NAAP Project II: Dream World

This project, like the first, was created from following a tutorial from Photoshop User Magazine. The images used were available for download through the website for NAAP members and the moon was found though a google image search for "public domain moon".

The tutorial for this one was much more open ended than the one for the first project. Instead of saying set this to specifically this number, it said to mess around with the settings until it looked something like this. It also did a better job of explaining why certain tools were used and what they controlled. However, sometimes the lack of detailed instruction made it impossible for me to nicely replicate the effect from the example image and I ended up having to leave out certain parts entirely. For example, the lighting and shadows are off, and the example image had smoke trailing out of the chimneys, but I couldn't get mine to look right so I left it out.

I learned quite a bit from both of these tutorials, despite my frustrations, and I'm very proud of both resulting images.

NAAP Project I: Hunger Games District Seal

For this project I followed a tutorial in Photoshop User Magazine. The base images were available to NAAP members for personal use through their website. From there I followed the instructions step by step until I got the final product. The tutorial was very guided and told you exactly what colors and settings to use, which I appreciated. The tools mostly involved adding special effects like inner glow, drop shadow, and embossing and messing around with channels and paths in addition to layers. However, it didn't really explain why you made certain changes or what certain tools did. I got an awesome result but it felt more like a science than an art. Of course I got an excellent image in the end, I followed the directions and put all the right stuff in, so the right result came out. By the end I had figured out on a basic level what some of the tools did, which was interesting because I'd never have figured that out on my own, but it didn't feel like I really created this piece. All the hard work was done for me, I just went through the motions.

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Image Sources:

Skull:http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t166/thegreatgallina/Poor_Yorick_Skull_Shakespeare_Hallo.jpg
Stage: http://appsummer.org/sites/appsummer.org/files/media-resource/stage-w-chair.jpg
Collar Ruff:http://www.wyrdrune.com/Costume/index.html?ruff/index.html~right

This event I am personally involved with, so I thought it would be fun to make an advertisement for it. Myself, and several other of my theatre friends will be competing by performing a Shakespearian monologue that is 20 lines or shorter, which isn't very much in terms of Shakespeare, so a lot relies on being able to put a lot of emotion into the performance instead of letting the language carry it. 

Kaleidoscope Project

This project required the use of a photoshop tutorial found on youtube. The tutorial was simple and easy to follow; understanding the directions was easy. Following them on the other hand, was much more difficult with one step in particular. When it came to skewing my rectangular selection I could not get it at a perfect 45 degree angle to save my life. It just would not give me the option no matter what I did! I was about to fling the entire keyboard across the room in frustration. So in the end, I gave up and made it as close as I could.

For the first project like this, I had to use an original photo, which was difficult because all my photos were of people and people don't typically work well when creating kaleidoscopes. So I used a small section of an arm crossed over a shoe that wasn't easily identifiable so it would look more abstract. 

The second project I used a picture of a mask. I loved this image so much I actually made two colleges using different sections of the image. The bright colors and patterns really caught my eye and they melded together seamlessly when the image was completed. They're currently some of my favorite images I've created so far. 

All in all, this project was frustrating, but the effect I got out of some of the projects was well worth it. 

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Photo-Editing Sites Review

Taaz.com:

This site allows you to do a complete virtual makeover on a model, or even someone in a photo of your own. Taaz is fun if you want to play around with different colors and makeup tools to see how they'll look on you, without you actually having to buy them. It's relatively simple to use; the most difficult aspect is getting a good photo. It has to be a headshot style of pretty high quality in order for the selections you make to look accurate. This site works by having you select different parts of the face upon the site's direction so it knows where to apply a certain effect. This site exclusively deals with hair and makeup, so it's obviously not as complete as photoshop, but would be useful for touching-up makeup, a common use for photoshop. This site is mostly targeted towards girls roughly in their teens and twenties. Although it's uses are fairly limited, it does a good job of doing what it does.

