Art History The Classical

The Classical

Humanism is the belief  that man is the measure of all things and as the centre of everything, we have the power to shape our own destiny. In ancient Greece, the cradle of western civilization, they believed in the 'ideal'. Perfection and beauty is reflected in their art. In most civilizations art is in part a measure of their development. As a civilization gets more advanced, so does their art. In the case of ancient Greece, their art became more realistic and detailed over time, striving for perfection. The ancient Greeks created many great works using a variety of different materials.

Many civilizations, as with ancient Greece, the development of their artwork can be seen a curve. At the bottom, or start, they have basic art and figures. They use simple tools and materials to create artworks that aren't very realistic. This is when the culture is new, the start of the learning curve. As they move towards the high point, they are closer to achieving their ideal and perfect state. The art is realistic and portrays the idea of the ideal form. Eventually, the curve starts to drop down and the art becomes over elaborate and more decorative. Advanced techniques, and the focus on making artworks more accentuated and powerful signifies a downfall of the culture in itself. As one civilisation falls another curve rises up and overlaps the declining one. Sometimes the rising civilisation uses some of the declining culture's technology and style as they rise and move forward.

It is common throughout history for the dominant civilisation of the time to believe itself to be the greatest civilisation of all time and will never be surpassed. This is an appealing thought for any society, and just as death comes to all men, time will see the eventual decline of every culture. As one civilisation falls, a new one will take its place and assume it's dominance. We believe we have the greatest civilisation and a successful system. However, it will not last forever. Much of modern western society was developed from ancient Greece (democracy, philosophy, science, mathematics) and Rome (law, order, infrastructure systems, city planning). The Roman Empire took over from Greece and thought themselves the greatest empire of all. They based their civilisation around power and organisation, but even it collapsed in the end.

At the heart of humanism is the phrase, "man is the measure of all things," and the centre of everything. The most famous image illustrating this concept is Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Vitruvian Man'. The drawing shows the ideal proportions of man combined with geometry (square and circle). The drawing is named after Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer who wrote books on architecture.

'The Vitruvian Man' depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in a circle and square. It shows the connection between art and science through the importance of proportion. It also relates man to nature.

In the Golden Age of Pericles in Athens the reconstruction of the Acropolis took place. It was considered to be the most perfect structure built. The buildings, including the Parthenon, as well as the sculptures, were a reflection of the culture and how they strived for perfection. Just before the Acropolis was built, the Greeks had created democracy. This was a fairer way for people to chose who would rule, and the laws they would live under. It gave people more power to control their own destiny. However, only certain male citizens (about a fifth of the population) could have a say in matters. The buildings were made to reflect the sophistication of the society and how advanced the civilisation was. We have adopted many things from ancient Greece and the Rome and they can be seen today in modern Western society in many ways.

Humanism places man in the centre of everything. Today we are becoming obsessed with attaining perfection and controlling everything around us. As a society today, I think there is too much obsession with perfection, and trying to achieve it is in itself an monumental task.

Art History Form, Content, Context. The Ghent Altarpiece

Form, Content, Context.

The Ghent Altarpiece

Form

What is the size and scale of the painting? Is it small, life size or larger? It's important to know the dimensions of a painting. Saying that it's large or small doesn't provide enough information as people's ideas of large and small vary. It's subjective. The size and scale of a painting, especially portraits, can impact on a viewer's first response to a work.

What shape is the painting? Landscape or portrait? Is it a regular shape? Is there symmetry in the artwork? What is the composition? How are the elements arranged within the space? In the case of The Ghent Altarpiece there are twelve separate frames. Within them are a range of scenes and people depicted. The work is symmetrical, and the balanced composition draws your eye to the centre of the work which is the figure of Christ (or God) who wearing bright red robes. Using a variety of techniques, such as composition, colour, tone and line, an artist will lead the eye of the viewer to important people, objects or scenes they want noticed.

What sort of frame does the painting have? Some artworks have very elaborate ornate gold frames with floral designs or engravings. The fame does have an impact on how a viewer sees the overall work. It can enhance or sometimes detract from the painting.

