I will no doubt use these skills for the rest of my academic (and hopefully one day professional) career.
Many thanks to all my cohorts and my teacher! I will miss seeing you all every Monday and Wednesday morning!
-Bram
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Self Evaluation
1. I feel that I have had different accomplishments with each project. For the midterm, I was able to use the new photoshop techniques that I have learned, and apply them to a visual image that I wanted to portray. Before this class, I knew how to select, cut, copy, paste, etc. All the basics. But with this midterm, I was able to truly display an idea through the use of visual imagery.
The final helped me explore my curosity of animation and video. I never thought I could be so intensely focused on a project for hours at a time, and then come up with a finalized work. My other projects and images were results of hours of work split up between different periods of time. However, the video was on clear shot. I just stayed up all night working on it, and I loved being that focused and motivated on a goal.
To be more specific though, I felt the following were difficult details that I accomplished well:
Midterm:
a) The use of a clipping mask to throw a background image onto a figure (the rainbow swirls in the girl's body).
b) The proper use of transformation to align a framed photo on a wall (the photo of the nude model on the wall of the art gallery).
Final:
a) The use of a filter through multiple frames to demonstrate a lasting effect (turning Kristen into a sepia like, low layered image).
b) The use drawing tools to create an animation within a video (the heart, the text, the hand, and the face on the floor).
2. This is a bit too easy for me to answer, because it's animation of course! At first, animation was a far away concept that I hardly had a grasp on. Making an image turn colors for a few second took me at least an hour. Yet through the experience, I was able to make a 3minute long video with significantly improved effects and features. Instead of having a single face and going through filters, I took a trip to the library and had the viewer interact with the enviornment.
3. I'll compare my Movie Poster project and my midterm. With the movie poster, I simply manipulated an image to change the meaning of the poster. I turned a masculine, tough movie into a dark, mysteric romance about two men. I enjoyed this project because the author of the book Fight Club is actually gay and his book had many homosexual themes that were cut from the movie.
The midterm was much different, in that I didn't manipulate as much as I created from scraps. I took and used many different materials from different sources, and created a brand new enviornment. I took a nude model, a pedestal, a room, a picture frame, and a black and white nude photo, and turned into an art gallery that portrayed the different perspectives on beauty.
Final Project Artist Statement
Wow, it's hard to believe it's actually over. I'm a bit sad, as this will probably be the last art class I ever take. But as I continue on to my Marketing major, I know that this class will be a source of reflection and thought that I will use for years to come, in deciding what works (whether it be for consumers, colleagues, or just my own taste). It was a joy to be in this class, and I only wish we all had taken it for a longer amount of time.
But enough of the sentiments, on to my final artist statement!
In my attempt to use Photoshop's animation tools to create a final piece, I chose the word "Transformation" to define my statement. However, this project in particular turned into something I never had imagined. Each step pushed through an evolution that I had know way of knowing existed. As I have mentioned before, I actually prefer this method of taking risks in artwork in order to achieve an end goal, rather than play it safe and end up with something unimpressive to myself.
The first day that we talked about animation in the classroom, I had imagined something small in scale, only a few frames long. Something loop-able, and something neat. I took my movie poster and added a few changes, to come up with this:
The idea was that this was much like a flickering neon sign. I liked how it turned out, and so my curiosity grew, for pushing photoshop to it's limits. I wanted to see how far I could go.
And so, my next step was to take a video, and edit it. This was far more complicated than I had ever imagined. First, I had to take a video. Next, I had to convert it to .MOV format, next I had to import it into Photoshop by means of layers, and then I had to edit each individual layer.
This was by far the most repetitive, tedious work I've done for this class. A simple test run of different effects and filters took hours to make. Partly because of photoshop's stingy interface for animation, and partly due to my inexperience.
After this, I wanted to pursue something even more ambitious. Instead of a flickering image, and instead of a random 10 second clip, I wanted to do more. I wanted a video of choice, I wanted to make my own video and explore the world. I wanted it to be longer than 10 seconds. I didn't want it to be silent, I wanted music. And lastly, I wanted it to explore even more effects in photoshop than previous times.
