Environment Ideas for Gif (Rough Drafts)

For my Gifs I think I am going to continue with the theme of Hanauma Bay and fish in general. I enjoy hand drawing, but I am really like video editing (in a very amateur fashion). So, I think the first idea is to great a GIF that is similar to the “collage” style I make for the photoshop banners and the second idea would be to use some Illustrator and Procreate to “hand draw” the other GIF.

Idea 1) Photoshop collage but also using video footage of Hanauma Bay and Premiere Pro to “Collage” together a simple image. I think will feel very abstract and have a similar aesthetic to the banner collage. (Please see attached “sketch” clip as an example).

Idea 2) Using photoshop/Premiere Pro I’ll collage together a background to draw over in procreate. I might also use some elements and create a pattern in Illustrator just so I can use all the programs we’ve covered so far this semester. Hopefully though this use of a variety of programs and mixing and matching what they can do I’ll learn some new techniques I can pass on to my own students!

A Day at Hanauma Bay (Photo collage banner project)

This project will be for an actual client, UH Sea grant and Hanauma Bay (which are run under the same parent company). The goal for this project is to use images and experience captured by Boz Schurr and other Sea Grant /Hanauma Bay employees plus combining historical images and images form the publication Ka Pili Kay to create a large banner that will hang in Hanauma Bay for education and entertainment purposes. The collage will also feature images drawn digitally and hand screened by the artist based on her experience and research. The collage is not meant to be taken as a literal experience but to represent the transformative feeling one gets when they are fully immersed in their nature world. 

The Day at Hanauma Bay photo and illustration collage started as large photo installation intended to completely surround the viewer, much like a mural but without damaging the wall space. The original goal was to subtly show the negative impacts humans were having on this space. Not a radical concept as human have been damaging the nature world since time immemorial. Much of the conversation the artists and scientists had was about the post Covid recovery of the bay’s habitat and how now, the policies and procedures have changed in such a way that conservation is always at the forefront of all henceforth decision making. However, after much discussion it was realized that showcasing negativity could potentially not have an desired effect on the audience, and could please them feeling sad, guilty and remorseful. Instead, the new goal became showcasing the wonder, otherworldliness and awe one feels when fully immersed in their nature environments.

So Day at Hananuma Bay is a large piece forced on a small personal experience. It is created with real photos, illustrations, and other mixed media to demonstrate a playfulness and gratitude towards this incredible natural reserve. The art is meant to be seen in a positive way, a whirlwind of one persons non-damaging impact with their natural world. 

Healthy Hybrids and Funky Fusions

By Boz Schurr

Once upon a time there was a young entrepreneur in Hawaii, who grew up eating poorly. His family worked hard but it was difficult to get all the nutrients he needed in one meal. He grew up tired and angry, he couldn’t build strength with the constant lack of good food. As he went through high school he became interested in food science, specifically chemistry. Because he was so hungry, he had a hard time focusing, he was rude and often feel asleep in class. Despite this he cared a lot about the science of nutrition and really loved his cooking classes because he finally got a full meal! Although he struggled, his teachers saw his potential and encouraged him to apply for scholarships to colleges that focused on nutrition and food chemistry.

And so it went, the young man went off to college to study food and nutrition, specifically searching for ways he could use his knowledge to create delicious, nutritious foods that combined all the daily requirements and still be affordable. But this was a challenging endeavor and with every breakthrough there was a setback. Either the food rotted quickly, or the sugar/fat content was too high, or the overall ingredients would be too expensive for the average working family in Hawaii. He toiled for years with limited success, finally eating well himself, but haunted by the knowledge that there were still kids out there who weren’t getting their daily doses of the vitamins and minerals they needed to grow strong.

            And then it happened.

One day while working in the lab, the now much older man, created his ultimate breakthrough. Healthy Hybrids. The old man was so excited about his success that he raced down the stairs to share the news and spread the discovery of these healthy hybrids to everyone! Finally, world hunger would be a problem of the past, no longer would young children sit in class with empty bellies! But alas, as he raced down the stairs he tripped and fell, falling to the ground in a disordered heap. He lay still.

After the old man was discovered, he was rushed to the hospital. Sadly, there was not a lot the doctors could do for his injuries, and he passed away shortly after he had fallen. He was laid to rest with all the honors and care a man of his caliber deserved, life continued, and his incredible discovery remained unshared.

About a week later, when the young lab assistants were cleaning out his desk, one young woman found his healthy hybrids research. She immediately knew their worth, she was after all top of her class, a teaching assistant, a brilliant young scientist, and a fierce leader in her field. Unfortunately, for the creator of the healthy hybrids, her field was about making food more delicious and marketable for the elite masses. Her goal was about making money.

And thus Funky Fusions was born. Taking the elder scientists research and claiming it as her own, the young scientist spread the Funky Fusions across the globe, making billons and feeding anyone who dared try to afford these incredible dishes, often bankrupting themselves over one appetizer. Her creations included Chicken-fried Dragon fruit, Spam with Lamb, Fish Head Hot Dogs and Cheesecake Crab Confit.* The food spread widely and made the young scientist famous. She eventually quit her research and opened a restaurant in Honolulu called Delightful Delicacies featuring these Funky Fusions.

All was well until people started getting sick. The rich could no longer feel their tongues! Their teeth turned purple and fell out in their sleep! They grew extra arms and toes, tripping everywhere they went! Their eyes turned black, grew fur, and they could only see the colors pink and green!

How could this have happened! If only the young scientist had conducted more clinic trials and not jumped right into making money with her stolen discovery, she would have seen the molecular combinations responsibly for this outbreak. But now it was too late. Everyone who had been so selfish with their food and resources, eventually fully liquified, washing down the nearest sewer drain and was no more. The young scientist herself imploded from shame, literally splattering her guts all over her restaurant.

The good news? With the world population of people greatly reduced, there was plenty of resources to go around for the survivors! With a little bit of research and some unselfish experiments, the Funky Fusions food was eventually made edible, and was widely shared with everyone. Healthy Hybrids was born! The nutrition crisis was over, the poor with finally well-fed and the rich reduced to slime. The End.

* These will be the characters in the sketches, please enjoy their evolution into finalized artworks!