Success!!!!

It has been a triumphant day!! Just kidding, but look what I did! I FIXED it!!

My god, you would not believe how long that took me . . .

Data Graphics

Instructions, from places such as Ikea, who are selling items all over the world, in many different countries that speak many different languages, are taking shape in comic form. This is easily read from left to right, or from right to left, clearly showing what should not be done, and what should be done. The ideas are easily communicated by the big black x's, and the expressions on the androgynous people's faces. Everything is very simple, and doesn't even need words to convey their message.

I had to include this, simply because it made me laugh.

This is a good set of graphic instructions, because it uses clear pictures, and simple, easy-to-understand words : Yes and No. It also uses a brightly colored warning sign, an easily recognizable symbol, to further emphasize what you should not be doing.

Netherlandish Proverbs

Wow. Is it . . . is it actually working? Oh my. I think it is. I really think it is. SUCCESS!! Quick, publish it, before something else can go wrong!

Graphic Instructions

It's really quite pathetic how proud of myself I am. Look! It works. Now all I have to do is figure out how to download my movie, and I will be the smuggest person on the planet. :)

Yeah, so the graphics are a little shakey, because I did them in pen and scanned them into the computer. Actually, the green jell-o coloring was done in Photoshop, but it's just as shakey as the rest of the drawings . . .

I used to believe . . . but now I know . . .

Ah-Ha!! I've figured out my problem!! YES!! So, this is my I used to believe . . . but now I know . . . project.

I got the idea from writing out a whole list of things, and I realized that if I started out with "I used to believe in love . . ." there was a whole realm of possibilities waiting to be known. It felt like I was telling a story, so I went with it. The format is not the box-by-box format, partly because I couldn't get it to work on my computer, but . . . okay, mostly because I couldn't get it to work on my computer. But I have another, slightly more humorous idea, and we'll see if I have time to fix that one up as well. YES!!

The Not-So-Good Graphic Instructions

Okay!

        Oh, no, it's upside-down . . . *sigh*. Oh, well. I've been having such issues with this, since it keeps refusing to download my projects . . . :(. It's nice that something finally showed up!! (even if it's upside-down) Right, so as you can see, I found an excellent example of a not-that-good graphic comic how-to - AND it's on the back of a chopsticks rapper!! The pictures and the words explaining the pictures do not match up, you see. Hmm . . . perhaps you don't. Here's what the wrapper says:

"Chopstick A is used for support and does not move. Put this chopstick between your middle and ring fingers."

-Followed by a picture of a single chopstick being held between the thumb and the first finger. Nothing is labelled as "A" -

"Put Chopstick B between your middle and index fingers, and hold it with your thumb."

-Followed by a picture of a chopstick parallel to the first one, pinched between the thumb and first finger.-

"Open the tips of the chopsticks and try to pick up food with them."

-Followed by a picture of a hand with a pair of chopsticks, with food either stabbed on the end, or magically attached.-

         So, you see, this really isn't a good example of instructions in comic form. The pictures and the words don't line up at all - a Chopstick A and B are discussed, but never depicted clearly, and the fingers expressed holding the chopsticks in the picture are not the fingers expressed holding the chopsticks in the description. Anyone not already familiar with the use of chopsticks would be completely confused.

Success!!!

Okay, so there are still a few technical difficulties, but look!! I've got my scans, and everything!! This first one is "How to Open an Umbrella". Drawn instructions on how to open an umbrella! I did it in class. Yup. So . . . moving on.

Ta-DA!!! My first mind-map. I took my nice brush-pens/marker-things to my Intro to Chemical Engineering class, which is my 1-credit class, where I only have to sit there and look like I'm paying attention. It's actually interesting, though, so I do pay attention. :) But, anyway, this is what I got! Our guest lecturer came in, and had us do a math problem with a tank of water, with a leak in the bottom, and water getting poured in. And then he told us about his animated movie, about atoms, called the Molecularium, I believe. So, the atoms looked like the little round things in the top right corner of the mind map. The water molecule is called Oxy, with her sidekicks Hydra and Hydro. Then, on the bottom, there is a "protein doing it's dance" (a direct quote from the lecturer about using a certain type of microscope), and the quote from the movie "The melting has BEGUN!!!", which just made the rest of my day.

