Fine Art - Final Touchs

For our final session to complete our installation we wanted to experiment with different elements and see if they would make improvements on our piece or were better to be left out of the piece. The first thing we wanted to change was the head as it was the only part of the piece that we liked the least. We first added tape to the arms so that it could be easier to define the different characters within the painting that are being represented in the installation. We could have used paper but it didn't fold well around the fish-wire and we couldn't remove the fish-wire so we used the more mold-able tape instead.

We tried a real person's head first to see if it would work or add anything to the installation and if live elements would work within our piece. I personally think it looked quite effective as it added a creepy vibe to the installation as well as further cementing the idea that it is a male being slain because you can clearly see that the model is male. However the subject was in a uncomfortable position and it contrasted with the rest of the piece as it was the only live element of it, so we scrapped that notion.

We decided to swap the previous wire sword and instead ue a clear plastic sword so that it would still be a element of the piece but would also blend into the background so that the focus remains on the arms and not on a super detailed, interesting sword. What I like about the sword is that because of the simple yet recognisable shape it instantly becomes apart of the installation thanks its minimalistic appearance that somewhat reflects on to the arms as well. I think this will become a new permanent element of the piece.

Here we tried a upside down plastic skull as the "head" of the piece as we felt it would relate to the theme of death as well as be recognisable as the head element. The shape we found to be the most interesting about the skull since it created a load of intricate and contrasting shadows as well as serving as a natural element within the piece. However it isn't as recognisable when its facing away from the viewer so maybe we should try to get it facing front and the right way up even though its not consistent with the painting. These next two images were tests in the lighting of the installation to see if the installation looked more effective with the lighting in different places. We settled with the light on the right side of the installation pointing upwards to emphasise the arms and draw away attention from the skull.

Here is the skull facing forwards and the right way up as we had previously mentioned how we wanted the skull to be positioned. We believe that this is the most effective position for the skull as it emphasises the theme of death as well as being more visually appealing then strikingly accurate to the original painting.

 Here we tried some red lighting on the installation to see if it would be more effective if it it had a red overtone across the piece. What I like about the red lighting is how it emphasises the violent nature of the themes within the painting and adds a bit more colour to the piece then say with a normal clear light. However it also takes away the subtlety of the violence within the installation and I think it fits too closely with the themes of the original painting which we want to avoid so that it could be interpreted in different way other then the painting.

Here is the final composition of the installation. I think overall this experiment in installations was quite successful as it taught our group to work together and think outside of the box, like when we decided upon the floating arm motif, and then we all constructed an arm each so we could finish faster. If I was to do this production again I would like to draw up a design sheet next time so we have clearer goals to achieve and I would have liked more time to explore the possibilities of different materials so we can produce a higher quality product.

Fine Art - Installation

In today's session we started our large installation in our classroom themed off of the painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes. We decided to focus on the lighting within the piece which was almost theatrical and had a high amount of contrast, the use of cloth within the piece, the use of colour, and the focus on the limbs which cross over each other in a interesting formation. These were our focuses because they were the most prominent in the painting and they were what we found to be the most interesting to explore and reproduce into a 3D Installation.

The arms were made of newspaper, based upon a plastic mannequin hand which we also used in our installation, and were strung up with fish-wire. We positioned them into the places where they are within the painting with mannequin arm at the front of the display. What I like about this formation of limbs is the way they cross and overlap each other in a chaotic and violent way, that is accurate with the picture and the themes within the painting. However it may be too chaotic as you can't differentiate between the arms and at the moment look randomly placed and unorganised. Maybe we should try to find a way of separating the arms into their respective owners without the need of creating large and cumbersome bodies which would forego the focus on the arms and instead just the figures themselves which is not what we wanted to focus on in the first place. Maybe we could used coloured sleeves as they would add much needed colour to the piece and would not draw as much attention away from the arms unlike if we created bodies.

Here we have added the head on a separate box which could be used to represent a executioners block and a head with red, frayed fabric to represent blood. What I like about this part of the installation is the fact that the head is raised on a block so that it makes the meaning and theming behind the installation more obscure and harder to figure out so that it may seem deeper then it intended to be. I also like the way the fabric looks as a representation of blood because of the way it flows down and the frays create streak like patterns that both simulate but yet obscure the use of blood that is used within the piece. However the screwed up ball of paper that is supposed to represent the head does not work in the slightest and really needs replacing ASAP. Maybe we could use a mannequin head instead or something like a skull depending on the range of resources that are available.

Vis Com - Final Piece

In the last session of Vis Com I finished my final piece and have began to think of the different ways that I could present it and how it should definitely look. 

This is the finished William Wallace figure fully painted and textured. What I really like about my final paint job is that its subtly toned so it gives the figure a 3D effect and I also like the texture I used on the chain-mail clothing because it doesn't look to fake that it looks unpolished and inept of skill but it also doesn't look to realistic that it stands out from the rest of the painted figure. If I had to give a criticism to the piece is that If I had the time, I would have foregone the use of line and just have the line come through the tonal aspects so that it could pass for a real painting. What I also don't like is the texture on William Wallace's right arm because it doesn't curve around the bent arm and because of this the chain-mail looks odd and out of place.

