iPhone Blogger Test

So this is just a test. I just downloaded the Blogger App on my iPhone and I'm making sure it works correctly. I sure hope it does, bc then maybe it won't be 6 months between posts. :)


- jleigh (iPhone post)

New Year's will be a bit better than expected

I am in Cleveland for Christmas break. Yes, Cleveland, TN....which means, there is absolutely nothing going on for New Years. Most of my high school friends are grown and have their own families....and I don't really want to waste gas to drive to Nashville, so I just decided I would stay home. I wasn't at all happy with this decision, but couldn't really think of a much better solution. So, I was expecting to be sitting in a dark house, since my parents go to bed normally around 10, at the latest, when the 'ball drops'. But....because I have the greatest boyfriend ever!, Nate said he would come down and spend the evening with me. I am super excited, and I know how much of a sacrifice he is making by coming here....I just love him so much!

-jleigh

Baby Jack

I am an artist, and because of this, I have mostly little to no money. And because of that fact as well....I make Christmas presents. So this year, I made the Snell's (Nate's family) a drawing of their first grandson, Jack. He is adorable, and it really was a delight to stare at his picture for the 18ish hours it took me to draw this. :)

I was pretty proud of myself, especially since it was only the second portrait drawing that I had done.

-jleigh

J.leigh Photography. Murdock/Longhurst Engagement

My brother and Jessica are getting married!! They asked me to take their engagement photos for them. Normally, I don't like to take portraits, but they were easy to photograph and I had fun. I did a much better job than I thought I would......maybe I should consider wedding photography......:)

These were taken in Nashville, TN in November. They are having a fall wedding, so we wanted to take advantage of the fall foliage that was occurring at the time.

I am very proud of myself. Most of these were tweeked somewhat in Photoshop, but some didn't need to be at all. I uploaded them all to a website so that they could share them easily with relatives and friends. I will be/am in the process of uploading my Charleston pictures. This website will be my photography website for now...until I can get my own domain. Here is the address:

http://jleigh_photography.photoshop.com/

Hope you enjoy!

-jleigh

Personal Projects....from the Summer/Fall.

So, I know it's like 6 months later.....but here are some of the personal projects that I did this Summer/Fall.

Here is a set of paintings that I did for my dining room. They are currently at my parents house, bc my dining room was turned into my living room, due to letting a friend stay with me.

It is just acrylic on canvas......(I can't wait til I take Painting class and can learn some techniques)

My dad built me a recycling center for my recycling bins. I hand painted the letters on them. I think it makes them look much more authentic.

I also made another name logo. This one is for my photography. While I love my orchid signature, I needed something a little more simple and classy. I made this in Illustrator combining two script fonts.

This is a picture that my Dad took. He wants to blow it up and put it in the guest bedroom. Again, he was the photographer (he is where I get my skills from)....I just edited it for him using Photoshop. Here is a Before and After.

Also, I helped my brother with his signature (Aaron Wade Murdock). This was completely HIS IDEA. I just put it together in Illustrator and showed him how to. He eventually did the exact same. I am in NO WAY taking credit for this. Just showing it as something I did/can do.

I didn't do too many personal projects this semester, simply due to my time constraint. I hope that with the more I learn....the more work I will make sure I have the time to do.

-jleigh

Drawing I: Still life with Anfinson

Drawing I was the one class I was most excited about this semester. I used to draw a lot at a very young age, but stopped once I broke my arm, and then got into Junior High. So, I was really eager to learn more and see where I was in my drawing skills.

The first few weeks of class were mainly dedicated to drawing still lifes. We used Vine/Willow Charcoal on Newsprint Paper.

In order for us to understand the meaning of contour and detail, Erin (my teacher) had us do a series of blind contour drawings. We had a few minutes on each drawing to study our hand, feet, and partner's face and draw the outline with the detail. Now the trick here was that we couldn't look at our paper and we couldn't pick our pen up. Meaning...it was one consistent line. All of ours looked really creepy and completely out of proportion, but nonetheless, it was kinda fun. This was done with Pen on Newprint paper.

We moved from that on to actually drawing in the contour lines to give a feeling of shape. This was done with Willow charcoal on Drawing paper.

I think the trickiest thing for me to learn was perspective. It's hard to just draw what your eye sees rather than what your brain is telling you is right. We practiced a lot on shoes at different angles. The hardest for me were the chairs. I still don't think they are right. These were done with Willow Charcoal on Drawing paper.

Next comes the part of the class that I was most excited and nervous about: Value. Erin did a really fun activity with us for the first value study. She completely blurred the picture (of the girl) and over about 6 slides unblurred the picture. It really helped me, bc it taught me how to pay attention to value rather than the picture as a whole.

