Practical Work
CGI Clouds
Creating process
I created CGI clouds using Adobe After Affects, I coloured the background in a sky blue colour and added a cloud shape. I then made the oval shape more cloud like by manipulating and warping the shape this created a more organic cloud shape. Additionally to give the cloud a fluffy appearance I had to ad a texture and manipulate it by making the pattern smaller or larger on the cloud shapes surface. To make multiple clouds I coded the cloud and was able to replicate it without doing the whole process over. To make the clouds come to life I then animated them so they organically move. I played around with the camera angle and the motion of something like a plane flying through the sky.
To add this to my website I then had to export the file and save it so I could upload it here.
Reflection
I am happy with my first attempt at creating CGI clouds. They replicate clouds well and kind of remind me of the clouds in the Simpsons intro. I have really been enjoying digital art recently and would love to try out more effects to create more complex CGI animations.
This experimentation with after effects was some what successful as they look like what they were meant to be, however that said it would be better if I had either spaced them out more naturally or created more clouds as I think this would improve the overall effect and composition as the camera zooms in further to the back of the shot in the distance.
Next time I will take into account where the camera starts and finishes within my shot and this should help with the overall composition.
If I was to carry on with this technique and process I would develop it into more complex compositions and add more effects like lighting and debris flying around.
Reflecting forward
Cloud Time-lapse
Creating process
To create this time-lapse, using my Canon 2000d camera with a 18-55mm lens. I first had to take a video of the sky, I captured the trees for some extra interest and the branches was moving in the wind. I recorded for around twelve minutes. I then uploaded the video to the computer before opening it in Premier Pro. I created a new project on there and dragged and dropped my video to the media panel. Time to edit, I dragged it to my timeline and muted the sound, I then sped the video up by clicking on the video in my sequence panel so it is highlighted with a white box then going to clip/speed/duration then changing the speed from 100% to 2000% and click okay. This sped my clip up from 12 minuets to around 1 minuet. I then needed to find a track to play with my clip so i went to bensound.com to find audio witch is a royalty free site and downloaded it to the computer, dragged and dropped to my media panel before adding it un the audio section under my video section. After using the razer tool to cut it down to the same length of the video portion I was able to export it to save as a mp3 file.
Reflection
Although I am happy with my time-lapse I think it could be improved, I could do this by thinking more about composition and using the rule of thirds to have more sky in the shot and only have the trees in the right hand corner but this is something I will think about in the future to improve myself. Additionally in the editing of my video I wish I had but a title and credits stills in so that I could have credited myself and bensound.com for the audio I used, Although I might go back and add that in at a later date.
Reflecting Forward
This would have worked better if I had only filmed the sky as the main focus for me while filming this was to capture the way the clouds moved and changed.
Moving forward I think I could film different types of weather and merge them together in Adobe Premier Pro with transitions and change the music and blend and transition that as I would do with the clips.
Additionally I could make a time-lapse of seasons to show how the weather changes throughout the year.
Cloud Photography
Process
On the 10th of March I took a range of cloud images using an array of different cameras. I used a Sony A7 DLSR camera with a 200-600mm telescopic zoom lens. Although this camera was heavy and I had to use a monopod to support the camera and weight of the lens I was able to take close up images of the clouds and capture interesting shapes within the clouds surfaces. I Also used my own Canon 2000d DLSR camera with a 18-55mm zoom lens witch I used to capture larger portions of the sky. Additionally I used a Pentax SLR camera using black and white film. I have previously used this camera and am excited to go through the process of developing the film and printing the images in the darkroom. Results to follow.
Reflection
I genuinely enjoyed capturing images of the clouds and finding interesting light, texture and shapes within them. I found it interesting using an array of cameras as the results are different from one camera to the next and I'm extremely excited to find out the results of the film camera images and see how different they are in comparison to the DLSR cameras.
Reflecting Forward
Next I plan to manipulate my cloud photographs on Adobe Photoshop to change the overall look and feel of the images, to incorporate into future artworks.