Here is the added background that is based upon a photo of the Scottish highlands and painted within Photoshop. What I do like about this background I've created is that it does feel like that the place depicted in the painting has come from Scotland and is not just a random mountain background from any place in the world. I think because it is based off a genuine photo of Scotland that's where the feel of the location is captured from so I'm glad I took the time to find a photo with a distinctive Scottish feel rather then some random British countryside. However it is way to simplistic to be created as good painting and if I had the time to go back I would have taken the time to put some real effort into accurately depicting the distinct Scottish Highlands.

Here is the final version of the poster with the complete text and other ageing effects applied. What I really like about my completed poster is the overall composition and structure of both the text and the image. The composition of it really sells the typical structure of propaganda posters that you would found in the past. What I also like about it is the choice of fonts for the text, for they also sell the style of the era and in general add to the visual appeal of the piece, especially the text at the bottom as the Celtic influence really sells where the propaganda is supposed to come from. the influence of stain glass windows that I have observed in the past and my research on Japanese prints really helped me to create the central image as it both excruciates the influence of the land where it came from and the cultural influence allows it stand out from the rest of the drawings you might have seen. If I was to give some criticisms for the piece its that I feel that the potential of the creativeness I could have had in the image hasn't been fully explored and thus the final product is not full to its potential. So If I was to do it again I would try to do some pre-production sketches of the structure of the image so I would have a better Idea of what sort of the look the final poster would have instead of haphazardly putting all the elements together in hope of reaching some sort of final conclusion. I'm just glad for now it has worked well and hasn't turned out to be too disastrous in its intentions. 

Vis Com - Final Designs

Here is the progress of my final design and the progress of its completion with evaluation. The design of this poster is based upon the historical posters that I have been researching but the subject in the question is based upon the modern event of the vote for Scottish independence from the UK. I chose this subject in particular because it would be still be on everyone's minds and because I lived through it I an more familiar with it then other world events going on currently.

This was the initial sketch of the piece without the white background. It depicts William Wallace holding the Scottish flag with his hand outstretched for the viewer. This pose was inspired by a lot of British patriotic posters during the World Wars of different British patriotic idols (e.g. Winston Churchill, Britannia, etc...) trying to appeal to the viewers patriotic pride by using a famous icon from history. What I like about the sketch is the inspiration that went into it, that inspiration being the Japanese print designs and the stained glass windows you find around Britain because it captures that traditional look and the foreign influence helps to separate it from the other posters you might see. I just wish the proportions were a little better and accurate but I could pass it off as stylisation rather then a mistake.

Here is the start of the colouring of the piece and so far you can see that I have coloured in the face hair and flag. Although it is incomplete at the moment I feel so far that it has gone well and looks visually appealing. I especially like the way I have done the face as its subtly toned and the skin tone has been chosen well for the figure. My main criticism is with the hair as I have still not figured out how to colour hair or how to create shadows and highlights for it. Next time I should try to improve the hair and experiment with the brightness and contrast to make sure the different elements all match up together.

Vis Com - Experiment

In today's session, I used one of my previous sketches as a basis for an experiment based upon WW1 posters. I used Photoshop for this experiment and utilised the website dafont.com to find some suitable fonts to use on my text work.

This is the initial outline of the face. It is based upon the face of General Haig who was a famous English War general in WW1. The reason I chose this face to draw was because I wanted to design a poster that would be used for German propaganda plus he was quite a controversial leader at the Battle of Somme so I thought he would have been suitable to antagonize. I really like the detail that I put in this sketch and the overall style of it, I feel, really fits the time period of WW1 to make it feel authentic. If I had one gripe it would be a desire to draw the body next time so I could work with a lot more material then just the head.

This the same sketch but with paint and colour. This was my first time in using paint in Photoshop and paint mixing tool to create a portrait of this character. For my first time using the paint tool for paint work, I think it went rather well considering I don't really like real paint all too much. I really like the use of the tone on the face because it really makes the image pop out and the red-ness added to the face adds a look of hot flustered anger that I couldn't get across in the normal sketch. Although the hair and moustache really leaves much to be desired as it doesn't really look like hair but just some grey smudge that doesn't look visually appealing. If I was to improve the hair I would try the different range of brushes in the brush tool section to try to find a better look for the hair and next time add some eyebrows because without the colour they just look abnormal.

Here is the text of the final piece and how it looks with the final image. The text at the top reads "This is the face of the enemy" and the text at each side of the face read "Join the Army" which I got from typing the English phrases into Google translate and switching it to German. The reason I used German text rather then English was because I feel it needed it to be authentic as possible even though I don't know the language of Germany, so Google was a great help in making the piece feel more authentic from its time period and its country. I really like the design of the font in this as it really excretes Germanic flair and style whilst also having my inspiration incorporated into it. If there was one gripe I had with the text its that its a bit plain looking in the structural design and having the text repeated can be seen as lazy on my part.
 

Here is the final image that has been aged to look more authentic and grounded in history. Overall I feel that this particular experiment has gone particularly well and has produced some nice results that could have actually come from the WW1 period. I really liked how I aged the piece by fading out slightly and erasing parts of the edges so that it looks worn and battered. I also like the look of the caricature in the centre in the end as it looks like a WW1 political cartoon and the colouration helps to make it look more professional and make it pop out because of the tonal differences. If I had any gripes with the piece is that it looks a little rushed since the ageing of the text is sketchy and lacking in detail. If I was to go back and do this again, I would try to remove the lines next time and just have the portrait in paint to amke it look more professional and I would take more time in designing the surrounding text to make it look better. I would also take more time in ageing the piece so it looks more authentic and less like a fake of a WW1 poster.