What colours are dominant in the work? What medium has the artist used? Is there any evidence of mark-making? How was the paint applied? Can you see the texture of the brushstrokes? Colour is an impotent tool for an artist, not just to make it more real or lifelike, but also to help create mood and to attract the eye of the viewer. In the past some colours were more expensive than others so they were reserved for important figures such as kings. In The Ghent Altarpiece, the Virgin Mary is painted in a rich blue which was an expensive colour at the time. The Ghent Altarpiece is very large, measuring about 4m x 5m, painted in oils, and took several years to complete. The fact it was painted in oils allowed greater detail than the medium that was usually used by artists at the time, egg based tempera paint.

Content

What is in the painting? What style is it? What is the subject matter? Is it abstract or figurative? What is the artist saying? Is there a narrative? What symbols are there? What is their meaning? Symbols can relate to gestures that people are making, as well as different objects. It is important to make sure the meaning of the symbols is considered in relation to when the work was created. The meaning of symbols can change over time. There can be different theories about artworks, especially in relation to what they are about and why the work was made. It must also be considered where the painting was to be displayed and who would see it. Art galleries are relatively new. In the past, most works were created for the church, or to be privately displayed in someone's home.

Context

Why was the painting made? What or who influenced the artist? What effect did the work have on the public? Many old paintings depicted biblical stories. The artist would have likely been influenced by how other artists had in the past portrayed the scene, as well as what he wanted an audience to see in the work; the narrative. Most artists were commissioned by rich patrons or the church. An artist wasn't wealthy enough to paint a large work of their own choosing. They relied on a rich benefactor to commission a work. The patron sometimes wanted a subject painted that personal meaning for them. The Ghent Altarpiece for example, was displayed in a chapel where the people in the town could go and look at the paintings, and pray under them. One of the reasons the rich couple commissioned the work, was so the people in the town could see it. As the couple were childless, they had no children to pray for them after they died, so they had this painting made and put in the chapel so that the towns people could pray for their souls.

Fine art Melencolia I

Melencolia I Albrecht Dürer

Melencolia I is an engraving by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer. It is an allegorical composition, a large print that is full of complex symbolism. Scholars have linked the engraving to themes of alchemy, astrology, theology, and philosophy.

The engraving shows a dark brooding winged female figure who sits dejected and frustrated. She looks as though she has suffered a temporary defeat as there is an atmosphere of gloom. The downcast inactive infant beside her, and the wretched lean dog at her feet intensify this feeling of despondency. (The winged infant beside her is 'genius', an accompanying spirit.)

In the background, a star or bright light shines as if expelling the dark bat that is holding a scroll with 'Melencolia I' written on it. (The title of the engraving). This suggests the work is related to a state of melancholy, or as we would more likely say today, depression. It has been suggested by scholars that the engraving represents the melancholy of the creative artist, and that it is a spiritual self-portrait of Dürer himself. In ancient times melancholy was considered to be a result of an excess of black bile and that melancholics were prone to insanity. During the renaissance they thought melancholy connected to creative genius as well as madness.

The relationship to mathematical knowledge is seen by instruments of geometry, architecture, and carpentry that surround the figure. These symbols include a compass the figure is holding, a geometrical solid (truncated rhombohedron), a scale, and hourglass, as well as other instruments. On the wall is a magic square where the numbers in rows and columns add up to 34 in all directions. Two other interesting points about the square are that the middle two numbers in the bottom row are the date that the engraving was done 15 14; and the outer two numbers, 4 and 1 could be interpreted as the fourth and first letter of the Latin alphabet, representing the letters D A, Dürer's monogram.

The figure seems to struggle, powerless to attain a higher level of abstract thought. A quest for all artists perhaps. The ladder in the background alludes to her desire to ascend and attain the higher stages of thought, but she is paralysed and unable to create, as seen in the unused tools around her. The seven-rung ladder is a feature of alchemical symbolism, the rungs representing the seven metals, the operations of alchemy, as well as associated heavenly bodies. The hourglass shows that time is running out.

There are many contrasts within the work. The figure's bright eyes show an acuteness of mind which contrasts with her weary pose. She wants to create, and is surrounded by objects of science, craft and art, the instruments of creation, yet doesn't or can't act. She holds a compass, an instrument of geometry, precision and order, but she is surrounded by chaos.

Melencolia I is depression, dejection, darkness and frustration; the melancholia of an artist. It appears this darkness of melancholy was something that Dürer knew personally as the complex symbolism he has put in the work continues today to be a subject of discussion and interpretation.

Art History Lecture Form, Content,Context.

Form, Content, Context.

