For this project we used Illustrator to create custom postcards. The postcards I created contain imagery located in and around the Kent State campus. The first one shows a picture of the campus taken from the library, and the back is a picture of The Pagoda sculpture located next to Taylor Hall. I used the whirl effect tool to generate the psychedelic swirls you can see in this postcard. As for the second one, they are photos of a baseball field and wooded area located across the river downtown. This one is my favorite postcard because the back depicts a beautiful picture I took that I am quite fond of. For this particular postcard, I used the crystallize tool to create a visually appealing effect.
After creating the postcards, we were then instructed to mail them out. I mailed them to my mom and step-dad. My mom altered the first postcard by making a doodle on the back, a little sketch of a woman that she enjoys drawing every now and again.
In my opinion, I feel that these are successful pieces. It was a simple project that incorporated an outside response. However, I definitely should have mailed the postcards out sooner than I did, instead of doing an over-night delivery which cost me seventeen dollars. Also, mailing them this way caused the post-office to mail the postcard in an envelope which in turn did not require a stamp on the actual card. I would have liked to see a stamp with the post-office stamp over top. Other than this little offset, I believe I completed this project in a rather unorthodox manner but at the end of the day, the project is still complete and has transferred among a few hands. All in all, my expectations remained stable throughout the entire project. Although, it was funny to see that my mom drew her figure drawing of a girl. That brought back a lot of memories when I was younger when we used to go to Texas Roadhouse and play hangman on the table while waiting for food. She used to draw that facial portrait every time, on a much larger scale. So, this project was successful in generating an emotional response by myself.
Ian Marshall: Blog of the Arts 