Fake It.

Catalog of Influences Nhu Truong

Fake It. Copyright © 2024 by Nhu Truong All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Published by Lulu.com, 2024

Catalog of Influences Nhu Truong

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Digital Arts

Oh, digital art, once the subject used to be controversial. It was dismissed as cheating or not real art as they have undo tools or paint buckets. Just as people start to accept digital art, AI-generated art is on the rise, and more controversy than ever. Digital art is any artwork created using digital technology. Instead of traditional mediums like paper or canvas, digital artists work on iPads and tablets. While it might seem nice to not have to buy paint or brushes let’s talk about pricey.

The cost for a white sheet of paper is $0.10, a sketchbook is $5, and a canvas is $10, but it’s $200 to $1000 for a drawing tablet.

Like many kids, I began my art journey by sketching on white paper and coloring with crayons, nothing extraordinary. My drawings didn’t turn out like Picasso’s, there wasn’t inherent art talent. Back then, I started to draw more often because I wanted to do something during recess. I felt outcast when I moved here, due to not knowing English, and art became special because it slowly break down those barriers for me. Through drawing, I felt like a normal kid, and able to express myself visually.

One day in summer of 7th grade, I stumbled upon “Sketchbook,” while looking for new game in App Store. I was captivated by the ability to create lines and shape drawing with my index finger. And start my digital art journey.

Arts | 3

4 | Arts

Complexity is a word that often carries a daunting aura due to its length, yet it holds a positive meaning.

Have you ever gazed upon a painting so rich in detail that it overwhelmed you?

Like a child’s first time

Peter Brown NEAC

seeing a newspaper or trying cooking for the first time, art can evoke a similar sense of overwhelming. For many, art is an intimidating realm, a domain where uncertainty looms large. Yet, once you step into the barrier of apprehension, referred to

Arts | 5

“try-out,” this intimidating feeling reveals itself as a mere specter, a monster attempting to devour your courage. Before you knew, a whole new world will opens up before your eyes Complexity in art embodies the notion of crafting pieces where every corner holds its own distinct essence, akin to individual artworks within the larger canvas. For numerous artists, art serves as their chosen language, a medium through which they express and communicate their innermost thoughts and emotions, transcending the limitations of mere words.

Peter Brown NEAC is a New English landscapes and cityscapes Artist. His work often relay on the poetic realism, painting image that capture moment in high detailed canvas. With a distinctive style to his canvas, he paint using harmonious color palettes and bold brush. I love looking at Peter Brown art work because it’s show an extreme orderly complexity within it.

6 | Arts

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It might seem contradictory to talk about Kento IIDA, an artist whose work I consider falls into the simplicity side, following the previous discussion about complexity.

However, simplicity holds significant meaning due to its minimal expression.

It isn’t merely about adding a couple of shapes, which many might categorize as abstract art, nor is it about leaving the canvas with little to no detail akin to a blank page. Simplicity art involves selecting and incorporating only the necessary elements to express the work. Kento IIDA, a digital artist, his

Arts | 7

illustrations, which often feature minimal details and colors, particularly vibrant contrasts of yellow and blue to depict scenery.

When encountering Kento’s works, I find myself immersed within the confines of its.

Interpretation is left to the viewer, as time appears to stand still, almost as if on pause. There’s something about absence of detail in art that enhances the immersive experience. It feels as though a wave of emotion is about to breach the barriers, yet it remains contained, restrained by some unseen force.

8 | Arts

Gosho Aoyama

Author of Detective Conan

One of the most remarkable manga of its time, with the series now have over a thousand chapters. The story follows the main character, Kudo Shinichi, a high school detective. One night, he pass by a mysterious man in black, his curiosity leads him to follow, and end up found himself eavesdrop on The Black Organization.

It’s an elite Secret Criminal Organization. He was hit with a bat and was force to took an unknown pill that shrinks his body to that of a six-year-old.