The Ghent Altarpiece

Form

What is the size and scale of the painting? Is it small, life size or larger? It's important to know the dimensions of a painting. Saying that it's large or small doesn't provide enough information as people's ideas of large and small vary. It's subjective. The size and scale of a painting, especially portraits, can impact on a viewer's first response to a work.

What shape is the painting? Landscape or portrait? Is it a regular shape? Is there symmetry in the artwork? What is the composition? How are the elements arranged within the space? In the case of The Ghent Altarpiece there are twelve separate frames. Within them are a range of scenes and people depicted. The work is symmetrical, and the balanced composition draws your eye to the centre of the work which is the figure of Christ (or God) who wearing bright red robes. Using a variety of techniques, such as composition, colour, tone and line, an artist will lead the eye of the viewer to important people, objects or scenes they want noticed.

What sort of frame does the painting have? Some artworks have very elaborate ornate gold frames with floral designs or engravings. The fame does have an impact on how a viewer sees the overall work. It can enhance or sometimes detract from the painting.

What colours are dominant in the work? What medium has the artist used? Is there any evidence of mark-making? How was the paint applied? Can you see the texture of the brushstrokes? Colour is an impotent tool for an artist, not just to make it more real or lifelike, but also to help create mood and to attract the eye of the viewer. In the past some colours were more expensive than others so they were reserved for important figures such as kings. In The Ghent Altarpiece, the Virgin Mary is painted in a rich blue which was an expensive colour at the time. The Ghent Altarpiece is very large, measuring about 4m x 5m, painted in oils, and took several years to complete. The fact it was painted in oils allowed greater detail than the medium that was usually used by artists at the time, egg based tempera paint.

Content

What is in the painting? What style is it? What is the subject matter? Is it abstract or figurative? What is the artist saying? Is there a narrative? What symbols are there? What is their meaning? Symbols can relate to gestures that people are making, as well as different objects. It is important to make sure the meaning of the symbols is considered in relation to when the work was created. The meaning of symbols can change over time. There can be different theories about artworks, especially in relation to what they are about and why the work was made. It must also be considered where the painting was to be displayed and who would see it. Art galleries are relatively new. In the past, most works were created for the church, or to be privately displayed in someone's home.

Context

Why was the painting made? What or who influenced the artist? What effect did the work have on the public? Many old paintings depicted biblical stories. The artist would have likely been influenced by how other artists had in the past portrayed the scene, as well as what he wanted an audience to see in the work; the narrative. Most artists were commissioned by rich patrons or the church. An artist wasn't wealthy enough to paint a large work of their own choosing. They relied on a rich benefactor to commission a work. The patron sometimes wanted a subject painted that personal meaning for them. The Ghent Altarpiece for example, was displayed in a chapel where the people in the town could go and look at the paintings, and pray under them. One of the reasons the rich couple commissioned the work, was so the people in the town could see it. As the couple were childless, they had no children to pray for them after they died, so they had this painting made and put in the chapel so that the towns people could pray for their souls.

Art History The Classical

The Classical

Humanism is the belief is that man is the measure of all things and as the centre of everything, we have the power to shape our own destiny. In ancient Greece, the cradle of western civilization, they believed in the 'ideal'. Perfection and beauty is reflected in their art. In most civilizations art is in part a measure of their development. As a civilization gets more advanced, so does their art. In the case of ancient Greece, their art became more realistic and detailed over time, striving for perfection. The ancient Greeks created many great works using a variety of different materials.

Many civilizations, as with ancient Greece, the development of their artwork can be seen a curve. At the bottom, or start, they have basic art and figures. They use simple tools and materials to create artworks that aren't very realistic. This is when the culture is new, the start of the learning curve. As they move towards the high point, they are closer to achieving their ideal and perfect state. The art is realistic and portrays the idea of the ideal form. Eventually, the curve starts to drop down and the art becomes over elaborate and more decorative. Advanced techniques, and the focus on making artworks more accentuated and powerful signifies a downfall of the culture in itself. As one civilisation falls another curve rises up and overlaps the declining one. Sometimes the rising civilisation uses some of the declining culture's technology and style as they rise and move forward.

