ANM 324 Project 2-Variations

This was a very challenging project because it demands an understanding of layers, closed shapes and the unique features of the pen tool.  It also requires that you understand the relationship of elements in a scene as well as how light affects the scene. In addition, you had to learn about color palettes and how to apply different colors to your interior. You all have begun to see the incredible potential of Illustrator….the possibilities are endless.  I appreciate everyone’s efforts on this project…keep up the good work!

Here’s my general grading criteria for this project:

95-100-drawing is accurate, demonstrates good control of tools and includes accurate lighting effects, used of named layers and accurate color (high level of difficulty)

90-95-drawing is accurate, shows adequate control of tools lighting and fills considered but not complete or accurate. Layers used effectively

85-90-drawing is accurate, fills not complete with open shapes and lighting not adequately considered. Color palettes not accurately identified.

80-85-drawing and use of tools lacks control, lighting not adequately considered. Only submitted one file instead of required two.

70-80-drawing not controlled, lighting not considered did not meet requirements

Late -10

No Group Critique -5

Frazier Group

Courtney Allred-The light streaming in from those large windows really illuminates this scene beautifully. You’ve incorporated good detail with the door-frames and furniture. I especially like the lamp, which looks great. Mesh gradients are very effective at illuminating the pillows. They look soft and very realistic. The pleated back of the couch is a little uneven and I would consider applying a soft gradient to those sections to show their form. It looks like part of the door on the left has been covered by overlapping shapes…was it supposed to look like the door on the right? In general the lighting effect and cast shadows look very good. I would consider slightly more well defined shadows off the couch legs to ground them on the floor and the table might also have a stronger shadow cast on the floor..I do see the table top but the base would likely have a softer shadow overtop the strong light cast onto the floor. Very good work!

Sara Sorrel Lucic-I picked the analogous version for the gallery because I thought the lighting effects were more successful. I don’t have the original image to compare but there’s light streaming in the window as well as added illumination from the lamps. You’ve done a good job giving us the illusion that the lamps are on with the highlight of the bulb and a highlight on the lamp base. The cast shadow is very strong and I question whether it would be as intense or if it would be that visible on the surface of the cabinet…nevertheless, I like the fact that you considered the wide range of lighting. The chair and bed are well drawn and I can see that you worked with the mesh gradient tool to apply the very dramatic coloration. It’s especially good on the bedcovers where they look very realistic..the shadow under the pink pillow is a little hard..I’d make it more transparent to add realism. Good perspective on the walls and architectural features. You’ve used named layers to very effectively organize your drawing and you demonstrated good drawing skills. Keep up the good work! Missing group critique.

Joanne Tien-Your interior is very dramatic and I especially like the monochromatic red version! You had good detail to work with and the techniques you used demonstrate excellent skill with the drawing tools. The vases are really spectacular, yes, I see the 3D revolve which is an amazing feature. That couch looks very inviting with the meshes adding excellent form and shape to the separate shapes…OK, I might suggest a liner gradient for the front rather than the radial, but overall the main object looks very good. Your lighting effects are primarily defined by blurred shapes against the wall and on the floor. The shadows off the items on the bookcase are more believable than the shadow off the great looking vase to the left. Based on its position next too the wall, it should have a more defined shadow and the shadow should start at the base to ground it on the floor. The couch legs should also be grounded with a slightly more well-defined shadow. I know, I’m being picky but I know you want to make your illustration as precise as possible. Excellent work!

Regina Zerne-Wow I really liked the dramatic secondary triadic palette you used in your illustration. It is so bold and attractive. The view of this indoor/outdoor has strong lighting and challenging object to work with. You’ve done an excellent job with the shapes and the chairs are especially well-drawn and colorized to show the effect of light streaming in through the windows. The table in the foreground is interesting with the geometric shapes supporting it…To me the lighting on those shapes is not quite consistent with that strong light from the windows. I would also like to see some reflections (could be just a lighter shape that’s cast from the window in the back) to show the smoothness of the surface. Speaking of reflections, I do see the chairs reflected in the window which is very nice but the added reflection at the rail on the left looks rather out of place…I see it in the original as a reflection of the chair in the immediate foreground but it needs to be more complete in your version to be realistic..I would just remove to simplify. Nice job with lots of challenges and lighting effects!

Rosenwald Group

Carla Barrett-To say I really “like” your interior is an understatement. The detail you incorporated into your scene is amazing and it took a complex layer and path “system” to accomplish this. I could go on about several areas but the desktop accessories and artificial light, as well as the desk chair and the complex shadows under the desk and chairs, are simply outstanding. Just keeping all those interacting shadows organized is an achievement in itself. You definitely have gained skill with the drawing tools. The only minor thing I would consider is to slightly soften the shadow of the desktop on the floor…it’s the same sharpness as the legs that touch the floor so a bit of a disconnect. Oh, one more thing, the color palette (triadic) looks terrific. Outstanding work!

