Editing Type in Photoshop.

Using the Script type "Mistral", I wanted to create a base for my digital spraying. I chose this font because I had noticed that magazines about classical music tended to include script typeface because of it's fancy look.

However, I had also noticed that Mistral had a very hand written aesthetic. It was the rough hand written effect mixed with the classy associations with script type which made me choose it. 

Using Photoshop texture brushes, I worked on top of the type in a new layer so that I could easily alter it. I switched between brushes to give it a really natural looking grunge effect.
To flip between brushes I used the < and > short keys. This enabled quick change for a smoother and more gradual effect.

This is how the font looked after adding the textures. I really like this as it looks a lot rougher than the original type and makes it look a lot less computer generated. However, the lack of wear in the type itself gives it away.
To alter this, I merged the two layers together (ctrl + E), so I could erase parts using a texture brush and still keep a transparent background.

This is how the final type looked.
I really love how this came out as it looks very authentic, despite being completely digital. The messy grunge textures really work with the rough hand writing.

This is how it looks with my spray portrait of classical musician, Lang Lang.
I am happy with how natural it looks and flows with the bottom line of Lang Lang's suit. I also adre how the tails of the Gs almost 'drip' down like the splodge textures I had used to the left.

Magazine Cover copy : Cover

After uploading my photo edit into InDesign, I then proceeded to plan out box shapes and positioning. This gave me a basic idea of how large my text would need to be, and the scale of other cover elements, such as barcodes and adverts.

I started to add text and photos to the cover of my magazine, but I reached a problem when it came to the titles of both the leading band and the magazine cover.
I had noticed that the type they had used was decayed. I couldn't find an identical typeface, so instead I used the closest I could find and decided to weather it in Photoshop, creating a grunge alteration.

These were the stages of text alteration. I did the same process for the band title. 

I used a similar technique when it came to other elements of the cover, so that I could get an accurate theme throughout my copy.
To create all of the extra images I used various techniques on Photoshop CS4.

This is my final copy of the magazine cover.
I am very happy with the turn out of the magazine, as I think that editing the title text really makes it look more high end and accurate.
I definitely think it could be improved however by using a better quality photograph. Next time I do a cover for a magazine which includes photo, I will make use of natural lighting and will use a camera capable of taking high quality photos.

Editing the Spray Portrait

I scanned in my two spray portraits and opened them in Photoshop. I removed the background by selecting the entire layer to my clipboard, and in Channels pasted it onto the Alpha layer. Then, by selecting the Alpha thumbnail, I was able to remove the background and fill the remaining inverted selection on a new layer.

I used that new layer as a base for my Clipping layers and added colour.

After colouring both of my stencil layers, I proceeded to add dripped spray textures I had found at Stock Vector, as this added a more 'hand done' touch to the piece and makes more aesthetically pleasing.

I experimented more with the colours and shape of the added spray texture, and this version was my favourite. I also used the spray to have a different layer setting each time for a different effect. I think the most successful is the green and blue gradiented spray as it contrasts from the dark blue but also subtly over lays the other layers due to it's multiply setting.

I also think it is the most successful as the warm yellow tones compliment the colder blues and purples.

Spraying the Stencil

After printing out the base for the Stencils that I had created in Photoshop, I proceeded to cut out the black shapes using a scalpel. 

These are the final stencils. I then mounted these onto a spray board with paper underneath them so that I could create the base images for my magazine cover.

These are my finished spray pieces. I will be using these on my magazine cover and altering them in Photoshop. 

Creating the Stencil from an image.

Using a photo of classical pianist Lang Lang that I had found on a popular search engine, I created my stencil for spraying. 

I did this by first putting a filter on the picture to give it a posterised effect. This would make it easier to distinguish highlights and shadows, and thus would make it easier to get a clear stencil.

This worked for the most part, however I found the tones to be too similar in shade to form a clear distinction between them. To solve this, I adjusted the levels and exposer.

From this point, I was able to remove the background and work in layers to create my two stencil bases. This was done by selecting the lightest areas first, removing/erasing them, and colouring the area that was left behind using Clipping Layers. 