And so, here's the process:
1. Take a long, single video of me walking around the library.
2. Convert the video into an .AVI format, and edit it to create a single, cohesive video.
3. Split this video up into smaller clips, so that Photoshop can handle it.
4. Convert these clips into .MOV so that Photoshop can import it.
5. Import into Photoshop (Video from Layers) and skip every 5th frame to reduce frame count.
I was working for hours on hundreds upon hundreds of frames and layers. It become so complicated, that I knew there was no turning back. Trying to edit this again would be virtually impossible. However, I am glad how it turned out, and I feel that the song is appropriate with the video.
Unlike other projects, this one wasn't as focused and pinpoint on a single idea (like women, or emotion). That's the only thing I didn't like, but I feel that it's still a good animation, and demonstrates a good amount of work.
I suppose the video was sort of dream like. Things that occurred were other-worldly. Such as the tower collapsing, my hands being charcoal, people looking like dark figures and growling at me, floors trying to eat me, and shoes that turn color.
It seems a bit random, I know, but I feel it sort encapsulates this idea of being inside your own head, and floating around. Even a simply trip to the library can become a crazy adventure inside your own head.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Blog 4: Final Artist Statement
My final artist statement can be summed up by the word: Transformation. I will be attempting to use the tools of animation in Photoshop to portray the visual of change over time in an individual. By using animation and having moving frames, I can order different layers in a way that will create motion, and give the image more depth. To be honest, I’m not sure in what context this can be used. I am familiar with gif images, and seeing them used mostly to put up funny, low quality video clips online as a source of entertainment. However, this will be using Photoshop, which in itself is the very opposite of low quality. It’s sole purpose is to optimize images. The real challenge here will be balancing the quality of images, the amount of frames, and the size of the final file.
In my midterm project, I was told to find an artist, and to relate it back to my work. However, this time round my influences are a lot less specific. I will still be going in the direction of visuals juxtaposed with human bodies (Justin Maller), but still have a different style than Maller or my midterm. Another influence is film and flash animation. In middle school I would visit the website Newgrounds.com often. This website is unlike any other, in that it provides a solid fan base for those looking to gain exposure for their flash animations. Many of which would be lost without that website as a home (Seriously check it out. Here is one of the all time best animations on the site: Fallen Angel Part 1 and Brackenwood ). My last influence is this particular video by Robbie Cooper. I saw this awhile ago, and it’s always stuck with me. The way our faces look when we have no social pressures, when we are immersed and have no reason to try and look a certain way: Robbie Cooper's Video .
As previously stated, I will specifically be using animation as a new, challenging tool in Photoshop. I feel that this tool can have a great impact on the work, and create great depth. I have used animation programs before (gif mostly) and while they made the process easy, it provided no tools to manipulate the images I was using.
In my midterm project, I was told to find an artist, and to relate it back to my work. However, this time round my influences are a lot less specific. I will still be going in the direction of visuals juxtaposed with human bodies (Justin Maller), but still have a different style than Maller or my midterm. Another influence is film and flash animation. In middle school I would visit the website Newgrounds.com often. This website is unlike any other, in that it provides a solid fan base for those looking to gain exposure for their flash animations. Many of which would be lost without that website as a home (Seriously check it out. Here is one of the all time best animations on the site: Fallen Angel Part 1 and Brackenwood ). My last influence is this particular video by Robbie Cooper. I saw this awhile ago, and it’s always stuck with me. The way our faces look when we have no social pressures, when we are immersed and have no reason to try and look a certain way: Robbie Cooper's Video .
As previously stated, I will specifically be using animation as a new, challenging tool in Photoshop. I feel that this tool can have a great impact on the work, and create great depth. I have used animation programs before (gif mostly) and while they made the process easy, it provided no tools to manipulate the images I was using.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Movie Posters - Quiz 4
My first movie poster selection is that of the movie, Fight Club. The background is dark, and the color of the text is a dark shade of orange. The only photographs on the poster have very dark colors, shades, and fade effects. The whole thing has a gritty feel, like a piece of paper found in the street.