Aviary.com: 

Aviary.com allows you to make basic changes to a photo; it's much less extensive than photoshop, but it's simplicity works to its advantage. Photoshop can be daunting, and it can take hours to watch all the tutorials you might need and even longer to figure out the tools on your own, but Aviary makes it easy. The basic changes that most people would use photoshop for like: getting rid of red eye, changing the lighting, covering a blemish, etc. are included and all you have to do it select a change, it will be displayed on the photo as a preview from which you can choose to alter the change or apply it. Aviary seems to be targeted at teens and preteens because its very user-friendly and bright.

I chose to play around with the demo which automatically gives you this default image:

And this was the result after I had made some changes:

Pixlr.com

Pixlr has several different levels of complexity when it comes to editing. The simplest is the Pixlr-O-Matic (which was what I chose to make my example below). This allows you to do basic cropping and add filters which change the light and give the image a cool vintage effect. Pixlr Express gives you a few more options and ability to tweak the presets from the Pixlr-O-Matic, this is a little more complicated than Aviary, but still very understandable. Finally, the Pixlr Editor is more like a mini version of photoshop. Pixlr so far has been my favorite because it offers these three different levels of difficulty than can be used by people who have both very little experience in digital editing and those that have lots more. This would be my choice to link on the webpage.

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Citrify.com:

Citrify is best described as a mini photoshop directed at teenagers. It's bright design is easy on the eyes and it explains what some of the adjustments do when you hover your mouse over the option. It doesn't give you a whole lot of explanation or hold your hand while guiding you through the editing process, but that allows for some freedom and creativity. Basically. Cirtrify could be the "training wheels" before Photoshop because it is set up in a very similar way, but is aimed to get beginners used to the names and tools that are available when it comes to digital editing and isn't as overwhelming as Photoshop.



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Inside Out Project: Faceless

My idea for this project was inspired by this one song that I was listening to while brainstorming; the song is "Faceless" by RED, and I included some of the lyrics on the left. I've always really been drawn to masks in general, but it wasn't until I heard this song and saw a similar political cartoon that I had the idea for making someone faceless underneath the mask.

First I began looking at pictures of masks, I wanted one that was smiling, but slightly creepy, so a harlequin mask seemed perfect. The mask needed to actually be potraying an expression because I wanted it to contrast with the face (or lack thereof) underneath.Then I searched for a headshot of someone in black and white photography. Once I found the two images I wanted to use, I layered them on top of each other, cutting around the mask and re-sizing it to get it to be proportionate to the actual face. Then, I went back to the image underneath and used the smudge tool to slowly get rid of the eyes, mouth, and nose by scooting the skin color around over it. This was very time consuming and often frustrating, but the result was worth it. Finally, I added in the lyrics with the text tool, and voila~

"Marla" Abstract Work: Abstractions

This project was short and easy, I created an abstract work by playing around with different brushes, colors, opacities, and flow in photoshop while listening to music. The brush strokes tended to vary depending on the song I was listening to. For example, I used the red while listening to an alternative rock song and softer purple strokes while listening to a softer folk song.

Theatre in a Nutshell: Word Cloud

This was created by using a website called Wordle. Wordle allows you to make really cool word clouds  by simply typing in a group of words, then you can change the color, orientation, and arrangement of the words to your liking.

The one I made was inspired by theatre, and all the crazy objects and things that become part of your common vernacular once you've been in it for awhile.

Self Portraits

This project was to create an image using 9 3x3 in pictures of me and adding a colorful border that is representative of you. I had several pictures that I really liked and turned out well because all but one was taken with a pro-quality camera so I used 5 different images instead of just one or two.

After choosing the pictures I wanted to use, I dragged them into photoshop and set up a ruler and a grid so I could scale them down correctly. I played around with arrangements of the photo order until I found one I liked. I wanted the picture in the center to be the only image there weren't two of and made sure two of the same images weren't right next to each other.

Then, I began looking at different filters I could use. Most were pretty subtle (ex. accented edges) , but I chose a couple of more abstract one like Note Paper. My main goal with filters was to emphasize the face, not obstruct it, since that's what a self portrait is supposed to be anyway.

