Final Project: Masks Behind Masks

These are a set of digitally manipulated photographs set to the theme of the major arcane from a set of tarot cards.  It follows three different influences, Jungian psychology’s collective conciseness and the theme from Shin Megami Tensai: Persona 3 and Persona 4, and concepts from a deck of tarot cards.  The centerpiece, The Fool, is represented by me because the Fool is usually associated with a person on a journey and faces a challenge.  The Persona series also mentions that 0 is empty, yet full of infinite opportunities.  So I followed the concept that people, represented by the other arcane, help influence how you act and what persona or mask you use.  On another note I put a mask behind the persona covering up a black hole.  So my purpose was to make people think about their true self and contemplate who that is exactly. All in all, I wanted to create a serious, yet whimsical piece as shown by the centerpiece surrounded by the other arcane with less serious imagery.

0:    The Fool

1:    The Magician

2:    The High Priestess

3:    The Empress

4:    The Emperor

5:    The Hierophant

6:    The Lovers

7:    The Chariot

8:    Strength

9 :   The Hermit
10:  Wheel of Fortune
11:   Justice
12:   The Hanged Man
13:   Death
14:   Temperance
15:   The Devil

16:   The Tower

17:   The Star
18:   The Moon
19:   The Sun
20:   Judgement
21:   The World

Made by Man

The title of the show was Made by Man and if I remember correctly there were about 7 to 10 pieces in the show.  Each piece of work is displayed hanging on a wall or hanging from a ceiling.  I'm not sure what the material is called but it reminded me of streamers or strips of construction paper.  The works were made by weaving the pieces together until they looked almost cloth-like from a distance.

Each piece was also given a unique color giving the room a wide array of colors.  The form took the shape of blanket or curtain patterns.  Texture was rough and the overall size was large.  Each piece was related because of its appearance yet maintained individuality by changing colors or hanging position.  The work reminds me of old age rope weaving, so I think the artist enjoys the older pieces and construction. 

The work is a reminder of how art can be simple and intriket at the same time.  I also think this piece serves as a reminder of the old ways of art as opposed to the art of the new age.  It reminds us that the art we do today was founded on projects like this that were done by hand, not by machine or computer.  It's an arguement to the growing age of digital artists who no longer use touch an actual canvas of sorts.  All in all, it's good to remeber and value this type of art work.

Final Project WIP

I am attempting to create a mysterious mood of wonder, darkness, and reminiscence or familiarity.  The project focuses on the human consciousness, unconsciousness, and the collective conscienceless that define our persona.  I plan to add the other major arcana from a tarot deck with my family and friends on each different card scattered around the "Fool" card.  I also intend to refine the background and shatter the mask and add a yellow eye where the piece is shattered.  I think the size is at 30 by 40 at the moment just because I feel that it would give a good effect.  I plan on making each card separate from the piece, but if time constraints stop me I will just incorporate them into the piece resulting in a bigger size.  Critics I looking for are design and colors or anything that could help it look better.

Final Project Proposal

I'm still not really sure what to do for the final project, but for now I think I will expand the concept of mapping.  I would like to do more mappings of pool games and create several different images of several different games.  I would also like to update the images in terms of color choice. As for the project itself it is the same as before take pictures of each shot and connect the location of of the ball from its original position to its new position.  As for printing I think at the moment standard paper would be fine and set each piece to fill up the size of the paper.  They would more than likely be presented on a wall side by side or in columns.  If I go this with this project I will also not need to borrow images from somewhere else.  As I said I'm not entirely sure yet, so I can't give out details for any alternative projects.

Assignment 5 Digital Enviornments

This is a compilation in Gif form of multiple game environments that the player character can move around in.  I believe technology has impacted environment in that thing can be made digitally that cannot be made in the real world. It can also create real world environments for the character to explore, this allows people to create their fantasies and visit places from their own home.  The Gif was created in photoshop but the images were gathered in Sony Vegas from video recordings taken from Roxio's Easy VHS to DVD.  Games included: Final Fantasy X, Fallout 3, Uncharted 3, God of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Batman Arkham Asylum and City, Borderlands 2, Halo 4, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  The window I choose because it represented more of a gateway and I liked it better than my previous ideas.  It was appropriated, but it falls under fair use since I masked out a beach scene and handles completely distorting the original goal of the window.  It was also a a free background that had multiple different scenes (wallpapervortex.com).  The piece's mood is one of awe and also a contradiction.  I say contradiction because the scenes are viewed through a window to the outside and gaming is something enjoyed inside.  This may lead someone to think how long it will be when digital reality becomes true reality or when will it become hard to distinguish the two.

