Final album cover design and evaluation.

Final album cover design.

I used design number 3 as a template for my final outcome. I worked around the original light blue background and used the burn tool to increasingly darken the edges around the outside of the triangle, I did this to draw attention to the lighter areas of the album cover like the album name and the centre. After I had darkened the edges I then used the paintbrush tool and a smooth stroke and blurred edged brush, changed the colour to deep navy/purple and altered the opacity to 70%, decreasing to 60% as I closed into the outline of the triangle. 

Once I'd finalised a colour on which to work upon, I then used the spray brushes on full white to spray some star/nebula in the background design. I then used various other brushes on the dodge tool to further develop the idea of a nebula impression. The most distinctive brush I used was the vegetation brush which has sharp edges and a 3D affect to them, I used these especially behind the title of the album in order for the audience to see the lettering. I varied the hardness of the brushes throughout the process to create some areas that were particularly bright and others that were more blended into the background colours, I feel this affect creates a really build up of layers and captures the attentions of the viewer. 

Evaluation.

For this unit we were asked to discover and explore photoshop and online digital editing software, how it can be used and to experiment with using some techniques ourselves to develop a final outcome of an album cover. I feel as though I have covered a range of techniques and processes and can see the development in my work from the beginning to now, I have discovered how photoshop can benefit my work and add a more professional quality to my drawings. I understand that digital editing is important in refining work and adding real depth and vibrance to colours that ordinary paints cannot usually represent, this broadens the colour pallet to an artist massively and can help to develop work on whole new levels. 

Whilst working in photoshop I have learnt how to manipulate many of the tools on photoshop including, dodge and burn, colour settings eg (brightness/contrast, hue/saturation),  paintbrush and the use of various paintbrushes, selection tools like free-select, gradients, crop, perspective tools and text. I also feel I understand how to manipulate layers and add images and text in ways that I desire. 

I like my final outcome because it's a bright and vivid interpretation of one of my favourite bands, I like the use of the inverted triangle due to the fact that it is used throughout many of Enter Shikari's albums. I also feel that the wolf in my design is fitting to the band and is measured up correctly to the size of the triangle and the album cover overall. As my album has a grounded representation of the band and the music that they produce, the perspectives are all on point, and it has two main centres of attention that are important to the design which all result in an aesthetically pleasing final outcome.  

Album cover development continued.

Album cover development continued.

5th album cover design

I used the first background layer from my original design to develop further my ideas and come up with some more takes on the idea.

I will also be using the wolf from before in the same style; a centre piece in the inverted triangle with a lower opacity to blend the layers.

As my first attempt of using the space background worked so well I decided to use the same image as I was to keep within the same colour pallet to achieve similar aesthetic results.

I used the shift, drag and enter technique on the clone stamp to generate straight lines of the space background within the lines of the triangle and inside the inverted triangle too like before. I then extended the idea of using the space background outside of the triangle, I chose to use the brush 'vegetation' to produce asteroid like marks behind the album cover name, I feel this adds definition to the album and draws your eyes to not only the centre piece but also the band name, making them stand out.

Once I'd played around with idea of using the space background more I figured it would be an interesting background to fill the outside of the triangle with the design too, I left a gap around the triangle as to highlight it, seeing as this is significant to the design and also bring the eyes to the centre of the album. I really like the design idea and feel the colour and design idea work well together, the band and album name also stand out from the background due to the white, blocked lettering adding an extra centre point to the album.

Album cover development.

Album cover development work.

3rd Design Idea.

To begin with I used a colour gradient of two shades of blue/green, on a square shape on full opacity to display a blend of colours that I liked. I then used the paint brush tool and selected a darker shade of teal on 80% opacity, after this I used shift and selected my starting point and dragged a straight line across to where I wanted my first line to end and entered. This created a straight line, I then used this same method a further five time to create a double lined inverted triangle which is symbolic to Enter Shikari and used throughout a lot of their other albums. I then dotted off all of the points on each of the line ends to highlight the shape and show a definite difference against the background. 

