Photoshop Class: Abstract Response/Gestalt - Esmeralda

Picking most striking and energetic thumbnails from all of four PS files, and experimenting with layering techniques - playing with dissolve, hue, saturation, luminosity, darkness, etc. Stretching squares horizontally, vertically and in more complex ways manually [distorting dimensions and seeing perspective opportunities], before using Magic Wand tool to carve out any shapes spilling out of each of four squares:
Really enjoyed creating overall distorting yet exciting and energetic environment through stretching and playing with colour; capturing spirit of Esmeralda's streaming water canals and probable surrounding sunny beach/exotic environment. Need to use such technique more often in thumbnail exercises [up to first 100 for OGR!]

Photoshop Class: Abstract Response/Gestalt - Esmeralda

Discovering another way in developing energetic and striking concept art, through idea of simplification - Gestalt: "The whole (picture/car) carries different and altogether greater meaning than its individual components (paint/canvas/brush, or tire/paint/metal)." After discovering concept art examples from architects today [Atelier Olschinsky, Zaha Hadid, Mary Blair, etc.], recently realised that I have been probably focusing slightly too much on interiors and components making up architecture in my Calvino-Invisible Cities sketchbook and digital thumbnails, and not enough on striking building shape itself - e.g. seashells, expo pavilions, staircases and pathways, etc. [need to balance between the two properly].

Abstract 1

Adapting from phrase-writing exercise, using Photoshop and various brushes to draw quick and energetic colour-shape formations reflecting the kind of themes I want to further enhance in later sketches. Making sure to colour-fill in negative space, and not to draw obvious narrative scenes - instead, capturing movement of blue waves, slides and chutes, and surrounding bricked and cobblestone walls [influence from simplified Mary Blair], gathering together suggested theme of Esmeralda. Later realising great power of pictogram-style creations within tight squares - e.g. Otl Aicher [Munich 1972].

 Abstract 2, 3 & 4

Ongoing capturing spirit [keyword] of splashing waves, sliding chutes with lampposts, sun rays, flower petals and plants, and surrounding beach-like environments [blue squiggles, zig-zag sun rays, curling circles, etc.]. Really enjoying bright, multi-colour approach [leading influence from Hundertwasser], drawing out quickly and energetically, so that I am able to further progress chosen colours and shapes. Therefore, probably just as influential drawing thumbnail exercises as plainly visualising buildings and surrounding scenery - remember: you're mainly shading colours, not drawing lines first.
New PS tools introduced in Abstract 4 - lasso tool and polygon lasso tool, creating effective contrasts in sharpness and solidity. At one point, accidentally drawing too confusing polygon lasso [Abstract 4, bottom-left], yet leading to quite successful perspective of ideal boat/log flume crashing into sea [adding lighter blue splashes and colourful plants in foreground]. Other squares created in Abstract 4 already reminds me of ideas - e.g. postmodern graphic design, design for sporting outfits and gyms, Javier Mariscal, tribal patterns, etc.

Photoshop Class: Word Stacks (Ideation) - Esmeralda

Writing exercise - Small sketchbook:

Suggested exercise from artist-illustrator Sterling-Hundley, in order never to come up with most obvious and common concepts from analysing texts, concepts, etc. - similar exercise to continuing writing without letting go on paper, letting all your ideas no matter how relevant straight onto surface (be honest and display them!):
Re-analysing Esmeralda text from Calvino's Invisible Cities and picking key phrases in order to start throwing down phrases to conjure up new ideas to develop into future thumbnail sketches, often adding reminders of previous encounters [artworks, films, architecture, etc.]. Even going so far into throwing down my past dreams [REM] - e.g. new modern steel railway station with 13 platforms in middle of wheat field in Kazakhstan. Most importantly, trying to be as exaggerated as possible, and not necessarily having to link to real-life examples in the past.

Photoshop Class: Master Study Warm-Up

 

Old Masters:

• Joseph Wright - 1734-97, UK
• Frederic Edwin Church -1826-1900, USA
• William Stanley Haseltine - 1835-1900, USA

Studying paintings and other wall artworks from Old Masters [pre-1800/Europe], analysing colour, shape, contrast, tone and composition carefully. Recommended by tutor as most efficient way to warm up digital painting each time before starting:

Layering negative space first [e.g. sky], before adding background, then foreground. Continuing to use eye drop tool to mimic colours from original paintings, whilst continuing to be aware of pressure of brush and composition. 'Seeing forest for trees' by often zooming out to see where my outcome is going [simple shaded blobs, before finer detail], recognizing always more complex colours in materials and objects than simple assumption - e.g. purple rocks, brown sea and teal cliff. Also often confirming proper tonal range match by layering in black-and-white, looking at correct contrast, etc.

