3d Feature in Photoshop

This project involved creating a line drawing and converting it into a 3d object, then placing it in a 2d image. There was a separate assignment to work with text in 3d, so I went ahead and incorporated that in the final image as well. The line drawing must have a fill before it can go into 3d, and the text must be rasterized. The 3d feature itself is very handy and manipulative, but I would like to see a greater range of materials for covering the surfaces. I also found that it can be a challenge to successfully place a 3d object on a 2d background without it looking awkward. The text stands on its own pretty easily, but I ended up using the multiply blend mode for the arrow so that it didn't look pasted on. I ended up with the arrow taking on the texture of the asphalt, which was really what I was looking for in the materials list of the 3d feature, (kind of a speed bump effect), so it worked out pretty well.

HDR Imaging

 This project showcases the HDR merge feature in Photoshop. A composite is made using six copies (in this case) of the image shot at different exposures. This image is the result of the preset for high contrast photorealistic. But the feature has sliders for custom settings for everything from color to tone and detail to edge glow. On the right is the original, to the left is the composite.

This assignment was to create a graphic descriptive of a dinner I would have with someone, (not living), of my choice. I set the image up as a tri-fold hard-cover menu. I used the emboss effect in the layer blending panel for all three panels, and the pillow emboss for the photographs. I believe the center page was promotional copy for Cafe Society, the nightclub in Greenwich Village where Billie Holiday's reputation as a jazz vocalist really took off. I used the style and colors of this image to inform the opposing pages. The background for those pages was created with a watercolor filter and reduced opacity to compliment the table cloth on the center graphic. The photo on the left page is of the inside of the club. I adjusted the hue on both that image and the photo of Billie Holiday to create the duotone effect, and used the multiply blend mode on both layers. There are a couple of things I integrated from my research for the menu. I found some programs for the shows, (lists of the songs that were going to be played), so I decided to integrate that idea into the menu.  I also noticed that many menus are dated as the offerings change. I found a font (Sachiko) that was very similar to that of the tag line "The wrong place for the right people", and used that for the fixed parts of the menu text. I found a menu for the Cotton Club that appeared to come off of an old typewriter. I downloaded an old typewriter font, but when I tried it on my menu it didn't work with the script I had used for the rest of the menu, so I compromised with Didot, a cleaner type. 

Web Page

This is a mock up of a web page I might design for myself. In the interest of time and aesthetics, I kept it a simple as possible. The background is one I designed earlier in this course which utilizes the half-tone effect. The 'faux' Adobe icons would operate as buttons linking to a gallery of work I have done in each of the respective applications. The email address would link to a self addressed email page for anyone wanting to contact me. The entire page was created using the snap to pixel command, to avoid any distortion on uploading.

Graphs

This project involved learning to use the graph tool, and using the 3d effect. The company and statistics are fabricated. But if the company did exist, I believe the inverse relationship indicated on the second graph would indeed exist.

Icon

This is my icon project. I was stumped for an idea, because everything's been done. This little fellow sits on my desk, he's a wind-up toy that unwittingly became my muse. Each part of him was created using the shape tool. I used the draw behind command to keep the shapes in the right order. I ended up putting each shape on a different layer anyway when I was working with the gradient mesh. That way I could lock the layers I wasn't working on so that I wasn't picking up the mesh from nearby shapes. The colors are all web safe.

Self-Portrait

I can't say I took a very organized approach to this project, it emerged. The brick wall background was an image off the internet. It already had the bike sculpted into it, and I had planned to use some kind of bike image anyway, so it seemed like an obvious choice. I looked it up again to find the original source of the image, but it's disappeared. I can't find it anywhere. I did discover in working with the layer blending panel that I can achieve the same effect by taking the opacity way down and applying the extrude and bevel feature. I used the mixer brush to paint the dog from an image I downloaded off the internet as well. Of course it occurred to me after the fact that I should have just used one of my own dogs, but I like the way this dog looks anyway. The fish are from otattoos.com, and are a tribal tattoo design. The shoes were painted using the mixer brush from a photo I took of my orange Chucks, then I applied the watercolor effect to them. The layer was blended using the multiply setting. I like Chuck Taylors, I have them in different colors, and I have a custom pair that I designed myself. They've become my signature footwear and generally personify any 'style' that I might have. The bubbles are from kaaz.eu, a site offering free underwater wallpaper. I used the pen tool on the wall to create a selection, then pasted the bubbles inside. I like all things water: the ocean, a river, a swimming pool. I just feel better when I'm in or near water. I was also trying to give the fish some kind of context. The welder chick was created with the mixer brush from a scan I did of a sticker that someone gave me back in my welding days. Her layer has an overlay blend and a drop shadow. For the text, or my 'tag' if you will, I used a font called graffonti.3d.drop that I downloaded from dafont.com. The word 'mutt' has two references which have meaning for me: one being to the mixed breed canine who I love to champion; and the other a tip of the hat to Marcel DuChamp, who used the signature R.Mutt on some of his work.

Children's Book Illustration

 This project was created strictly from imagination. Ergo, it was time consuming and challenging. With no goal in sight, there was a lot of staring, contemplating, and revising involved. I used the water color brush quite a bit, which made for slow saving. But I liked the effect, and rasterization results were poor. I also used the blur and ocean ripple effects, along with a grain effect for the sand. I used the flare tool for the sun. My regret is that I wasn't able to colorize it. I might have done better to use a gradient mesh on a yellow sphere.