DIGITAL AND PHOTOGRAPHY IMAGING-PROJECT 4

2/12/24 - 23/12/24 (Week 10-Week 14)

Chika Clarissa Widjaja (0378363)

Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project 4

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures

2. Practical

3. Reflection

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LECTURES 

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PRACTICAL

Research & Ideation

When I was 16, I was a shy and introverted high school student who moved to a foreign country to live on my own. It wasn’t easy, and I had to get out of my comfort zone. But because of that, I achieved a lot, met some amazing people, and learned so much about myself.

I wanted to show this journey through artwork, highlighting self-discovery and all the cool things you can achieve when you try something new and step out of your comfort zone. So, I went through Pinterest and decided I wanted to do a mix media/surrealism poster to share my message. 

Fig 2.1 References

Sketch

After finding references to give an idea what i want my poster to look like, this is my sketch. 

Fig 2.2 Sketch

The idea is my self right now, with more experiences (I know there's still more to go in the future) pouring a path (the road) for my old self who is peeking out a hole (the comfort zone) and the surroundings are colorful and nice elements to indicate that getting out of your comfort zone lead to great things.

Digitalization Photoshop

First, I added a space background and placed a white elipse element in the middle. Then, I added a road element. I made a hole using the lasso tool to the space layer and put elements behind that layer so that it stays inside the circle. 

I added  nature elements inside the circle such as mountain and flower fields. With these together, I used the neural filters option and chose the harmonization to match the colors together.

Fig 2.3 

I placed a picture of myself holding a jar behind the mountain to indicate me pouring down the path. To make it blend altogether with the surroundings, I added noise and color matched it to the mountain. For the sky, I found a painted picture of a cloud so It could match with the atmosphere more.

Fig. 2.4 

To make it look like I'm pouring the path, I used the brush tool and eyedrop the same color from the road and added noise to it. For the jar, I used a the blending option "Overlay" to make it look like the jar is filled with the road's 'cement'.

Fig 2.6

Finally, I placed a black ellipse tool. I used the select and mask tool and refine my hair using the refine edge tool, and the erase my picture using the eraser tool carefully. I color match my picture and added noise to it.

Fig 2.7 Eraser Tool

Final Outcome 

Fig 2.8 Final Outcome

Digitalization After Effects

First, I imported my psd file from Adobe Illustrator to After Effects. Then I created the sun animation by using rotation on 360 degree.

Fig 2.9 Sun Animation

Using the glow effect preset, I created the glow animation.

Fig 2.10 Glow Animation

Finally, I imported a youtube video containing a nature sound and added reverb, diffusion, decay, brightness, dry out, and wet out. Here are the settings.

Final Outcome

Youtube Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/QxPoP3peoxI?si=QNZgOLryWvonQwen

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REFLECTION

This artwork was my attempt to show self-discovery and the idea of stepping out of your comfort zone. I went with a mix-media, surrealism style because it felt like the best way to visually express that journey. Using Photoshop was straightforward since I learned it in class, but blending the different elements to make them look cohesive was definitely a challenge. Another thing i struggle with was finding an idea to showcase my personality or how to express myself through artwork. However after brainstorming and looking for inspiration, I finally got my idea. Working on this project taught me something i've never learned before in class. It was using the glow effect preset. I had to look up on youtube on how to create a radiating glow in after effects. Other than that, I’m happy with how it turned out. It was fun experimenting with a surreal concept and seeing my idea come to life, even if it wasn’t perfect. I feel like I was able to share the message I had in mind, and that’s what mattered most.