Mini-Portfolio

My name is Liana Madison and I am NOT an animation/illustration major. When I first transfered to SJSU I was a Theatre major but switched to Creative Arts so that I could take glass blowing and have the credits count for something. The major allows you to choose classes from any creative department (writing, dance, music, film, etc) and learn things like the general Management of the Arts, and the Creative Process.

Despite my habit of collecting creative skills and knowledge, 2D art has never been my strong suite. I have only beginner/decent art skills; my doodles tend to be abstract and impressionistic. Although I couldn't draw you a great comic/animation, I do have a really strong sense of composition and visual storytelling.

I have a confession: I have never taken physics. I attended six schools from middle school through high school, so I always missed the year they gave physics (but ended up taking biology three times). I'm already loving in class the approaching of new physics concepts through an artistic medium; It's sparking interesting ideas for mediums I have more practical experience with. For instance, breaking apart the physics of falling could then be applied to a simulated fall, like a clown or actor tripping himself or doing a pratfall with a safe landing. Knowing when the eye expects to see the motion have a slow point, then speed up consistently to an impact, can make the fall look more real or exaggerated correctly. Instead of an animator drawing it, in theatre you would have to find the capabilities of a person's body.

Picture 1: a cartoon version of me, drawn by my best friend Chris Carter. My own art tends to be more abstract; if i ever take the time to do a self portrait I shall post it.

Picture 2: Preparing for a performance of A Midsummer's Night's Dream at SJSU in

2007.

Picture 3: A serious production shot of the actual performance (with Joshua

Zwifler as Theseus,) The photos were taken by Mike Adams, chair of the deptartment, and can be found at the TRFT website or at the following link

http://www.tvradiofilmtheatre.com/tour96.html

I have made some films, but they are all on VHS. -_- So here is something I quickly whipped up to post here. If you understand ASL, my apologies for the quality of my signing: I haven't tried to tell this story in years.