Digital Media: Self-Portrait Assignment

For this assignment we had to create a self-portrait using collaged images we took ourselves and/or images that were sourced from the internet. We were required to have a recognizable image of ourselves included in this assignment. The other images were supposed to tell a story or represent ourselves in some way.

For my self-portrait I wanted to incorporate my love for cartoons using images of some of my favorite cartoon characters. I have always been a big fan of Disney and Hayao Miyazaki films and I wanted to use characters from some of their works. In my self-portrait you can see images of Elsa, Ariel, Belle, Mufasa and Jack Skellington (Disney), and Totoro (Miyazaki). I also incorporated my love for Asian culture by using images of origami cranes. You can also see an image of a pile of playing cards that represents my love for card games. If you look closely you can also see pins on my shirt that have pictures of my nieces and nephew.

Digital Media: Self-Portrait Proposal

For this assignment we have to create a collaged self-portrait image that represents who we are as a person using Photoshop techniques learned in Digital Media.  I chose the images above as a source of inspiration for my own self-portrait assignment.  I like how the artists combined realistic imagery with “cartooned” imagery.  I would like to have those same effects in my self-portrait.

I have always been obsessed with cartoons; mainly Disney and anime.  I am often referred to as “a little kid” because of this obsession.  For my self-portrait piece I would like to use an image of myself that I will add filters too to make it look “cartoony”.  I want to Photoshop cartoon and hand drawn elements of my favorite things onto the image background.  I would also like to incorporate images of my favorite cartoon characters onto the clothing I would be wearing in the photograph.

Digital Media: Folded Book Project

Front Cover

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

Page 11

Page 12

Page 13

Page 14

Back Cover

For this project we had to create 16 pages using a combination of images that were sourced from the internet, our own image (a photograph we took ourselves) and a scanned element. Out of these images we had to create a folded book by placing each completed image into a template.

For my folded book I chose the theme “Nightmares”. I have always had creepy nightmares; some have been extremely bizarre and/or disturbing. I chose to use some of these nightmares as inspiration for my folded book images.

All of my pages were created with 2-3 images layered on top of each other. I decided that I wanted them all to have an illustrative quality to them, so I also added a filter that would give this effect on each image.

Digital Media: Surreal Landscape

For this assignment we were asked to collage our own images to create a surreal landscape.  In this image I used photos of zoo animals, my bathroom door, my nephew and two of my own paintings.  The background image I chose is of a hill on the Kent campus.

To create this collage, I placed the edited photos onto the background image.  Once I had the images where I wanted them I created a shadow underneath with the “burn tool” to “ground” them to the background image.  I then added a shadow layer to each individual image to give them depth and further enhance the sense of “belonging”.

I really enjoyed this assignment.  I feel that I was able to show the techniques I learned in class.  I definitely think there is room for improvement; and I hope that I will be able to push myself further with the next assignment.

Digital Media: Digital Artist (Assignment #1)

Isaac Julien is a video installation artist whose works primarily focus on historical events, culture and the media.  One of his installations, Ten Thousand Waves (2010), tells a story about Chinese culture.  Julien uses modern and traditional Chinese values and superstitions to link the ancient past to the present.  Among other stories, the film retells a Chinese fable about the goddess Mazu, who leads a group of lost fishermen back to safety.  In this nine-screen architectural installation Julien depicts the movement of people across countries and continents and focuses on unfinished journeys.

For this installation the combination of audio and video enhances the viewers experience of Julien’s unique style of storytelling.

• Ten Thousand Waves (I apologize for the poor video quality):

• See behind the scenes footage of the Ten Thousand Waves installation at the Museum of Modern Art website: https://youtu.be/lM32TL7VnOw

• For more information on Isaac Julien visit: http://www.isaacjulien.com/home