I will be using the wolf design that I created before and using it as a centre point in the middle of the triangle, I feel the colours will work well together and the opacity of the triangle in the background will not distract from the animal but now disappear into the background either. 

Once I'd layered up the two images I then changed the opacity of the wolf to blend in more with the background and compliment the triangle in the centre more. I then added white writing with a thick, bold font with squared off edges I feel this compliments the geometric element of the album design.

4th Design Idea.

After I'd developed a my first design I decided I wanted to stick with the same concept but develop the design further by adding a deeper connection to the title name "Life From Planet Earth". I decided to do this by adding a space scene background to the design as a symbolise how vast our world is and how separated we are from the bigger picture because of mediocre everyday problems, something Shikari try to send out as a message to their audience. I used an image from the internet for this segment.

I used the clone stamp to select an area on the space scene and used shift, drag and enter to create straight lines in between the original triangle lines and also filled in the very centre behind the wolf. I feel this really brings out the wolf and adds more depth to the album cover and a little more creativity too. There is a very complimenting colour pallet and I feel the design is easy to look at and appeals to the genre and audience.

Development work for album cover.

Developing elements for my album cover.

Digitally enhancing my paintings. 

I chose to paint a wolf in watercolour using bright, abstract colours, I added a paint dripping and splashing technique to the paper too. I decided to paint a wolf to portray Enter Shikari because the meaning of wolves as spirit animals is: "Sharp intelligence, an appetite for freedom, lack of trust of someone" (http://www.spiritanimal.info/wolf-spirit-animal/). This describes Enter Shikari as a band and much of what they sing about; an inside knowledge of corruption within the world and higher powers, a need for social change and a fear and lack of trust in the government and corporate powers.

 

I first used brightness and contrast to bring the painting to more of a realistic finish, with brighter whites and more vibrant colours, I also used the clone stamp to remove my signature from the bottom right hand corner of the painting. I wanted to make the colour really stand out compared to what the photograph of the painting has picked up and so I used the colour options to enhance the magneta, blue, cyan and red. I then used the dodge tool to lighten the centre of the wolf as this is centre of the painting, to blend this I used a slight purple colour gradient on radical with the opacity at only 15% to  blend the colours.

After I'd edited the image the first time I was happy with the result for as a digitally enhanced photo, but it wasn't refined enough to use on an album cover design, to achieve a more appropriate look I used the selection wand tool to precisely cut out around the wolf's face, although this cut off the background I feel it improved the image. I worked more with the improving the colours on the wolf and decided to work with more blues and winter colours, to do this I went into the colour setting, levels, curves and changed the settings until I was happy with the results. I also worked more closely into the painting by zooming in at 400% and adding colour via the paintbrush tool to the eyes, nose, and some assed colour lines in the fur. I am happy with how the wolf has turned out and feel the bright colours, meaning and definition will all help in making the animal the centrepiece of the design.

Photo editing trials

Photoshop practice - digitally enhancing photos. 

Editing my drawings. 

I used this image of a family friend's dog, and drew a portrait in pencil, I will be using photoshop to edit this image and bring it to a finish. I will be using this to practice working with online editing software, in order for me to create more detailed final designs when creating my album cover later on. 

I used this image taken of a drawing that I half completed before spilling coffee on the design, I then decided to use Photoshop to edit the image and bring it to completion. To begin with I used the select tool to crop out the section of the drawing that I will be using and slightly altered the angle and perspective to make it appear less like a photo taken by a camera. To start the editing process I firstly edited the brightness and contrast, which made the background and foreground stand apart and enhance the over all quality of the photograph. I then used the clone stamp to select and area of white and then used this to fully cover the entire background in white, I believe this was suited to the style of drawing as it's a portrait and busy background would divide focus from the centre piece. Once I had manipulated my image to a higher level of quality I then decided to work on colour and how best to depict the colour of the dogs fur without distracting from the real detail, to do this I worked with the hue and saturation and increased the yellow and red colours. To finalise I then used the colour settings, went to 'auto' and selected 'normalize' and 'white balance', after I'd achieved a colour that I was happy with I slightly adjusted the contrast to enhance certain darker features.

