Today I focused on finishing up Tier 1 Course Graphics training where I used Illustrator and PowerPoint to make standard and custom assets for courses. At first things were slow to start as I figured out techniques and tools, but as I progressed through the training I started to catch on to a smooth work flow. I learned several new skills in Illustrator and PowerPoint such as creating art-boards and accessing the master slides menu. I will be using these skills in future projects as an STA and for personal use.

Overall, I’m most satisfied with my efficiency in completing this project. However after receiving feedback from my trainer, I feel that I sacrificed creativity. I chose to use my favorite class, Principles of Animation with Lucas Dimick. For the image options, I decided to take the safe route and went with a simple image of the Austin city buildings. I believe their placements look great, however it does not fit with the topic of the course. I believe I could’ve chosen images that relate more to the course, such as old animations like Mickey Mouse, or the storyboard of a bouncing ball.

I will take my mistakes as a lesson learned and use new learned knowledge on my next project. I’m still happy with the result of these assets and I’m excited to start working on the Tier II Course Graphics training.

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Power Point Templates

Hello, my name is Kodi, I’m a junior studying Arts and Entertainment Technologies, and I will be starting my second year at UT starting this fall 2026. I’m an artist specializing in paleo art, creature concepts, and 3D texture design. I have several years of experience in digital art and media, as well as some experience in game modding using Unreal Engine. In my free time I enjoy playing video games such as Path of Titans, Stardew, Dave the Diver, and any silly co-op game my friends and I come across. I’m currently building my 3D modeling and animating skills to become a 3D creature artist.

For the 3 days that I’ve been here so far, I can confidently say that this has been the most fun orientation I have ever had. Getting to use Adobe programs to create artworks about myself has been enjoyable and a great learning experience. My first projects were a bio poster and a caricature, which I had done in Illustrator and Procreate respectively. I took the opportunity to share my special interests in every way possible, so on my bio sheet I shared two recent drawings I did and drew myself as my favorite dinosaur, spinosaurus. I wanted to keep my poster and caricature simple and minimalistic compared to my usual style so I could focus on figuring out my work flow.

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I also worked on one other project, my banner, which can be seen at the top of this blog. In conclusion, I have had an extremely enjoyable experience working as an STA so far. I look forward to working on future projects and assignments.