So, I got to a point in my project where I wanted to move on to experiment with a platform other than just using Adobe Photoshop to create a final outcome. I wanted to move on to use other materials and other processes that will take my work to another level and develop my idea further. So I decided that the first experiment I would do is to draw an image and scan it in to the computer to manipulate it. further.
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| Grace Jones - Nightclubbing (1981) album cover. |
So I continued to browse the Internet for a good picture to draw and manipulate. During my search, I came across this photo of Grace Jones. Grace Jones is a famous Jamaican model, sing and actress. She is well known for her eccentric personality and overpowering presence.
I also considered what exactly it is that I like about the photo. The lighting in the picture is really interesting, it has a red tone to it. The way that the red light filters reflect on her skin is really effective because she is painted blue and the reflection tones hits on the highlight areas of her skin. Also I can see that the photographer did not use a back light for the photo and it has created a blurry shadow behind Grace Jones. With the red light filter, it has given the shadow a strong red outline and a green toning. This works really well with the photo because it helps to show how many dimensions have been included in the process e.g. the filler light, the back light, the model, the backdrop etc.
The composition of the photo is very angular. Her body is facing one way whilst her head is facing another, whilst her eyes look straight into the camera. Its intriguing how such micro aspects of a photo can make it that much more effective to the viewer. It really shows how micro aspects of photography make that much of a difference.
The colours are amazing. The block blue skin colour is ruled out by the toning of the red light, the peach background is really patchy and rough-looking and it interests me how simple the image is on first glance, but once you break it down, its complex; there is a million and one pieces to it. That is one of the beautiful things about art.
I also considered what exactly it is that I like about the photo. The lighting in the picture is really interesting, it has a red tone to it. The way that the red light filters reflect on her skin is really effective because she is painted blue and the reflection tones hits on the highlight areas of her skin. Also I can see that the photographer did not use a back light for the photo and it has created a blurry shadow behind Grace Jones. With the red light filter, it has given the shadow a strong red outline and a green toning. This works really well with the photo because it helps to show how many dimensions have been included in the process e.g. the filler light, the back light, the model, the backdrop etc.
The composition of the photo is very angular. Her body is facing one way whilst her head is facing another, whilst her eyes look straight into the camera. Its intriguing how such micro aspects of a photo can make it that much more effective to the viewer. It really shows how micro aspects of photography make that much of a difference.
The colours are amazing. The block blue skin colour is ruled out by the toning of the red light, the peach background is really patchy and rough-looking and it interests me how simple the image is on first glance, but once you break it down, its complex; there is a million and one pieces to it. That is one of the beautiful things about art.
In 1981, album covers were really simple. The musician, the title and possibly one accessory. But in this shot, there is no recognition for the artist or the album title for that matter. For the time, that was a really obscure and unique thing to do. And I think that for the strength of the photo, it helps. By this, I mean that the photo is a strong hard-hitting image that pioneered for the new-age female liberation that started in the Nineteen-Eighties.
As it is an album cover from the early Eighties, it was as big as a vinyl record. So the scale of the image was about 7" across.
As it is an album cover from the early Eighties, it was as big as a vinyl record. So the scale of the image was about 7" across.
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| My drawing of the Nightclubbing album cover. |
This is my drawing of the Nightclubbing album cover. In relation to the tone and shading, I chose to concentrate on the highlights, mid-tones and shadows of the body. I chose this style of shading because I believe it goes well with the actual image because it is rough and sharp shapes (rather than gradient shading or cross-hatching which both could represent softer ideas).
I believe that the drawing is strong enough to carry the strong message and ideas from the original photo. It embodies all the harsh-structured lines from Grace Jones' suit jacket and also the angular composition differing from her body, to her head and her eyes.
So once I had rubbed out what I didn't like and tweaked the drawing to look its best, I went on to scan it in to the computer. Once doing so, I planned on turning the drawing into an 1980's inspired illustration. By using text and colour, I wanted to create something that looked authentic.
This was the first illustration I did.
This version was my utmost favourite version that I created because it is a combination of real-life photo and scanned illustration. I got the photo of the shop window in the background from http://www.cgtextures.com/ and pasted it on to Adobe Photoshop where I edited it by varying the colour balance, levels and saturation to match the colour expressed in the Grace Jones illustration.
I really like these edits of the illustration because they really depict the 1980's art as well as 1980's Fashion.
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