A Not Quite as Bad Book Cover

This book cover is not nearly as bad as the bad book cover in the previous post, but I think there is still something a little wrong. We learned all about color theory in this class. What does red and yellow make you think of? Relaxation? Not for me. This book, which I read many years ago, is about transcendental meditation (TM). TM is marketed for anyone, not just the spiritual, to reduce stress and thrive. I would expect some more relaxing colors. Maybe aqua or something like that. Just about anything but red and yellow. And the thing with the yellow is that the "updated and expanded" thing becomes the focal point by its contrast with the red. Shouldn't the title be the focal point? That's my two cents about the matter.

The Bad Book Cover

I chose this as my bad book cover. It is also not a great book either, and it does the world a disservice, but I guess that is beside the point. It is a bad cover because it has too much type and too much stuff. The part "as seen on Oprah" seriously distracts from the title, which should be the focal point of the cover. The yellow text next to it is also a distraction. Plus, all the type at the bottom is more of the too much. I could have chosen something bad like this to re-do, but I guess I wanted more of a challenge.

The Real Manic

I last posted my re-make of the cover for Terri Cheney's Manic. It's a great book. The original cover is actually quite good. I did not mean anything by my choice to re-do it. I just thought it would be a fun one to do. The original one uses design principles we have learned about. The type is all uppercase so it uses repetition. The photo is compelling, and it has a single focal point in the picture. The focal point of the picture is close to the title, using unity by proximity to make for some unity in the two pieces. Again, I really recommend this book.

Manic

This is the final result for my project 4. I think this depicts how the author's illness (she calls it the Beast) takes over at times.

Bipolar

Before I designed my book cover for Manic, by Terri Cheney, I decided to draw the first image that came to me when I thought of bipolar. A roller coaster has been a little overdone, so I used a see-saw. At one end, everything is gray and covered with clouds. At the other end, there is a fire under me.

Design Principles

I saw this in my parents' home as part of a room divider. I thought it used some design principles we learned in this class like repetition, emphasis by size and shape, etc.

Grandma's Cane after Photoshop

So I had some time on my hands. I messed around in Photoshop and colored in the cane sketch (see my last post).

Grandma's Cane

My family came over the weekend, and what got my attention was my grandma's cane. So that is what I sketched. I like the butterflies. It actually was black with bright colors.

A Fractal

After watching a video on fractals, I tried to draw one. I think this is what computers are for...

Pinchas

Last week's Torah portion was Pinchas. Pinchas took the law into his own hands, which inspired me to draw this sketch. In the portion, it turns out he is actually rewarded for doing this.

Nature Imagined

I saw a YouTube video about mathematics and nature that inspired me to draw this.

Thangka

I sketched this painting from across a large room so I couldn't see the details. Still I got quite a bit. There was more variety than appears because the colors varied while the five forms were rather similar.

To Speak Softly

These are some earbuds I just bought, from two perspectives. I got them for an unusual purpose. I only use one at a time. When I put one in, I can hear my own voice better, so I can keep from talking too loudly. My psychotherapist thought of this... ingenius. My family is thrilled that I don't shout in noisy restaurants now. My therapist thought of something else too. I painted my nails for the first time since I was a kid, to help me remember to put the earbud in.

Chanting Torah

I chanted Torah (the Pentateuch) during religious services. I do this every couple of months, and I spend about a week or two preparing for it. Each time, I have to learn the melody and how to read the Hebrew without the vowels.

Crocheted Coral Reefs

I saw a TED talks video about how a couple of sisters crocheted model coral reefs. They used a mathematical formula but had to deviate from it somewhat to make it look realistic. I tried to sketch some of their work.

Leading Religious Services

I led religious services Friday night at synagogue because the rabbi was gone. I gave a sermon and led all the prayers. I had been wanting to do this for a long time. Finally, the rabbi asked me this time.

Bookshelves

My husband put together these bookshelves and filled them up. This was one of my attempts to draw shading and depth and so forth. I guess I have a long way to go.

My Psychotic Computer

My computer is psychotic! I delete or uninstall things and they still run. I wake up one morning and it says that other things that were working fine from the hard drive need a CD. I swear my computer is schizophrenic!

One of Those Mornings

I was having one of those mornings. I couldn't get myself to get out of bed right away. I felt like there were weights on my arms and legs, like I had to lift weights just to get out of bed. Eventually, I got up. At least it wasn't a school day that day.

In Memory of Prince York

Tuesday we designed a plaque in memory of our cat, Prince York. We still have yet to bury him. My husband hasn't had the energy to dig a hole and I can't do it because I have back problems. At least we will have this plaque made by next week. We are mounting it on plastic to put in front of our apartment.

A Bug Car with Cow Seats ?!

My three-year-old friend said she wanted a "volkswagon convertible bug car with cow seats."
... from the mouths of babes...

Speaking Different Languages

I drew this when my husband and I were talking but not communicating. I felt like I was trying to reach him across a brick wall. Neither of us were feeling heard. The letters coming out of his mouth are Hebrew letters because I felt like we must not have been speaking the same language. We have since clarified some things.

I tried to make this drawing somewhat balanced.

All Locked Up

I drove to synagogue and everything was fine. When I got done, and I upt the key in the ignition, it would not turn. I twisted the steering wheel all different ways. Then it locked up too. In the end it will cost hundreds of dollars to fix it.

An empty nest without my cat

Text: Without our cat, our apartment is like an empty nest. My husband said, "Now I know what it's like when people's children grow up and move out."

I miss him so much.

Entry #1: The Last Supper for Prince York (my cat)

Text: York's Last Supper: My cat's last meal was at the vet's office this afternoon. We had to let him go after months of him enduring cancer.