Shinichi then adopts the name Edogawa Conan as his alter ego, continues to solve murder mysteries while uncovering the Black Organization’s identity.

Books | 11

Manga is a form of comic books and graphic novels that originated from Japan.

It features a rich use of black ink in drawing characters and typography. While similar to comics, manga has several differences such as text bubbles, reading direction, and text sound effects.

Tatsuya Endo

One notable distinction is the absence of color, which underscores the importance of line art in highlight each action.

Author of SpyxFamily

The story revolves around a fake family consisting of Loid, an elite spy as the father, Yor, an assassin as the mother, and their telepathic daughter named Anya.

The manga stands out for its exceptional writing and unique premise. Following its adaptation into anime, the series attracted new audience that never watched anime.

12 | Books

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Eiichiro Oda

Anyone who is into anime knows about One Piece. Written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece ever since release have taken the number one spot for best seller anime and manga series.

The story follows straw hatted pirate named Luffy, an adventurer who dreams to set out seas and become the King of the Pirates.

Throughout their journey across the sea, Luffy and his crews encounter numerous events, experienced all kind of emotions together. From sad to happy, anger to surprise. Among them a memorable time one is the arc named Goodbye Going Merry. It have been a decade long yet, everyone can vividly recall its events.

Luffy hold out a torch and lit The Going Merry. Luffy’s first ever pirate ship, broke down into pieces scatter out the deep sea.

Holds a special place in fans’ hearts, making many everyone tears upon the demolition.

14 | Books

Books | 15

Another unforgettable arc was Ace’s Death. Portgas D. Ace, one of Luffy’s sworn brothers, meets a tragic end. Despite years of anticipation and buildup to their reunion, the author swiftly

takes Ace away, leaving Luffy to witness his brother's sacrifice for him. It was a heart-wrenching moment, especially after viewers had endured waiting over 480 episodes for this moment.

Eiichiro Oda almost spared Ace from his fate because he is loved by the fan base.

16 | Books

“ With great power, there must

also come... great responsibility ” — Stan Lee

Stan Lee Books | 17

When I was young, I used to think Stan Lee was Spider-Man’s father. Turn out he’s the father of Marvel. When I think of comics, Marvel Comics are the first thing that comes to mind. All the iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, and villains were created by Stan Lee. The heavy black outline coupled with vibrant colors makes the panels stand out. Additionally, creative texts further enhances the reading experience. The attention to detail on each page is remarkable, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy simply looking at the pages themselves.

18 | Books

Animation | 21

When Moana first came out, my classmates hated it, and they would make fun of the movie.

Even though I wasn’t close to them, I didn’t want to admit that I actually liked Moana.

Comments like “the lyrics are so cringe,” “Maui looks so stupid,” or “why is Moana a Disney princess?” Were

frequently heard, and I could still hear their voices saying it. If I could go back in time, I would tell those kids that they knew nothing. Firstly, the music was so catchy, not cringe-worthy. It was so good that you could enjoy and understand it without even watching the movie. Also, I didn’t care about how Maui looked or Moana being a princess. Look at how beautiful the graphics were, every scene you

paused looked like a piece of artwork. In my opinion, Moana was undoubtedly one of the most powerful movies Disney has ever made.

The story follows Moana on her journey, with the fallen hero Maui, of course. It’s like real life, growing up, going to college, and leaving the safety net behind. All the characters have their own problems, even the protagonists, showing how thoughtful the story was written. With incredible messages behind it and beautiful music that I would sing along to it every time.

22 | Animation

Big Hero 6 holds a special place in my heart.

It's akin to a child gazing at a candy jar in a store or the wonder of a child discovering a brand new toy in the aisle. That's how I felt about the animation. I watched Big Hero 6 on an airplane from Vietnam to the USA.

Animation | 23

Despite being just 12 years old and not knowing English, I could still understand the story and even became emotional.

During the 12-hour flight that changed my life, I spent half of it sleeping and the other half watching Big Hero 6 on repeat. For me, Big Hero 6 transcended language barriers, and my profound appreciation for it is one of the main reasons I believe that art and animation are universal languages.