Photoshop Clouds
Here is an array of cloud art (above) that I have manipulated on Adobe Photoshop exploring colour, contrast and filters. I have changed the colour of the sky and the clouds in some creating a sort of fantasy feel to my original photographs. On others i have added filters to make it look like a mosaic and on the last cloud manipulation I used filter on top of filter to create a fragmented effect.
Process
I created these cloud images on Adobe Photoshop using cloud photographs that I had taken. I loaded the photo onto Photoshop and then manipulated the image by adjusting the brightness and colours within the picture until I was happy with the effects. Additionally of a couple of the images I created I used filters to create the extra textures like the mosaic effect. This changed the look and feel of the images greatly.
Reflection
I really like my Photoshop cloud images especially the pastel clouds that i have displayed on its own. the colours make it feel like a fantasy sky from another world.
It is a fantastic effect that I was hoping for, although the fragmented mosaic was a happy accident and was done by using the same filter twice.
I feel like these cloud images would be a great addition to a digital art work as it could bring a fantasy feel to the overall image.
I could use this technique to manipulate a sky for a digital work with complimenting and contrasting colours to make the characters pop and give my artwork a vibrant and textured background or I could use them for inspiration in traditional mediums.
Reflecting Forward
3D sculpture inspired by cloud formation
After researching clouds and cloud formations, this is the image that court my eye and inspired me to create a suggestive sculpture based on the spiral form the clouds have taken in this photograph I found online.
I wanted to create a sculpture on the form and shape of this formation and exaggerate the spiral configuration. Influenced by the materials available to me I chose to use cardboard pizza bases for a platform for my sculpture, woofed skewers for the supports, wooden dowel for the form of the spiral and aluminium tape to hold the structure together.
My designs
Initial sketch for my sculpture idea (left), this was my first thought when I started to think about how I would portray a cloud sculpture this is a very visually literal idea and I added lightning for supports to hold the sculpture up, but I decided against this as I felt I had merged two totally different ideas/forms together that usually wouldn't go together in the really world. I also found that the clouds were to "expected" and wanted to create a more simplistic interpretation in witch it makes my audience think about my work and each person could perceive it in a different way to another person.
After a little thinking I was able to simplify my design down into a much more simpler and sleeker design (right). With this design I took the shape of the cloud formation in its simplest form and used Conrad's supports and created a similar way to keep my structure elevated. I starts with just one spiral form and after consideration decided to add more to give the simple spiral an abstract shape. This design can be interpreted by my audience is many ways depending on how they think although based on a cloud formation it could also be a representation of a tornado for example or an abstract way to view wind in general I like to give people something to think about when the are viewing my work and I think this design dose it the best.
Messy prototype sculpture
This is my idea in initial form to see if my structure could support itself. I used a cardboard base and poked skewers threw the base to try and give it extra stability and then used masking tape to secure it in place further. I then took the thin wooden dowels and attached them to the skewers in a spiral form starting with the outside skewers and curling them round to the more central supports attaching them slightly lower on each one. This is how I created the exaugurated spiral. Now that I am happy with the way it looks and know that this design can support itself it is time to tidy it up.
Tidy prototype sculpture
This is a more polished sculpture, I achieved this by adding another base over the top of the initial platform to hide the layers of masking tape holding and supporting the skewer beams in place. This not only did this hide the masking tape but added stability to the uprights. I then replaced the masking tape that held the dowel to the skewers with strips of aluminium tape, this is is stronger and more visually pleasing. The contrast between the natural wood and the shine of the aluminium gives the piece more interest and reminds me of an earlier sculpture I created inspired by Richard Deacon, who uses a combination of natural materials and industrial steal nuts, bolts and rods in his work.
Richard Deacon
Restless 2005
I really love this sculpture of Deacons, the feel of constant movement in this still sculpture is extraordinary and mesmerising to look at. It captures a feeling within many of us. The harsh contrast between the natural wood grain that as been manipulated into this form and the industrial shine of the steal beams that support this structure is amazing and inspiring.
