Brief 3: Making and Using Brushes

As homework for this brief we were asked  to use several pages in our sketchbooks to experiment with black ink. Each page looking at different ways to experiment with spots, lines, and splats (as seen in the scans of my sketchbook below). After scanning these in we then started using these pages to create various brushes, testing what shapes we want to use from our scans and changing the colours of them so we could then develop these to create our final outcome for this session.

Brush Test

For our final outcome we were asked to use our brush samples to create an image of either an animal, for this task I decided to create a tiger. Using my brush samples I first began to create a background for the tiger. Using a few of my 'splattered' samples to create a faded jungle atmosphere in the background. I then used a couple of my 'spot' brushes to create the basic shape of the tigers head and ears. Trying to find a way in which I could create the stripes I started to experiment with my several 'splat' brushes on the tigers face, creating a symmetrical pattern for its face. Moving onto the rest of the tigers features I then began to build up the tigers face my changing the colours of the brushes I'd already used to create his eyes, nose, and ears. As well as building up the texture of his face by using slightly darker orange and brown coloured brushes. After doing this I then started to repeat this process to create the body and build up the atmosphere around the tiger by adding more 'plants' using the same brushes that I used for the background to finish the overall image.

As a final outcome I was very pleased with the final details on the image and the overall effect of the built up stickers as the stripes on the tiger's face and body. I think that if I had created a few more brushes and experimented with line more in terms of brushes I could have built up my image more instead of using the same few brushes. Despite this however, I believe that I was a lot more confident with this task and using Photoshop overall.

Brief Two: Opposites

Ready for the second session, in our brief we were told to draw sets of opposites, things such as fire and ice, cat and mouse etc. As well as this we were also told to bring in various collage material to help not only inspire us for design ideas but to also give us more material to use within our final outcome. here are a few scans of both the drawings I created of opposites and a few of the scans I thought would be useful for the task (below).

To start off the piece I used the poly magnetic cut out tool to cut around the floral pattern from one of my scans to create an overall background for the image, then using my own drawings I then cut out the skull to use as the main center for my image. Changing the levels of the image to make the skull look darker by increasing the contrast on the image, it made the skull look older and more realistic, giving a dark outlook on the image to contrast the floral background. To follow with this, I then started to use my scan of tree branches to develop the main background surrounding the skull. Moving on then to bring more of a deathly feel to the image. I then began to build up the skull more by making the branches darker so they look as though they are growing from its eyes to bring out the contrast between life and death.

As a final outcome, I believe it has met the objectives of the brief and has turned out really well. I like how I have managed to capture the small detail in the branches in how they grow from the skulls eyes. I think that given the time I could have developed this more and maybe even changed the individual branches to flow around the image. Instead of only having the odd few dotted around the outside of the image. Or maybe making the border of the image darker getting lighter towards the skull to give an ironic contrast to the light towards the skull leaving the floral background to be darker. representing the opposites of life and death that I have portrayed in this image.