New Podcast Channel!

Hello viewers!

I have started a new podcast stream and would love for you guys to check it out in order to gain a better understanding of what it's like to be a student in the art department. Maybe it will inspire you guys into taking some classes! Here's the link...

https://soundcloud.com/marlyjsmith/sets

Here is a video I recently uploaded to YouTube showing behind the scenes of what I do in order to make my graphic design work. Please check it out! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Here is one of the latest flyers I made for an event being hosted by the Student Health Center here at Lamar University. I began by taking pictures of my fiance wearing a pair of the shoes that were provided for the event. He did such a wonderful job posing and got lots of looks while doing so! This is the picture that I settled on. He preferred for his face not to be shown, but understood if it looked better for design. I changed the entire photo from color to black and white in Adobe Photoshop. It was required that I add in the Walk a Mile logo and name. I lowered the opacity on the banners and blurred the picture behind them so that the text would be more visible. I added all of the required textual content. I made a copy of the original picture, and then I created a clipping mask within that copied layer. I went in with the brush tool and added the color back into the shoes to emphasize the colors involved with the event. I still wasn't satisfied, so I made another copy of the image and erased everything except for the right shoe (our left). If you guys know anything about layers in the Adobe programs then you know that you can't simply move around any objects to appear in front or behind other objects without somehow isolating them. So anyways, I then had a lone shoe which I move above the banner at the bottom in order to give it a final pop!

Girl's Closet Poster

Here is a look at my favorite flyer of all time that I have created. I drew everything in Adobe Illustrator including the cork!!! I got the idea thinking about what I typically see in girls' dorm rooms either here at Lamar or when I search for things on Pinterest. After I created the graphics in Illustrator, I began to arrange the page in Photoshop. This is also where I applied the text. I turned the text into a shape so that I could mess with the texture of it. I wanted to get a chalky effect. As you can tell, I was big on textures in this composition. What do y'all think? Would you change anything, or do you like it the way it is? I am open to any and all comments! Enjoy.

Lose Smart Banner Comparison

This is another example of the graphic design work that I do. I did this specifically for a program that the Student Health Center is hosting this semester in order to help faculty, staff, and students get physically healthy.I wanted to post both banners that I made for the program in order to get some feedback on which one y'all like better. I won't tell you which one we ended up going with unless of course you have already seen it. The composition of the two are essentially the same, but the type of bubbles sure does make a difference in how we interpret the image. Let me know what you think!

Shish Kabob Bee

Here is some more of my art in yet another medium! I constructed this little beauty for Kurt Dyrhaug's  class last semester in Design 2. It is made from hot glue, shish kabob skewers, acrylic paint, and a touch of glitter. It's amazing how such simple media can be converted to an exceptional work of art! This baby is about 3.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide if you count the antennae. I plan on selling it at this year's art auction at the Dishman. I am unsure of what price to start the bidding at, but I know it won't be too low of a price since a lot of time and effort went into making this piece.

Mew are my Valentine

I would like to share some variety in terms of art, so here is a valentine I made for my fiance this year drawn in Adobe Illustrator. I started with the heart background which I already kind of made. I blurred it and put a translucent color over the top of it. I then moved on to the cute, little Pokemon, Mew! I drew his head first without any facial features, added the eyes and lines on his face, and added a mesh which is what added the different pink coloration to skin. I then moved on to his body and followed the same steps. I added the text where I typed on a line that I drew so that the text would conform to the shape of the Pokemon. I then added a purple heart and adjusted Mew's arms, but I wasn't satisfied with the simplicity of the heart, and I decided to go all out by drawing a JEWEL purple heart. My fiance, Dillon loves it and wants to get it framed, so I would say that this project was a success!

Self Portrait in full value

I wanted to start my blog out with something overtly artsy. Here is a drawing that I did of myself for a homework assignment in Professor Troutman's drawing 3 class. This is the first full-value self-portrait that I have done since about 6th grade, so I would say that my future looks bright! The key is layering your materials. I began with graphite pencil for the main outlines and then moved onto vine charcoal for the big shadows. I finished it up with a soft charcoal pencil and erased in order to add in some highlights. Drawing with pencil and charcoal is a no-no, but I find it easier to get small details. Enjoy!