Assignment 5 WIP/Test Gif

Ok so this is more of what my test Gif was like, instead of my exact WIP.  The final project will consist of fewer images but it will encompass several different games not just the one I used as a test for the WIP.  I also thought about using just this one game and making one of the spectrum things we have seen in class.

Assignment 5 Proposal

I was interested in the Digital Nation's focus on how digital works can help us go to places that are not possible to go in real life.  So I was thinking of making looping gif that shows various game environments from various video games, if I get a program working right.  This way I can get environments from sci-fi, fantasy, or even real world-based landscapes.  Another idea I have is to create a human with various pieces of technology attached to his body.  This could range from replacing eyes with ipods and ears with phones, as an example.  As for image appropriation I will be using the games to get my own images and for the human tech hybrid. I would probably borrow images from various sources, but I would distort them to a point that they lose their original meaning.

Digital Nation

Living in a digital nation has many benefits and consequences, however, some of them can be both a pro and a con.  Digital communication has enabled a reduces the "distance" and travel cost because we no longer need to be face to face to communicate in a job or social space.  Sometimes these meetings can take place in a digital space or through the Internet.  More people have also began to multitask by switching from screen to screen, but this reduces their accuracy while attempting the different tasks.  Some people also believe it is more private and they can say what they want as faceless, yet everything on the net is available to everyone.  People also believe the cons to be that people are becoming more recluse and avoiding the real world for a game world or other digital world.  They also believe that people are not developing the basics skills of English properly and most people do not read any more. Another note is that most people have connected people who recluse on the computer or games to obesity but more people have died due to lack of eating during extended sessions. 

As technology increases I believe that it will change how we perceive art in various ways.  The technology will allow artist to create things that are not humanly possible and they will no longer be restricted to the physics of the physical word.  I also think that the digital art will change how we experience it.  I think many people will start to think that they would be able to create this art, they will try and think about how pieces are created.  People will also appreciate art more especially older pre-digital works because it was made before there were ways to reproduce the art techniques digitally and had more of a uniqueness to them.

Muybridge Assignment 4

The image was created by singling out the rider and horse in each frame.  From there I simply filled the outline and added the face to make it look like the ghosts when a power pellet it eaten by Pacman. I took away the original background and added the black because of Pacman's game zone paths were black. Pacman was a borrowed image but the closed mouth was just the ellipse tool.  It is updated to an age of gamers and Pacman was one of the milestone games that set ground for what we play today.

Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall- Four Seasons

Just plain and simple

Assignment 3

This is what a game of pool looks like when mapped out.  I chose to map a game of pool because it has been something in my family home for years and I thought that it would look interesting when mapped out.  I created the image by taking several pictures of my dad and I playing a game of pool.  I took an image of each shot until game end.  After that I used the shape tool to create the circles and line and just put the circle over top the ball after each shot.  The images were my own so, there is no copyright infringement.  It makes me feel average, its colorful bu on a grey background and it is also simple.  I think the simplicity helps convey a calming and bright message.

Assignment 3 WIP

Cue ball is done, the layers are made for the solids, and the pool table will probably be taken out by the end of the project.

Old News Assignment

The image I chose was of the schoolhouse on fire.  I liked the image because it has a surreal aspect to it and was visually eye catching.  The image was created by using images taken through photography.  So it is made out of I think photo paper that is displayed with a white border and framed.  I consider the work size as medium-small and they are presented in black and white format.

To me the image as I mentioned is presented in a surreal way because of the stillness of the fire in the image.  The stillness makes the fire less raging and this is further connected by the fact that the black and white eliminates the red-orange flame.  The content reminds me of the artwork I've seen from old protesting posters and commercials to help the needy.  Each piece had dates and times from when they were taken so it seems he grew up or at least gathered images from around Ohio.  In particular he got them from Mansfield, surrounding townships, and a few other cities.

