I was able to create this highlight video for PCC’s Eagle Mania: a pep rally that kicks off much of the sports season every year. I’d always wanted to edit one of these events, but as a student worker, my work schedules were always shifting and changing, but this year I finally was able to put one together. I ended up being really satisfied with it. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ybAHtVMZV4&w=560&h=315]
US Currency Redesign
For my graphic design class in grad school, I had to redesign several bills of currency. I chose the US currency (‘cuz MURICA), and I wanted to do something that was both creative yet realistic. Because let’s be fair: if the US completely overhauled their green bills for something totally different, people would flip (remember when the $5 bill was changed to include purple colors). It also happens to be 2019, which is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing (and the limited edition Oreos that commemorated the event were “stuf” of legend). To do my own commemoration, I wanted to do a “limited edition currency” that I could imagine America issuing for a special year: something obviously different, yet not radically unfamiliar. I used micro-extended bold as my primary typeface, since it was a favorite font of NASA back in the sixties during the moon landing (it also happens to be my college’s typeface for all their branding, interestingly enough). As far as paper goes, I printed each bill on a glossy silver paper from Hobby Lobby to give it an official currency feel (as well as a sheen that screams SPACE).
Rivera Ardis Character Design
In my Advanced Digital Graphics class, we had to break out of our graphic design comfort zones and focus more on creating our own graphics to amplify our skillsets. One of our projects required us to do a character design or portrait, so I decided to draw my main character from my novel. While it’s not particularly my favorite digital painting ever, it taught me a lot about warm light and cool shadows, perspective, and drawing a character within a setting (something I’m pretty terrible at), so this was a really enjoyable project. I got a B+ on this project.
The Book of Esther Redesign with Commentary
For class we were tasked with redesigning a short book of the Bible. One of our options was Esther, and even though I wasn’t particularly a fan of that story, I knew there was a lot of interesting history there. I decided to not only redesign the book like the class required, but I also wanted to make it a historical and biblical commentary. My dad and I worked together to sift through the historical references–Dad came up with a timeline based off of James Ussher’s Annals of History while I read Josephus. Below is the cover jacket design and some of the spreads in the book. I’ve also included the introduction to read below the designs, in case you want to know more about what went into the in-depth project. If you’d like to purchase the book, you can find it here. I got an A- on this project.
“O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” Vector
For one of my graphic design classes, I had to create a vector, nature-based painting. I wanted it to be distinctly American as well as have a slight double meaning when looked at closer. The scene is based off the song “America the Beautiful” and attempts to illustrate each landscape description mentioned in the song. Upon closer look, one can see the American flag hidden within the scene: the fruited plains/amber waves of grain are in rows like stripes, and the snow on the mountains have a slight resemblance of stars. I got an A- on this project.
The Editing Process for PCC’s Fountains Publication
Every year, the Copy Editing II class works hard to produce PCC’s annual literary publication, Fountains. This year, I had the fantastic opportunity to be one of two Senior Editors, and it wasn’t until this year did I realize the awesome process of creating such an incredible product.
Book Design for “Beautifully Broken”
I recently did the cover and interior design for Celeste R. Warner’s book, Beautifully Broken. It was one of those crazy hectic, last minute emergency projects, so there were several sleepless nights and plenty of euphoria afterward when it was delivered to a very happy client. This project was a ton of fun, and you can purchase Celeste’s book here for only $5.57! Here’s the cover I was able to design.
Book and Design for “Timelines”
As a professional writing major at my college, seniors have to compile their best work from over the last four years into a bound, designed book. It’s been a project I’ve been waiting for with bated breath ever since I learned about it. Older students told me as a sophomore to save every paper I ever wrote, keep teachers’ notes, and to be thinking about a theme that can tie everything together. Back then, I couldn’t imagine picking out a theme that could encompass all my writing: after all, I liked to write about different things, and some of my stories were vastly different from others. But as my senior year came upon me, I found the perfect theme. My stories revolve around either hope or memory. Many of them look to the future with either a warning to society about our faults, or an expected adventure just out of reach. And when not writing a social commentary on America’s morals, I’m pulling nostalgia from the cracks of my mind. I thought “memory” and “hope” were much too generic for my theme, but finally it hit me: I also write about time. Time looking forward to the future or back … Read More
Cover Design for “Up the Ladder”
I was able to design this cover for Pamela Collazos’s book, Up the Ladder, which you can purchase on Amazon for $5.00! She asked specifically for a simple, vector-like cover made from only artwork, as opposed to my usual style of using photography. This was an incredibly fun project, and I really enjoyed the process. The concept for the cover came from the idea of the biblical Jacob’s ladder. Pamela described her book’s theme as the idea of climbing this ladder to Heaven to gain enlightenment from God, then bringing it back to earth to share with others. Using that idea of enlightenment, I illustrated lightbulbs hanging from Heaven. The seeker for knowledge must climb a ladder, much like she would to change a lightbulb in her home. Through this image, I was able to convey the idea of Jacob’s Ladder, the quest for enlightenment, and receiving wisdom from God.