It is common throughout history for the dominant civilisation of the time to believe itself to be the greatest civilisation of all time and will never be surpassed. This is an appealing thought for any society, and just as death comes to all men, time will see the eventual decline of every culture. As one civilisation falls, a new one will take its place and assume it's dominance. We believe we have the greatest civilisation and a successful system. However, it will not last forever. Much of modern western society was developed from ancient Greece (democracy, philosophy, science, mathematics) and Rome (law, order, infrastructure systems, city planning). The Roman Empire took over from Greece and thought themselves the greatest empire of all. They based their civilisation around power and organisation, but even it collapsed in the end.

At the heart of humanism is the phrase, "man is the measure of all things," and the centre of everything. The most famous image illustrating this concept is Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Vitruvian Man'. The drawing shows the ideal proportions of man combined with geometry (square and circle). The drawing is named after Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer who wrote books on architecture.

'The Vitruvian Man' depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in a circle and square. It shows the connection between art and science through the importance of proportion. It also relates man to nature.

In the Golden Age of Pericles in Athens the reconstruction of the Acropolis took place. It was considered to be the most perfect structure built. The buildings, including the Parthenon, as well as the sculptures, were a reflection of the culture and how they strived for perfection. Just before the Acropolis was built, the Greeks had created democracy. This was a fairer way for people to chose who would rule, and the laws they would live under. It gave people more power to control their own destiny. However, only certain male citizens (about a fifth of the population) could have a say in matters. The buildings were made to reflect the sophistication of the society and how advanced the civilisation was. We have adopted many things from ancient Greece and the Rome and they can be seen today in modern Western society in many ways.

Humanism places man in the centre of everything. Today we are becoming obsessed with attaining perfection and controlling everything around us. As a society today, I think there is too much obsession with perfection, and trying to achieve it is in itself an monumental task.

Art History Lecture The Romantic Principle

 Lecture The Romantic

Romanticism in art has a very different meaning from the word 'romantic'. The word 'romantic' is normally associated with 'love' and 'sweet' things. In art the Romantic era, or Romanticism, means focusing on the spiritual, surreal and expressive side of art. Romanticism is about emotion and feelings.

Raymond Lister said, "Romanticism is the concerned with the particular, and the most important aspect of the particular is the individual: especially the artist, who, in Romantic eyes, was seer, a prophet, an interpreter of mysteries... so he above all men, held the keys to truth." Lister says that the artist is a prophet and an interpreter through his art and that the artist himself can see the truth.

Artists of the Romanticism movement turned away from the classic style, creating paintings and drawings that had more of an emphasis on intense feelings, in particular the emotions of horror, terror and awe. It was about imagination, passion, the power of nature, and revolution. It was the opposite to Neoclassicism. Romantic art drew on 'dark' Medieval and Gothic times, as well as mythology and folklore.

Hieronymus Bosch was a European painter of the late Middle Ages. His paintings portray the sins and follies of humankind and the consequences of these actions. Bosch's paintings contain many complex, imaginative and obscure symbols. One of his paintings made in this style was 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' (1504).

The painting depicts three scenes. The panel on the left shows the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve living peacefully in paradise before they took the apple. The middle panel shows a chaotic scene with people giving in to their desires. There are surreal and weird buildings, animals and figures, some of which are deformed. Finally, the last panel depicts hell and what will happen to you if you let your earthly desires take control. Bosch painted the emotions of horror with scenes of war and fire. He even created creatures of hell that feed on the souls doomed to spend eternity there.

This painting shows some of the emotions, surreal and expressive style that would have had a response by the audience, similar to what the Romantics intended. There were bad things out there and terrible things could happen. Man was no match for nature (or God).

Many of the paintings in this style show scenes of horror and death, but also a spiritual side. The painting 'Triumph of Death' by Pieter Brueghel gives the viewer the scene of death, which is depicted as skeletons coming for the living. Death is like an angel that decides who will die. It also implies that it doesn't matter who you are, death will come for you eventually. This would have a particular hold on people at the time. It was painted at a time when people believed there was a god, angels and that an army of death would physically come take you away.

 

Romanticism was a response to the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789. Where 'classical' is calm and orderly, 'romantic' is wild, energetic and spiritual, and sometimes full of terror and dread.

