Concept:

When I first thought about how I wanted to use a loop in my assignment, I decided to create a flower with five layers of petals that move and rotate. In my code, each loop repeats the same ellipse many times while slowly rotating, forming a full circle of petals. By using five separate loops, the code creates five layers that rotate at different speeds, making the flower look alive and constantly changing. The loops make the process simple and efficient because they draw many shapes with very little code. Additionally, when the viewer clicks the mouse, the flower’s colors change, which makes the artwork more playful and interactive.

The use of loops also made it easy for me to experiment with different numbers of petals, sizes, and speeds until I found a design that felt balanced and beautiful. It helped me understand how powerful loops are in creating complex patterns and animations with very few lines of code. It also showed me how combining repetition with motion can turn simple shapes into something that feels dynamic and alive.

Highlight of the code I am proud of:

One of the most challenging and important parts of my code was creating the background. I had to figure out how to map each y-coordinate to a color gradient and make it look smooth while still matching the rotating flower layers on top. I used a for loop to go through every horizontal line of the canvas and calculate a color between color1 and color2 using lerpColor. The loop was essential as it let me blend the colors smoothly across the whole canvas. I am proud of this part because it added depth and contrast to the flower, making the petals stand out more and giving the artwork a more polished and dynamic look.

function draw() {
  // Gradient background
  for (let y = 0; y < 400; y++) {
    let color1 = color(90, 60, 140);  
    let color2 = color(150, 100, 200); 
    stroke(lerpColor(color1, color2, map(y, 0, 400, 0, 1)));
    line(0, y, 400, y);
  }

Sketch:

Click the mouse to change the colors

Reflection:

In this project, I learned how to use loops to create repeating patterns and motion in my artwork. For future improvements, I would like to experiment with adding more layers, changing rotation patterns, or incorporating transparency effects to make the visuals more dynamic. Another possible improvement is making the animation respond to additional interactions, such as mouse movement or key presses to create a more engaging experience for the viewer.

Concept:

When I began thinking about how I wanted to represent myself in a self-portrait, the moon immediately came to mind. My name, Aizhan, means “moonsoul” in Kazakh, and I feel that the moon will be the great representation of who I am. I wanted my portrait to convey not just my physical appearance, but also my personality and identity. Before bringing the portrait to life in p5, I started with sketches on paper. These first drawings helped me organize my ideas and experiment with shapes, composition, and visual elements, allowing me to see how I could best represent myself.

One of the interactive features of the final portrait is that when viewers click on it, my eyes move from side to side. This small animation gives the portrait a sense of life and presence, making it feel as though it is observing and engaging with the viewer. Another feature is a falling star across the background. The star represents an aspect of my inner self, like a spark of energy, curiosity, or imagination that is always part of who I am.

Highlight of the code I am proud of:

The part of my project that I am most proud of is the code that makes the eyes move when the viewer clicks on the portrait and it was probably the most time consuming part. I chose this feature because it adds a sense of life and interaction to my self-portrait, making it feel like the portrait is really engaging with the viewer. The tutorials and references helped me to figure out how to add interactive elements to my portrait. They guided me through understanding on how to track time with millis() and the lerp() allowed me to make the eyes and star transitions smoother with coordinates.

function mousePressed() { 
  //eye movement and star movement when mouse clicked
  toLeft = !toLeft;      
  anim = true; s = 0; t0 = millis();

 

//pupils
fill(0);
ellipse(pupilX(L0), CY, 5, 5);   
ellipse(pupilX(R0), CY, 5, 5);  


//pupils animation
if (anim) {
  s = (millis() - t0) / 250;
  if (s >= 1) { s = 1; anim = false; }
}

function pupilX(base){
  if (anim) return lerp(toLeft ? base : base + DX, toLeft ? base + DX : base, s);
  return toLeft ? base + DX : base;
}

Sketch:

Reflection:

This was my first time creating this kind of work in p5 and adding animation, and it was really exciting to see how the commands work together to make the portrait come alive. It helped me understand the concept better and gave me new ideas for future projects. In the future, I want to make my work even more interactive and add more details. For example, instead of having just one star falling, I could have several stars falling from the top of the screen. I could also make the moon shine or glow to make the scene feel more magical.

I also would like to add some body parts. For instance, I could add hands, change the outfit, or use different shapes to represent parts of the body. I also want to experiment more with colors to make the portrait more vibrant and expressive.