Paige Smith - 40 Days in Quarantine

Day 1: "Sleepy"

Digital Art Photograph

Believe it or not, my little sister's pose was 100% candid (even though we all sleep 10 hours a night these days). I edited the original photo in Photoshop, and added extra details in Illustrator.

Day 2: "Alone, Together"

Illustration

My inspiration for this came after listening to a news broadcast where they used the phrase: "we need to be alone, together". I made this in illustrator, practicing image tracing and a cohesive color palette.

Day 4: Curveball

Digital Art

These hands belong to my brother, who was just stripped of his Senior baseball season (hence the title "Curveball"). I wanted to capture this emotional moment to honor his lifetime passion ending too soon.

For this picture I watched tutorials on how to make neon light in Photoshop.

Day 6: "Thought Cleanse"

Painting

This was a painting made for (and requested by) one of my good friends. He claims that the best way to clear your mind is to sit by the water and fish.

Day 7: Bubblegum Pigtails

Photograph

I created this spotlight from home using a cylinder and flashlight. In Photoshop, I practiced facial corrections, lighting and coloring adjustments, and bokeh techniques.

Day 8-10: "How to Save Lives"

Illustration Graphic

This assignment for my Graphic Design class (continued online) was to create a "how-to" graphic, and I altered my original idea to make it more relevant to the current situation. The figure and other objects were hand drawn. I then traced them, added color, and added his white highlights in illustrator.

My given objective was to utilize the Gestalt theory and principles to strategize an ideal instructional sequence.

Day 11: HONEOYE FALLS DURING THE 2020 PANDEMIC

Photography Series

Today I went into town to capture its emptiness. Businesses have been closed, and the streets once filled with people are now cold and ghostly.

The other photos from this series are featured on my photography site.

Day 12-15: "All Your Stuff!"

Graphic Design Project

I took inventory of every single object in my room, and organized them as a system.

I rendered these objects individually and in relationship to one another, utilizing a variety of different approaches and techniques until I arrived at a solution that fit my graphic voice and style.

Day 16-17: Nice, France

Painting

This was an acrylic painting I started last year; today I finished the final touches. This was inspired by a trip I took a few summers ago.

I used an underpainting method, allowing the orange base layer to define color values and creep through the buildings, sky, and water.

Day 18: Engineering Projects

Illustration

I drew the turbine and engine from hand and then refined in Illustrator. I made these designs for this website - these projects can be found in my Engineering section.

Day 20: Empty Times Square

Illustration

I'm fascinated by the emptiness in our world, especially in places usually bustling with people. Seeing a picture of Times Square in a standstill inspired me to attempt to capture its vacantness. There is something both unsettling and serene about it.

I hand-drew this picture and refined it in illustrator.

Day 21: Gen Z Daily Phrases

Illustration

This was the first page in a small coloring book I made.

Day 22: Morning Ukulele

Digital Art Photograph

For this photograph I worked though Photoshop and Illustrator to test different editing and overlay strategies. My final decision was to include the dotted background with the playlist overlay design.

Day 24: Blooming Hope

Quote Illustration

This piece reflects the hope and growth that is emerging in our society. The infection rates are dropping, and there is hopeful energy in the air.

With this piece I practiced my typography skills, finding the right fit in terms of style and arrangement.

Day 25-29: Representational Icons

Graphic Design Project - Intro to Graphic Design (continued online)

This project began with two minutes of staring at each classmate. I then drew each person by hand, making notes of the idiosyncrasies of each person's face.

I refined my rough sketches using reference photographs, scans, and software, until I found a system of standardization to create this collection of icons that work together.

This project helped me to develop methods and techniques of
representation, simplification and information compression.

Day 32: "So Many Books, So Little Time" - Frank Zappa

Illustration

This was modeled after a photograph I took of my little sister. For this piece I allowed myself to experiment without any objectives or goals in mind, and this is what I ended up with.

Day 33: "Atmosphere"

Album Cover Artwork

My sister's chorus project was to develop an idea for a hypothetical musical album. She was very excited for the project, so I made this cover art for her based on her idea.

The original background picture was actually a pond; I edited out the trees and floating leaves to give it a "middle of the ocean" aesthetic. I cropped in the girl and penny board which were both from separate photographs.

Day 34: "Nolan and Sofia"

Photography Series

Today I practiced taking professional-level photographs. I am working towards creating a small photography business this summer. More of these photos can be found on my photography page.

Day 52: Aurora Hiring Post

Internship - Aurora Machine in Rochester, NY

I started a paid internship as an "Administrative and Engineering Assistant" (which really halted my "40 Days in Quarantine" project!) but was an amazing opportunity and experience. I was also able to do some design work to test my new skills, including this hiring post made in Illustrator.

Day 68: Senior/Family/Wedding Portraits

Photography Series

This session kicked off my Senior Portrait season. Check out my Photography section to see more from this session, as well as other seniors, families, and weddings!

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REFLECTION:

Crazy to think that when I started this project I thought there would only be 40 days in quarantine!

When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, suddenly I was face-to-face with an intimidating number of ways to use my time.

At first, knowing only that I wanted to build this portfolio, it was difficult to get started. I ran into a blog from a designer who completed a "daily design challenge" which sparked the idea for this project. I made it my goal to self-explore instead of attempting to "produce" (which I had to remind myself of often).

Summer 2020 was unimaginable, but I am fortunate that I was healthy and could pursue many of the things I thought I never had time for. Being at home away from everyone was difficult, but it allowed me to develop into more of a self-starter and creative thinker. I also had more quality time with my family than I will probably ever have again. When life returned to normal, I took with me new skills and an appreciation for things I took for granted.

There were a lot more than 40 days in quarantine! Starting my summer internship, nannying job, and small photography business took a toll on my plans for projects this summer, but life happens, and I plan to continue growing and improving.