Cheyenne Díaz Blog

For my 3D design assignment, I utilized Tinkercad's range of basic shapes to create a Puerto Rican vejigante  mask. I chose to create thus mask because I have been exploring my own heritage a great deal this semester in several of my classes. I created a vejigante  mask design for Processes and Structures, and I wanted to create a 3D model version of it so that it could possibly be replicated in the future with a 3D printer. In creating this piece, I got to experiment more with Tinkercad's features beyond what I did in class. As opposed to what I did in class: picking from pre-created characters and figurines, I created my own figurine out of the simple shapes. Also during class, I used my iPad and Apple Pencil to create the piece, which I thought was easier than using a computer, but for this homework assignment, I used the computer and was able to have better control over the placement of my elements and the entire piece as a whole. Tinkercad was very easy to use, and much o...

For this project, Mila and I were both inspired by artists who play with light in 2D Fabrication. Mila’s presentation reminded me of an artist whose work I had seen several years ago at the Asia Society. As a result, we decided to create a lantern for our project. We still need to cut out two more panels with engravings and cutouts on them, but this is what we’ve completed so far: We utilized designs that we’ve created in last classes, including Processes and Structures, as well as Conversations across cultures. These experimental and textured drawings further the experimental nature of this project as well. 

 

For my creative assignment, I decided to create 3 vector images regarding a cause that I am passionate about. I then put these vector images into Canva to create 3 t-shirt or sticker designs with 3 different slogans. I chose to center my theme on environmental conservation and workers’ rights in Puerto Rico. The Caribbean island has a long history of colonization and oppression of its indigenous people and native species of plant and animal life. I wanted my designs to shine a light on the efforts made in the past and today to preserve the island’s traditions, culture, and especially their diverse ecosystem. The first subject is a coquí, named after the distinct sound that the frog makes. In recent years, American and non-native tourists and modern-day colonizers have complained about the “noisy” frogs whose songs echo all through the night in Puerto Rico. They have even gone as far to call for the slaughter of these precious creatures. ¡Salven a las Ranas! translates to “Save the Frog...

Our Impact25 project was a very rewarding experience for both Mila and me. We are both from New York City, and have experienced New York in very different ways, so it was only natural that we would both want to center the city in our project. We were interested in illustrating NYC through the eyes of those who make the city run but so often do not have the platform to have their voices heard or visions seen.  We decided to use Google Forms as our medium through which we would collect information from participants. It is simple to share as well, which contributed to our goal of not making our participants feel like they were doing excess work. We narrowed our questions down to 3 simple questions in our form that could be answered in just a couple of minutes. It was also important that our participants remained anonymous, so we made it optional to collect their emails for follow-up once the project came to a close. Our Questions:  1. Describe your job in 30 words or less. 2...

Some of the first pieces of media that inspired me to pursue art were the films created by LAIKA such as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. After doing research and watching BTS of these films, I realized that I could become and animator and work on projects like these, and that animated films were not just confined to one category. Despite my over a decade-long appreciation for stop motion animation, this creative assignment was the first time I ever worked in this medium. I am very interested in redoing the stop motion assignment in such a way that I could integrate mixed media animation, taking aspects of video, scanography, photography, and even traditional means of making art with materials like crayon and pencil in particular.  I would like to expand my inquiry by developing an entire process from start to finish, including planning a story, storyboarding, and integrating aspects of video pre-production, like selecting music and dialogue or sound effects if applicable. I...