Overview/ Process/ Outcome
For this assignment, we had to create five different images that go along with the scenery behind the window. When progressing my idea, I went back and forth between the image and the scenery. I wanted the image to perfectly suit the scenery settled behind the window. In other words, I wanted the image to naturally incorporate with the background as if it really exists there. From this thinking process, rats and smokes were produced by looking at the space I chose, and balloons, plane, and raindrops were made first as the images and were placed to space afterward. I first drew out some sketches in my notebook, then transferred them to acetates. I challenged with acetates for several times to perfectly place the image on the window and form the scenery. I took the final drawings from the acetate prototypes to scan them into my computer to make an illustrator file ready for sticker printing. During this week of the process, I had to go to the interior career fair volunteering at the university center. While I was gone, the class worked on the illustrator file for sticker printing. They eventually sent in their files to the printing center when I didn’t even start making the file. Thus, I missed the whole tutorial and deadline for sticker printing. However, I figured out the way to make an illustrator file for sticker printing and printed them out on my own at the design lab. I brought the sticker paper to the lab and used the inkjet printer to print the stickers right. Because I couldn’t send in the file to the printing center, I had to cut one of each sticker out from the paper. It took me a long time, which made me think that missing a class wasn’t a good decision. I placed the cut-out stickers on the windows of the places that I picked ahead of time. Then, I took pictures from various angles to give more variety of the scene. I picked two variations for each sticker scenery, ending up with 10 photos. I printed them all in a high-quality shiny paper for the class critique. Going through the process of sticker making and creating illusions with them on the windows, I learned many lessons. I realized that time management in using school facilities is very important. Getting over the deadline was still hard for me, especially for this time, because I missed one class. Despite the work that I had to make up from the class I missed pushed me harder, I learned how to create an image that fits into a situation, and how it would create different scenery from different angles. Printing out the right design, size, and color of the image, adjusting the angle of the camera, taking advantage of the weather and time of the day, and more was needed to be taken into a consideration in order to produce successful transparent illusions. After I went through a lot and learned many things, I overall feel so light and happy about the fact that the project went successful in terms of my criteria. I feel very satisfied and surprised by my final outcomes. Despite my satisfaction, if I were asked to do this again, I would challenge with more complicated images and backgrounds.
Concept/ Goal
My concept for this project was “natural.” I wanted to create a perfect illusion that people looking at my final photos would think that the images really exist in the spaces. I came up with rats when I was looking out the window on the first floor of the Parsons building. Since rats are easy to see in the city, I thought they would incorporate with the city background very well. The smokes came up in my mind when I was passing by the window on the 10th floor of the Parsons building. I found a smokestack on top of the building across our building. I wanted the smokes to look like they are really coming out from the smokestack. I thought this scenery would be natural because there are many smokestacks in the city where they fume out gases. The rest of the three images were found when I was randomly sketching on my notebook. I drew many balloons and thought that they could be tied to part of the public facilities in the city. Then, the scenery would provide a funny feeling from the relationship between a busy city and the childish balloons. Moreover, I merely wanted to use a plane image for this project when I first received this assignment. I think this was because I see lots of planes in the sky no matter of time and place. Also, adding planes to the sky would make sense so easily. Lastly, the raindrops idea came up when it was raining over the weekend while I was staying in my room. At first, I wasn’t sure what place would be the best place to incorporate raindrops. However, after I printed out the sticker, I thought any place would work so naturally with the image. My final goal for this project was to take photos of each window scenery creating a variety of natural illusions.
Sketches
Process
Acetate prototypes
Stickers
Final photos
