Digital Collage
Two SidesDigital Collage
52 x 42 cm January-February 2020 Exhibition TextTwo Sides is a digtial college I created with Photoshop and Photopea that is meant to be a representation of the different sides of myself. There is a carefree side and a mature side, yet they're both me, hence the connection of the hearts. I was inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo.
|
Planning
Inspiration
'The Two Fridas' is was created shortly after Kahlo's divorce from Diego Rivera. The Fridas represent her two personalities: the one on the left symbolizing her modern European self and the one on the right symbolizing her traditional Tehuana heritage. They hold hands to show that together they are one. Similar to this idea, I want to depict two 'me's. One symbolizing the childlike, carefree side and the other a more mature, but dull, side. I also really like the hearts representing her heartbreak. My piece will also have hearts connecting the two 'me's with an artery. The arteries do an amazing job of creating balance and movement between the figures, so I need to find a way of making them so that movement is reflected in my piece. Most of 'The Two Fridas' is done in dull tones, such as the sky, her outfits, and the floor. Her hearts stand out as they are a bright red hue. The background itself is inconsequential. It's plain so as to not draw attention away from the two main figures. I'm at a point in my life where I'm still dependent on my parents, but I'm preparing to go off on my own. I'm discovering who I'm going to become and it's a confusing time. Depicting two 'me's is an effective way of portraying the conflict between the two sides of myself.
|
This piece is heavy with symbolism. The monkey and panther behind Kahlo juxtapose each other, as one is a symbol of good luck and the other a symbol of bad luck. The thorns and hummingbird represent her pain and broken heart, a common theme in much of her work. All the symbols represent her feelings at the moment of creating the painting. To reflect this in my work, I want to incorporate things that are symbolic of my own feelings. One aspect I will not be able to use is the natural landscape that is full of life. It's currently winter here, so there's no flowers or animals I can take photos of. As such, I will need to find inanimate replicas of things and use them.
|
Planning Sketches
Since this was lens-based piece, I did not have to do as much sketching as I would normally do with a painting or drawing. I wanted a basic idea of composition and placement, so I did some simple sketches. In the first sketch, there are two versions of myself in a forest connected by an artery. To me, forests symbolize loneliness and isolation, so I felt that it fit with my overall theme.I really like the message that the hearts and artery convey, so I knew that I would definitely use that. My second sketch is more similar to Kahlo's The Two Fridas. The background is simple but stormy to represent my inner turmoil. In the end, I felt that the composition was too simple and so moved on. In the third sketch, I experimented with different poses. I decided on the sitting one because it looked relaxed and conveyed the emotions I wanted: carefree and happy. In my final product, the pose is a bit different but it gave me a good base for my ideas. I was less attached to the standing figure so it's different in my final product. I just knew that I wanted it to look closed off and isolated. While the sketches weren't exactly like my final piece, they gave me a very good base and plan for where I wanted it to go.
Collecting Photos
In my first round of picture taking, I was focused on finding a landscape that would become the background of my piece. I walked throughout my neighborhood and local park and took pictures of whatever caught my eye or looked suitable. I wanted something beautiful, yet simple. The background is not the focal point, so I didn't want it to be too eye catching.Since it's currently winter in Wisconsin, there was pretty limited nature-related things I could photograph. As such, I had to rely on getting many of my photos from books.
It had snowed the day before I went for my second set of pictures. I decided to try getting some shots of the tree in my backyard. But after editing myself into the pictures, I didn't really like the look of it. There was just too much white and it didn't quite fit the picture I had in my head for what I wanted my product to look like.
This is a photo of some flowers I took in Arizona on a trip a few years ago. They are engelmann prickly pear. Although they usually thrive in dry, desert settings, I didn't really care about how much sense the setting made. I thought they were a good symbol of survival and perseverance since they live in such harsh conditions yet manage to be so beautiful. I also think they add color and unity to the piece.
To create the artery, I placed the yarn on a sheet of white paper in good overhead lighting. I wanted minimal shadow, so I had to find the perfect angle. I used the quick selection tool to cut out the yarn and put into my collage. I made the loop in the center for the tree and added loops and made the yarn longer to take up more space. My second picture was much better than my first, mostly because I took the first in bad lighting and didn't use a long enough string. The better lighting also made using the quick selection tool much easier because there is greater contrast between the white of the paper and the yarn.
