Change of plans

I asked Ben whether my idea was a little too convoluted (i.e. that a pixel could be considered a class) and he agreed that it was. He suggested that instead of painting by pixels, I create stamps (for example, a stamp for the eyes, a stamp for the mouth, etc) that then creates the picture.

I've instead decided to base my idea off Japanese purikura machines. Purikura machines are very much like a photobooth, except it allows you to edit your photos by placing objects, words, etc onto the image.

Mona Lisa

I thought purikura'ing Da Vinci's Mona Lisa would be interesting as it's THE quintessential portrait of a person.  

Changing my focus to Classes

Considering so many people are doing if/else statements, I'm now deciding to base project 3 on classes with my paint by class idea.

For example, within the hand class (this is purely an example. The illustration shall be much more interesting!), I could suggest states and methods (i.e. how to mix paint colours to create the colour green for example) which is then to be applied to the hand class. 

Estimated Cost

• Canvas ($10 - $40) or Canvas printing (?)
• Acrylic paint - white, black, and the primary colours (Free, already have it)
• Brushes (free, already have brushes)
• Total: Anywhere between $10 to perhaps $70 - need to source a cheap printer if I'm to do the line illustrator on the computer which is preferable.

Time Allocation

12/5/11 - Friday: Idea formulation

21/5/11 - Saturday: Line art creation (drafts, figure out colours, final, digital or traditional?)

22/5/11- Sunday: Continue with lineart, finish it by Monday.

23/5/11 - 24/5/11 - Mon/Tues: Source a printer, negotiate a reasonable cost.

25/5/11 -Wednesday: Begin writing 200 words for exhibit. 

28/5/11 - Saturday: Finish up loose ends.

29/5/11 - Sunday: ""

30/5/11 - Monday: Lineart must definitely be printed by now. 

30/5/11 - Tuesday: Presentation and Exhibition. 

Ideas for Project 3

Loops Comic Strip

If/Else Quadtych

Colour by Classes

I will draw some line art onto a canvas of an appropriate image. Each segment will be allocated a class, in which a paint colour is specified for each class.

Dancing Flower

I'm going to edit this code. It is also a prime example of an application that relies on if/else terms to properly execute.

Deconstructing the code

 TypeClock by Julia Wang

Here is 'TypeClock' by Julia Wang which has a great example of an if/else statement:

The code I'm interested in:

if( h > 12) { //IF PM
background(5);
fill(50);
h = h - 12;
}
else { //if AM
background(255);
fill(240);

}

Basically, the code is saying if the hour is greater than 12pm (i.e. during the pm hours), then it sets the background to black, or else the time is during the 'am' so the background is set to white.

---

Starfield by Martin Holler

Here's a sample of the code:

if(mousePressed)

z -= velocity * 10;

else

  z -= velocity;

This bit of the code controls the functionality of the application -- when the mouse is pressed the velocity of the stars movement according to the z-axis is increased 10 times. Otherwise (else), the velocity returns to normal.

---

Rush Hour by Florence Labelle

int elapsed = millis() - savedTime;
if( elapsed < 10000) {

background(intro);

}

else {

niveau1();

}

if (posXrouge > 315){

background(fin);

This code sets out what to display on the screen while playing Florence's rush hour game. So, if the time that has transpired is less than 10 seconds, the screen displays an introductory image, explaining how to play the game. After 10 seconds, you start on level 1 (niveau 1) of the game and if you are able to move the red car across the x-axis more than 315 pixels, you win, and the 'finish' image appears saying 'bravo!'.

If/Else

For Project 3 I have decided to base my exhibit off the if/else term because I feel it best allows for a clever or comedic metaphor.

Below I've pasted the syntax from Processing's Reference libraries to outline the basics of the code:

if(expression) { 
  statements 
} else { 
  statements 
} 

if(expression) { 
  statements 
} else if(expression) { 
  statements 
} else { 
  statements 
}

Obviously extremely straight-forward, but allows for great complexity if needed.

Reflections on Project 2

1. a) Did I design something meaningful?
I don't really go out of my way to design things that are meaningful, so I feel this question is a little loaded. If someone else finds meaning in what I've created, that's great, but I'm happy to just design things that are beautiful and that work.

b) Did I enjoy having an open ended task?
Very much so. I thrive in these sorts of projects because freedom allows me to attempt to break boundaries I have within myself.


2. a) Did the project motivate me to learn the code myself?
Yes, it did, which is what I appreciated most of all. I really want to be proficient in a coding language, and this was a good stepping stone for me.

b) Did I rely on tutors?

Not at all, I did most if not all the troubleshooting myself. I think it may have turned out better if I asked for some help and guidance though.

c) What were the main challenges?
Changing the base code, colours, animation, and figuring out how to make the sound work (including corroborating with the visualisations).


3. Am I satisfied?
Extremely!