ZINE

Finally here is my zine...

Cover page.

The following image is the cover of my future zine about Philadelphia Murals.

I chose to give the zine a rather grungy/dirty look, because the basis behind most of the murals is to create beauty out of an object that may be thought of as an eye-sore. I wanted the reader to feel inspired that that their voice could be heard.

The main agenda within the zine is going to be a contest for what female high school student can create the best idea for a mural. The student who's idea is chosen will have their mural brought to life among the thousands of murals within the city. That student will also receive a prize that some only dream of...paid tuition at Moore College of Art & Design!

The zine would basically be printed out and distributed throughout most Philadelphia schools. All of the contest rules and details would be included. By including several photographs of Philadelphia's finest murals, the zine would hopefully inspire the students to participate.

Article #2...

The second article that I selected concerning my topic was found using Wikipedia. The article is based on the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network (PAGN), which is a founded by Philadelphian Mayor Wilson Goode in 1984. The network was established to hinder the spread of graffiti within Philadelphia. Two years later, The Mural Arts Project (MAP) was created within PAGN. The programs went on to receive awards due to the positive progress that they had made within the community.

Since it's establishment, the PAGN and MAP have gone on to produce over 2,400 murals within the Philadelphia area. Not only have they enriched the city with their art, but they have also gone on to clean over 40,000 of graffiti. Today, PAGN consists of three programs; Mural Arts Program, Paint Voucher Program, and the Graffiti Abatement Team.

Thanks to those who care so dearly, the city of Philadelphia is not known for it's one of a kind murals than it's unnecessary abundance of graffiti.

Why create a mural?

Many are not aware that the murals that have become a staple of Philadelphian culture were the brainchild of a New Jersey artist who proposed the idea of murals to act as a substitute for what was otherwise described as "graffiti". Involving individuals from all walks of life, the vast array of messages shared throughout these works of art were seen as a way to give back to the community. What better way to welcome others to your home/community than with a display of beauty.

The website for The City of Philadelphia: Mural Arts Program is the complete guide to information involving these Philadelphia landmarks. Supplying information for such possible inquiries as: mural tours, mission statements, find/requesting a mural, volunteering, etc.

This particular site is the go-to for anything you may need.

Sketch, Scan, and Gradient.

For this particular assignment, we were to sketch an image, scan it onto a computer, and then display our knowledge of the gradient tool.

I had previously created a backdrop, so I simply sketched an image of a car that I could simply add to the backdrop that I already had made.

Here is my sketch:



This is the trace of my sketch:



This is the finished image with the car included and filled in using the gradient tool:




The meaning behind my image is rather simple. As you know, my topic for this blog deals with the several murals located throughout Philadelphia. I decided to create a backdrop of a bridge(or tunnel) that has been decorated with many images that may represent elements of Philadelphian culture. For example, I have a cheesesteak, a pretzel, the American flag, the Liberty Bell, and a few random skyscrapers. I basically wanted to make it seem as though someone might have began to lay down the foundation for a future mural. The car is simply added to show visitors being greeted by Philadelphia.

Logos!

For our most recent assignment, we were asked to use Adobe Illustrator to create several logos concerning our blog topic. My logos are as follows:

This particular text-less design is of a house, a paintbrush, doodles, and paint splatters. Since my topic is about murals within Philadelphia, I decided to make it seem as though I were covering the dull colored house with designs and color.


This logo basically consists of random shapes that I've created as a background to whatever font goes on top of it. I just wanted to show an artistic design.



This logo is pretty simple. I used the silhouette of a t-shirt and then placed a minor detail on the chest that the main logo would then be located on top of it. A lot of art is simple, and that's why I chose to make this particular logo incredibly simple. Plus, it is something that could easily be made into an actual t-shirt.



For this particular logo, I decided to trace my hand. I then used the paint tools to add paint to the fingertips. In doing so, I wanted to show all of the love and handmade work that goes into all of the murals that are scattered throughout the city. Whether it be sparked by a certain belief or used as an after-school activity for children, the art that we see on walls was created (by hand) for a purpose.



The following logos are text only.

I chose this font, because...well...I thought it was rad. Plus, it reminded me of the font from the movie, Juno.



I chose this font, because I liked how rough it looked. Some of the murals in the city have a rustic feeling to them. (Just like this font.)



I liked this font, because it looked it was so messy. Art is messy. True story.



This last font was chosen, because it was really corky. I think that corky and art kind of go together. That's just my opinion, I guess.



Those are my logos! Personally, I'm drawn to logos that are simple, yet have that little something that can catch your eye. I don't like a lot of fancy font. Hopefully, that can be seen within my pieces.

Graffiti Collage

For this week's assignment, I decided to create a collage based upon the idea of graffiti/art in today's society.

Art has become so relevant to our every day lives, that it is hard to believe that it may have been frowned upon at one point in time. What seems to be a work of art in the year 2009 is much different than what one might have found in the 1930's or 40's. Since my blog has primarily covered the several murals located through Philadelphia, I decided to use my current knowledge of Photoshop to create a "faux" mural.



When beginning this piece, the starting point was of a photograph of a bare wall of what seemed to be an abandoned building. Since the meaning behind certain murals is to create beauty out of something that would otherwise be an eyesore in society, I chose to use certain photographs of street graffiti to decorate the bland palette of the wall.

I used the following photograph of random graffiti to cover the bare walls of the background photograph.

I then added a photograph of an older woman from what seems to be the 40's. Since the art upon on the wall would most likely NOT be found in her time period, I thought she had an appropriate expression on her face. She has a look of what seemed to me to be of disapproval and disgust. Older generations most likely look down upon graffiti thinking that it is a way of violating a particular structure. It is somewhat hard for them to see the expressionism and passion behind some public displays of art.

I chose to add the young boy as a symbol of artistic youth within today's generation.

I used the quick selection tool to remove the motorcycle from the following photograph.

I also opted to include a piece of street art created by one of my absolute favorite artists, Miss Van. The cartoonish woman at the top left of the wall is one of her "girls" that she is known for painting all over the world. Many artists have tried to replicate her style, but few have come close to recreating her sense of dark sexuality that she includes in her pieces.

All in all, I had a fun time putting everything into this assignment. It allowed me to experiment with selection tools, hue/saturation adjustments. etc.