Second more polished sculpture
This time I wanted to try and make my sculpture taller to make the spiral through the middle more pronounced, in order to achieve this I had to think about the strength of the support beams. To strengthen this I used four cardboard pizza bases, I used the same method as the sculpture before. I poked holes where I wanted the skewers to be and then taped them in place using masking tape, I then marked where my supports will be on the next pizza base and used this as a guide to accurately mark and make holes in the other two bases. I added them on one by one making sure I taped on each layer before adding the next. Until I got to the last base I used this to hide the tape and make the base clean. This time I decided to keep the platform brown to keep it natural like the wood I am using. After I knew the supports were strong I then added height to this by using aluminium tape to secure another skewer to the first this worked really well and seems to still have the strength. I am now going to add the spiral to my supports.
Conrad Shawcross
The Dappled Light of the Sun
This sculpture inspired me to create my sculpture on stilts/supports so that my sculpture could be above your head and cast shadows on the floor in an interesting way. I love the idea of a sculpture that towers over you and changes your view in some way. like Shawcross my sculpture will create shadows underneath it in a pattern when it is hit my the light.
I really love Conrad's work and the way in witch he presents his art, Using geometric pattern to create an organic looking shadow.
Reflection
I have really enjoyed creating this sculpture, I was really happy with my first "test model" but I wanted to improve my initial idea but making it stronger and creating a more exaggerated and taller version witch would showcase the form of the cloud formation more prominently. I think I started this very well I problem solved to make the supports and overall structure stronger so it could withstand a greater height and I am looking forward to finishing this second model.
Reflecting Forward
This sculpture was successful and gave me the desired effect I was looking for it has strong lines and the suggested form of the cloud formation. I was originally going to cover the spiralling lines however I am glad I didn't as I feel it would have detracted from the overall feel of the sculpture I was looking for.
Going forward I would love to make this a full scale model that looms above heads and casts shadows like a canopy in an interesting spiral.
Wind Drawings
Creating a wind drawing machine
To crate this wind drawing machine I used three pieces of bamboo with small holes drilled at the end, this is where I connected them together using a piece of wire, now they are connected they are going to need some stability to be able to hold up in the wind so I used wooden skewers and some tape for this about a third of the way down the structure. The simple wind drawing structure is complete and I can go ahead and add my mark making tools using some string. After testing the equipment would be able to move in the wind and make marks by testing it in the studio by waving a cutting mat at it to simulate wind. My wind drawing contraption is now ready to be taken out and tested by the elements.
Above is a series of photographs of my wind drawing machine in the studio and outside where I tested its ability's. Luckily it was a particularly windy day on this day.
Here is a short clip of my drawing machine at work, using an array of different materials and methods of attaching them to the structure. I used a piece if compressed charcoal wrapped in wire coiled around one end and fashioned into a loop to attach it to the string. I also used a bottle with a pencil attached to the opening and weighted down with blue tack to see if this would have a different effect to those materials that are not weighed down and I tied some felt tip pens to the structure also.
This is the result of my wind drawing machine i think it gives an interesting effect and shows the power of the wind that day by making the materials dance across the surface of the paper. Although to some this art is a bunch of scribbles, but the beauty of this is the process of the winds power and ability to move things in an unexpected way.
Shadow drawing and the wind
This is what "play time" for an artist looks like. As a group using the sun to cast shadows we drew around them using charcoal creating line and shape in an abstracted way. We then got the paintbrushes and ink out and started blocking in the shape as we held it down on the floor. After this we wanted to create marks so I started to use the paintbrush to splash and splatter ink across the huge piece of paper with some of the group holding it up in the wind the then let go as i splattered ink on it creating different effects this would be considered something anyone could do no mater your skill level but the process of letting go and just having fun was very fulfilling.
I created this 20cm by 20cm grid drawing using the large wind drawing we created as a group with ink, by measuring and cutting it into equal calculated 2cm by 2cm pieces and rearranging the seemingly chaotic study into an abstract artwork.