The power of nature as seen in the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755 and the tsunami and fire storm afterwards that killed about 15000 people was a reminder that people are at the mercy of nature, (nature being synonymous with God). Romantic art portrayed the beauty and power of the natural world in a personal way. It was about individual feelings, not common themes. Throughout Romantic paintings, there are many examples of shipwrecks. Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa" is probably one of the most famous of all Romantic paintings. There are also blizzards, fires, storms, floods, earthquakes and biblical disasters represented. It wasn't all storms and disasters, Romantics such as John Constable expressed his response to the English countryside. The subjective, highly personal view of nature in his landscapes were praised as being individual, a central and important theme in Romanticism.

Romanticism was also about conflict and revolution. It championed spiritualism over science, democracy over subjugation, and nature over industry. It was in some ways a reaction against the industrial revolution and issues such as slavery. The Romantics championed the oppressed, the underdog. The French painter Delacroix in his painting, 'The Massacre at Chios' showed his support in the Greek's struggle for independence against the Turkish Empire. He highlighted the terrible price they were paying. The Romantics also wanted to improve social and political conditions. They wanted to magnify any occurrence of inhumanity or suffering so we can see it better. The Romantics wanted to raise the profile of man's inhumanity to man and promote individual liberty.

One of the greatest pieces of literature that came from the philosophy of Romanticism is, "A Philosophical Inquiry into the origin of our ideas of The Sublime and Beautiful", by Edmund Burke. The 'beautiful' is the humanism and the sublime if the darker side of human nature and beyond. And The book is like the philosophical reason for Romanticism. A lot of dark and Gothic literature has stemmed from this book.

In short, the "beautiful" according to Burke, is what is well-formed and aesthetically pleasing, whereas the "sublime" is what has the power to compel and destroy us. The preference for the sublime over the beautiful was to mark the transition from the Neoclassical to the Romantic era.

Photograghy artist research László Moholy–Nagy Photograms

László Moholy–Nagy  Photograms

Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy sums up the spirit of the avant-gardes of the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century. He was an innovative painter, sculptor, photographer, film-maker, designer, typographer, art theoretician, stage designer, industrial designer, and teacher. While teaching at the Bauhaus, he was a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.

One of Moholy–Nagy's main focuses was photography. He believed that photography could create a whole new way of seeing the outside world that the human eye could not. He experimented with the photographic process of exposing light sensitive paper with objects overlain on top of it, called photogram.

The photogram was invented at the same time as photography in the early 19th century. It is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.

Moholy-Nagy used two methods of production: the first consisted of placing the objects directly on a special photographic paper and exposing the whole thing to natural or artificial light: after a time the contours and shadows of the object left light surfaces on a dark background on the support. The second took place in a dark-room where the evolution of the forms is no longer visible in real time, and the result could only be observed after developing and fixing the test.

Moholy-Nagy experimented with the stark and unexpected effects of negative imaging. He juxtaposed simple recognisable objects, varying the exposure time with different objects within a single image, as well as moving objects as they were exposed to the light. The photogram technique allowed him to explore the optical and expressive properties of light. Moholy-Nagy tried to capture light from the best angles and intensities. Eventually, he stopped using opaque objects, using instead translucent materials such as crystal, glass, liquids, and veils. He often superimposed these to accentuate the effects of the contrast of grains and textures.

Moholy-Nagy's photograms, despite originally being images of common objects, are clearly part of abstract art. He transforms them so they become non-figurative, arranged in such a way that they have no relationship with the real world. The photogram is not a copy, but rather a transmutation of an image, and most importantly, a study of the phenomenon of light. It is as Moholy-Nagy said, all about " the shaping of light", and playing with pure forms.

The multilayered processes used by Moholy-Nagy in his photograms in many ways represent his (then radical) views that new technologies, such as film and photography, would dissipate the divisions between different artforms, and this in turn would lead the way to a new world of experience. 

Fine Art Final Touches 23th October

Final Touches 23th October

With this the last morning, we all had to pick up the pace and make sure everything was done and we were all happy with it.

After all of the work we did yesterday there was still a bit to do before we could say it was finished, but luckily we had a lot of the things we needed with us today so we could make a start. With a roll of bin bags and some black curtains we were able to get right to work.

We started by adding to the black walls with the bin bags. I was hoping it would be as if the dark depression was coming out the walls and dragging everything down with it. On the other wall we put up the black curtains.

After the break we had another group discussion on how the installation was going. I was worried that it was still too much of a remake of the original. After a while the idea of using the inside of the dark "box" as a sort of room from in one of the town.

