favorite artist is Andy Warhol but he is. His color palate is made up of some of my favorite colors and he worked a lot with silk screens, as do I. While at the museum, I saw Orange Car Crash Fourteen Times which is actually one of my favorite pieces (my first is Orange Disaster/Electric Chair).

I really like this exhibit a lot too. I feel like it had some deep meaning about animal cruelty that would get me all riled up but Sami and I were too busy obsessing over elephants.  

 

post title here

                      Today we tried something a little different which were axiometric drawings. I had a lot of fun with it actually. It reminded me of the MC Escher drawings which are some of my favorite (I love optical illusions). During lunch, we had a lecture. One of the speakers was a recent graduate and her story calmed my nerves a little bit about applying to Parsons. Aside from that though, let'stalk about how amazing her work is, okay? I personally believe should not be helping other companies and should be starting her own label because the clothes and fabrics she makes are absolutely stunning. You know what else is stunning? The dress Jana, Sami, and I are making. I've almost finished the structure of the hoop, Jana finshed the form for the bustier, and Sami has plenty of paper cuts from folding all the pieces.  I can't wait to see the finished product.

Lookin' good. 

.

-

                         Today was the first day we didn't have a model. Instead, we spent three hours trying to find middle grey. From staring at all that black and white gouache for so long, I have vision like a dog. I eventually almost found it but I'm still not quite there and that's driving me crazy. In the afternoon, we got a lot of work done on our dress. We finished the skeleton of the bustier and started covering it with those shapes that candy wrapper bags are made out of. It's actually super durable and I think the dress might actually be wearable.

Lola is starting to look fantastic!

post

                                 I'd like to point out that I was the only person in the class who actually painted the band aid on the model's nose from yesterday, just saying. However, we had another model come in today. Rather than work out lines and shape, we spent our time focused on value. I'm pretty content with how some of my sketches turned out but I know that I need to keep working at it. I normally don't enjoy value (or drawing in general) but I did today!
                                After stopping by a hardware supply store to pick up wire and other materials, we began building our dress. Sine we didn't have wire cutters, we started by making the skeleton for the bustier. We got pretty far and it looks really good- I'm excited to start attaching the paper and making the skirt.

One of the drawings I liked most. 

This is Lola, she is modeling are not near finished bustier. 

five

                      I enjoyed the first class today more than usual because we got to sit and draw one thing the entire time. I like to take my time with drawing so it was nice not feeling rushed. However, there were drapes. I hate drapes. To make it worse, they were camo drapes. I hate camo. But my drawing (gouache is considered drawing, I learned that today) is looking alright.
                     During the second class, we shared our mood boards with the teacher. We came up with our final(ish) design. It's crazy that we went from carrots to Cinderella but that's what happened. Giant ballgown, yes.

Unfortunately, I don't have the model with me to fill it with gouache but I'm trying my best. 

4/19

                                    Today, instead of regular classes, we took a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of art. While there, we visited the current exhibit that's on display, Chaos to Couture. The idea behind the exhibit was punk and its influence on fashion. I thought a lot of the garments I saw were beautiful but I also think if a real punk were to see this, they'd be disapproving. What we saw wasn't very punk in my book but then again, it was couture punk. My group for the dress project and I were really inspired by the Dolce and Gabbana ball gowns that were on display. We decided that we are definitely making a ballgown because go big or go home. We also spent three hours drawing; one in the Greek sculpture room, another in the suits of armor room, and a last hour with African art. I am to drawing as a sloth is to climbing down a tree: very, very, very, slow.