Wind Drawing Grid
Reflection
I really enjoyed this day, I found the process exciting and really fun. Its nice to experience that art doesn't always have to be serious and you don't always have to have an exquisite final piece sometimes the journey of the process can be the most important and exciting part this exercise gave me different perspective on art and I really like that.
Reflecting Forward
This worked well as an experimental art work, and gave me a surprising and exciting effect that I was not expecting. The lines and marks were uncontrolled and random but this was a breath of fresh air from the tight detailed works normally seen within art.
I could develop this technique by experimenting with different martials and weather to create different textures and patterns and create a collage.
Illustration inspired by the wind
I got inspiration from the wind drawing experiment for this illustration. As we let go of the huge piece of paper the wind took it and the movement of the paper in the wind made it look like it was dancing in the wind. Going up and then diving down. This week we had also been looking a lot at clouds and this idea of whales diving through the clouds hit me. I really love drawing animals and fancy elements and for me this was a perfect opportunity to draw animals.
Reflection
I really like this illustration. The composition and flow of the line makes it feel like the whales are swimming through the clouds. I do think if I had used a different medium it could have been a cleaner illustration, as I think the graininess of the coloured pencils detract from the overall feel and look of this piece. I intended it to look light, pastel coloured and airy. In my opinion maybe watercolour would have been a better choice to execute my vision.
Reflecting Forward
I like the overall composition however I feel like I have left the left hand corner to empty as the clouds swirling through gives your eyes something to follow but nothing to land on so something there would give the illustration more balance.
I could develop this into a fantasy world and incorporate within future artworks.
Idea Factory
So starting with an idea factory exercise, where I choose three words from an array of words that was available to me. I choose Dystopian, Lightning and Suspend. Looking at these words and researching I was able to find inspiration for some ideas that I may be able to create.
With the research portion of this exercise I have used a range of methods to gather and display my research in order to spark an array of ideas. I started with mood boards by doing a google image search and collecting images and printing them of and arranging them on my sketchbook page. The second method I used was to look up the original word I had chosen, giving me definition and meaning. From this I was able to find in the case of suspend, some synonyms to further the ideas that I could create. After this method I mind mapped what I was initially thinking this helped me to visualise my ideas separately as sometimes I can have to many ideas running around my head. Finally for the lightning I was really interested in why lightning happens and what conditions would course this so i researched this topic more in depth in a science bases way to gain more understanding on my subject matter.
In my thinking process I find it helpful to doodle and draw to let my head have space to think. This is something I find extremely helpful.
Initial Ideas
From a device that can collect lightning from a volcano to an idea for a dystopian world illustration with a character. Both ideas can be translated into world building witch I am particularly interested in at the moment. I love apocalyptic stories and futuristic technology to solve the ever growing problems of modern life. and this is what i was trying to portray by finding a Si-fi ish idea to a growing problem of limited energy from fuels.
My second though was a disaster of a world where a character is in an unforgiving dystopian world wondering trying to find resources to sustain himself and his pet creature. I looked a a verity of different compositions to find the best way to convey a message of loneliness in a baron world where you can only look after yourself by being resourceful and using things in a sustainable way.
Reflection
I really enjoy the process of the idea factory exercise. It lets me open my ideas in a wider way, witch gives me more room to think and experiment. I am just in the idea faze here but I will be creating a more finished idea from my idea factory in the near future. to get a feel for illustrative composition. This will help me further down the line with my final piece.
Reflecting Forward
I want to develop the extreme weather further through illustration in a world with characters with a twist of fantasy.
Character Design Workshop
In a character workshop I was told to experiment with shape by tearing up scrap paper and arranging them on the page, this is useful to investigate body shapes and types as well as different poses and proportion. I was looking at creating an anthropomorphic creature to star in my final piece for my FMP.
I wanted to create an animal with human traits to get my target audience interested in the story I am trying to tell. However I don't want to loose all the animalistic traits of the animal I will be using so it was important that I didn't move to far away from the animal I was trying to portray.