Now we had to sort out how to make this into a proper box, covering it with more cloth and making it very dark and depressing. Luckily the drama department had a large black curtain that they kindly let us use, fixing it up to the ceiling we then draping it over to cover the opening. This left a little gap where you could only just see the end of the what was supposed to be a bed.

I thought of keeping the light in place and turning the manikin to the light a little so that it seemed that she was looking to the light searching for hope in the dark room of depression.

We moved all the tools outside and nailed them to the wall and put the bones that were the dog's out there. To the inside was the town and the outside was where the angel was, or heaven. The tools were the tools to create the material world and the angel was to take to the town to lift the depression.

With all our had work we managed to get everything sorted out before we had the group critic, but by that time my voice or what was left of it, was gone, I felt bad that I couldn't say my bit in the group critic. I couldn't make a sound. After the talk people were able to give comments about the work and most were very encouraging. Most said out off all of the paintings that this one was the hardiest to interpret.

We were asked if the dark room was a good idea because it was very closed off and when artists have used that in their work, people haven't felt like walking into a dark room. I wanted a feeling of darkness and repression because I intended it to feel like it was depression. I want the view to feel trapped and the little light that was in the room was there only hope, dim as it was. Maybe having this as a walk through room would sort that out and make people walk through it, but I know that will not always be an option. With most other emotions then I would open up the side a bit so people could just look in, but depression is different. In my mind it was important to have that feeling of dark and almost complete isolation. If I was to do it again I would have liked to make the room bigger so you could walk around the bed, make the walls all the way down so less light was let in, and have the walls flowing like a black liquid as if it was bleeding. In that case I could have a little gap where you could just see an edge of something that might make someone want to walk in and see what's there.

With the group installation done, I now had to think of creating my own modern take of the Durer's engraving. This will be hard, but I already have a couple of ideas in my head.

Fine Art Installing the Installation 22nd October

Installing the Installation   22nd October

With yesterday being a starting point to fine art, and with only two more days to finish the group installation, it was a rush to get as much done as we could before tomorrow's group critic in the afternoon. With my voice still not back, I had to try and communicate as best I could, even if it was a bit painful.

Starting with the two black walls we'd covered the day before, we then cut up bin bags to make a sort of roof. This would block out some of the light and help give a darker more depressive feel to the installation.

We found, then started arranging some of the objects that could symbolise some of the things in the engraving. We gathered together some tools and even found some boxes that could be some of the shapes. As we were arranging the objects some of the comments we were getting was that it was too much of an remake and not an interpretation. I stood back and could see where they were coming from. We needed a rethink of our ideas and another brain storm.

With a quick group talk and different ideas coming from everyone, we decided to have one side lighter and filled with the measuring tools and shapes. The other side would be darker and devoted more to the flowing fabric, to mimic the visual divide that was in the engraving.

Using the white pole as the divide, to mimic the ladder in the engraving, I started to arrange the objects. As I stood back, I still wasn't happy with how it was looking. It was far too bright to make you feel depressed. I wanted someone to look at it and get a feeling of dark depression. I came up with the idea of making a sort of screen to block the open side. Clearing it with the group first, I then started making a long drape out of bin bags that could hang from the ceiling. This was then tied to the ceiling. It wasn't the best looking thing in the world and I would of liked to of had some fabric, but it was black and seeing and there wasn't much fabric or cloth around, we didn't have time to be picky.

With the side up and the objects assembled, we had another look at Melancholia I. We wanted some more things done before the day was over. We needed a light that we could then cover with a cloth to make it dim. I pointed out that it could be a dim light of hope in the darkness of depression. It would be a faint light that was always there, but not always in view, or bright. We also needed the box that had the numbers on it, known as the magic squares. That was one of the main objects in the engraving.

We all went on a treasurer hunt for these objects. We happened to find the magic square, the one thing I thought we would never find. Yes, it was missing a line and only had three boxes instead of four, but with only one day to finish the project I wasn't going to start getting picky. If we had more time we would have made one. The light on the other hand was harder to find. We needed a small, not very powerful light.

Sadly, time was up, but with so much done in so little time today, I was happy how hard we had worked to a lot of things done. We had a quick talk on what we should bring in tomorrow; mainly what we could use for a light, and some more black fabric.

