My Dream Diary
This is my dream diary that was just a starting point for ideas for my surreal outcome. I produced this with ideas about typical dreams and combining aspects of my research, which I found inspiring.
For this project I opened up the link found on Blackboard, which took me to Becha's blog. Here is a step by step guide of how to create a surreal finish, like Becha's work.
Method
1) To start with I had to open Photoshop and set the canvas size to - width 222 mm, Height 300 mm, Resolution to 300 pixels/inch. I didn't need to worry about the background colour because the next step I added texture.
3) To add a ground I selected another new tool called the Elliptical Marquee tool (shift m) I used this to create a oval, which I then went to Image>Adjustments> Colour Balance. this allowed me to change the colour to a reddish hue as the red is ore dominant with the settings: +100, -13, -12.
5) I copied drawing 1 from the downloaded file and copy it into Photoshop as a new layer (ctrl n). Using the magic wand tool (w) I selected the white area I dint want. I used the free transform tool to make the drawing smaller and place it in the middle. To make the drawing stay proportional I also used the shift key. I also used the magic wand (w)to add colour as well as the eye drop tool (i)to select a colour I had already used. I was experimenting with pattern and finding new tools that worked and didn't work.
6) I used added some new layers and added and added some drawing found on the downloaded file which I added colour using the magic wand tool (w). To select multiple selections I used the shift key.Once these were done I copied (ctrl c) and pasted (ctrl v)them on to my first drawing and changed the size and angle using the free transform.
7) Final outcome!
I found this fairly simple dispite having some difficulties at first but once I got into the flow of things I became more confident. I am happy with my overall outcome, however to improve I think it would be good to add some 3D text and make it look like it has texture. During this project I used the zoom in (ctrl -) and out (ctrl +)tool as well as selecting the right layers which was the trickiest part. Also I think if i used a mask to start with and opened a new layer to add colour so I wasn't colouring the drawing it would make my results look more clean. I will bare this in mind and have a go at this for my next drawing to develop my Photoshop skills. Also I will have a go at using the brush tool (b) to add colour because this way I can add tone.
My next task was developing my skills when adding colour for this I used two resources:
Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Chris Solarski
A video link which guides my through how to create a mask. This was a different way of learning and was very useful.. I learnt a technique of suing colour swatches for later uses and the benefits of the eye drop tool.
Mask
To make a mask you must make sure you object is connected, if not use the brush tool (black) to connect the lines. Use the magic wand tool to select the image and add a new layer (shift n). On the new layer colour this in black . Now to colour your drawing in select parts using the magic wand and open new layers (shift n). This way you will be adding colour behind but because of the mask the colour can not go outside so the quality is much better.
My proposal
I am going to base my ideas and outcomes on sea. I am hoping to come up with different ideas of surreal dreams all completley different. I am going to incorporate naturae and animals, this will link to Giuseppe Arcimboldo's work in to my reserach as I may try style of art . I also like Eshers's work with the stairs so I am going to seeif this works well. I would like to experiment with typography but I shall see whether this is successful or not.
Based on my skills that I now have I tried to create an surreal outcome. This is just a starting point which is why I have used images and not my own drawings.
1) I found this image
on https://elisefaye.wordpress.com/category/line-drawings/ and copied it on to
paint. Here I rubbed out the figure on the right and saved this as an JPEG
image in case I need it for later reference.
4) Looking at my research I was inspired by the umbrella outfit so I found this umbrella (http://www.completefg.com/good-student-discount-details.php ) and copied (ctrl c)it on to Photoshop placing this layer on top on the figure for her skirt. I had to position this so it looks natural, relating to the figure being turned to the right. I copied (ctrl c)a dolphin (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dolphin) and put this in front the umbrella as a sun. I used orange instead of blue because it wasn’t visible and relates to being a sun. I also filled a fish (http://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/fish-coloring-pages.html) and placed it as belt filling it with the magic wand (w) and fill bucket. For her eye to relate to the sea/ water theme I used a shell and I thought the mouth of a shark (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=shark+mouth+drawing) could represent a hood.
7) To finish I opened
a new layer and added a background using the gradient tool (g) to make it strong
and dynamic.