Noticed in particular that I accidently continued to brushstroke in particular zig-zag direction for second-to-bottom painting [Iceberg], therefore blurry composition up close, but colour locations start to bind together once seen from far distance. Really enjoyed exercise that I should try such exercises with searched paintings from museum and gallery websites - National Gallery, Tate Britain, etc.

Photoshop Exercises - Still Life Apples

 

Still life colouring exercise with apples: recognizing colours in negative space as well as apples themselves, and discovering more detailed colours rather than just cherry red [black, grey, beige, pink, violet, yellow, etc.] Slightly more difficult than black-and-white exercise because of this, but became really interested in trying to mimic colour distribution, discovering new shapes inside objects [e.g. pink ring around far-left apple].
Continuing using eye-drop tool to mimic colours exactly from original photograph, but still helping me realize chiaroscuro and colour contrast. Main idea again being loosest shades first, and then gradually building up. Really looking forward to using these techniques on bigger projects!

Photoshop Exercises - Still Life Pears

Introduction to Photoshop features and Wacom digital drawing tablets, adapting from still life photographs in black-and-white and colour - focusing on paintbrush techniques [various sizes, tones and water levels]:
The main outcome I have discovered from this exercise is ideally not to draw the outlines first, but paint the shades very loosely and gradually build up [inspiration from Pixar concept art books, mimicking loose chalk pastel sketches], then giving the 3D illusion [adding outline will already make object look flat]. One key feature I have been shown [though generally seen as quite cheating], is using eye drop tool onto original photograph to easily mimic exact colours, speeding up colouring process [really helped me build up tightest areas of both darkest and brightest, especially the gaps between the pears].
Other than that, I really enjoyed looking deeper and reconstructing even the most ordinary of still life objects such as fruit - forgetting what they are and simply seeing them as alien life forms [will probably never see still life objects the same way again].

Profiles - Adobe Photoshop & Wacom

Adobe Photoshop [CC 2015]:

Developer – Adobe, San Jose
Initial release – 1990
Operating systems – Windows, Mac OS X
Type – Raster graphics editor
License – Shareware and software as a service
Website – www.adobe.com/photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and OS X. The software has become the de facto industry standard in raster graphics editing, such that the word "photoshop" has become a verb as in "to photoshop an image," "photoshopping," and "photoshop contest," etc. It can edit and compose raster images in multiple layers and supports masks, alpha compositing and several colour models including RGB, CMYK, Lab colour space, spot colour and duotone. Photoshop has vast support for graphic file formats but also uses its own PSD and PSB file formats which support all the above-mentioned features. In addition to raster graphics, it has limited abilities to edit or render text, vector graphics (especially through clipping path), 3D graphics and video.

Adobe Systems:

Spanish – “Mud brick”

Industry – Computer software

Headquarters – San Jose, California
Stock exchange – NASDAQ, New York
Founders – John Warnock & Charles Geschke
Website – www.adobe.com

Adobe Systems is an American multinational computer software company. Adobe has historically focused upon the creation of multimedia and creativity software products, with a more-recent foray towards rich Internet application software development. It is best known for Photoshop, the Portable Document Format (PDF) and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as its successor Adobe Creative Cloud.

Adobe was founded in 1982 by Warnock and Geschke, who founded the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. In 1985, Apple Computer licensed PostScript for use in its LaserWriter printers, which helped spark the desktop publishing revolution.

Wacom:

Japanese – “Harmony circle”

Industry – Computer input devices and software
Stock exchange – Tokyo
Founded – 1983
Headquarters – Tokyo, Japan
Website – www.wacom.com

Wacom is a Japanese company that specializes in graphics tablets and related products. Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus or digital pen. In addition to manufacturing and selling tablets, Wacom also provides graphical input technology for some tablet computers, which it calls "Penabled Technology".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Systems

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wacom_(company)