I think the image represents stillness and beauty in tragedy.  Fire is normally associated as destruction and it is presented in a visually astounding way.  The black and white creates a white fire similar to almost looking at a house with too many Christmas lights.  The water from the hoses also matches the same shade of white almost like it is coming from the fire itself.  The fire also takes the shape of almost a roof creating an aesthetically pleasing shape for fire which has no definite shape.  All in all, it shows that something chaotic and formless into something still and definite.

Assignment 3 proposal

I'm thinking about mapping out a game of pool or trying to do one of the photo color spectrum thing.  It interests me because I like to play pool and I think it would be interesting to map out.  I would take my own pictures of a game of pool and either map each ball with a different color or layer them on top of each other (similar to the cat image).  Right now I need to find the right angle to take the pictures from without moving the camera.  If I did the picture thing I would have to borrow images from the web but transform them enough as to remove its original meaning and concept.

Visual Complexity

The images were created by measuring cymatics, the study of wave phenomena and the effect of sound vibration on matter.  The process involved a flat brass plate excited by a violin bow to give the visually stunning effects.  The effect used was called crop patterns.  It interests me because I like music.  In particular I like how music looks on music players with the effects that move to the music my favorite looks like the line for a heartbeat.

http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/project_details.cfm?id=690&index=29&domain=Music

Assignment 2

The Sauron Monument
 

The image was constructed using several images around the web combined with mask layers and various uses of the clone stamp.  The area in front at the bottom of the tower was created with copy and paste and clone stamp. The sky and the Washington Monument was masked out in order to insert the sky, Mount Doom, and Sauron's Tower.  The sky was also created using the clone stamp and various masks and layers.

The images came from various places from the web.  The Washington Monument is a government image so that allows public use and it is also distorted from its original purpose.  Sauron's Tower is actually a model of it from a buying website and it did not include the eye, so it is also not being used for its original purpose.  They eye and Mount Doom came from a free Official Lord of the Rings background and the image itself was distorted.  The background was also removed from its original meaning and purpose.  It falls under fair use merely for the fact that it is being used for educational purposes.

The meaning the image conveys is 1: the government is always watching you and 2: what we see is not always reflected by what is actually there.  The first meaning is conveyed by the fact the Sauron could see anything with almost no restriction, especially in the case of the ring.  The second meaning is conveyed by the fact that we see the Washington Monument as a white, pristine, perfect tower that reaches to the sky.  Sauron's Tower is the complete opposite: black, jagged, and looming.  Some people believe that the perfect America is only here to cover up the America we don't want to see or believe.

WIP #2

Ok so, something hit me on Tuesday and made me want to do this.  Swap the Washington Monument with Sauron's Tower from Lord of the Rings.  Still needs the eye and I might add it into the reflection depending on what the critique is. I also need to fix some edges and possibly add the ashen sky and mount doom in the background.  So it looks like a government critique, but not the same as I originally planned.

Assignment 2 Proposal

What concept or concepts are you interested in exploring for Assignment 2?
"I'm thinking about going with the whole indecision 2012 thing or possible explore technology and nature."

Why does this particular subject matter interest you?
"Personally I'm moderate so I don't really prefer either choice and the other I just have a few ideas in mind."
Describe the ideas you have to communicate this concept visually. Post a sketch, if necessary. (It is OK if this idea changes or evolves through the process of working) "Indecision: A fork in the road with each path leading to either Romney of Obama, possible shark teeth ha ha.  Technology: Cell phone trees or cell phone integrated people."

What types of images do you plan to appropriate? How will you borrow without violating copyright law?  "It will probably be from the web.  I plan to send a message or make them transformed enough that the original meaning is lost"

Which artists/thinkers/writers have influenced your ideas?
"Team Four Star and anyone who does parody that is not something that has been rehashed too many times.  Basically the image or parody gives a feeling of I never would have thought of that."

Fair use.