To improve this I
would use more music elements to make the surreal look stronger. Perhaps I
could have used a trumpet for the hood instead of a shark and a treble clef
tilted on its side for her eye. After adding the gradient background I asked my
class mate her opinion as it did look a too strong and she suggested using a
background that reflects the hood. I think this outcome has strong quality with
elements that work together well. The colours are solid with good definition
images. Also the colours I added are clean and precise edges after I joined any
gaps up to start with. I also added some crabs that blend in with the new
background which create her shoes.
Final outcome 1
Outcome 2
My next outcome I feel I have a more complexed idea but the quality is not as strong as my previous outcome. To improve the quality I believe I should have started with a larger image with more pixels; to do this I would use the advance search tool on goggle. Looking at my research I found that artists quite often use animals to create the surreal effect. The inspiration for this came from my dream diary of animals and creatures behaving mischievously in dreams and doing peculiar things. While I was creating this piece also came across another surreal artist called Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who I found very inspiring and started to make close links to my own work.I tried using his style on the hair which i felt quite well because the animals and shells work as stands and the hair looks big and bold.
I feel this is an improvement from my first outcome because I have used my own drawings and devices like then light box. I hand drew the figure and used the light box to trace the fairy. I then used water colour pencils to colour in the fairy because when I did it on Photoshop I felt the colours were too solid and daunting for a light fluttering fairy. I also used some glitter to add a magical touch to the wings.
For the skirt I think Iwas trying to be over ambitious. I wanted the snake the wrap around like a skirt but also come out the water to make it look like a a sea monster. Obviously there was not one image that was going to work so I had to manipulate an image to make it look natural. I feel that the first time I did this I used such a small image that it became so pixualated and looked terrible. I deleted these layers and tried going for a large image and the quality of skirt is so much crisper and clear. I didn't want to ruin the neat finish so I didn't try to make it come out the water.
The story behind this outcome is very surreal. Firstly you got a dainty magical fairy gently drifting on a flower in a storm. There is also the bright colours on the bra on a miserable night. I used the musical notes in a circle to represent a sun to the dampen dark night . I felt music notes would be perfect because sometime music can completely change a image or experience, therefore I feel it is so powerful; just like the heat of the sun. Some of the sea creatures are upside down while all looking hopeful at the water. The ice-creams as the shoes completely finish of this surreal outcome because they are usually a must have in the summer not on a dark night winter storm.
Looking back at this I would go back and alter the levels again to make it slightly darker background because I think I have got it slightly too light. Also I would start with a larger image to get a stronger outcome. I feel that I could also edit her skin because I would like to go a tone or two darker and be more precise by perhaps using more variety of brush sizes or a mask. One of the strong elements about this piece is the amount of surreal going on I think it all combines to create a dream/story.
Outcome 3
This is my starting drawing
For the skirt I think Iwas trying to be over ambitious. I wanted the snake the wrap around like a skirt but also come out the water to make it look like a a sea monster. Obviously there was not one image that was going to work so I had to manipulate an image to make it look natural. I feel that the first time I did this I used such a small image that it became so pixualated and looked terrible. I deleted these layers and tried going for a large image and the quality of skirt is so much crisper and clear. I didn't want to ruin the neat finish so I didn't try to make it come out the water.
The story behind this outcome is very surreal. Firstly you got a dainty magical fairy gently drifting on a flower in a storm. There is also the bright colours on the bra on a miserable night. I used the musical notes in a circle to represent a sun to the dampen dark night . I felt music notes would be perfect because sometime music can completely change a image or experience, therefore I feel it is so powerful; just like the heat of the sun. Some of the sea creatures are upside down while all looking hopeful at the water. The ice-creams as the shoes completely finish of this surreal outcome because they are usually a must have in the summer not on a dark night winter storm.
Outcome 3
This is my starting drawing
Looking at this outcome I think this is my best. The images I used for the background is so much clearer. I like how they blood sea creates the sinister look with the nightmare expression of the face, linking the theme to my dream diary. We have all had those spooky nightmares where we wake up screaming! I think the black and red colour scheme works well because it can represent blood and death as black is worn at funerals and crows can be associated with death. I think he blue and pink add a real contrast. The surreal idea with the knife is that it is stuck in the sand like a grave, with the fresh blood oozing around the dead body. I think the beach with blood sea is a good contrasting idea because a beach can be associated with happy memories, whereas blood can be death or fear. The wrap around door blends in well with her space themed hair. You never know what is behind the door and life is so unexpected.