Andrew Mrowka-I thought you did a great job of transitioning the image to the vector drawing by editing the background. I’m sure you spent a lot of time on those curtains and the very complex mesh gradients that make them look like folded satin..almost metallic.
The couch is also very complex with meshes and looks very good. In contrast the chair is, I think, a little over manipulated with meshes. They are so much fun, it’s easy to overdo and the seat is not well defined around the foreground edge and the legs are very flat. In the case of the legs, they probably should be drawn with separate shapes to allow some color differentiation to show effect of light. Overall lighting effects are believable but I would add some slightly darker shapes at the base of the chair legs to ground the chair on the floor.

Natallia Ramaniuk-I though your secondary triadic color palette was a great choice for this interior. You had lots of challenging shapes to work with and some exceptional lighting effects in your original image. All the objects in the room are very well illustrated and I especially like the lighting effects on the couch. Those pillows and cushions look very soft and inviting. Good job also drawing the light fixture and the plant, although I would suggest not using a stroke on the plant. The cast shadow is excellent. Lighting effects overall are good with a combination of blurred shapes for general shadows and more well defined and darker highlights to ground the couch and table. Oh yes, I really like the detail in the bowls and accessories on that table. I do wish you would have added the shape of the shadows cast from the blinds onto the back wall…it was one of the most interesting effects in the original image. Based on what I see with your skill, it would have been very doable..maybe you just ran out of time? Excellent work!

Joseph Staron-Your interior has lots of object to work with and challenge your drawing skills. You’ve done a very good job with the perspective and detail. I especially like the lamps and the bowl of oranges. The table structure and cabinets are also quite detailed and those curved legs look great. There are several different lighting effect employed to add realism..the most effective is the cast shadows under the bowls and against the wall. The light streaming from the lamps gives us a sense of the lamp glow but it would be more effective if you applied as a gradient to show it tapering off as it spread down the wall. I like to use a gradient that tappers to full transparency to do this…might give it a try to see how it works. Speaking of gradients I like the ones applied to add shape to your fruit but the mesh on the chair seat is a bit out of control…they are very intoxicating and easily overdone. I also noticed that the shadow under the table was in the orange layer…this layer is above the table shapes so it’s covering the legs. You can easily move that layer down the stack or put in a new layer under everything to make it appear more realistic. Glad to see your skill with the tools and especially the gradients developing nicely!

Kroencke Group

Jessica Beckett-There are lots of interesting shapes to work with in your interior. Based on the starting image, there is also a good strong light source streaming in from the window…I would expect that to establish the dominant light in the scene. You’ve done a good job with illustrating the back window and the curtains look great. The furniture shapes look a little hard-edged. I see that you have applied gradient meshes to them..perhaps the highlight color could be a touch lighter to make the form a little more dramatic. This is a minor point. The shadows off the wall hanging are not consistent with the light from the windows…shouldn’t shadows be cast off the left side? I would also expect to see some soft shadows cast onto the floor from the two block tables. The same technique you’ve used on the chair with a slightly blurred filled shape would do the trick. Your monochromatic palettes is accurate but the complimentary version is actually closer to being a triadic palette. Excellent job with your layering and organization of the drawing.

Scott Ewalt-I wish more students would consider using kitchens for their interiors. They have such interesting objects to work with. Yours in no exception..the appliances, sink fixture, and island all offer unique drawing challenges. Your primary illustration looks very good. I do like the detail in the ceiling..to be a true monochromatic you should just use one color and tints rather than including black. I mention this because I think that ceiling detail would look really good with darker tints of red/orange. The overall perspective is very good too. I see that you’ve applied gradients to surfaces to show the highlights and effect of light. This looks most successful on the oven handles but creates an inconsistent illusion on the center island. I can’t quite rationalize how the top is situated in relation to the section immediately under it. One major element your drawings are missing is shadows. There’s always going to be a hint of a shadow cast from interior or exterior lighting. At a minimum, I would expect to see a shadow cast off the legs and rear structure of the island. You’ve done an excellent job with some details. Be sure to consider shadow in future work.

Renee Hyatt-I couldn’t wait to zoom-in and check out the details on that shelf. It’s really beautiful and you obviously needed lots of layers to accomplish it as effectively as you did. I especially like the detail right down to the phillips-head screws that attach it to the wall…nice! OK..the other detail is good too but I just can’t take my eyes off that shelf. Lighting effects are strong and very consistent with light streaming in from the left. Your bedding looks better in this version although this might be a great place to apply some very simple mesh gradients to illustrate the soft folds that bedding typically has and is shown in your interior image. One suggestion I do have is to reconsider using a patter on the lampshade…although you can edit a pattern to show perspective, it’s quite difficult…as you have applied it tends to flatten the oval shape of the shade. Maybe just a gradient would suffice? Overall a great illustration that demonstrates excellent skill with the drawing and coloring tools as well as organizing with all those layers!