I actually believe Shepard may have violated copyright in this case or at least his fair use argument is not valid. Fair use is broken down into "comment and criticism" and "parody" and this image does not seem to be in either of these categories. One may argue comment and criticism but that is primarily used for using a quote from a book with the author’s permission in order to review, comment, or criticizes the book. Granted the image itself has been commented on, but not as a way to review the original image. It also couldn't be parody unless it was a republican image that he twisted into a democratic support image. The images themselves are too close to be different, especially if you look at the bottom edge of the original and the edge created above the word hope. If he had gotten the image elsewhere he probably would have finished the area where the tie was instead of leaving a blue background where "hope" is. All in all, Shepards argument of fair use seems invalid when broken into its two major categories.

Materializing New Space Assignment

This is an image of Nesting #4 by Jaime Kennedy and Kelly Urquhart.

The work itself looks to either be hand drawn or drawn digitally.  It is presented on water color paper.  Nesting #4 was displayed amongst several other variations of the nesting.  The overall size is 22" by 30" and looks almost like a light bulb.  The image is in grayscale on a white background.  The elements repeated appear to be sticks, fencing, and the initial house design.

The work to me seems to be inspired by overcrowding in neighbor hoods and how it looks in a nature setting.  The reason I say this is because the crowded houses remind me of the neighborhoods where houses are only a few feet away from another.  It could also be seen as a bird nest version of a mansion.  Wealthy people spend so much on these ridiculously huge houses and this can be seen as just as ridiculous in bird form.  Overall, it just seems that this nest seems out place among other nesting, as would a mansion among houses.

After viewing every one of the works set up in the gallery, I have to say that I was quite amused.  The nestings in particular caught my eye.  Each different nest made me think quite a bit because they were each unique to one another. Aside from the nest above, I would like to at least mention the nesting with the net as it almost seemed like a flying contraption like the other designs for the birds.  It was also interesting to see the brick designs since they seemed more surreal than the actual bird layouts.  In the end it was an interesting exhibit that I hope to keep in mind for my future works.

Psychological Self-Portrait

I'll go with the title Stylish Roulette.

The piece was created using various tools in Adobe Photoshop.  The objects were either scanned or taken from photos I had taken.  Many objects were taken on a bright green background in order to help ease the burden of using selection tools and to help in creating masks and layers.  The odd shapes or odd perspectives were created using the transform tools, the prime focus being the dart board.  The background itself was just a rock that I expanded to create an odd visual effect.  My process overall was simply layering the images into the whole photo and placing them accordingly.  The light bulb actually looks like it is being reflected off a few of the objects.  The watch was challenging, trying to get it appear to overlap the board.  I ended up creating several layers on top of the watch from cropped piece of the dart board in order to create the overlap. 

I guess my concept comes from a roulette wheel.  I went with the revolution theme which is why objects are for the most part revolving around it.  As for a mood, I think it gives off a light atmosphere of thoughts, feelings, and interests that revolve around one's head or psyche.  In order to add more to the revolution concept I made sure to bend objects to curve around and flying off the board.  The watch, however is concept for something definite, since the hands spin at a constant rate and as such it does not belong in the same revolution pattern as the roulette.  In the case of the glowing disc, I'll admit it was more for a whim and it goes with the reflection of fire from its packaging.  If you are wondering where Stylsih fits in, it's because of the spinner of this roulette, the center sword.  It is a replica from the orignal Devil May Cry game series called the Rebellion wielded by a half-demon named Dante.  The combos in the game are rated at different levels, one of course is Stylish which fits his personality type of killing demons in style with the occasional snappy, sarcastic remarks.

Project 1 WIP

Comments/Advice are welcome.

Pessimism/Optimism

Pessimism

Optimism

Christiane Paul Digital Art Chapter 1

I liked Carl Fudge's idea with the anime character on page 45.  I like how it really showed that regardless of the manipulation, you can still tell what form of art style it is from.

I was intrigued by Alexander Apostol's technique of removing windows and doors on pages 38 and 39 .  It really gave the look of desolation under a coat of perfection paint.  It reminds me of the shows that show how buildings decay after they have been abandoned.

I liked the idea of Paul Smith's Action series of putting an every man into the situations of the movie heroes.  I do not like the fact that he uses only himself like when he fights himself on page 41.  It just seems too staged or hyper-real and a bit narcissistic and it just loses its touch for me.  The images feel more like something from a parody action movie.