Finally, I found an image of a board display someone had decorated in a cute and quirky way, used the color replacement tool to make it appear mostly blue (leaving it all pink didn't look very good with the colors in the photos I used), but left some pink in there on purpose, and used that as my border.  I chose it because I really like things that look old fashioned, but are very classy and quirky. I tend to dress and act in that style so I thought it was very fitting.

I really enjoyed this project because it was fun to be able to portray and express myself in a new and interesting way. I think this work really expresses my personality as a whole and I really can't think of anything I'd want to change.

Art News: Favorite Artists

Craigie Horsfield: 

I chose Horsfield's photo-tapestries because they seemed so alive. The images looked like they were coming out of the tapestry and spill out into the room, they draw you in and make you forget that you are in an art gallery and you think for a moment that you're there in that image. I love art that does that to you, and I think it's very powerful.  I can't believe these are made out of fabric, they looks so real.

Nick Cave:

Nick Cave's sound suits I also found particularly fascinating. I love the riotous bursts of color and the complex menagerie of objects that comprise the suits. Whether its the actual design or the idea of wearable sound-making art I like more, it's impossible for me to say. What I do know is how I love that something that seems chaotic and strange is still beautiful, but in an unconventional way.

My Life in Color: Purple Girl

This project was based off of National Geographic's "Life in Color" photos. I used my favorite color (purple, obviously) and selected images that had meaning to me, trimmed and arranged them. The background I chose because I loved all the different shades and the curtain and vase of roses reminded me of theatre. I used the color replacement tool on the sunflower, because where I was born there were lots of them and they've always been my favorite. The gorgeous sketchbook and mask I included because I love drawing and acting. Finally, I took a picture of my favorite shoes because I feel they're representative of me. They're quirky, an unusual color, funky, a little offbeat and covered in paint...

I wish the History Brush tool was working, because then I would have desaturated the mask and brought back the purple area around the eyes to make it pop more. I also wish I had come up with a better layout for the images rather than just shoving them all into the corner or sides, but I wanted the chandelier, vase, and curtain to be visible which limited my options. I might try this project again with a different color and include more original pictures, but overall I liked how this turned out.

Interning with Portals

This was something I made just for fun in between projects. I took items and objects from one of my favorite video games: Portal 2, and assembled them all to make it appear as if I was an intern at Aperture Science. The blue portal effect was created by cutting the rim of a portal out of a screenshot, and then merging the separate layers that contained my picture, the companion cube, and the background into one, then copying that layer, placing it behind the blue portal rim, and trimming the extra through erasing. Now it would appear there's an orange portal in front of me and the blue portal displays what you would see through the yellow.

It was fun to create some fan art that was just for my own enjoyment rather than working on a specific project.

Very Punny: Visual Pun Project

Play on Words: 

This project involved finding an image of a stage as well as silhouettes. After some simple cutting and arranging I used the text tool and typed in a list of random words to fit on top of the silhouettes and played around with their arrangement to make it look like the words were in their bodies. Finally, I used the threshold tool and decreased it so the stage was still distinct, but everything was in black and white so it blended in better together.  

Watchman: 

The Watchman was created through a similar process, although this one was the most time consuming to create because I had to find, cut out and arrange so many different watches. However, this time I used the color gradient map to change all the color gradients from red to black, so all the watch colors would be the same and draw emphasis onto the profile of the man's silhouette.

Snowmandy: 

A pun from on my own nickname, which comes from my tendency when I fist bump people, I put my fists above and bellow the other person's fist, making a "snow man". The background was created using the Overlay tool, I selected a Pattern Overlay and choose one I thought went well wit the image because it looked a bit like snow.

MANdy: 
This one was inspired by a joke from the As You Like It cast. During rehearsal one day as we were reading through the script everyone kept joking about how my character Rosalind disguises herself as a boy in order to escape to the woods safely, but my friend's character Phebe, thinks Rosalind is actually a boy and falls in love with her/him. At one point, one of the guys piped up "Mandy...are you a man?"
We all laughed and I replied: "Well there is a reason why I'm named MANdy."

So for this image I put my head on a man's body, and used the Posterize tool on the background so I would stand out more.


Overall, I'm very proud of this assignment, although I found the limit of the tools we HAD to use a little bit difficult and I had to change certain things about the images that I would have rather left alone...