This was my favorite drawing that I did. Just simply because I did so well on it. Now, I'm not normally a conceited person....but I did an amazing job on this. I was quite proud! I feel like during the process of this drawing, everything kind of clicked for me.

Then comes the part that I was dreading the most, but really wanted to learn how to do better....Portraits. I did better than I thought I would, but I know I have so much more to learn and am excited to do so in Drawing II.

This class was an absolute blast! I learned so much more than I ever expected to, and believe I am on a path to becoming a great artist.

-jleigh

3D Design Projects

I decided to post my projects from this semester a little differently this time. I organized them all inside of one picture, instead of having all of the pictures separated. I feel like this is a little less chaotic, which I like. So, first up are my 3d design projects. At the beginning of the semester, I was absolutely dreading this class, just because I knew I would be horrible at it. But, it quickly became one of my favorites, thanks to my classmates and my professor, who made the assignments fun. So, if you are planning on taking 3d, definitely sign up for Jarrod Houghton. He is awesome.

The first project was dedicated to point. We were to use fishing line and seed beads to create a sphere, have a part of it missing, and to incorporate gravity into it. To finish, we were to build a 10x10 box to set it inside of.

Next, was line. For this project we had a little more freedom....very little. We had to use 1/4'' thick sticks, and create either full cubes or parts of cubes and then make a sculpture out of it.

Next, was using planes. This was probably the most fun of all the projects. We had to find a child's toy and replicate it into planes. I chose a Piggy Bank and to use radial planes. We had to use 1/4'' MDF Board, make it at least 24 inches long, and paint it white.

Last, was our Self Portrait assemblage. This was also pretty fun, and the easiest of the projects, which I was thankful for by the end of the semester. We had to incorporate a light source and that was pretty much the only restriction. Mine was meant to represent the "Stages of Life", which is why I built a stage. (that and I used to sing a lot....on a stage). But, not really the stages, such as baby, teenage, adult, and so on. But the parts of your life that happen, that turn you into the person you are today. So, my assemblage consisted of: some Zeta things, my camera, my quote book, Nate and I's letter book, a microphone, and my marathon medals.

Overall, the class WAS tough, but I feel like I learned a lot. Especially about wood and cutting and sawing. Which I think just added a little bit to my character and helped me grow some. And, I got a B in the course, which after many all nighters, I was perfectly happy with.

-jleigh

organization feels so wonderful

So, I have spent pretty much my entire day getting my planner organized and syncing my iPhone with my iCal with my Google Calendar. I feel very ready to start school now with this task over with. 

Now I just wish that I could somehow add my calendar in full view to this blog....

-jl

2D Design Project: Final Project: Self Portrait

As with pretty much any art or design class, there is always going to be a self portrait that you will have to do. I did these for my B & W Photography class (when Photography was my major) in the Fall of 2006:

(I apologize for the quality, it's a picture of a picture)

Well, one thing, I can definitely take pictures better than I can draw people. So, just a little disclaimer....no laughing bc it looks like a cartoon drawing that should be in a children's book.

(this is an overview of the whole painting)

(this is the top half. In her hair are the words:

 "Go on keep misusing and abusing me")

(the bottom half. Her hair reads: 

"i'll only be stronger in the end")

Explanation of Design: There is a part of my life that had a huge impact on me, in a good way and in a bad way. During my high school years and for a few after, I was in an abusive relationship. The whole situation took me to my lowest of lows. But, climbing out of that hole, made me feel stronger than ever. And I feel that instead of being ashamed of that part of my life, I'm kind of proud of it. Not of the fact that I got beaten by someone who said they loved  me, but because I was able and fortunate enough to get out. And go on with my life. Most women, when in that situation, don't ever leave. And, on the outside, it's easy to sit there and say, "Just Leave!". But, I know, that that move is one of the hardest steps for a woman to ever have to take. It got to a point where I was pushed up against a wall, nearly missing a fall down the stairs, and looking down to the bottom to realize that this man could kill me. And so, I left. And, that brings us to my painting...The girl in the upper corner signifies a girl who is being abused. She is hushed (no mouth) and has a bruise under her eye. She is blue, because she is sad and depressed, but yet she knows that one day she will get out. Hence, the words, "Go on, keep misusing and abusing me...". The girl at the bottom left, is a free woman. She is strong and has color back in her life. But, she still remembers, and often looks back on those times and is thankful she was strong enough and got out. The words: "I'll only be stronger in the end.", bc luckily, for my situation, that was the outcome.

