My Vacation

This vacations where very different from all the ones in my past. First of all, because I stayed here in Puerto Vallarta in exception for 3 small days. On December 18th I flew up to La Ventana, BCS with my teacher Mr. Picketts, some friends, my dad and my younger bro'. We went to compete in a kitesurfing tournament but a unfortunate surprise came to us. Since there hadn't been wind for a long time there until the day before we arrived, they arranged all of the competition the day before we got there. Besides that bad news, we got absolutely no wind on those 3 days. The trip was useless, but still very fun! They was the only time I went out of town this winter break.
Apart from that small trip, my cousins and Dad's family came for Christmas and New Years. They had recently moved to San Fransisco from Switzerland. It was the first time I have Christmas at home and it all went so cool. I got a GoPro Hero camera and was fascinated with it. I taped over twenty videos in the first day. Unfortunately, I went kitesurfing after four days with it and it fell off! I had attached a leash to it in case that happened so that it could stay hanging, but it broke! Anyway, I ordered a new one with my own money. I spent New Years with 70 other people at home. It was very fun because this is the second time that we do a big party there. After that I just chilled at home enjoying the few days I had before coming back. All in all, I had an amazing vacation. I hope you did too!

Stop Motion Video

Stop Motion Reflection

When we had to draw the idea for our stop motion I just started to imagine random ideas. I've always liked peace signs, so I made one with my hand, then since I love surfing so much I thought about a wave and if it was possible to transform my hand into a wave. I kind of moved my hand slowly into the shape of a wave. I then realized it looked perfect, so I drew it on the little paper. Some classes after that we had to draw it in a big paper. This took me a while because I always like to draw super detailed. When I finally finished, we had to choose a medium to do the stop motion with. I chose plasticine because I wanted to challange myself and I knew I could make a really cool hand. Besides, drawing fifty hands would've taken me a very long time.
I started doing my plasticine hand and finished it perfectly. Nothing changed in the begging, the hand rotated a bunch and suddenly started to change into a wave. When that was done and the wave was complete, I thought it would be fun to add a surfer since it would be cool and would give me a chance to take more pictures. I made a surfer paddle in and surf that wave until he whipped out and the wave passed. When I thought it was the end, I realized I still didn't have enough images. I decided a good way to finish off is by adding a dolphin that jumps out of the water and back in. So, I ended up adding the surfer and the dolphin.
As I was working with the plasticine I came to a point where it was hard to get a good blue color for the sky and the water. I chose to do the water by blending the plasticine color that I also used for the wave. They sky was just blue paper. I had the most fun doing this project. I now know what to do in summer when I'm bored. If I could change something, it would only be the little wrong details like misplacing of the camera or crooked fingers. Other than that, I love my stop motion!

ASPV's Technology Teaching

Medium Selection

For my stop motion video I chose to do it out of plasticine. I chose this medium because it's the one that will work the best. My other option was drawing it but it would take way to much time to draw a hand a billion times. I also considered lego, but that just won't work for a hand. The hardest thing I thing will be to make the details of the hand. They shape is hard, but not so much. Doing the hand lines and wrinkles. I think plasticine will work perfectly. It will just require a lot of skill and patience.

Stop Motion

Stop motion is many pictures of objects in different positions then putting the puctures together to make a movie. That's exactly how cartoons are made. It makes the film look step by step. People make videos this way because it's a challenge and you need a lot of talent. They might also do them because it's a type of art, and a very cool art! To do something like this you first have to know what your going to do. Then you have to get all the things you need to make this. Finally you need to work hard and be patient to take a picture of each and every move you make. This was my favorite video of them all.

William Kentridge

Kentridge's work and art makes me feel... I can't explain it. It's as if I was looking at an old movie in which something scary is happening.Or like he is drawing about the bad things and defects of humans. I'm not really sure, it's very abstract. It is hard to understand what is happening. It's like he's trying to send a message. To a blind person I would say: "He draws an object, takes a picture, and then erases it, then he draws the next position of that object and takes another picture."
First he tries to find what he wants to make in his mind. He imagines what he will be doing. After that, he gets all of his materials needed ready. Next, he starts drawing: He draws his first image and work it to make it look as he wants. Then, he takes a picture of it. And so on until he finishes it. When he's done he sees if he likes it. If he does he makes a final drawing of it, perfectly neat.