Once I had developed my somewhat 'sepia' design I then worked back into my edit and added colour in some places that I felt would benefit from it, this included the colour, chains, eyes, nose and wrinkles. To achieve a fitting colour I used the paint brush tool and selected a smoother edged brush, I then changed the opacity to 60% and chose a colour on the colour wheel, I then zoomed in at 400% and worked closely with the imaged to make sure that I achieved a good quality finish.

Album cover trial

Album cover experimentation. 

I used brusho and fineliner to create a brightly executed elephant design, I decided to use an elephant for my design because of it's spiritual meaning which is: Pride, stability and power. I feel this is another animal that is a significant representation of Enter's music and will be manipulating the image as a trial for an album cover design. 

Firstly I used the selection wand to cut out the shape of the image that I required, I decided not to cut off all of the colour and ripped paper around the elephant drawing as I feel this will benefit the texture and depth of the drawing. The fine liner on my image is very sketchy and so I used the paintbrush tool on a dark grey colour and opacity of 80% to trace over the most important lines on the elephant design this will help the design stand out. I then used a pastel coloured rainbow gradient on spiral and an opacity of 15% and layered it up in different directions 3 times to generate a layered and textured pattern to compliment the texture of the brusho. The use of the gradient also helped to tone down the harshness of the paintbrush and generated a smoother surface, helping blend the while design together. Once I'd developed this design I then worked around the edge with the doge tool to achieve a burnt out affect around the edges, I wanted it to look work away but not be too harsh as to distract away from the colour. 

After I'd worked into my image I decided I wasn't happy with the colour and wanted to develop a wider range of colours and brightness throughout the elephant portrait. To achieve this I used a rainbow gradient on linear and worked over in various directions 3 times on an opacity of 20%. Once I'd completed this step I then used the colour toolbar to change the brightness and contrast until I was happy with the final outcome. 

1st Design Idea.

Once I had an image I was happy with I created a plain background on photoshop and covered it with a conical gradient of black and blue, and then added my two elephant designs in the top right hand corner and the bottom left hand corner as a layout design idea for an album cover. I decided I didn't like the idea and feel the colours don't compliment each other, in my next design I will make sure that I choose a more appropriate colour pallet and blend my layers better so it looks like one solid flowing design.

Album cover experimentation - weave silk

Weave silk examples.

I used weave silk to create the colourful and abstract designs that I will be manipulating and experimenting with as a possible background for my album cover design.

Firstly I used plain white and created an inverted triangle which is notoriously used throughout Enter Shikari's design, I really like the impact that this design has and think the white stands out against the black background.

For my third design idea for the background layer I chose to use an electic blue colour which simulates a whirlpool effect of what almost looks like energy, or electicity. I feel like this is a good design to consider when creating my album because it really reflects the genre and energy that the band bring.

As an experiment I decided to develop my previous design and add more colour and movement to the layer, I feel like the design is effective however it's too busy and distracting to be a background layer and so I won't be using this as the background layer for my CD cover.

After I'd experimented with different shapes and affects that can be made using weave silk, I decided that my CD cover design would look most appealing with a cyan blue and green mix of colours in a vortex style. This teams up the last two previous samples to create a more refined and vivid image.

Album cover plan

Album cover plan and ideas. 

For my album cover design I will be focusing on the band Enter Shikari, I chose to do this band because I enjoy their music and relate to what they write their songs about; politics, social change and government corruption. I want to capture the meaning behind their music on their album cover subtly, to do this I will be using an animal that represent a balance in power, change and rebellion, animals that relate to this idea are a Mountain Lion (Using Leadership Power Wisely and WithoutEego, Balancing Power, Intention, Strength, Gaining Self-Confidence, Freedom from Guilt, Cunning), Elk (Strength, Agility, Freedom, Power, Nobility), Elephant (Memory, Strength, Ancient Wisdom, Power) and a wolf(Power, Freedom, Strength, Movement, Stamina, Endurance, loyalty, Astral Traveling). 

Animal drawing examples here. 