Daphne Orzalli-Your interior has lots of interesting shapes to work with. The chair and side table are especially interesting and you’ve done a good job of illustrating them. I would, however, consider not using visible strokes to define the surfaces unless they need to be a visible part of the object. For example, the stroke in the chair looks like the upholstery piping but the stroke on the table is not necessary. It would be more effective if the surfaces were defined by slightly different color fills that reinforce the light in the interior.

You’ve used patterns on the couch and floor. Because patterns fills are flat, to use them effectively in perspective you have to use opacity adjustment and gradients to give them depth. The floor covering is very effective but the couch front is not quite as successful. Over lighting is most successful on the chair and table..although there should be a shadow on the floor and side of the chair cast from that table. You’ve used layers (many of them) to separate your interior into well-organized elements!

David Rosales-The interior you chose is very dramatic with those orbs in the background…You’ve done a good job of applying gradients and more complex meshes to most of the shapes. Technically, there are some shapes that don’t fit very well. Typically this happens when you have the background photo on and visible so it fills voids. When it’s gone they show-up as white slivers. I must say that couch looks very inviting…soft and comfortable. My favorite part of you drawing is the vase…it shows great lighting and shadow….very nicely done! Only on color file submitted…dang.

Sarah Wall-You and another student used the same interior for the project so it’s interesting to see how the styles are different. This scene has good challenging objects as well as strong lighting for consider. You chose not to include the shades on the right or the lamp fixture…this makes the drawing less complex. I’m most impressed with the detail and objects on the coffee table. The bowls and vases are well drawn with gradients that give them very strong forms. In contrast, the couch and especially the pillows are flatter than I would expect to see. Your shapes in these areas need to have more surfaces so you can colorize to give them form and volume. The gradients applied to the front and ends of the couch don’t appear to be consistent with the light in the room. I would also expect to see some cast shadows under the pillows and especially under the table to reinforce the dominant light. I see that you applied textures to the pillows…I’ve always found the patters to be tricky to work with especially on shapes like this where they don’t conform but are very linear. Overall you’ve done outstanding work on some elements (table) but the same techniques should be considered for other objects in the room for consistency. Keep up the good work with layer naming!

Anita Kunz Group

Amy Pearson- Your interior was challenging with the perspective require for the walls merging at an angle with the back widows. Pen skills look good and you’ve used layers very effectively to organize the drawing. I also see that you’ve used mesh gradients on the pillows. This does add more realistic form than a simple gradient but appears to be a touch over manipulated on a couple of those pillows…they are fun to work with. I especially like the techniques you’ve used to draw the chairs in the foreground.
The purple chair has excellent form and looks like it would be comfortable. You’ve used blurred shapes to add shadows to the main objects…this is a good technique and works best for the table and sofa in the background. The two chairs would be more effectively grounded if there were slightly harder shadows off the visible legs to show that they are touching the floor.

Sahista Shobna-What a dynamic colorful interior! The couches, ottoman and table are well drawn with good detail. I really appreciate your plants in the background which add a burst of color..OK, a true monochromatic uses just one fully saturated color and tints of that color. What you actually have in the gallery image is a duotone with brown and green. You’ve applied gradients liberally to all the soft surfaces and the floor. I understand you were trying to show the light streaming in from the back but a more consistent way to achieve this look would be to fill the floor squares with a solid or very simple gradient and then use a transparent slightly blurred shape coming from the doorway to add highlight to the floor. The lamp is fun as is the light on the shelf to the right. There’s some very good detail on the right-side of the interior. To show the light streaming from the oval lamp I’d suggest extending the shape you already have and fill with a white to transparent gradient. You might also apply a very slight blur to that light pattern to soften it. You’ve incorporated lots of excellent named layer to organize your illustration. You are definitely developing good drawing skills.

Margaret Temple-The most impressive aspect of your scene is how you’ve managed to capture the light streaming in from the windows and bathing the interior. The transparent window coverings and the highlights on the chair, couch and floor help deliver this illusion. The chair is very well illustrated and you’ve used gradients to give the surfaces form, but the fronts of the arms are a little too dark….again, that highlight on the seat is a very nice touch. It would have been nice to see you try to include the glass coffee table or bookshelf under the TV. Glass is interesting because it’s both transparent and reflective. I imagine that after underestimating the time it would require to complete the project you were not inclined to add more difficult objects to the scene. Your named layers are excellent and definitely help keep the illustration organized.

Brittany Williams-Wow…the dog (is it your’s?) looks so realistic.
Again, with this project, your previous experience with Illustrator is obvious. The interior is well organized with layers and the pen work is exceptional. I especially like how you’ve successfully incorporated the pattern fills in both the walls and the bed covering. Applying selective opacity and overlaying lighting effects makes this possible and shows your advanced used of Illustrator techniques. Your interpretation of the light streaming in from those windows is outstanding. The cast light and elongated widow frames are very realistic. Cash shadows also reflect the intensity of light and the complexity of overlapping effects. I couldn’t ask for a more detailed and successful illustration!