DPI Week 9 - DIGITAL SURREALISM - PROJECT 2B

18 November, 2024 - 24 November, 2024 (Week 9)

TANG LILIN (0376668)
Digital Photography & Imaging

PROJECT 2B: POSTER DESIGN (30%)

Week 8: Independent Learning Week

Week 9: DIGITAL SURREALISM

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LIST

• TUTORIAL
• LECTURE
• INSTRUCTION
• PRATICAL

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TUTORIAL

In the video, Mr. Fauzi demonstrated how to create a loop animation in After Effects

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LECTURE

Week 9: DIGITAL SURREALISM

Realism Versus Surrealism

Realism

• Focuses on depicting the ordinary and common aspects of the world, often referred to as "reality."
  
• It avoids exotic or extraordinary subjects, emphasizing what is grounded and realistic.

Surrealism

• A twist on realism, exploring the subconscious mind and dreamlikeimagery.

• Defies logic, using strange and bizarre juxtapositions inspired by dreams and Freudian psychology.
  
• Originated from Dadaism, an anti-war art movement characterized by satire and nonsense.
  
• Prominent surrealist, Salvador Dalí, created iconic works that delve into subconscious imagery.

Digital Surrealism

• A modern extension of surrealism in the digital art world, enabling artists to express their ideas creatively.

Steps to Create Surrealist Artwork

• Sketch Your Vision: Begin with rough sketches of your ideas.
• Find Reference Images: Gather visuals to guide your creation.
  

Mindset Tips

• Aim for a convincing appearance, even if the subject is fantastical.
  
• Embrace challenges to learn and improve your skills.

Tools

• Photoshop and other digital tools simplify creating surrealist art, requiring basic photomontage skills for impressive results.

Incorporating Surrealism Concepts into Your Digital Artwork:

Unleashing Creativity

• Art is personal; focus on self-expression rather than pleasing others.
  
• Avoid forcing ideas—relax and let inspiration emerge naturally.Everyday life often sparks creativity.

Capturing Ideas

• Sketch rough concepts to preserve fleeting ideas.

• Gather reference images to guide and inspire your work.
  

Distinction Between Realism and Surrealism

• Realism: Focus on ordinary, grounded subjects.
• Surrealism: Explores dreams and subconscious imagery, distorting reality.

Practical Tips

• Keep a sketchbook for ideas.
• Be patient—detailed work takes time.
• Study masters like Salvador Dalí to absorb inspiration.
• Regularly zoom out to assess the composition.
• Experiment with tools like Photoshop and learn through practice.

Conclusion

• Surrealism empowers artists to explore the boundaries of reality and imagination.
• Tools like Photoshop are secondary to an artist's imagination, vision, and attention to detail.
• Experimentation and persistence are vital to artistic growth.

The Appeal and Techniques of Surrealism:

A Widely Understood Art Form

• Surrealism engages directly with the subconscious, making it more accessible than Dadaism, Cubism, or Futurism.
• Requires minimal technical skills but relies heavily on imagination and online resources.

Four Techniques for Creating Surrealist Art

• Association: Combine two related objects, such as merging a shark and a swimmer for dramatic effect.
• Exaggeration: Transform elements to convey metaphors or emotions, e.g., replacing heads with a fox and chicken to comment on gender roles.

• Inference: Use symbolism and settings to evoke meaning, such as replacing heads with cameras to critique surveillance culture.
• Random Association: Combine unrelated objects, prompting viewers to rethink their relationships, like juxtaposing a bear, a French horn, and an umbrella

Key Techniques

• Photoshop simplifies creation; focus on lighting, shadows, and background to enhance realism.
• Balance realism and surrealism to evoke curiosity and thought from the audience.

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INSTRUCTION

1. Creating, rename & separating layers in Photoshop
2. Importing the .PSD to After Effects

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PRATICAL

The quote I chose is" WE WRITE OUR OWN STORY."

The quote I chose reflects the idea of writing one's own life story. To embody the meaning of the quote, I plan to include a photo of myself, a volcano landscape, and a photograph I took of the starry sky in my composition. I will also incorporate geometric elements into the image to enhance and decorate the visual presentation.

reference 1

reference 2

reference 3

These are the references I found on the Pinterest website.

Next, I proceeded mainly based on reference 2 and created a simple layout sketch.

Next, I began creating my digital sketch. 

First, I imported two photos I had taken—one of Mount Bromo and another from my trip to the Ijen volcano. 

By simply collaging the two images, I aimed to make them feel more narrative and evocative.

Then, I imported a photo of the starry sky that I had taken. This image had been pre-edited in Photoshop for color correction and cropping. I used it as both the sky and the background in the composition. 

Here’s how it looked after importing.

Next, I added text and some graphic elements to enrich the composition and make it appear less monotonous.

These are the two versions of the digital sketch I created after adding the elements.
I ultimately chose the second font for my digital sketch.

Next, I applied photography effects based on the digital sketch.

Using the techniques learned in the recoloring section, I used the Magic Wand tool to select the main subject and refined the selection details in the "Select and Mask" panel.

I adjusted the contrast and brightness of the photo and applied filters for color grading.

Below is an overview of my color adjustment process.

All the photo layers be like following images：

Two starry sky photos with different transparency levels, using the Overlay blending mode, have distinct clipping masks to ensure overall harmony in the composition.

A photo filter was added to enhance the color aesthetics of the design.

A background color was added to the poster.

And those following images are about the details of all effects.

Above images are the effect details for the Ijen photo.

This color adjustment was made to achieve better visual cohesion in the composition.

this color is for the mountain.

Above images are the effect details for the Bromo photo.

This is the initial version of the completed poster.

Here is the version with the added typography effects.

Next, based on the feedback from Mr. Hafiz, who suggested that my composition needed to be more compact, I adjusted the poster’s composition to make it more cohesive.

Comparison of the composition adjustments for the poster:

Comparison of the typography adjustments:

FINAL

Mr. Hafiz suggested that I integrate the typography with the poster to make them appear more cohesive. So, I made adjustments to my work.

Here is the process of my integration:

Below is my final work：

SUMMARY:

COMPOSITION：The two volcanoes and the starry sky form the central theme, with a cool-toned atmosphere setting the mood. This not only reflects the difficulty of writing one's own story but also evokes a sense of mystery.

DESCRIPTION：Against the backdrop of a starry night sky and a majestic volcanic landscape, the person gazes out at the vastness of the world, enveloped by the cool hues of the distant mountains and lake. The soft blend of geometric shapes subtly frames the scene, adding a modern touch to the natural grandeur. The use of photo filters enhances the mood, unifying the elements and creating a sense of calm and awe.