Line - Digital Media

Photobiography

I suppose this photo might not fit the exact criteria that you were looking for for this assignment, but the fact of the matter is, I loathe just about any photo taken of myself - that is, until I have had the opportunity to Photoshop it into a piece of artwork. This particular over-Photoshopped portrait, is actually from about three and a half years ago, during my senior year of high school. Conveniently, I still look exactly the same, so it is still an accurate depiction of myself. I chose this photo because it perfectly embodies my love of art and design, and my uncontrollable desire to turn all things visual into works of art. In addition, (sad as it may be) the facial expression in this photo is also 100% Lisa Ploof. I am generally rather stoic, methodical, and accused of being too serious, even angry looking at times... I felt that this photo captured my infamous glare rather nicely! However, I found myself struggling with this particular assignment. The more photos of myself that I viewed and snapped, the more I concluded that I am, photographically speaking, a blank face. Then I realized that, in some sense, that is who I am. I am not one to wear my emotions on my sleeve, but rather to hide them away. My emotions come out in my art and in my words. I am a thinker more than a speaker, constantly getting lost in my own ponderings of the world, human tendencies, and aesthetics. I think this photo embodies me better than any other I could find... It depicts my tendency to look through things rather than getting stuck on the surface and my desire to portray any and everything as art. In addition, it exemplifies my absolute adoration for Adobe Photoshop. Artistically, this image embodies a clear sense of balance. The abstract shapes created by my hair and hat frame my face, making it the clear focal point of the image. The lack of shading a value gives the image a more cutout or hand drawn feel. The sheer amount of activity in the background (hat and hair included) gives the image an almost static outer rhythm, while the clarity of the face provides the viewer with a calm area in the center of the abstract storm.

Balance, Revisited

Positive Space in White

Negative Space in White

The Leftovers Collage

Rhythm

Original

Hot

Cold

Damp

Comfortable (with motion)

Progressive Rhythm

Scale and Proportion - Photoshop Collage

This collage consists of six separate photos, all taken by myself. Layer one is the sky, on which I made a few hue adjustments. Layer two is the off-perspective building, with some hue and saturation adjustments and an inner shadow. Next was the main background image, which I left pretty much the same, doing a few hue adjustments. Then, I used the magnetic lasso tool to select my boyfriend out of a photo and add him into the image, super-sized. I then used the same tool to select an elephant out of another photo I had taken, and used it to create a parade of elephants around my boyfriend. Lastly, I added a photo of myself as one of the billboards in the background.

Emphasis

Emphasis by One Element - In this example by Gretchen Kelly, the high contrast, bright red door stands out against the otherwise colorless background. Although the images represents one continuous composition, the door is clearly the focal point.

Emphasis by Isolation - In this photo, retrieved from Flickr, the lone bird on the bottom wire is made the focal point by means of isolation. Although all the birds appear to be undefined shapes, the isolated bird draws the viewers eye.

Emphasis by Placement - This photo of the Andy Warhol gallery at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, uses placement to create emphasis on the image at the back. Both the staircase and the hallway lead back towards the image, as do all parallel lines on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Emphasis by Contrast - This image, by Mark Bennett, uses contrast to create the window as a focal point. The warm, glowing orange stands out against the cold, blue, snowy background, creating a warm, inviting focal point.

Absence of Focal Point - This image, titled Pink Quetzacoatl, has no focal point. Instead, it is an abstract representation, a collection of vibrant colors and interesting shapes and lines. By avoiding the use of a blatant focal point, the painting becomes one unified focal point in and of itself.

Unity

Unity through repetition - The plethora of colors in this particular image are tied together by the repeated "bull's eye" shapes. -Tom Moody

Unity through continuation - This black and white photograph by Andrea Macfarlane uses the continuation of a variety of shapes to create unity. The parallel lines of the benches and concrete and the receding circles and half-circles draw the eye back into the image. -Andrea Macfarlane

Unity through emphasis on variation - This painting by Andy Warhol utilizes slight variations not only to add visual interest but also to unify the image as a whole. If all of the cans were the same color and at the same angle, the painting would not be anywhere near as successful as this colorful image. This is also an example of a grid based design. -Andy Warhol

Unity through use of the grid - This collage makes use of the grid as a unifying factor in this skyline collage. Although parts of the image are disjointed and not matching, the fact that all of the parts are laid out structurally in a grid format ties it all together. -Fine Art