             I'll probably be done with it in a year.

three

                             3/19. Today in the drawing class, we continued with life drawing. The model today was a woman and I've come to realize that it's easier for me to draw the female body rather than a male. I think it's because I'm a girl so I'm more familiar with it. We worked on negative spaces, so rather than drawing all the details, we only drew the silhouette. We also had to fill the page with the setting it was taking place in. I didn't have time in class to start adding the gouache to the negative spaces but I'm going to do that for homework.  I've worked with gouache once before but didn't have a good experience with it because it kind fell of the page (I learned why today).  I feel like my drawings are getting a little better but I've still got a long ways to go.
                            After running around between 12th and 16th trying to figure out what computer lab I was supposed to be in, I had design. The whole class went step by step working with Photoshop and Illustrator. Jana, Sami, and I edited the picture we're going to use for our dress and then created a pallet for it using Illustrator. It's mostly greens and greys but there's pop of orange from the carrots. I'm really looking forward to begin making the dress.
                           Behold, my yet to gouached drawing.

two

                         2/19 and I feel dead. In the morning, we had life drawing. I always feel bad doing life drawing because whatever ends up on my page seems like an insult to the model. Like, they're doing a good deed for students and that's the best I've got. But anyways, I think I've gotten better at drawing since last summer but I've still got a long way to go. The exercises we did were a little different but I liked them. The one we did where we had to keep the page covered really forced me to observe the model and have my eyes and hand work together.
                       In the afternoon, I went to my design class. A third member was added to my group; her name is Sami and she's from Connecticut. We were sent back to our locations which were to serve as inspiration. We tried to get some textures but it was raining. We did get to sketch some objects that were found in the area and then we went to Whole Foods across the street to look at vegetables (the farmer's market wasn't there today). Once we returned to the class, we made mind maps. I'd never done a mind map before but I think I'll start doing them. We were quickly able to come up with a more clear idea for what we want our dress to look like by making the mind map. by the end of class and after talking to the instructor, we decided that our dress was not going to be made out of vegetables but that we should "find the essence of the leek." We want the dress to start structured and durable at the bodice, almost like a leek, but as it goes down in becomes looser, taking on characteristics of lettuce. We want to dress to embody an element that was mention a few times on our mind map, which was evolution. We want it to evolve as it grows.
                    Here's our mind map:

one

               This is blog post 1/19 or maybe more, you can never assume things. However, I do believe that this is going to be the most fantastic and stressful twenty-six days of my life (so far, there's still college and that place adults call "the real world").
               Today I met my instructors and my anxiety multiplied by about one hundred. We were shone a slideshow of images and mood boards and had to discuss what we saw in the pictures; shapes, colors, value, setting, etc. Afterwards, we split into our classes and then into our groups for our first project; design a garment inspired by a place in the city.
              My partner's name is Jana, she's from New Jersey. When class was dismissed, we set out searching for inspiration. We wandered in circles that got bigger and bigger and we eventually ended up at Union Square. Being that today is Monday, the farmer's market was happening. The two of us observed the objects there, became increasingly hungry, and selected items that we thought could serve as inspiration (I say served because it was all food). After an hour, we found a place to sit and went through the pictures to select an image we could build off of. We decided on the carrots we saw at the farmer's market. Oui, we are going to make a dress out of carrots.
             We were each concerned that we wouldn't be able to keep the dress fresh for a long enough time and that'd it start to go bad. Now that I think about it, though, I think it'd be pretty neat if it did start to rot. For this project, we need to be inspired by New York. That particular area of New York that we are in has a history for being pretty punk. Now, the Dead Kennedy's have an album called Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. That brings me back to rotting carrots; if the dress were to go bad, it'd be a playful way to reflect upon the history of New York and its punks.
            Here are a few images I took today while we were searching.

I love graffiti. I absolutely adore it. Unless it's Banksy type jazz, people usually think it dirties the city or they don't even notice it all. To me, it's almost like the city is talking to us. If people listened, they'd realize that that's not a vulgar comment but actually a line from a Langston Hughes poem (but yes, sometimes it is a lovely little vulgar comment. But it's New York, what do you expect?). 

Fire escapes, betcha seen ten million of these. It's such a basic shape that you could make so many different things with it though. Skirt with stripes? Metal, angular bustier?  

More graffiti; sometimes text in art can take away from the piece but sometimes it can add to it. When it's the latter, it can end up being fantastic. I really like the yellow and pink and then it's in between, peach, all together. It'd be a fun pallet to work with.