The movie is aimed towards males around 20s, as portrayed by the main characters, and the use of the word "fight" in the title. The words used to describe the movie also project this demographic (Mischief, Mayhem).
The second movie is In Her Shoes. Much like the first poster, the two main characters shown on the cover are the same as the demographic: young women in their 20s. The background is of a bright, white quality. The setting is that of a woman's shoes closet. The colors are predominately bright and happy. White, bright, green, blue, red, etc.
The words to describe this movie are less harsh (Friends, Rivals, Sisters). The only negative word is Rivals, and that in itself is fairly light as negative words go. It gives a sense of playing rough, but still friends. Unlike the word "Enemies" which is much less playfull.
Something I noticed in both posters: Everyone is young, beautiful, the genders are the same, and they're all white.
Edited poster:
The movie is aimed towards males around 20s, as portrayed by the main characters, and the use of the word "fight" in the title. The words used to describe the movie also project this demographic (Mischief, Mayhem).
The second movie is In Her Shoes. Much like the first poster, the two main characters shown on the cover are the same as the demographic: young women in their 20s. The background is of a bright, white quality. The setting is that of a woman's shoes closet. The colors are predominately bright and happy. White, bright, green, blue, red, etc.
The words to describe this movie are less harsh (Friends, Rivals, Sisters). The only negative word is Rivals, and that in itself is fairly light as negative words go. It gives a sense of playing rough, but still friends. Unlike the word "Enemies" which is much less playfull.
Something I noticed in both posters: Everyone is young, beautiful, the genders are the same, and they're all white.
Edited poster:
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Midterm!
Here are my images from my midterm:
Artist Statement:
My Big Idea is the voice of women. I explored this by using themes of Voice, Self Expression, Perspective, Respect, and Value. I researched this by way of the 3rd blog and the brainstorming assignment. The brainstorming project helped me narrow down my interest to that of the portrayal of women, and how this viewpoint changes over time. The 3rd blog introduced me to the illustrator Justin Maller, and gave me the idea of using a clipping mask to display emotion inside a figure. This subject is important to me because as a guy, I’ve seen the social injustice put upon women through the years, and I have a unique perspective as a male. I wanted to put this perspective into a visual image, and this is what I got. For the first time in this class, I created images by “taking a risk” as William Low puts it, instead of “playing it safe” and sticking by what I thought the image should look like from the beginning. These images are nothing like what I thought they’d look like, and I’m happy about that. It proves to me I was creative in my work.
Artist Statement:
My Big Idea is the voice of women. I explored this by using themes of Voice, Self Expression, Perspective, Respect, and Value. I researched this by way of the 3rd blog and the brainstorming assignment. The brainstorming project helped me narrow down my interest to that of the portrayal of women, and how this viewpoint changes over time. The 3rd blog introduced me to the illustrator Justin Maller, and gave me the idea of using a clipping mask to display emotion inside a figure. This subject is important to me because as a guy, I’ve seen the social injustice put upon women through the years, and I have a unique perspective as a male. I wanted to put this perspective into a visual image, and this is what I got. For the first time in this class, I created images by “taking a risk” as William Low puts it, instead of “playing it safe” and sticking by what I thought the image should look like from the beginning. These images are nothing like what I thought they’d look like, and I’m happy about that. It proves to me I was creative in my work.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Blog Assignment #3
1) My first artist is Alice Glass, the lead singer for the
band Crystal Castles. I've been wanting to use her for
awhile now in a project, and now seems like the right time.
My second artist is Justin M. Maller, a "freelance
illustrator and art director based in Melbourne, Australia".
I like Justin's use of digital imagery, especially with
female figures, and Alice's unique and fierce voice in her
music is well displayed in her own look. I feel that these
two artists, one an illustrator, one a figure, can work well
together.
3)
ALICE:
Why does this artist appeal to you?
I first found out about Alice Glass by listening to a song by her band. After hearing it, I was hooked. I know own both of the bands' albums and know every song by heart. The band is comprised of a musical producer Ethan Kath (aka he makes all the crazy techno sounds) and vocalist Alice Glass. The style of the sounds mixed with Alice's voice are very appealing to me, and are what I would imagine to be the background music to a photoshop project brought to life (Tron movie, anyone?).