-jl

2D Design Project: Stencil & Spraypaint

The next project that we had to do, was to make stencils and again, choose a complimentary color scheme. Which means:

Complementary 

Colors that are opposite each other on the color 

wheel are considered to be complementary colors

(example: red and green).

The high contrast of complementary colors creates

 a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation. 

 

I used Purple and Yellow. We had to look through magazines, pick out pictures we liked, put them together, and then blow them up so we could trace out our stencil using acetate. 

Explanation of Design: It's basically Good v. Evil. Bc, really, everyone has a good side and everyone has a side of them that they don't like people to see. I used purple bc it's basically the closest color to black, without actually being black. And yellow normally signifies happiness and good.

-jl

2D Design Project: Comic Strip/Series of Pictures

Our third project was to come up with a story and illustrate the progress. He originally called it a comic strip, but then decided he didn't want the typical comic strip look, and he made sure that wasn't what we were working towards. We also, could only use 5 colors plus b & w. And shades of the same color were to be included as one of your 5. So, I chose: black, white, gray, light blue, brown, green, and yellow.

Explanation of Design: At the time of this project I was training for my half marathon. So, I decided to draw a silhouette of a girl running. In the boxes, it shows what mile # she is on. And surrounding the boxes are parts of Nashville. I went online and got the course map and planned my painting based off of that. The Parthenon, bc that's where the race begins; trees, bc we go through a suburban area; Downtown, bc we run through downtown; and we end near the Pedestrian Bridge.

-jl

2D Design Project: Promotion Poster

My second 2d Design project was to make a poster promoting something. I feel as though I am somewhat of an environmentalist, since I like to recycle and eat organic and all that jazz. And, as cliche as it was, decided upon a 'Go Green' design. We did have one stipulation though, we could only use a triadic color scheme plus B & W. Meaning:

If you were to draw an equilateral triangle on the color wheel, the color at the points would be a triadic color scheme. 

So, choosing to do a 'Go Green' poster, I obviously had to have green. So, my other colors had to be purple and orange.

So, I used green, to make the letters, different shades of orange for the sun rays, and you can't really tell by the picture, but dark purple outlines the Unites States. Also, in every project we do, we have to make our colors from the basic colors: Red, Blue, Yellow, White, and Black. This can sometimes take a long time. Especially when you run out of paint and have to mix again and match the previous color exactly!

This is by far my most favorite design I have ever done! I was extremely proud of myself. I was surprised at how well I drew the US, take it that it was the first time I had really drawn anything in years.

I actually took some pictures of it during the process

 

(drawn on canvas, green painted)

   

(White added)

            

              (finished-ish. Gotta make my lines stronger)          

                    

                                                                                          

(in class)

                                                                                          

          (hanging up for critiques)

                     

-jl

2D Design Project: Illustrate an Emotion (Limerence)

For my first 2d project we had a list of emotions with which we had to pick one from, and then illustrate. Of course there were the basic emotions, like happy, sad, angry, confused...and so on and so forth. I, naturally, chose the more difficult emotions (because I typically like a challenge) and therefore chose Limerence. See below for a definition and explanation of the word.

Limerence

Limerence, as posited by psychologist Dorothy Tennov, is aninvoluntary cognitive and emotional state in which a person feels an intense romantic desire for another person. The concept is an attempt at a scientific study into the nature of romantic love.

Explanation

Limerence can often be what is meant when one expresses having intense feelings of attachment, preoccupations with the love object, and (as new research on brain chemistry shows) a similar mind-state to obsessive compulsive disorder. According to Tennov, there are three types of love: limerence, what she calls "loving attachment" (the long-lasting love people are capable of having), and "loving affection," the bond that exists between an individual and his or her parents and children..

Limerence is characterized by intrusive thinking and pronounced sensitivity to external events that reflect the disposition of the limerent object towards the individual. It can be experienced as intense joy or as extreme despair, depending on whether the feelings are reciprocated. Unlike English, many other languages have traditional terms to denote limerence, like the GermanVerliebtheit, Scandinavian forelskelse or Russian влюблённость (vlyublyonnost); these expressions may roughly be translated to “fallen-in-love-ness”.

(Design on Bristol Board, using only B & W acrylic paint, mixed for shades of gray)

Explanation of my Design: In my research of this word, I found that it obviously means "the idea of being in love".  So, of course, I am going to use a heart. I used the question mark (representing one half of the heart) bc most people during a relationship, at some point, is going to question whether they love someone or not. They get an idea of what love is, and must ask themselves if what they are feeling is love, or something else. The shades of gray (representing the other half of the heart), signify the different levels of love that one can feel. Some, simply like someone a lot and take that as love (light gray), while at the other extreme, some give their whole selves to someone. Literally not being able to live without that person. Which is what I consider to be true love. I also think that everyone has their own version of what love is. The feeling is different in everyone. Which is also what I was trying to display with the shades of gray. 