Photography a thousand words for one photo 22nd October

A Thousand Words For One Photo

With today being the first day of photography, I was excited to see what we will be doing and what artists we will be researching. We started much like we normally do and that's with a discussion of the brief and what we will be doing over the next six weeks. With the subject being identity, we had a group mind map. We each gave ideas on how people identify each other and what forms our own identity. Looks was one of the first things that came up as this is how most people identify each other and that we also form opinions on people depending on how we dress. Among many other things were family, jobs, hobbies and aspirations. All of these can be part of our identity and mould who we are.

We were then asked to do our own mind map with things that make up part of our own identity, I found this a little hard as I don't really like to share a great deal with people I don't know. Luckily the tutor reassured me that we all could share as much or as little as we like about ourselves. With that said, I still couldn't think of much to put on my mind map.

After the mind mapping was over we each given a 35mm SLR camera and an explanation on how it worked and a talk about the controls.

The film speed, which is the rate the film is able to capture and react to light, starts at 6 (very slow) and goes up to 3200 (very fast). This is important to know if your shooting in darker areas or at night because a higher film speed or ISO, will take in and react to the little light that is there. Having a higher speed will make your photos less clear and more grain will be on your image. This means the more you blow up the photo, the less defined it will be. Today we set it at 100 as there was a lot of light in the studio.

Shutter speed is the length of time the shutter on the camera stays open which determines the amount of time the light is on the film. Most of the time it's a fraction of a second. It starts at B (the shutter stays open as long as you hold down the button); 1 (the shutter stays open for a second), 1/2 (half a second), 1/4 (a fourth of a second) 1/8,1/15 and up to 1/1000 sec. The lower the number the longer the shutters stay open which means that any movement by the subject will be picked up by the camera and the image will be blurred. This also happens if there is any camera shake. The important thing to remember is a slow speed means more light at the risk of motion blur. A fast shutter speed means low risk of motion blur while sacrificing light. You have to make sure you have the right balance to achieve the photos you want.

After the exploration we went to the photography studio so we could have a go at taking photos using the 35mm SLR camera. We also had a quick talk about the flash and the lights that were there as well as safety issues when using them. It's important to never to point them at someone's face. We were also some umbrellas. The white one was for diffusing the light and creating a softer glow normally used in baby photography and soft portraits. The black umbrella is used for reflecting the light. It bounces the light off the inside of the umbrella and spreads it over the subject giving a strong, but wide light source.

With all of the technical talk over we could start taking photos. We took it in turn to do silhouettes of each other in different poses. This allowed us to get used to the camera and learn how it works. After the group had done all the photos, it was time to call it a day with a reminder that we had to bring in 5 items to photograph next lesson.

Fine Art A Not Very Fine Day 21st October

A Not Very Fine Day   21st October

Another Tuesday and the start of a new subject to get our heads around. This time it's the last of the four subjects, Fine Art. At the very start of the course Fine Art was the one I thought I was going to specialise in, but after I have finished the other three I'm not so sure. I have enjoyed each one in different ways, so the big decision depends on the next two weeks.

The lesson started with a quick talk about what is Fine Art? We came up with paintings, sculpture, installations and events, film and photography. We then had a discussion on where you'd see art. You'd think there wasn't many places you could see art, but there are. Art is not just in galleries and museums, it's in caves were the first paintings were made, to the streets we walk down, in schools and in our homes; art is everywhere. With a very wide range of different ways to approach fine art I was interested to see what we would be doing.

With the talk about what fine art is over, it was time to get down to the brief and what we were doing for the next two weeks. The first week we'd be split up into groups of three to interpret a painting and create an installation. In the second week we would each take the same painting and individually interpret it whilst putting a modern twist to it. We were then shown three paintings, one for each group, and we could discuss and find out a little about the paintings before we were assigned to them. The three paintings were The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger painted in 1553, The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault, a French Romantic painter, painted in 1818–1819, and finally Melancholia 1. This was not a painting, but an engraving by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer in 1514.

It was very difficult to hear with the heavy rain on the roof. We had to stop for a minute as we couldn't hear a thing anyone was saying. 

After the rain stopped we were then put into groups of three. Each artwork was then given a number and we had to choose a number and we were then given the painting that was assigned that number. I was in the very last group so we were just given the one that was left and that was the engraving Melancholia 1. This was the hardest to interpret, not only because it was in black and white, but also there were so many things in it to find the meaning of.

