Time: A Junior Self-Portrait Illustration by Collin Frietzsche (2012)

In Design we have been working in Illustrator to create a piece that represents two qualities about us: internal and external. Understanding what conflicts I have was difficult, but helped me understand how to expose myself as an artist. I have a difficult time managing my time efficiently among school, marching band, volleyball and other activities. The illustration began as a simple idea around a clock, but grew around a concept of fear of failing as I realized how important staying on top of my schedule was, symbolized by the night and day. The piece grew in depth as more of my inner emotions were depicted in this piece.

Using Adobe Illustrator was a very new concept for me. The most important part of this project was the use of layers, which allow you to modify parts of the piece separately, without affecting the whole image. This is very important when choosing colors to help highlight the focal point of the image. With the cloud being very light, and the clock images contrasting against it with deep tones, I was able to create an image that focuses around the problems I face, while implying my constant thought about my schedule. I used the pen tool to cut the letters out of the clock and fill them with colors in weird shapes. This procedure can be daunting when learning as it requires a bit of a curve. However, by doing so, I was able to create a piece that symbolizes traits I had hidden without knowing.