In Digital Media we used Photoshop to create many pieces of art. I really enjoyed doing this because it taught us many different types of art and skills that can be used in the future. You can see that down below we did pastel painting and watercolor paintings. We also applied the watercolor look to photos we had previously taken. We also worked with photos and learned how to combine photos in order for them to blend and create a surreal look. Lastly, we did a fully surreal composition photo. This one was very fun because we got to be very creative and try to combine images that may not have originally gone together.
Photoshop Pastel Painting
Interface Screenshot
Artist Statement
I really enjoy creating the Photoshop Pastel Painting project. It was very interesting, as an artist, to paint online instead of on a canvas. I really liked the ability to undo mistakes as easily as a click of a button. Choosing a photo was difficult for me because I wanted one that was intricate but didn’t overwhelm me. I feel like this up-close photo of blood oranges was a very good photo to paint because I got to practice a lot of blending and adding highlights and shadows to create depth and different shapes.
I really valued the opportunity to be creative while practicing new skills. In the beginning, using a stylus pen to paint confused me but as I was able to practice more I was able to get the hang of it. I also value the knowledge of the different uses of Photoshop because we often think of the application as only a way to change photos. In this project, we got to see that Photoshop has endless possibilities and uses.
In creating a Photoshop Pastel Painting I learned that as a digital artist, I am very detail-oriented. While I tried to simplify the picture so that it was more manageable to paint, I ended up working mostly on the smaller details. The small highlights and differing shades of background all became a focus for me. I feel like I learned that I am very organized and structured which helps me create very intricate pieces of art, on and off the screen.
Photoshop Watercolor Painting
Interface Screenshot
Artist Statement
I chose to paint a butterfly. It’s hardly perfect as the colors are not perfect, the technique isn’t flawless, and the edges are rough. But I think that this butterfly represents me as a person. My imperfections are what make me who I am and add to my overall beauty. This butterfly is vibrant and intriguing. I can imagine it flitting about in a meadow of flowers. All the other butterflies surround it in their own colors, patterns, and sizes. Specifically, this butterfly is special because it isn’t perfectly symmetrical or amazingly designed but it has a lot of effort and love. The butterfly is full of life and meaning as I see me in it.
I really connected with these articles as I am an analog painter and now a beginner digital painter. In the article in which artists explain why they use watercolor, I especially like how almost everyone describes the medium as wonderful and different yet difficult. For example, Rusty Walker said, “There is a magical quality in the reflection of transparent watercolor against the white of the paper that is uniquely brilliant and alluring.”. This is relevant to me as I stare at a blank artboard in Photoshop and begin to wash the colors layer by layer. Something that stood out to me in the website where the artist gives their advice is when it said to not expect instant success. This was hard for me in the beginning because I wanted to instantly be good at online watercolor and understand how to do it but it takes time. I need to practice and not give up. I feel like this assignment was an assuring painting for me just like how she says in the third article. I was unsure of my abilities as an artist or student so being able to paint and complete this assignment has built my confidence and got me started.
I think that this project was more difficult for me. I really liked the forgiveness that the paint had while working with pastels but with watercolor, there is less room for error and it takes even more practice. Painting is very interesting to me and a big part of my life so something I had to overcome was expecting myself to be good at it right from the start. I thought that because I’ve grown up doing analog painting it would translate over but it did not. I had a hard time figuring out the strategy for this project. Working the brushes correctly took me a long time as well. This project was a very good opportunity to push me out of my comfort zone and try new things. I will still need a lot more practice if I ever want to become very successful at this but it’s a good start.
Photoshop Watercolor Effect
Interface Screenshots
Artist Statement
For this project, I chose three photos with varying subjects and locations. The first is of my friends in Southern California. This was during quarantine and a friend’s family and my family lived in Southern California for 3 weeks. We would do online classes then go to the beach and swim and watch the sunset. These were the best weeks of my life as I was with my best friend I don’t see very often, in a beautiful place. The next picture is of my older sister Julia. I love my older sister and she is a big role model for me. We were in the Virgin Islands for thanksgiving and we had just woken up and hopped in the pool. This was the best time because Julia had been away at college so I got to spend so much time with her. This is an amazing photo to me because I was able to capture the beauty of the day and stunning views. The last photo is of Petra in Jordan. I went to Jordan for a humanitarian project for 17 days with a group of youth I didn’t know. For a full week, we did sightseeing and we got to go to this man-made wonder of the world. It was super hot and sunny as we hiked down into the canyon into the opening that showed us this giant sculpture in the red rock. This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken because it reminds me of the different cultures and experiences I saw.
Using filters and textures was a really interesting and fun thing to me. I loved being able to alter and change the photo in ways that wouldn’t be possible in the physical world. My eyes were opened to different ways of editing pictures and I broadened my knowledge of Photoshop.
I think that I want to implement the effects of blending or making a clipping mask and clouding over the photos for my design photos. I really like the look of these effects. I also want to utilize the filters and the whole gallery of different painting effects.
Photo Composites
Photoshop Surreal Art
Interface Screenshot
Artist Statement
In this Surreal Composition, I tried to convey the message that the human mind is confusing and the world is unknown. I am doing my English lyrical project on the search for oneself and trying to understand your mind through personality quizzes. I wanted to connect the two so I tried to convey the idea of the girl’s mind being an octopus. It has eight arms and is all over the place. The other components of the photo like the stars instead of the sky and the fish floating around all added to the idea of the world being confusing and upside down.
Something I found that was helpful to do while creating this project was starting by finding lots of different inspiration photos and putting them in a folder. From there I chose a few that I wanted to begin with and I built on top of it. I utilized the tool of the clipping mask a lot in my surreal as I took many different photos and only kept specific parts. I used the technique of color correcting and layering objects in order to create a scene that looked more realistic.
I think that for me, creating realistic compositions was easier than surreal because there was less room for error and in the end, it looked cleaner. The surreal composition was tricky for me because there were so many options and creative paths I could have taken. I changed and tweaked my idea many times and had to work hard to make it creative and interesting while nicely done. I really enjoyed doing both projects though because you were able to take ordinary things and create images that couldn’t have existed in real life. You could combine night and day, air and water, and so much more in order to make a whole new place.