I want to fill the rest of the album cover with abstract patterns and designs, possibly created with weave silk - which is an online drawing tool that creates vivid, abstract patterns as you move your mouse, I will then manipulate these on Photoshop accordingly to compliment my animal design. I feel that silk weave is an appropriate tool to use as a background design because the bright colours and fluid motions it creates  relate to the type of music (rock/dubstep genre) that Shikari produce.

Album cover experimentation

 

Album cover design one.

1st Design Idea.

For my first album cover design I wanted to use an Elk as the inspiration for my design due to the fact that it is symbolic of what Enter Shikari are about, and what their songs stand for. I first cut out the shape of the dear from a white background and then altered the styles to achieve an inverted colour with an embossed finish, this added a slight raised affect which helps to define it as the centre piece of the design.

After this I then wanted to layer up the image onto a silk weave design that I created, I feel like this element of the design compliments the white Elk in the centre and also the genre of music that Enter Shikari make.

After I'd added the appropriate layers I then worked with different gradients and styles to achieve a variation of designs, for this particular design I used a gradient to change the design to a black and white finish, I like the outcome but I would prefer to use colour in my final design to resemble the genre of music I'm advertising.

Once I'd experimented with manipulating both of the layers, I then decided to only change the Elk in the centre to see if there were anymore variations of colour that would compliment the background, I used difference, which displayed a boheimien style design, I liked the print but I didn't like how the two worked together.

For my final design I decided to stick with the white/pastel colours as they were more appealing the other experiments, to achieve my final take on the first layer I've used the Bevel and Emboss tool which added a 3D edge to the animal and made it stand out from the background despite the bright colours. I also used an inner glow to enhance the centre of the Elk and firther enhance the 3D  aspect of my design, I feel like this works well because it doesn't distract from the shape of the Elk like and outer glow would. Finally I used a colour grandient to add a subtle blue tint around the edge of the layer, I feel this compliments the colours in the foreground and it adds a sharpness and a real definition of shape over all.

To finish the design I added the bands name vertically down the left and right hand side, I decided to use block bold and squared lettering to work alongside the centre of the CD cover too. I wanted to use the same affects on the wording as I did the centrepiece so I repeated the earlier steps and used Belevel and Emboss, Inner glow and colour overlay.

Layering images

Photo layering and development with tools. 

I used this mosaic style cat silhouette that I drew with fine liners to capture all the intricate detail and uploaded it to Photoshop. I used this image because of all the vivd coloring and thought it would look good as more of a graphics piece. I am planning to layer up the image and then use some affects and tools on photoshop to create something new. 

 I really like the idea of using clockwork, and or cogs in the background of my image, I like the industrial feel that the cogs give off and believe when worked correctly they'll compliment the fore ground. I also feel the cogs have a particular pattern in them, that suits the patterns on the cat silhouette subtly. I'm going to layer these images and work them into each other in a way that blends them into one smooth final image.

I then layered the two images and altered the opacity so that you can see both of the images in equal measure.

I then used the "Mixer brush tool" and chose  pale pink color which I worked gradually over half the image harshly and then faded into a lighter shading as the image progresses. To accentuate the colour and add a sharpness to the cogs I then used the filter "Hard mix". I feel this adds more depth to the color and adds a small portion of the primary color through, which is a nice affect. 

I like the image here but I feel like some of the elements have lost their definition and the color of the cat silhouette has been darkened due to the added contrast of the whole image, next I will aim to use lighter color and enhance the foreground so it remains the vivid colors that I depicted to begin with. 

After my experimentation, I extended my full image and displayed all the cogs vertical to create a longer frame, I created a broader use of colour and ranged from blues, to purple to a pink centre, to  create this I used a gradient affect and then used the "Hard mix" affect again and then finished by highlighting my foreground image of my cat, this allowed both segments of the image to stand out from the page and I really like the final outcome. 

Enter Shikari album cover evaluation and research.

  Enter Shikari - A flash flood of colour.

Enter Shikari are an English Rock band, who are currently working on their fourth album, this album: “A flash flood of colour” is their newest, and it discusses social and political issues throughout; specifically the struggle of the working class and government corruption.