Process
I cut out two photos of me using the quick selection tool then pasted them into my background. At first I placed them like this, but then I decided to place them on the side that matches the emotions I am trying to convey. The carefree me is on the side with the open sky and the closed off me is on the side of the packed, mysterious batch of trees. |
I cut out the hearts and pasted them in. I was experimenting with filters, but I decided I didn't like over saturating it. I also added drop shadows to the figures. I followed a simple online tutorial, but I may challenge myself more in the future with shadows. I also turned the hearts slightly transparent to make it seem like it comes from inside the figures. |
Experimentation
In a way, most of this piece was experimentation for me. I had only used Photopea and Photoshop to make a presentation board, never anything with photos and photo editing. For the creation of the shadows and such, I mostly used online tutorials. One very big deal for me was putting photos of myself in the piece. I don't really like being in front of cameras, and I'm sort of a quiet person, so this made me a little nervous. I want to become more confident in myself, and this is the first step I wanted to take. Now that it's complete and I'm happy with it, I realize that there was no reason to be as nervous as I was.
Reflection
I'm very happy with the piece. This was a bit surprising since I didn't like it at all when I was working on it. In the end, I like the message and it fits with my overall theme of self-identity. This project has shown me that I need to improve my online photo editing skills. I was familiar with Photoshop and Photopea, but I struggled with certain parts and I feel like I didn't use them to their fullest potential. I want to become more experienced in these applications so that if I do another lens-based piece like this in the future I can be more effective with the tools and add more complexity to these types of pieces.
Compare & ContrastSimilarities:
Differences;
|
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
My work was largely inspired by the artworks in terms of concepts and colors. I directly adapted Kahlo's ideas about 2 'versions' of the same person connected through their hearts with a vein. I also relied heavily on symbolism like Kahlo, using colors to show emotions, disposition, and personalities.
What is the overall approach (POV) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author takes an analytical approach to Kahlo's work. They talk about the formal elements and composition, then explain the meaning behind aspects of the pieces without being biased or overly sentimental. One drawback on this approach is that I would have liked to see more about Kahlo's thought process while working on the pieces.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have discovered that Kahlo didn't like being put into just one movement in art. She valued her freedom of expression and was not ashamed of her heritage and who she was. To me, this shows that people like Frida Kahlo highly value their individuality and flexibility.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my research was the idea of different aspects of oneself. Like Frida, I wanted to show that there are different parts of myself. At first, my idea was childhood vs maturity but through research it evolved into different parts of myself, whether that be emotionally or personality-wise.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred through my research that Mexico has become more aware of Kahlo's work and sees her as a cultural icon of sorts. She is highly valued for how she mixes her heritage into her work and is not afraid to show her imperfections to the world.
My work was largely inspired by the artworks in terms of concepts and colors. I directly adapted Kahlo's ideas about 2 'versions' of the same person connected through their hearts with a vein. I also relied heavily on symbolism like Kahlo, using colors to show emotions, disposition, and personalities.
What is the overall approach (POV) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author takes an analytical approach to Kahlo's work. They talk about the formal elements and composition, then explain the meaning behind aspects of the pieces without being biased or overly sentimental. One drawback on this approach is that I would have liked to see more about Kahlo's thought process while working on the pieces.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have discovered that Kahlo didn't like being put into just one movement in art. She valued her freedom of expression and was not ashamed of her heritage and who she was. To me, this shows that people like Frida Kahlo highly value their individuality and flexibility.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my research was the idea of different aspects of oneself. Like Frida, I wanted to show that there are different parts of myself. At first, my idea was childhood vs maturity but through research it evolved into different parts of myself, whether that be emotionally or personality-wise.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred through my research that Mexico has become more aware of Kahlo's work and sees her as a cultural icon of sorts. She is highly valued for how she mixes her heritage into her work and is not afraid to show her imperfections to the world.
Bibliography
“Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940.” Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940, By Frida Kahlo,
<www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-thorn-necklace-and-hummingbird.jsp.>
The Two Fridas, 1939 by Frida Kahlo,
<www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp.>
<www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-thorn-necklace-and-hummingbird.jsp.>
The Two Fridas, 1939 by Frida Kahlo,
<www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp.>