24 | Animation

Animation | 25

Avatar is by far one of my favorite movies of all time. The heart warming story and the environment make me feel emerge within the world of Pandora

Avatar, the fantasy films, not Avatar: The Last Airbender, the cartoon show.

I know these two often get mixed up. It's actually quite amazing that both Avatar shows were so good.

I watched Avatar when I was very young.

Don’t tell anyone, but I definitely wasn’t old enough to watch a r13 movie. Lied about my age to sneak in and watch this American TV movie for the first time.

Beside the horrible Vietnamese dub, the experience was a forgettable. It’s also the only movie I got nightmare from, I vividly remember crying all night because I was too scared of the Viperwolf.

When talk about Avatar we can’t forget the iconic Papyrus font. While It’s very funny that I used to think that Avatar's font was pretty and fit well with a forest feel and cave-writing.

Turn out Papyrus is the second most

hated font. Which I only learn after taking typography class. Avatar’s connection with Papyrus might have been the most randomest thing I learn. They sadly remake the logo after Avatar: The Way of Water.

26 | Animation

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For many years, anime was not popular in the USA due to a lack of translation, and familiarity, which people see it simply as a Japanese cartoons channel. This perception was so negative that people who watched anime were often seen as having nothing else going on in their lives. The negative image drives many, including myself, to refrain from discussing anime publicly. While it seems wrong to say this, the one positive outcome of the pandemic was that people were forced to stay home, leading people giving anime a try out of

curiosity. Since then, anime has gained a new look, with people admire the graphics and animation. Become normalized and a topic to talk about. Part of me envy this newfound acceptance, as I wish I could have freely discussed anime with my friends without fear of judgment in the past.

28 | Animation

Designers | 31

Bradbury Thompson is an American graphic designer, who is famous for his blending of photography, typography, and color usage, in his designs. Born in Topeka, KS in 1911 and graduated with a minor in Art. Bradbury would design and edit his school yearbook inspired by the process of printing making.

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Further influenced him in his style of magazine that uses bright/bold CMYK colors. The design would have vibrant colors and a repetition of layering on top of each other in an orderly placement.

Magazine would have a lot of negative space or the background would be colored in black and white so it would allow his fairly simple designs standout.

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32 | Designers

Designers | 33

Kate Moross also known as Aries Moross. They is an English graphic designer, artist, and illustrator.

Most of Kate’s works are focused on designing typography and inspirational quotes.

The work often include illustration that has colorful pallet which contrast the design. Whether it’s a simple stroke or a complicated pattern. The design would turn out very playfully chaotic

For someone who only take typography class as a requirement for graduation, I find typography to be very straight forward, lettering text being undesignable.

Kate open my eyes to the potential that creativity lies within typography.

34 | Designers

Oh, my child I know You're hurt and you can't let go It's not your fault and you don't deserve All the bad and the hurt Ooh I know you've tried so hard Ooh I know you've done your part It's not fair You did your time How much longer will you suffer in this life?

But don't give up, just hold on tight It'll be alright All your life you've tried To be a good man inside Did everything that you thought you should Didn't seem to do you any good Ooh I know you've tried so hard Ooh I know you've done your part It's not fair You did your time How much longer will you suffer in this life?

But don't give up, just hold on tight It'll be alright Ooh It'll be alright

Music | 37

It’ll Be Alright

Jar of Hearts Christina Perri

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ovvee l g n i r lo a g in e TTear paart aap think you are... u yo o d o h W Who do you think you are...