Disney achieves this extremely well in their animations. Zootopia for instance has a really wide range of examples in the film, Everything from small mice, Big cats and even elephants. This is where some of my inspiration comes from for my designs as my brother got me the art of Zootopia book for Christmas and this sparked a love for character design and world building.
Reflection
I really liked looking at the shapes that could make up the body, rather than just jumping straight into the details of a character and having less dynamic poses. This was really useful and helped me to think in a different way and i will be using this technique in the future as I think it would be extremely helpful in other areas like backgrounds and world building. this could really enhance composition and putting more depth into my illustrations by playing around with foreground, midground and background.
Reflecting Forward
Using this technique helped me to understand shape better and found that I liked the overall shape of this character without clothes a lot better than with as it reads better this way. using this shape language I am going to develop my red panda character.
Printing in the darkroom
Equipment Needed
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Enlarger (with 50mm lens if printing 35mm film)
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Red/orange safe light
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3 trays
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2x plastic tongs/tweezers
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Multigrade filters (8.9cm size)
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Multigrade paper (RC type)
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Multigrade paper developer, stop bath and fix
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electronic timer
The set up
You should have the developer nearest to the enlarger, then the stop bath and then the fix. After this is the sink with running water to wash the images of all chemicals after the printing process. Above this set up is the line with pegs/clips, where you hang the prints to dry.
Printing process
Having already developed my films before half term but I was a little disheartened to find that one of my films was unsuccessful as this is the one I was most looking forward to printing however these things happen sometimes and I am happy I have a second film I am able to print from.
The paper used for printing is sensitive to light so it essential that the main lights are kept off and the only light on is the safe red light to enable you to see enough to complete the process without destroying the paper.
With my negatives cut into manageable strips I am now able to begin the printing process. I start by removing the negative carrier from the enlarger so I am able to open it and insert my negatives, ensuring that the image want to print is visible through the window. After I return the negative carrier is placed back I can then turn the light on on the enlarger to see if the images is in focus before covering the enlargers light with the red light filter so I am able to place the paper underneath the light in the correct place. When I am happy with placement for my test strip I then set the timer for one second and hold a piece of card over three quarters of my paper, this is so I can test how long I should expose the paper to light and how bright I should have the exposure. I repeat this process for every quarter until I have four different exposure times.
I then place the print in the developer making sure it is completely submerged and leave it there for between 1/2 minuets. removing it with plastic tongs I then place it into the stop bath for a further few minuets before placing it in the fixer its stays in this bath for a further 5 minuets fully submerged. When this step is completed it then goes into the holding bath of running water to ensure the chemicals are completely removed.
Now it is ready to be hung up to dry.
Test strips
four seconds three seconds two seconds one second
Here I have used different exposure times to see witch is best to used for this image I have decided that two seconds gives me the best results to make sure this is the right timing I am going to do a full tester strip using two seconds exposure.
This is a full strip of two second exposure to light and I am happy with the contrast and colour in this strip. I am now ready to print a full images using this exposure time.
Reflection
I love using the SLR cameras. I really enjoy the surprise of how the photographs are going to turn out. It is so different from anything I have done in the past and that to me is the exciting part. I really enjoy being in control of every step of the process and feel so connected to the process. This is something you lose when using digital cameras.
Reflecting Forward
I could develop my photography further by using unconventional lighting I feel this would give interesting shadows and silhouettes within my images.
Ink wash micro session
This technique is interesting, you begin by putting a was of water on the down enough to leave a wash across the surface and then take some ink on your brush and drop it into the water on the surface of the paper and then just let it run and pool where it wants to. Let it dry completely and then interoperate the shapes by drawing onto it with fine liner, this gives you some interesting images.
Reflection
I really like the effects this technique gives you the shapes created by the dried ink gives and organic feel this with the line work on top creates an interesting contrast.
Reflecting Forward
I feel this could work well on a bigger scale using more vibrant colours. I would be excited about seeing the outcome of this.
Character Design
