Andres Pena
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Andrés Peña, and I recently earned micro-credentials in Adobe Photoshop Skills and Adobe Illustrator Skills, and stacked them towards the completion of the Digital Media Skills Certificate. I have gravitated towards drawing, geometry and working with my hands since childhood. This passion for designing and constructing led me to pursue a career in civil engineering, and I found myself pausing my activities in visual creation for many years.
Despite this, at various stages. I have strived to reconnect with my visual communication interests. Throughout my early engineering studies in 2008, I took computer aided design classes. In early 2020 I enrolled in Concept Art Classes at Algonquin College, and in 2021 I completed the Architectural Studio First at Carleton University.
At different points in my career, I have felt the need to strengthen my design and visual communication skills. I often found that improving on fundamental concepts and skills could help me communicate concepts and recommendations more clearly, be it in a presentation, a report, or a publication. I am fascinated by what graphic design, illustration, and concept art can achieve in communicating stories, experiences, and context. I find that judiciously applying those fundamentals concepts to technical projects can enhance collective understanding and support decision-making processes and project implementation.
© Andres Pena
Why did you decide to pursue Continuing Studies at OCAD U?
OCAD U School of Continuing Studies offered an agile, hands-on approach to explore my interests and build skills outside of my domain. Getting started with the courses and material was straightforward, the content was structured, instructors were available for feedback, and learning was based on projects. In addition, there was the option of applying the courses towards a certificate, while laying the groundwork for a portfolio.
© Andres Pena
Which courses did you enjoy the most and why?
I have been interested in vector drawing for a while and found the Adobe Illustrator courses gratifying. Kun-Sung Chung presented the topics in a structured manner, provided clear feedback, and linked the techniques to professional workflows. It was motivating for me to see how versatile vector drawing is for iteration and reusability, and how it has informed my visualization skills, since you are forced to deconstruct complex effects into simpler elements.
Another big highlight for me were the Adobe Photoshop courses taught by Otino Corsano. He synthesized extensive material in lean, rich and focused lessons. The feedback was insightful, articulate, and very encouraging. All of this made it very motivating to come back to each lesson, and I would highly recommend taking courses with Otino to anyone that is interested in learning about Photoshop and image editing.
© Andres Pena
What was your favourite thing about completing two micro-credentials and stacking them towards a full certificate?
Being able to strengthen these skills while earning credentials gave me the confidence that I was using my time and attention effectively. It also gave me flexibility and preciseness: Micro-credentials allow me to demonstrate the specific skills I have gained within the context of a larger Certificate.
© Andres Pena
What is a digital media project that you are working on now, and what are your future plans?
After finishing the Digital Media Skills Certificate, I enrolled in the 3D Animation Studio 1: Introduction to Blender course. My aim is to combine 3D modelling with vector drawing and raster editing to create images that communicate personal concepts in a way that is both visually appealing and technically rooted.
Some ideas I have in mind are related to visualizing streets and urban spaces that are, in practice, safe, efficient, effective, equitable, and based on the observed laws and dynamics of nature; in one word, habitable. Besides personal projects, I view these skills as complementary to various workflows, and I look forward to applying them to professional projects as well.
© Andres Pena