The inverted triangle in the left centre of the cover represents an inverted social hierarchy, or a change in power. This relates directly to the genre of music that Shikari deliver, and allows the viewer to have an insight as to what they’re about as a band – it’s a clever and powerful message. Due to the fact that the triangle is a notorious symbol for a social hierarchy, or a food chain, it is easily recognisable and therefore, easily interpreted.

The idea that the location is in a forest subtly tells us a little more about the meaning behind the band. The forest shows us that in a peaceful, mundane, environment, there is a “flash flood of colour”. This could be a representation again for a change, reverting away from idealisms and introducing a powerful new perspective on things in amongst normality.

Due to the fact that Enter Shikari are a highly political band that sing about current affairs and issues amongst the world, the positioning of the triangle on  the album cover (left), could be a subtle hint at their political stance being left wing. This is an intricate detail that is more personal than anything.

Photography presentation.

Photography in advertisement.

 I produced a photography presentation on how and why photography is used in advertisement, and what affect this has on the consumer. I will be looking at different places that we see photography in advertisement and, why it is important, and what skills and qualification you would need in order to become a photography advertiser.

Firstly I looked at why photography is used in advertisement and how it is affective. I produced bullet points of what I believed were some of the key attributes to using photography in advertisement, these include; Image is everything which basically means that the image is where the eye is centred, it's the first element of the ad that people will see. This then leads to memorable, an image is more likely to stick with you that a whole bunch of text, if you see the same image again somewhere else you will be able to recognise what it is advertising, because you've remembered it. This is due to multiple elements like vivid colour, it separates the image from the rest of the text and allows it to stand out. Lastly the image can convey a message, something subtle but powerful, perhaps about manipulating the landscape to make it appear more idyllic to viewers.

A photographer in advertisement must have a wide skill set that includes time management, clear communication and creative thinking. A photographer in this department will need to produce very specific briefs with clients in order not to create something totally unexpected, these must include points like colour, layout, features, a message, location, props etc. Once a brief has been decided on and cleared the photographer is then in charge of managing these logistics and setting a target shooting date which is essentially their deadline.

Photography is one of the most, if not the most broadly used media in the advertisement industry, you can see examples of this everywhere you go from: Billboards, newspapers, magazines, internet, TV and many more. These advertisements can be used to sell a product, for example Heinz ketchup. Influence our lifestyles, for example a "Change for life" poster encouraging us to live healthier. Or convey a message, for example an ad for water aid sending us the message about giving and why our help is needed.

There are multiple career options for an advertisement photographer, however these generally are split into two main sub categories which include Commercial photography and Advertising photography. Commercial photography is solely taking photographs of objects, models or landscape for retail and sales purposes; these could include: Cereals, make-up and holidays. Secondly there is Advertising photography which focuses mainly on conveying messages about products, lifestyles and services in an innovative way, this means the message is displayed in a more creative way and it holds a meaning, and a purpose.

Here are some examples of advertisement photography, and commercial photography. All of the displayed advertisements are creatively developed with a message behind them, the book advertisement is insinuating that you can get 'lost' inside their books, and become someone else. The image here is very clever because its positioned the  skull on the front cover in line with the models heard, showing a contrast between the two different people inside and outside the book. The batman movie trailer is clearly featuring a day and month outlining the infamous Batman signal, which has been obliterated into the sign, showing the viewer subtly what genre of movie this is, and what type of action to expect from watching it. Lastly is the Artist's colouring pencil brand, which creatively tells the viewer that their pencil colours are truly accurate to their name, for example: here is an aubergine coloured pencils which smoothly follows the shape of an aubergine and reverts into one. This is a clever way to display a message, but is also a good example of commercial photography due to the fact that there is a clear background, a main centre point on the product and a clear indication in the bottom right corner about who the company is that sells these products.

Overall, a photographer in the advertisement industry must have an eye for detail, they must be able to pinpoint certain important aspects of a design that other people might not necessarily pick up on, for example colour highlight and tonal work. Good communication skills are also essential, as to create the most specific brief possible, there must be no hidden surprises and the client should have a clear idea of what to expect. Displaying ideas creatively is also a key skill in order to make your clients adverts stand out from the rest, they must be unique and affective to purpose. Solid computer skills are necessary, as photo editing software will need to be used to finalise images, this includes use of programmes like Photoshop or CAD. A photography doesn't necessarily need qualifications if they have a solid portfolio that displays their skill set and what they can offer, but it will help.

