Final relfection: Ariana

Alas, J-term has come to an end and school begins yet again. The shadow box and diorama j-term, I really do think I made the right decision choosing this j-term. These two weeks were almost relaxing for me as if winter break was extended. It wasn't like the course was all fun and games but it just felt relaxing. Maybe it was because I didn't have any homework or it might have been because this course resembled my winter break lifestyle a little too much. I was worried after the break I would be all sluggish and distracted from my work but I was way more engaged than I expected. Although designing the projects on illustrator left me in front of a screen for quite a while I was still enjoying the process. 

I spent the first week entirely on illustrator designing and completing the editing. I know everybody else went about printing and bringing their designs into real life then making editing decisions, but I didn't want to print more than necessary. So I decided to spend a little extra time on the computer fixing potential errors and making final edits in the program. Getting used to illustrator wasn't too difficult for me because I watched a couple of videos on how to use illustrator beforehand and I've also used some art programs before. Learning illustrator was a good move and I enjoy learning more and knowing how to use art programs and such so this was right up my alley. 

Printing the pieces I designed felt really rewarding, it was exciting to put them together and see the final product become a little clearer. One thing I completely overlooked was the woodworking aspect of this j-term. The second week was mostly dedicated to woodworking, we cut the wood glued them to make a frame, and enhanced them with finishing. I've been interested in woodworking for a while now but never had to chance to make something. So now after experienced a bit of woodworking, the right equipment and materials are essential to creating a clean and satisfactory product safely. I definitely want to make more projects with wood in the future and maybe probably use the tinkeria for that. 

to say the least I think I enjoyed this j-term. not only was the process fun but the end product is something I'm very proud of. I enjoyed the sanding bit the most because smooth wood just feels weird. And the most surprising thing for me is how the wood looked at the end. it was  e n h a n c e d  I mean the color enhanced, and it was so smooth and professional looking that I was convinced we bought it somewhere.