15 Green Things: Dreaming of a Memory

For this assignment I was given a file of 15 images all in the same shade of green. The goal was to create an entirely new images using each of the original images. It was okay to use only portions of the original, and to change its color, size, and orientation. Basically, anything except adding something in that wasn't one of the original 15 images.  

The whole process involved a lot of copying, coloring and arranging. I took out the portions of the images that I wanted using the quick selection tool. I colored over the images using the color replacement tool (my new favorite toy!) so they were no longer green. I transformed the images mostly through scaling or flipping and played around with different arrangements of the images by moving the layers around and using the move tool. Occasionally, when I wanted to make the signs and graffiti appear faded I'd use a funky eraser tool to create the look of an old painted on sign. I also used the blur tool on certain images to give the tone that the images were a part of a surreal, hazy memory.

After playing around a little bit I noticed a lot of the images had things in common, like the car, a street signs, a parking meter, etc. All of these things belonged in a city. From there I noticed the two people and thought that they should go together as well.The purple grass reminded me of the neuron pathways in the human mind and from there I decided to make a story with this image.

What is that story? Well, there many different ways to read the picture and primarily I'd like whomever is viewing it to decide for themselves. However, this is what was running through my mind:

The girl in the center is the main character and the image is a peek at her memories and what's gong on inside her head. She is a former wildlife photographer from Colorado who moved to the city after she got married. She's the mother of the little boy standing next to her and the two have them have just been  walking down to the grocery store. She's feeling rather tired and preoccupied with her thoughts and she is amazed at her son's brightness and energy.

She is feeling rather homesick and is growing resentful and claustrophobic of the noise, the graffiti and street signs of the city, which all seem to be shouting at her at once. However as they pass through an archway on their way back to the car she remembers her first trip into the city and that it was here where she met her husband.

Crazy Combo: We're All Mad Here

For this project I used images of animals, specifically a grey wolf, a hare, a lion and a dragon to combine with photos I had taken in order to create chimeras. A chimera refers to any impossible animal that is a combination of other creatures parts, such as a manticore.

Firstly, I had to use the quick selection and lasso tools to select the parts of the animal and potions of the photo that I wanted to use. I sent these selections to a new layer via cut, and deleted the layers with the unneeded remainder of the photos. From there came the long, arduous task of going through and erasing along the edges to make the photos appear nice and clean. (This would have been a lot easier with a tablet, but since I only had a  computer mouse available it took me longer than I would have liked.) After the majority of the erasing was done I positioned the animal parts and photos so it would look like the ears, tails, and wings were actually a part of the photo. Then there was more erasing, and more erasing, and more erasing...

Finally, I had everything the way I wanted it and put in my background layer (a scene from Alice in Wonderland). I re-adjusted a few of the images so it looked like they were interacting the background more and to maintain a general sense of balance in the image.

The final touch was the "Were all mad here..." which was created using the text tool.

I'm really proud of this image, it took a lot of work and really turned out nicely. I love all the colors and how they work together. I also like that I took a more unique take on this assignment, that rather than just combining animals with other animals, I combined animals with people. In the end the separate images really worked together well and looked like they belonged together.

If I were to try this assignment again, I'd want to try it with a tablet to cut down on the time and difficulty with erasing.  
   

Bye, bye Photobomb!

Before...

(Found using google images)

and After...

This effect was created using the fill and patch tools on photoshop. These tools allow you to delete a portion of the selected image and fill it in by sampling the existing background. The text was simply added using the text tool.

These tools seem to work best with simple backgrounds like this. I might want to try it on a more complex background next time to see if I can still get good results.

Music Project

For this assignment I took an image and made several changes to it, such as copying the music notes, changing the objects color, size and orientation on the page. The layout is alright, but I wish it was more dynamic. The color choice I like a lot because they're bold and grab your attention right away.

For this image I followed the same process. I liked the layout for this image much better than the first because its interesting and asymmetrical but still maintains a sense of balance, but the colors were less striking. If I were to attempt this again I would try to create a layout similar to the second but with the bold colors of the first.