Here are my two finished stencil bases.

I then printed out these images and proceeded to remove the black pieces to create my stencil.

Magazine Cover copy: Photo editing

This was my starting photo for my magazine cover copy. Though the pose was pretty accurate, it was difficult to get the right lighting, so I had to use photoshop to add faux lighting and do some colour correction.

I stared off by using the burn tool to really exaggerate the highlights on her skin. It was then that I noticed that her hand came out too far, so I resized forarm to make it more accurate to the cover I was copying.

On another layer, I then altered the colour of her hair using a hue and saturation panel. I also decided to exaggerate her makeup and make her eyes appear bigger.
By using different layer settings (such as overlay and transparency alteration) I was able to create a relatively believable edit.

After comparing the image to the original, I saw that there was too much contrast in the skin tones, so I decided to mute the tones by highlighting the shadows on an overlay layer, counter balancing the contrast.

This is my final photo after editing, and is the one I will be using on the cover of my magazine copy. Over all I am pretty happy with the outcome, however next time I will be sure to use better lighting as I feel that all the editing has given the picture an unnatural feeling.

Stapleless book (initial drawings to finished design)

To start of the production of my Stapleless Book, I first sketched out the heads of the horses I wanted in my book. To create variety within my book, I used different breeds of horses. I used a HB pencil to sketch the basic shape, and using a fine liner I added the details.

I wanted my book to be interesting and have humorous qualities, so I changed the horses into unicorns with the use of ice cream cones.

After scanning in my inked drawings, I opened the scan into photoshop and altered the threshold so that I was left with a pure black and white image. By then selecting and erasing the white left over, I created a transparent line art layer which I could work beneath for a nice clean finish.

This is how the book looked before printing. I am happy with the consistency of the consisted, and I really like the vibrancy of the aqua tones. 

I really like the cover of the book as it sets the theme, and I find the pun used to be amusing. I think that the use of a pun works well in the title as it is memorable.

This will be on the flip side of the book, so that when you open it up, it includes a poster of the subject matter.

I really like the composition as it reminds me of the "That's all folks!" sequence from the popular children's cartoon 'Loony Toons'. 

I also think that the expression of the horse is very amusing and adds a sense of comic relief to my book.

The only thing I think could be improved would be the colour, as I find the use of one tone-set to be somewhat monotonous. However, it was my brief to only use one colour group, so I shall keep it the way it is. 

Business Card Final Presentation

This is the final design for my Business Card presented on numerous examples of my art work. The warmer colour schemes on the top of of the image compliment and contrast the cooler colours that are on the bottom. 

I am very happy with the out come of my card.

If I were to do this business card again, I think that I would maybe try something with more text and less illustration to give it more of a professional feeling to it.

Business Card Back

For the base of the back of my business card, I reversed the background of the front. This means that the card would have more of a flow to it as both sides would aline with each other. 

To add contrast and break attention from the background, I used a plain pale yellow rectangle to put information on. 

This would create a plain 'invisible' surface for the text to go on, and would bring attention to the important part of the card. 

Using the same typeface as I did on the front of the card, I added contact information. 

I used the same type to create consistency between the front and the back.

Using iconic logos in thumbnail form, I listed my information. I used the logos so that the reader could instantly tell from a glance what sites I was using, and that they could find relevant information with ease. 

Business Card Front

This is the base sketch that I did for my business card. The process of development can be seen in the GIF below. 

I mainly altered colour but kept the warm colour scheme as warm colours promote business as they give happy and welcoming vibes. 

This is the final design for the front of my business card. I am happy with how this came out as the colour scheme compliments the illustration. 

The main two colours that I used were blue and orange. I used these as they are complimentary colours and add contrast to the card.

Business Card Scamp

These are the scamps that I had produced for my business cards. I had designed two, one with a front illustration and one with examples of my work on the back. 

Out of the two of them, I chose the first design to follow up with as I feel that a business card with portrait art on the front would be more eye catching and would make people want to look at my card.