This design took me a few hours to do, once I got the design figured out. It was pretty difficult to mix the white and black to get just the shades of gray that I wanted. I quickly learned that it is much easier to put a little bit of black in white rather than the other way around.

Blog Header!! Yay!

So, I finished my Blog Header finally!! I'm pretty excited! It turned out a little bigger than I imagined. I thought blogger would compress it some, but I still think it is beautiful. I'm going to make another one when I get more time and learn more in Photoshop!

Oh, and that's my name logo (in the bottom right hand corner of my header) I worked on for a while. I'm still not sure how I want my signature to be. But, I know I really want to use my middle name and not my last. That way when I get married, I won't have to worry about changing my logo again. And I think j.leigh is kinda cute. I've never really loved my name, so I thought this would put a little bit of a twist on it. And, my favorite flower is the orchid. I'm sure my logo will change several times in the next few years. But, it's fun to play around with it!

Hope you like it too!

-jl

I Just Can't Call This Home...

So, I'm back home in Cleveland, TN visiting my family.  Most people have never heard of this town, like when you say you're from Cleveland, they say Ohio. No....not Ohio, Tennessee.

It seems like every time I come home, I grow more and more detached from this place. Maybe a little bit like Sweet Home Alabama "I'm too good for this place", but mostly, I don't hang out with my friends here anymore. It's gotten to the point where I would always visit them when I came home, but none of them ever came to visit me at school. So, over time, friendships fell apart and, I feel, those strong connections finally broke. 

Being in Cleveland drives me crazy for some reason. Maybe its because I feel so much like this town held me back while I was here. After I left, I grew up and matured SO much. My brother and I have talked several times about how moving and learning how to make new friends really helps you evolve as a person. And a lot of people here, don't know about anything other than what's between the Southside Walmart and the Northside Walmart. And that's ok. For them. It doesn't make them any less of a person. But I feel for me, growing up in a big city and moving here, I was forced at a young age to adjust to new surroundings and make new friends. And I feel like that moment in my life, even though I hated it at the time, really made me a better person today.  

I love the idea of traveling and experiencing new things, meeting new people. When I graduate, I want to move to a new town, start all over, and make a life for myself. When that moment comes, yes, I'm going to be terrified, just as I was when I moved to Murfreesboro and went back to school not knowing a single soul. But, I find that it's in those moments of fear, that you really find out the person you are and the person that you are capable of being. And that's what excites me.

-jl

I made my first design!!

The Nashville Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is just around the corner, coming up on October 10th! The Zetas have a team again this year and I decided to make a shirt for us!

This is the Back:

This is the front (its going to be smaller in the left hand corner):

I'm pretty happy with the outcome! And being able to navigate my way through Photoshop. It really is better to just learn by doing. (Of course online tutorials help too :) )

j.leigh

It Sure Has Been Awhile

I am vowing right now to update my blog more. I had a few problems with my gmail account, but should be able to update more now that it is fixed.

Expect some of my art to be uploaded soon!

jleigh

Barely Missed My Own Yellow Brick Road

Yes.....that was a "Wizard of Oz" reference. Only one of the best movies of all time!

So, a few days ago, M'boro had quite the storms...and apparently a tornado! Which was literally about 2 miles from my apartment!! This is the closest I have ever been to a twister!

Maybe the word 'twister' is a little exaggerated. It apparently was an F0...the smallest tornado possible, and it only lasted for a mile. But in that mile and for as small as it was, it sure did do some damage.

This is Castle Dental Center.........with no roof:

                                                                

This is a plaza in the same parking lot. 

Windows blown out and roofs blown off:

                                                                 

This is the Boys and Girls Club...notice their roof is on the playground:

                                                                

This is part of the Boys and Girls Club's roof.....on the power lines.

                                                   

                                                               

*As a side note: I have the loveliest downstair's neighbor. Before the storm, she invited me to sit in her living room if I got too scared. How sweet of her!! 

I feel very blessed that I missed this small but damaging tornado. Although, I could totally use a vacation to Oz....

jl

                 

My First Blog

So, I just started a new blog, after a year of not posting. I am hopeful that this one will be better and that I will keep up with it more.

I dont have much time to write at this moment (I am in the library and should be studying). But hopefully tonight I can take some time out to write a few words.

Im excited, I hope you are!

jl