Awareness Post on Robert Valley

I first came across Valley's work randomly on social media and was immediately captivated by his stylistic choices: the vibrant color palette, the angular lines, the expressive figure poses, the list goes on. His animation style infuses life into its characters through facial exaggerations, dynamic viewing angles, and aggressive shadows and contrast. He has work featured on Netflix, as he was responsible for directing Love, Death, and Robots' Zima Blue. Zima Blue being a sci-fi animation about an artist's reflection on their life's work. For my own work, I'd like to replicate Valley's evident mastery of the human form and his subsequent manipulation to it. By understanding the limits to which the human figure can be altered and still resemble a regular human, one can experiment with intense expression and feelings otherwise difficult to illustrate with just words and facial expressions (this can be exemplified by the ecstasy shown in the third image below, though facial expressions play a crucial role the exaggeration of the bodies adds a layer of fluidity to the piece).

Career Blog Post

Career of interest: Industrial Designer

I first became aware of the level of detail and artistry put into the design of everyday products while watching a random video on Instagram, then I realized how crucial the design of a product is in its usability. The industrial design field is a slow-growing niche in the arts and design world, with a projected growth of 3% in the coming year. Median income is 76K per year, with entry-level jobs requiring a bachelor's degree. Establishing a strong portfolio is crucial for securing a job like this, and many prospective openings are for replacing designers exiting the industry or retiring from the workforce.

Process Blog Post for Oil Painting Grisaille

Oil Painting has definitely proved to be as difficult as anticipated, though the process is not without its moments of satisfaction. There is a delicate balance between thin glazes and a runny wash, and maintaining that balance has been a tedious process. I think starting my first oil-painting endeavor with an exercise in realism will prove beneficial for helping understand light and overall the oil painting process has really trained me to focus more on the subtle nuances in shadows and highlights.