38 | Music

JVKE

Music | 39

THIS IS WHAT FALLING IN LOVE FEELS LIKE Feel like sun on my skin So this is love, I know it is I know it sounds super cliché But you make me feel some type of way This is falling, falling in love, yeah Mh-mh-mh-mh-mh-mmh, yeah I got a lot on my mind Got some more on my plate My baby got me looking forward to the end of the day What you say? You and me Just forget about the past, throw it in the trash What you say? You and me Live the life we never had like we're never going back Feel like sun on my skin So this is love, I know it is I know it sounds super cliché But you make me feel some type of way This is falling, falling in love I know it sounds super cliché But you make me feel some type of way This is falling, falling in love (yeah) This is falling, falling in love (ooh) This is falling, falling in love

40 | Music

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American photographer and painter who enjoy capture street and city moments photo. His works often giving this loneliness feeling while being in a chaotic setting of NYC. When I look at his photos, I feel the wave of nostalgia feeling within me, bringing me back to my childhood.

Those times when you'd found yourself gaze at the cold rain from the comfort of your home. While his photos have a sense of sadness, I feel deeply connected to the moments they portray.

Saul Leiter Photographers | 43

“A window covered with raindrops interests me more than a photograph of a famous person.“ — Saul Leiter

44 | Photographers

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Photographers | 45

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I love photographers like Craig Parry, who capture scenes I may never see myself, allowing me to experience them vicariously through their series of photos.

His passion photography show in each photo he takes.

Just look at that smile!

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Thomas P. Peschak German photographer work with National Geographic Magazine.

He captures amazing photos of the underwater ecosystems, fearlessly diving deep to capture detailed images of his ocean friends.

He raise awareness about he pr oblems the oce by telling story through t ans an his phot d isla ograp nds hs suff ers ,

46 | Photographers

Franz Xaver Winterhalter Franz Xaver Winterhalter is a German painter and lithographer, he is known for his portraits painting of royalty and upper class society in the late 18th century.

18th Century | 49

Just like how I learn all about Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh. In an art history class and by coincidence I was assigned Franz Xaver Winterhalter for the research project.

Winterhalter is Queen Victoria’s favorite artist. He first visited the palace and paint her portrait, in 1842. The Queen would ask him to return and paint over 100 pictures.

I remember was amazed when I found out Winterhalter would painting directly onto the canvas without sketching or studying. He and the 18th century artist played a big part in my passion for art and wanting to create art that can capture scary amount of detail.

50 | 18th Century

Robe à la française Or the sack-back gown, was a fashion for women in the18th century in Europe. A complex set the has detailed pattern wore with heavy Jewelry. The dress consisted of many layers of a decorative stomacher, a petticoat, and two wide box pleats falling from the shoulders to the floor.

18th Century | 51

It was worn by every woman back then for all kinds of activities. The clothes were very harmful to the body, it was heavy and the stomacher was tight, making it difficult to breathe.

Robe à la française fascinates me because not only is the design complex, it is also difficult to wear. It felt like traditional clothes that you rarely see people wear anymore, like Vietnamese Áo dài or Japanese Kimono.

52 | 18th Century

Artist Peter Brown NEAC Artist Kento IIDA Detective Conan Gosho Aoyama Spy x Family Tatsuya Endo One Piece Eiichiro Oda Marvel Comics Stan Lee Disney Moana Disney Big Hero 6 Avatar Film James Cameron Studio Ghilbli Hiroyuki Fukuda Toei Animation Masayuki Endo V1 Studio Patrick Kelley Bradbury Thompson Kate Moross Cody Francis Christine Perri JVKE Saul Leiter Craig Parry Thomas P. Peschak Franz Xaver Winterhalter

FAKE IT. , Spring 2024 Author, Designer: Nhu Truong Body Text - Avenir [11/12], Caslon [11/12], Headers - Impact [18/36], Caslon [36] Two copies were produced for my Graphic Design III course at Springfield College. That means no one else should be able to judge this book except Professor Gaul.

Flip a coin! Is it heads? Because I was this close to dropping out of the course. Why am I taking such a stressful class without Jewel, my major suffering partner? I can’t wait to be on the other side of the table when it’s her turn. For all the suffering of this semester, I better be using this book as a portfolio because I definitely lost three lifespans making this.