Photoshop Trials | Part 3

During this photoshop session I changed the drawing I was editing so I could create a new set of image treatments. There were both pros and cons to using this drawing - in some ways it was easier because it was just line, and in others it was less versatile because there were no lights and darks to experiment with.

Original scan

Line work after cleaning scan and adjusting levels

Duplicates were arranged and mirrored to create the pattern, and then texture was added

Example of halftone being applied to a photograph. Line drawing and colour layered on top

Selection tool used to isolate brush marks within shape

Throughout the photoshop sessions I have learnt some new techniques that I hadn't really explored previously, such as making brushes and using layer masks. These will be valuable when I do digital work in the future.

Day in the Life | Rough Compositions

From just putting ideas on to paper, I did some basic mock-ups of ideas within the dimensions that were set in the brief.

Inner turmoil / resisting what you want

Set 1 | I am happy with the first two of these compositions, however I think the third is out of place. It doesn't seem to communicate the same thing, and the arrangement is a bit dull. If I was to take this lot of ideas forward I would develop their layouts further, and see how I could use materials to achieve this 'intensity' that I'm aiming for.

Body vs. Mind / Limbic system vs. Prefrontal cortex

Set 2 | Aesthetically I think this set of roughs are interesting and work together well. However, I think where they fall short is in terms of concept and idea. In order to improve this, I would think of more ways of visualising the 'mind' part, as I am content with the figurative aspects. I would also try to differentiate them a bit more to prevent them from looking too similar.

Garden of Eden / Biblical temptation

Set 3 | Out of all of the sets of roughs, I think this is the most concept-driven which helps to strengthen the idea. Although I may have to develop it when it comes to aesthetic and process, I think it has the basis to be rather effective. I just need to test out the potential of different media and consider the tone I want to convey (sinister, serious, lighthearted, simplistic..)

Day in the Life | Initial Ideas

For this brief, we were all given an article which we had to respond to and eventually produce 3 editorial illustrations for. Problems that we will have to solve during this task include working to set dimensions, and communicating the article's content effectively.

After reading over the article a couple of times and annotating it, I made notes listing potential themes, imagery, and parts that I thought were important.

I began generating ideas by turning the notes I had made into drawings. I find it easier to sketch out potential ideas and images before figuring out how they will fit into a space.

Although I understand the importance of sketching and rough ideas, I do find it difficult to just put down ideas sporadically knowing that they could look messy or bad, or that people may see them as a reflection of what I can do. Maybe in time I will become better at this.

Photoshop Trials | Part 2

Learning how to create brush presets during the workshop was a lot less complicated than I had imagined. This may come in especially handy when repeating patterns or specific textures are required.

Brush size can be altered to create different kinds of pattern

 I enjoy using textures in photoshop. Just by switching the blending/layer mode, the outcome can change greatly.

Examples of how textures can be selected and isolated - either within a shape, or within lines themselves.

Exploring Line | Deep Sea Diving

After thinking about line, we had to respond to our chosen subjects using it. This was a good exercise as it encouraged me to think about the marks I was making and the ways in which I created them.

Moray eels | I chose this in particular because of the form of the eel, and thought that the bends in its body would be interesting to draw. I'm happy with some of the drawings, but others not so much. A few of them start to look less like the creature where I rushed the sketches.

Whale sharks | I changed the subject so I could start a fresh with the sketches. The bulky shape of the shark was less complicated, requiring less lines. I think the contour drawing and overlapping line/colours worked best.

I used my right hand for some of the drawings and found it made me take my time and think about the lines I was making. As for the negative space drawing, technically it might not be seen as using line - perhaps the lack of it? Using ink for overlapping lines was effective as you could control the value of colour.

Exploring Line

Last week we looked at line and its importance within drawing. Line is essentially drawing in its most stripped back form, and is the most straight-forward way of interpreting information visually.

Here are some examples that made me go "wow"...

Ben Shahn | Shahn's line drawings are interesting to me because they simultaneously feel ahead of their time, yet hark back to something folksy. Line seems considered, different line qualities place emphasis on specific areas.

Ceri Amphlett | I really enjoy her work because of it's atmosphere and immersive feeling, maybe this could only be achieved through lines that are expressive. I'm not sure if this was the intended effect, but I think Amphlett's illustration has an emotive, introspective character to it.

Jon Boam | What I find with Jon Boam's illustration is although the characters he creates are drawn in an imaginative, non-representational way, underneath it all there is an understanding of how bodies work and move. I like how the figures are stocky and you can see where limbs are built up and connected.

Visual Subject | Deep Sea Diving

We were asked to select a visual subject from a list of topics, and I chose 'Deep Sea Diving & the Coral Reef'. I liked the breadth of this subject, and how both objects and spaces could be explored.

Line drawings of sting rays on tracing paper, layered over ink blotted tissue.

 Coloured pencil sketches

Diver cut-out over ink blotted tissue

With this theme, I like the idea of creating atmosphere and a sense of space. I like the tones that arise when thinking about diving; the unknown, uncharted places, mystery, alien-like lifeforms. 

Because the environment is almost the opposite of the land humans inhabit, it makes it easier to depict ocean scenes as otherworldly. From a biological point of view there are so many interesting creatures and specimens that I could look at and interpret too.

Sketchbooks

WHAT DO YOU USE A SKETCHBOOK FOR?

• Recording the world around you
• Putting ideas to paper and developing them
• Expressing thoughts, visual and otherwise

 Pat Perry | nice mix of media and methods

WHAT DO YOU PUT IN A SKETCHBOOK?

• Observational drawings
• Silly drawings and doodles
• Notes and musings
• Collage and visual inspiration
• Warm-up sketches
• Things you enjoy drawing
• Things you want to get better at drawing
• Finds! (leaves, cut-outs, cool tickets, funny found imagery..)

Kenn Goodall | rough plans, sporadic, unrefined

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR MYSELF

• Not every page has to be a masterpiece
• Try really hard not to rip pages out, keep as much as you can
• Be more exploratory and experimental
• As soon as you have an idea, record it. Don't wait.
• You can always refine something later
• Take a sketchbook out and about with you

neverbrushmyteeth | a blogger that I admire for their work output and approach

observationals, doodles, post-its, finished drawings...

Photoshop Workshop Trials

Following our last few photoshop sessions I have accumulated a number of digital experiments.  They began with simple methods of cleaning an image, and have progressed to exploring blending modes and textures.

1. Original with basic editing / use of levels

2. More intense contrast and severe levels settings

3. Hue/saturation change which added flecks of neon colours

1. Hue/saturation values increased heavily. The crisp white background was lost somewhat

2. Addition of simple block colours and the use of the multiply layer mode

3. Another example of hue/saturation but with a cooler shade

1. A combination of blending modes creates variations in colour and line style

2. Similar to above

3. The use of colour halftones to introduce pattern/texture (as below, also)

I enjoy experimenting with blending modes as there are endless possibilities to what can be produced. Building up layers and textures within images can add depth to an image that began as something simple.

These digital processes can mimic collage and other printing methods (e.g. halftone) which is also interesting.