This Week’s Keywords : #p5js #Shapes #Colors #Variables
Before taking this class—or even starting this major—I did not know that p5.js existed. Since I had only used coding for sound design and thought of it mainly as something used to develop games or apps, I had never imagined using it to create visual art. I had so much fun following along with each tutorial video, and I am excited to discover what we will learn every week. While working on the self-portrait assignment, I spent a long time experimenting with different combinations of PI until I finally got the angle and length of the arc() exactly how I wanted them, and I am very proud of myself for not giving up. I am sure there is a simpler way to do it—my version definitely looks like it was made by someone who does not know much about math yet!
I have a background in audio and have always been interested in pursuing a career as a sound designer. However, sound designers often add sound to other people’s visual work, and I found it difficult to constantly search for projects to work on. By learning computation, I can create my own visual projects and design original sounds specifically for them. I believe this will help me expand my artistic knowledge and give me a powerful tool to fully express myself as an artist.
This is the first artwork I have ever created using p5.js, which makes it especially meaningful to me! For the background, I used my traditional Korean color palette book and selected a harmonious combination of bright, bold colors that matched my concept. I chose red for the hair because I often dye my own hair red, and I designed the unusual sunflower sunglasses to reflect my playful personality, inspired by Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter and my love of sunflowers. Finally, I used NYU’s signature purple for the shirt and added the letter “D,” the initial of my name.
I want to talk about lines 119–129, where I used many circles to create sunflower-shaped sunglasses. I adjusted the position and size of each circle individually to make them look like flower petals. I would like to learn if there is an easier way to repeat and arrange shapes evenly instead of writing each circle separately.
Tutorial Vid: The Coding Train (Ch 1.1 - 2.3)
Book: Chapters 1-3 of Getting Started with p5.js
Reference: p5 Reference