This is a mind map of the TV show, Leverage. After mind-mapping my lecture, I was a little concerned that I hadn't filled up the entire paper . . . so I tried again. This particular episode was about a company mass producing drugs with deadly side effects, because the CEO/evil man wanted to get a better paying, higher position, and by the time anyone noticed that the medicine he was producing was dangerous, he would be at his next job, and wouldn't have to deal with it. It didn't work this time, either. Filling up the paper, I mean. I'm currently mind-mapping Chapter 8 of my Chemistry textbook. It's working out much better.

Progress And Technical Difficulties

So, I got so excited because I figured out how to work the scanner in the library today, so that I can scan my various assignments and post them online. The first computer I used was an adventure, because I previewed one scan, and then the computer completely spazzed out, and refused to connect to the scanner, and I kept trying to get just one, little scan, and it kept telling me try again, try again. Something's wrong, so try again. Except when I tried again, the "Try Again" pop-up would simply pop-up faster, after a brief attempt to connect. And faster. And faster. Until the computer figured out that I would just keep trying until it worked, and then it took a good 15 minutes to tell me that there was a connection problem. I guess it needed a break.
The second computer worked better. I got everything scanned, and saved on my username, and then none of the information transferred to my laptop, so I'm going to have to go back to the library and upload everything from there. So. Progress. Progress is slow. But I'm making it. :)

Hello!

So, I've been asked the reason behind the name of this blog, and I thought for my first post, I should explain. It's a bit of a play on words, I'm afraid. "Head in the Clouds" usually refers to someone who's a dreamer, and I must admit, my mind frequently runs away from me . . .
But then there's also the literal meaning. Head in the clouds. It's a tall person joke. ;) Fun fact: the average American woman is 5 feet, 4.6 inches. I am quite a few inches over that.
Today I began my journey into the world of graphic storytelling. Okay, I admit, I've been here before, and have moved quite a ways down this path, but this is the first time I've ever taken a class on it. It's exciting. :D It's also the reason behind me getting a blog - I mean, what would I have to say otherwise? But, yeah. Moving on. My professor emailed me a list with various comic books she recommended reading for one of our future assignments. I got curious - I've always read manga, but never a comic book. Well, "graphic novel", I suppose, but if I call it a graphic novel, I've read an Anita Blake graphic novel before, and can't say that I've never read one. Either way, though, I'm completely clueless.
Today, my roommate took pity on me and deigned to look over my list and point out the comics she liked, and the ones she could offer me to read, and even went so far as to escort me down to the local comic book store. And sent me in.
Well, I must point out that that is not a very well-advised thing to do. Never send me into a book store and let me browse. Period. I ended up being rather good (for me) - I walked away with the first volume of Alias, which is on my list, and was also, thankfully, on sale. But then I branched out, and got a random volume of Cinderella, "From Fabletown With Love", because it made me laugh when I opened it, (Oh, come on, it opens with: "It started out a textbook operation. I was deep-cover in enemy territory." while showing a picture of Cinderella at the ball. How could I not?"), and also a random volume of Spider-Woman, mostly because I fell in love with the cover. It was beautiful. Seriously.

It's really beautiful, right? And it was fun to read, too, because all the illustrations were that beautiful. (That's how I pick out which manga I feel like reading, by chosing the ones with the prettiest drawings. I used to chose based on the storyline, like a normal person, but now I just chose based on how easy it is on the eyes :) ) Although, it was high contrast, very dark, probably to amp up the emotion and drama. The angles were certainly dramatic. I'm currently part way through Alias, and that's rather darkly-lit, too, depending on the mood the main character's in. It's interesting. I'm kinda excited to see where it goes.