Typography

 

What is typography?

Typography is the art of using text for a creative purpose, examples of this include greetings cards, books, posters, newspapers, and fine art pieces - the outcome must be appealing to the eye and the text must generally be east to read. Due to the fact that the text must be easy to read the typographer must carefully select aspects of the text such as; font, colour, size and positioning.

 Each of these must be considered when thinking about the audience and purpose of the typography, for example a poster will use bright, loud and bold typography in order for it to stand out in a cluster; where as newspapers or textbooks are usually formal prints, that tend to be printed in black and white.

Photoshop intro - layering and affects.

 

Photoshop introduction.

I used Photoshop for the first time and decided to work with an image that I had drawn and also one that I found on the internet, I layered these up and added various affects until I was happy playing around with the new tools.

Before.

After.

I used tools, like crop, colour balance, saturation, opacity, contrast, layering and more. My favourite tool to use was opacity because I like the way that the two images fade into together and make it seem like one, I use this image to fade out because it looks as if Mickey and Goofy are looking out at former version of themselves.

I also used a variety of gradients to play around some more with my image and the use of colour, there are a range of grandaunts and effects like these; such as negative, sketch etc. I like the outcome of this image because there is no way that you can tell part of it was drawn, or layered and it looks like the two images belong together.

Gradient edit.

Given more time I feel I will be able to develop my work more and experiment with a variety of techniques, such as embossing photos, creating digital images, working with a wider variety of colours and more. I feel as though as though I have only just start working with Photoshop, and there are still many tools and effects that I will be able to use on future work.

Digitally enhanced photos.

Digitally enhanced photos on the internet.

I studied the way that digitally enhanced images are used in everyday life; to advertise, emphasis and create artwork. Digitally enhanced art work is work that has been uploaded onto a computer and editing using specific computer software like Photoshop, the effects can very fro layering, sharpening and enhancing brightness.

I have collected some images below that evidence my research on digitally enhanced photos – my first image could be used for tourism photography and advertisement, the idea would be to change the colours, contrasts and lighting in order to portray the ideal image for the outcome, this is used in advertising for holidays and scenery because it makes the landscape look more appealing to the audience.

My second use of evidence for digitally enhanced images was magazine and make up photography, these images are enhanced and photo-shopped to make the subject look like society’s idea of “perfect”. These images influence consumers across the globe into purchasing these products in order for them to conform to an ideal.

Thirdly, these processes can be used when creating a background for film advertisement, these are often succeeded through the use of digital media and green screens, the person us usually real, but can be digitally created, and the scenery, active background and bright packaging are deliberately placed there via a computer in order to sell a product and make it look exciting to the consumer.

Album covers often incorporate this method of enhancement and editing so that they may portray an individual and unique idea for their style of music, this often tells the consumer whether or not they will like the music they are about to purchase. This particular album cover portrays light and contrast well and draws the main attention to the centre of the album cover.

This image of a comic strip has been edited with computer software, the is a before and after picture that shows a changed in size, lighting, brightness, sharpness, colour, and the removal of writing from the original comic strip. You can see clearly from these two images that the second version is more clearer and has a lot more definition that the first, this shows how digitally editing can help to improve upon images in way that pencils, paintbrushes and art supplies can not.

Oliver Ponsonnet.

Oliver is a French digital artist who works with portraits of transformed men and women into portraits of creepy, fantasy nature. I love this work because the transformation is natural and the outcome is dark and mysterious leading you to question the meaning. The portrait is called “Mr.Bone” and is considered to be a practitioner of medieval voodoo.

Jon Measures.

Jon Measures uses a variety of techniques within his work, including mixed media and heavy range of digital imagery, there is a a huge variety of layering, colour contrasting and texture that all together depicts the history and environmental atmosphere through the use of popular culture (popular logos, food chains, landmarks) and colour.