What are the Big Ideas in their work?
A Big Idea in Alice's music is Feelings, specifically, feelings and emotions that are real or fake. In one song entitled "Xxzxcuzx Me", the last echoing lyric is "Just because we don't feel flesh, doesn't mean we don't fear death". This theme of robotic love and caring is present in many songs.
What do you find inspiring about the work?
Alice is inspiring in that her music is her life. When you listen to her screaming the lyrics, you know that she is "one with the song", and that she's not just reading from a sheet. When she screams, you feel you're screaming. When the music is turned up loud, you feel it. It's inspiring how motivational and real this music sounds and feels.
What sorts of questions, curiosities, inspirations arise from your encounter with the artist's work?
I question what methods are used to alter Alice's voice. In some songs, her voice is obviously manipulated, and I'm curious as to how. Much the same way I might look at a photoshopped image and wonder how it was done.
How will you use this artist to inspire your final project?
I will use Alice's great presence on stage to portray her voice, and to represent the powerful potential of my own Big Idea.
What stylistic components can you learn to make your work stronger?
I feel that color schemes will play a large role in my work with Alice, and that it will bring an in depth element to the image.
What approaches to making an artwork that the artist uses can help you?
There's not much that Alice does that I can personally incorporate in my work. I can't sing my project to life, but I can use the visual imagery I am given and by knowing the music she is singing, I will have a great insight as to the emotion and attitude she is trying to express.
JUSTIN:
Why does this artist appeal to you?
This artist appeals to me in two great ways. The first, is the artists use of visual imagery to express a feeling or emotion. This is most visibly shown in the image "Vegas".
The second is the artists use of women in his work. Their bodies are used as a resource to work with. Whether it be a spine to match with the dunes in a desert, or filling the body with a complex pattern, womens' bodies are used in his work in a way that I find original and unique.
What are the Big Ideas in their work?
It's hard to say what Justin's Big Idea is. In each image, it seems a different message is trying to come across to the viewer. In one image, a woman's body is filled with an image of driftwood. This has many implications, as does another image in which a woman's body is filled with a black and white pattern. All in all, complex patterns that seem to attempt to fill some kind of "void" are a reoccurring theme. And it is these patterns that add another dimension of meaning to the image.
What do you find inspiring about the work?
Since Justin manipulates photos very similarly as we learn in class, I am specifically inspired when I see his work to think differently. I see these images and wonder how he went about it, and what he's trying to say in each image. Are these merely creative ideas being thrown around? Or is there something deeper?
What sorts of questions, curiosities, inpirations arise from your encounter with the artist's work?
As stated above, I wonder how these images were created. Another aspect is time. How long did it take? Where these what was envisioned from the beginning, or did it evolve? Much like William Low said, in art there are times when you play it safe, and there are time when you risk it.
How will you use this artist to inspire your final project?
I feel that I might be able to borrow some ideas from this artists images. Not to replicate or duplicate, but perhaps to use similar ideas to get a point across. I like the use of patterns in complex shapes (bodies), and the use of color schemes that match the background.
What stylistic components can you learn to make your work stronger?
Learning to use the pattern feature will significantly help. I already know how to create a pattern of a square box with a black outline in order to create a grid that can be placed on top of other images (I learned this when trying to find out how to accurately place a virtual painting on a virtual wall using transformations).
What approaches to making an artwork that the artist uses can help you?
An approach that can help me is contrast. In many images, Justin seems to cause many visuals to collide with one another. To have the background color match the main colors in a pattern, yet to have another part of the body untouched. It is these decisions that go into creating an image and a message to go with that image.
band Crystal Castles. I've been wanting to use her for
awhile now in a project, and now seems like the right time.
My second artist is Justin M. Maller, a "freelance
illustrator and art director based in Melbourne, Australia".
I like Justin's use of digital imagery, especially with
female figures, and Alice's unique and fierce voice in her
music is well displayed in her own look. I feel that these
two artists, one an illustrator, one a figure, can work well
together.
