I struggled a lot with choosing the materials to create my piece. I did not know how I was going to create the glowing heart monitor. Creating drafts helped me test different materials to use for my project.
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| Incomplete Design |
I first tried to color the whole background black with marker and then color in the heart rate red. I wanted to make the M be the focal point and then fade it out. I realized that the marker did not look neat and clean. The M was not standing out the way I wanted. I decided that I wanted the whole thing to glow against the black.
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| Final |
I decided to use a black construction paper as my background. I cut out the heart rate from a white piece of paper and glued it on to the black paper. I then colored around the heart rate with red color pencil and blended it into the white and black.
Since my name starts with the letter M, I wanted to use it for this project. Since an M is spiked I thought of things that are also spiked. Since a heart rate monitor goes up and down and I thought I could make an M out of the heart rate. I wanted it to look like a real heart monitor and how it glows on the screen.
The most challenging aspect of this project was making my design look like a heart monitor. I really wanted to give it that digital, glowing affect. I asked around for different ideas on how I can accomplish this. The materials I was using were not effectively portraying the design I had in mind. By looking at different images of a heart monitor, I realized that they are outlined by the color and inside are extremely bright, which looks white. The black background helps the lighter areas appear brighter and like they are shinning.
Overall, I am satisfied with this project. I was able to solve the challenges and incorporate my letter in my design. People complimented and appreciated my work, which made me feel proud of my final. Although it is a simple design, I believe it stands out.
However, something I would change about my design is adding a grid behind the letter to make it look more like a monitor and instead of the heart rate floating in nothing. This would make it look a bit more realistic.