When looking at my my design I decided it needed some depth and perspective because it looked very flat. For this I first of all tried making the blood see curved as sea doesn't just stop flat, I also tried using the 3-D tool I found but this didn't really work so I went back to using what I know. I found a different image for the background which had a horizon on so it looks like it is in the distance. I particularly like this image because I like how the sea gradually get lighter, so it doesn't just stop.
1) Once I pasted the new background and deleted the blood sea,I felt I had so many layers it was hard to work with so I grouped all of the person images together and called it man. I also grouped the crow, sword and blood together. When looking at my my design I decided it needed some depth and perspective because it looked very flat. For this I first of all tried making the blood see curved as sea doesn't just stop flat, I also tried using the 3-D tool I found but this didn't really work so I went back to using what I know. I found a different image for the background which had a horizon on so it looks like it is in the distance. I particularly like this image because I like how the sea gradually get lighter, so it doesn't just stop.
2) Next I use the clone tool (s) and (alt) try and make the sand blend in together. I was finding that there was part of the foreground sand that looked unnatural so I changed the sample I had taken and changed the levels and added a hue/saturation to the sand.
3) The sea was a lovely crystal blue, I try creating a mask over the sea and just changing the colour balance to make the sea red so the red was more doniment. My next idea was to use the clone tool of red with a low opacity and brush over the sea. I did this but it then made the sea just stop at This wasn't creating the blood sea that I had in mind so I decided to have an overly balanced sea that was quite dark to create the surreal outcome. To do this I added to hue/saturations to this layer.
4) To add the red tinted sea, hence the blood effect I again added a mask to the horizon and used the brush tool with a low opacity with red colour.I used a fairly thick brush diameter.
5) Looking at the positioning of the sword I felt it could have more of a purpose, therefore i have added a shark, which fits nicely to the theme I have going on on my overall outcomes. To add this I used the magic wand. I them used ctrl t to tilt the shark at a angle. Looking at the shark I felt it looked out of place so I changed the curves. Next I used the clone tool again to add the extra length it need as I didn't want to stretch the image. I then just moved the sword, blood and crow. To clean up the image I rubbed out some of the extra blood droplets.
6) This is my final outcome but I feel that it could do with some texture so I am going to experiment with the different artistic filters and see which ones are appropriate.
5) Finally to pick up the texture of the sand I used a filter over the whole image.
Evaluation of entire project
Overall I think this project has gone exceptionally well. I have approached it with dedication and as a result I have 3 impressive outcomes considering I have only been building on my skills I already know. I think that Photoshop is a great program for experimentation because you can just delete your history or remove/edit different layers.
I think the research was a good starting point because I didn't really know where ton start when we were given the task 'surreal fashion.' I was particularity intrigued in Esther's work although it was not fashion linked. I wasn't that found of Julie Verhoevon's work because I didn't find it fascinating or have a wow factor about it. This is a complete contrast to what I thought of Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada. I thought Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada is very powerful because she uses every day objects and converts them into 3-D clothing in such a create way.
I am very pleased with my outcomes and I feel that they have progressed as my work goes on. My favourite one is my last one as they quality is much better and it consists of my own drawing. I think this works well with the invention of the spiral staircase wrapping around like a garment. I think this links into my research of Esther's work and there is close connection to my dream diary. I also like this one best because I have gone beyond what I have been told using Photoshop and discover more thing my self . This one has the most technical aspect as I had to change more levels, hue and saturation, curves and colour balance. I also think this works best because there is more texture and depth.
I do like my second one and the story behind it. I also like the link between Giuseppe Arcimboldo and my interpretation. I felt this was a good starting point to perfect this I could of used a mask however my drawing wasn't clean because it was very sketchy so was proving difficult to work with. I like my first idea because I feel that I cut images out really well so they were precise edges. I think the colours are very strong and tonal and work very well together. This precise aspect of edges also appears in my third outcome as well.
Throughout my work I feel there are strong surreal outcomes and that I have thought about shapes and tone to make images work together and I am very happy that my work links throughout and my ability has increased. I feel I have referenced my work thoroughly including links from my research and links referencing my images. I have also got close analysis of tools and short cuts which I have used.
