I used Alexander Khokhlov as part of my artist research in my previous unit which was illusion. However, in this series of portraits, Khokhlov has used colour, shapes and paint to make it look as though the models have been turned into paintings. He has used a lot of colour and different painting techniques to create a range of images that have distorted the models to make the photographs look unique and appealing. This fits with my theme of distortion because I will be using this as inspiration for this sub-theme and using paint to create a real life painting by using a model.
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I like the use of the white background and pale model to make it look almost like a watercolour painting on a blank canvas. The colours also compliment each other well for example the purple and blue work well together and the use of warm colours breaks the cool toned colours. Khokhlov has used paint drips which have been created by diluting the body paint with a lot of water to give the image a 'watercolour' effect which makes the whole image look like a painting rather than a photograph. There is emphasis around facial features defining them with sharper brush strokes. The models hair has been slicked back which also diverts the viewers attention onto the paint itself. The models skin is almost completely white, and this blends her into the background. I really like this effect and will try to recreate this piece of work.
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In this image, Khokhlov has used blocks of colour instead of streaks and has also stuck parts of newspaper and magazine articles onto the model and has painted over them. The use of vibrant colours connotes the idea of fun and uniqueness, whilst keeping cooler tones such as blues and turquoise even though they are also vibrant. The background seems to blend into the model with the abstract block colours and newspapers and the only part of the body that is defined is the face due to it being the brightest colour. There are also highlights painted onto the models lips to make them stand out and the eyebrows have been painted a dark brown so they also stand out among the colour. The eyelids have been painted blue so the warm colours can be broken up. The use of the newspapers and magazines further display the idea of the model being turned into a painting, and her hair is also kept back so it does not interfere with the colourful background which allows the model to blend into the colours.
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Marcello Castellani is a Colombian visual artist who starts off by using traditional photography to capture his subject and uses post production in which he adds layers onto an image to create a 'drip watercolour' effect painting by adding digital paint using a variety of software to generate his desired result. The use of various techniques allows Castellani to create unique pieces of art and uses post production on top of photography to distort a model and turn them into something completely different.
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This piece of artwork by Castellani is one of my favourites as he has used more of the models body rather than just the face. The image still looks very realistic but there is still an appropriate amount of distortion which changes the models appearance and makes her look like a painting. The pale blue background is the main source of colour in the image has the other parts of the image are kept as neutral colours due to natural dark brown hair colour and pale skin. The only other colour that stands out in the image is the lips which have been enhanced to look like they are a brighter shade of pink. This is a good way of keeping the image simple as if there were more colours used, there may have been too much going on in the image due to the main focus being on the distorted 'drip painting effect' of the model. The image is kept simple but still unique as the colour from the background is also dripping into the model, as well as her hair and body also dripping. I won't recreate these images exactly but I have gained inspiration from them by creating watercolour drip paintings using a model and post production in photoshop.
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This is another one of my favourite pieces of artwork done by Castellani as it uses a black background, making the image look darker and it also only uses the models face and not her hair, or shoulders. Even though this piece of art has less colour in it than the other piece, I still think there is a lot going on in the image as the main focus is the models face. This part of the image also stands out among the dark background which allows the viewer to appreciate the drip style effect of the models face as the drips are emphasised against the black background due to them being skin coloured. Some of the drips are also pink and grey which are dripping down from the models lips and eyes. These two colours stand out even though they are neutral in the image. The eyebrows also stand out much more than anything else in the image as they are kept quite bold. The deconstruction of photographic images in pixels and spilling paint onto the canvas allows them to look like threads which is an interesting and unique way of portraying challenging the ordinary. The work of Marcello Castellani will partly inspire my own photography in terms of the drip effects in the image which make the model look like a painting.
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Firstly, I adjusted the brightness and contrast to make the colours on the models face look more vivid and brighter. This is so the model stands out against the background which is white as well as the base paint.
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Next I used the dodge tool to smooth out the background as the white sheet had creases and this also helped make it look brighter.
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Next I used the sponge tool which allowed me to brighten certain parts of the photo, in this case I made the colours brighter so they stand out however I used a lower opacity so the vibrancy was not overbearing.
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Finally, I used the sharpen tool to sharpen the front parts of the image which were the face as I wanted the rest to be kept out of focus such as the hair which put more emphasis on the face paint.
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The first step was to add a new layer and enhance the brightness and contrast. I made sure to enhance this more than I normally would as it would overexpose the white on the face which would make it easier to dodge.
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Next I used the paint tool and made a rough outline to get rid of the hair and background, then changing the opacity and using a smaller brush to make sure that the face blended into the background.
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Next I needed to dodge out the parts of the face that I did not want to be in the image, therefore I used a high exposure to get rid of the shadows.
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I then went back in with the paint tool and went over this again to make sure that the nothing but the eyes and paint were in the image. I also went in with the sponge tool to enhance the paint.
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Next, I added a new layer and enhanced the brightness to make sure that the paint really stood out, making it look like a painting.
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Finally, I played around with the hue and saturation to change different colours and make this final piece look different from the other one as the colours had changed.
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