Planning Sketches
My initial idea was to just have my face be distorted but after doing so I realized I needed more elements and I could add much more to the collage to make it more complex. Therefore, I planned to incorporate another angle of my face. I was inspired by Lichtenstein to add a hand into the design after looking at works such as Crying Girl and Drowning Girl.
Inspiration
Process
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The materials I used for this project were a Canon t6i rebel and Adobe Photoshop CS6. I started off by uploading the chosen pictures into Photoshop. Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, I selected the areas (such as the background) of my images that I didn't want to include in the collage and then deleted them using the eraser tool. I then continued that process and pasted the layers onto a canvas with a colored background that complemented the colors in the images. I then began to make the collage appear more distorted by copying and pasting certain parts of the image multiple times and moving them slightly out of place. I did this by using the Rectangular Marquee Tool and copying and pasting the selected area then moving it using the Move Tool. I continued this copying and pasting process until I was satisfied with the collage. |
Experimentation
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The first process of experimentation was during the photo taking process. I had a vision of what I wanted my collage to look like and I went from there. I basically just started off with taking pictures of myself in different positions with different expressions. From there I began using my hands in my pictures, remembering Lichtenstein's pieces and how the hands in his pieces helped to show emotion. I also experimented with the lighting I used. I didn't want to shoot pictures in boring white light so I experimented with using red and blue lights to create a purple hued lighting. It was important while doing this that I also kept a balance between the purple and white light so that the purple wouldn't become overwhelming and overpowering.
Next I experimented with the color of the background. I came to the conclusion that a single color was boring and not enough so I decided to make a gradient. I used the eyedropper tool and selected various areas I wanted the color codes for because I wanted the background colors to complement the images themselves. I also used the codes that were in Color Libraries to help me find complementary colors. When I had my colors chosen, I used the gradient tool to create my gradient. I then selected the background layer and added the gradient. |
Reflection
This collage can be compared to Portrait V by Iasonas Kampanis and various works by Roy Lichtenstein. The glitch like affect that is seen in Kampanis' work is something I brought into my piece. The image was created with a fragmented effect which makes the face seem somewhat distorted. However, though I used a similar technique to manipulate my image, I kept the main features of my face distinguishable. I tried to mimic the pose of Lichtenstein's Crying Girl. I did this by placing my hand near my mouth and glancing to the side. Even though I did a similar pose, the style in which my art is portrayed differs from Lichtenstein, who's work is very two dimensional.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
I used Iasonas Kampanis and Roy Lichtenstein as my inspirations. The way Kampanis visually expresses his work influenced me to make my piece contain the same distorted look as his. Lichtenstein's work contains women with distressed emotion on their faces which I replicated.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author concluded that Lichtenstein was one of the most prominent artists of the pop art movement.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered how powerful manipulation can be- the meaning and context of the image is dependent on how you alter it in Photoshop.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I wanted to depict an emotional response from viewers based on the way I edited my collage and have a meaning come across.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
After having a visual concept in my head of what I wanted my collage to look like I inferenced what tools I would need to use in Photoshop and what methods I would use to achieve the desired vision.
I used Iasonas Kampanis and Roy Lichtenstein as my inspirations. The way Kampanis visually expresses his work influenced me to make my piece contain the same distorted look as his. Lichtenstein's work contains women with distressed emotion on their faces which I replicated.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author concluded that Lichtenstein was one of the most prominent artists of the pop art movement.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered how powerful manipulation can be- the meaning and context of the image is dependent on how you alter it in Photoshop.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I wanted to depict an emotional response from viewers based on the way I edited my collage and have a meaning come across.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
After having a visual concept in my head of what I wanted my collage to look like I inferenced what tools I would need to use in Photoshop and what methods I would use to achieve the desired vision.