During spring break in 2014 I was in California and during that time we took a day and went to Catalina Island. I really love this picture. I just rediscovered it recently. But look at that sky! We have the clouds on the left side that perfectly complement the bright blue sky on the right. And look how many blues we have in this picture. the whole right side of it has different gradients of blue from the ocean to the sky. My favorite thing about this picture is the rocks right in the front. Look at how you can see the details in all of the scratches. To me they just pop right out of the dark blue ocean and are the most vibrant out of everything in the picture. Look at those bright spots of water in the ocean. I think they are so beautiful! And they are just little reflections of light popping though the clouds. This was a very gorgeous place and I’m glad I got to spend time there!

[light and color]

I have been interested in an artist named Olafur Eliasson he works a lot with installation art and more often than not, color and light. In this image he used three different colored halogen lamps and a translucent screen to create the multicolored shadows.

The sunset created a very vibrant look and after this past week with Of Mice and Men, i was feeling inspired.

Lastly my roommates have hung Christmas lights down their hall way, but it appears that the red is the most visible. I laughed a little too hard when i saw them string up all green lights in the kitchen.

After my last experiment with my straws I decided to see how the LEDs effect paint. If I’m painting a model it’s important to know how the color is going to look under certain lighting conditions. I have a normal desk lamp with a warm bulb that is suppose to replicate the sun’s color temperature and I use that a lot when painting. Most places I go will have lighting conditions that are similar to mine and it should always be fine. But when I take pictures of my work I throw the models into my LED light box. Through doing this experiment I realized I could have problems! I’m painting in one lighting condition and taking a photo in a different one! And if you look at the pictures below the difference is pretty striking! Look at that orange color and how different it is or even that brown second to the end. They almost look like two different colors. But not all is lost and of course I’m still going to be using my light box. The big benefit is I can change the color temperature on the fly and I can switch my lighting to make certain things pop. Like if I have a dark model with red accents I’ll put a little red light in there and usually the red starts to pop just a little more. I can also have the front light, side light and top light different; accenting different parts of the model and making them all look more appealing.

With the LED light box I really like how natural the colors are. The warm lamp makes the colors look too vibrant and to me not realistic. I choose to put my light box in standard white light which is (RGB) 200,175,100 (each LED has a max level of 255.) Now even with that what I perceive to be white light might be different for someone else! It’s a lot of fun to play with and I’m learning more each time I use it!

I bought these straws at the store for some upcoming projects and really there is nothing special about them. Four straws of different colors: yellow, orange, green and purple. But while using them I realized under LED light they look a lot brighter and more dynamic.

It was a little hard to capture on camera but the straws under this light are almost glow-in-the-dark. They pop out a lot more compared to the first picture.

I’m using this LED light box I built for taking pictures of models to light up these straws. There are 137 individual RGB LEDs that I can control. There must be something in the quality of the light that allows these straws to glow so well. Maybe the three color diodes that create the white light also pop the straws respective colors. I don’t get the same from any other type of light that I own. It’s weird and I don’t quite know the answer but I bet it has to do with how the LEDs produce the light!

At work the light was shinning through this clipboard perfectly onto the cabinet below, creating a makeshift gel.

[Texture and light]

Here are a few examples of texture and light to me. The white styrofoam can cast shadows into the small channels that run between the beads.

The green plate, while not a texture that can be felt gives the idea that it could be rougher than it is.

And lastly, my fan which was a life saver this weekend, cast some pretty cool shadows off its grating texture.

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This photo more of an industrial feel to it. The symmetry has been manufactured of created for a specific purpose, the sunlight has a an effect of the pattern that may feel different if swapped for softer, or colored light.

This one I think is fun because it’s water with Light. Not only does the water create a new texture as it crashed up against the rocks, but the light with the movement make the water look different than when it would be still. It helps amplify the texture of the crashing water.

In this photo, there is a constant pattern of the trees leaves. This photo is of a relatively open area, and I think that it would be interesting to recreate the effect in the confined space of the theatre.

The light helps show the grooves in this red cup. From a distance, you don’t notice that the cup is textured, but when the light shines through you can see it more. Or when you get really close like this picture

I really like this photo. If feel that the texture of the sunlight shining through the blinds gives a particular feel. It’s a small room or a house that has this effect.

This sequins can change from purple to blue depending on how you run your hand across it. But something I noticed is that each purple sequins are not all the same shade of purple. The light plays with the sequins helping to create more of texture and makes certain parts stand out more than others.

The light from my kitchen window created a cool texture look along our tiles.

The LED strips in the lantern create a cool textured look to the flower petals and stems.

I enjoyed how the texture of water changed completely based where the light was reflected from.

This image I enjoy because instead of texture being a result of the light cast from the source, the texture comes from the source itself.

A bit more of textures

Also at the public library during Doors Open, I saw these really cool fixtures. The scale-like pieces looked like they had different thicknesses which caused the light to show through at different intensities.

A few nights ago, I was at the grocery store and the angle of this light on the stone created a really neat texture.

I went to the public library this weekend for Doors Open MKE, and we got a tour of the inside of the dome. It was super cool, and I loved how this light beam highlighted the texture of the walls.