2) Alice Glass:
Justin M. Maller:
3)
ALICE:
Why does this artist appeal to you?
I first found out about Alice Glass by listening to a song by her band. After hearing it, I was hooked. I know own both of the bands' albums and know every song by heart. The band is comprised of a musical producer Ethan Kath (aka he makes all the crazy techno sounds) and vocalist Alice Glass. The style of the sounds mixed with Alice's voice are very appealing to me, and are what I would imagine to be the background music to a photoshop project brought to life (Tron movie, anyone?).
What are the Big Ideas in their work?
A Big Idea in Alice's music is Feelings, specifically, feelings and emotions that are real or fake. In one song entitled "Xxzxcuzx Me", the last echoing lyric is "Just because we don't feel flesh, doesn't mean we don't fear death". This theme of robotic love and caring is present in many songs.
What do you find inspiring about the work?
Alice is inspiring in that her music is her life. When you listen to her screaming the lyrics, you know that she is "one with the song", and that she's not just reading from a sheet. When she screams, you feel you're screaming. When the music is turned up loud, you feel it. It's inspiring how motivational and real this music sounds and feels.
What sorts of questions, curiosities, inspirations arise from your encounter with the artist's work?
I question what methods are used to alter Alice's voice. In some songs, her voice is obviously manipulated, and I'm curious as to how. Much the same way I might look at a photoshopped image and wonder how it was done.
How will you use this artist to inspire your final project?
I will use Alice's great presence on stage to portray her voice, and to represent the powerful potential of my own Big Idea.
What stylistic components can you learn to make your work stronger?
I feel that color schemes will play a large role in my work with Alice, and that it will bring an in depth element to the image.
What approaches to making an artwork that the artist uses can help you?
There's not much that Alice does that I can personally incorporate in my work. I can't sing my project to life, but I can use the visual imagery I am given and by knowing the music she is singing, I will have a great insight as to the emotion and attitude she is trying to express.
JUSTIN:
Why does this artist appeal to you?
This artist appeals to me in two great ways. The first, is the artists use of visual imagery to express a feeling or emotion. This is most visibly shown in the image "Vegas".
The second is the artists use of women in his work. Their bodies are used as a resource to work with. Whether it be a spine to match with the dunes in a desert, or filling the body with a complex pattern, womens' bodies are used in his work in a way that I find original and unique.
What are the Big Ideas in their work?
It's hard to say what Justin's Big Idea is. In each image, it seems a different message is trying to come across to the viewer. In one image, a woman's body is filled with an image of driftwood. This has many implications, as does another image in which a woman's body is filled with a black and white pattern. All in all, complex patterns that seem to attempt to fill some kind of "void" are a reoccurring theme. And it is these patterns that add another dimension of meaning to the image.
What do you find inspiring about the work?
Since Justin manipulates photos very similarly as we learn in class, I am specifically inspired when I see his work to think differently. I see these images and wonder how he went about it, and what he's trying to say in each image. Are these merely creative ideas being thrown around? Or is there something deeper?
What sorts of questions, curiosities, inpirations arise from your encounter with the artist's work?
As stated above, I wonder how these images were created. Another aspect is time. How long did it take? Where these what was envisioned from the beginning, or did it evolve? Much like William Low said, in art there are times when you play it safe, and there are time when you risk it.
How will you use this artist to inspire your final project?
I feel that I might be able to borrow some ideas from this artists images. Not to replicate or duplicate, but perhaps to use similar ideas to get a point across. I like the use of patterns in complex shapes (bodies), and the use of color schemes that match the background.
What stylistic components can you learn to make your work stronger?
Learning to use the pattern feature will significantly help. I already know how to create a pattern of a square box with a black outline in order to create a grid that can be placed on top of other images (I learned this when trying to find out how to accurately place a virtual painting on a virtual wall using transformations).
What approaches to making an artwork that the artist uses can help you?
An approach that can help me is contrast. In many images, Justin seems to cause many visuals to collide with one another. To have the background color match the main colors in a pattern, yet to have another part of the body untouched. It is these decisions that go into creating an image and a message to go with that image.
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