With our painting assigned we then had to make a large mind map, writing down parts of the engraving that we might use or might be important, as well as any ideas we had. This was very difficult as I had lost my voice and had to try and get my ideas across to the others. I found this very frustrating at times, but manged in the end.

A lot of the engraving had instruments that are devoted to measuring, like an hour glass, scales and drafting tools. There were also a lot of other objects that could have many meanings, like an angel and keys, a dog, and intruments. Along with all these things was a very odd shape that took up a lot of the space on the engraving. I later found out it was a rhombohedron. As soon as we looked at it we saw what looked like a face or skull. We didn't know if it was just the printer adding to a copied photo, we let it go.

We had a talk about what this could all mean. With Melancholia meaning depression, we talked about how that could have something to do with the artwork. We thought that it could have something to do with the angel trying to find out something, or work out a problem and that's why there were so many measuring tools. The number 34 came up a lot as the numbers on the chart all added up to 34, no matter what way you looked at it.

With a lot of work to do we had to make a start on setting up the space where our installation would go. I started moving some of the big boards to cover the corner so I could put black paper over it. We all agreed that it needed to stay black and white like the engraving and that the feeling of depression and sadness was important. While we did that we talked about how big we wanted it and what should go into it.

With a lot of ideas flying around, I tried to make sure I told them as much as I could; a difficult task with no voice. The idea of having the angel and the town in it, and then all different tools, we didn't want to just recreate the artwork so that idea was rejected. With a lot of ideas flying around there was still a couple of things we needed to sort out, but before we could it was the end of the lesson.

Visual Communication The End in Sight 16th October

The End in Sight 16th October

As today was the last day in Visual Communication, I had a lot to do before I could complete this section of diagnostic rota. It started with a brief run down of what we had to finish and what we had to remember to hand in before Christmas. We also had a quick talk about what we were planning to get done today and how much we thought we could complete. There was a lot to do, but we did have all day.

As it was the last day, I had to make sure I had most, if not all of the work done by the end of the day. I started with drawing out some of the modern style poster ideas for the 'votes for women' designs. This was one of the many ideas I wanted to have done by now, but time hadn't allowed it.

I started to draw some of the poster designs, changing them slightly so they would fit with the modern day, altering the clothes, hair and even the flag into a banner to give it a more up to date feel. This took longer than I thought, and before I knew it, an hour had passed. This wasn't good. I had to speed up if I was to finish the list of things I wanted to do.

After I finished my poster, I got to work on setting up my two A1 design sheets. This wasn't too hard as I'd already done a couple of styles that could fill both sheets. I printed two of my finished pieces and made one of them into a poster. This would fill one page. For the other, I thought a page of Pop Art, as it was one of the main styles I did and found interesting.

After much printing and arranging, I had one and a half sheets done, but if I was to do an A1 sheet on Pop Art, I needed more finished work. This was one more thing to think about and time was slipping away.

Before I could do anything more, I had to think about and fill in my self evaluation form. This was another thing I had to do by the end of the day. It was important I had a clear list of the things I needed to do in my mind .

Having done that, I started on my design sheets. I'd only had a quick go using the InDesign program. I needed to be shown how to load the image from Photoshop. This meant I had to go back and re-save them to different files so all the layers didn't cause a problem. After that I then had to load in my images, arrange and resize them so they fitted nicely into the sheet.

After sorting and finishing things up, I could move onto making the last bits of Pop Art. With a lot of the day spent using Photoshop, I could get the page, images and layers up and ready to work with in no time. I'd only half finished my work before it was time to leave. I wanted to finish at least this today, but I did get a lot done and with some luck I could finish what I started at home.

While I was driving home, I thought about how far I'd come in this project. When I started researching Welsh history, I never though it would end up being about women's rights. The path I chose, the different styles I tried, and the decisions I made along the way, have brought me to where I ended up today. If I had more time, I would of liked to have done a bit more of the posters and maybe design some flyers and buttons, just like they had in the real campaign. I would of also liked to have done more of the Pop Art and perhaps a more modern Pop Art side of the votes for women.

My project had come a long way over the last two weeks from when I started Visual Communication.

Visual Communication Visual evidence15th October

Visual Evidence 15th October 

As the final day of Visual Communication comes ever closer, my design for the poster and banner are starting to come together.

The day started with the group explaining what they'd done the day before. Mostly we talked about what we were in the middle of doing. I talked about my half finished pastiche, but then moved on to the bigger idea, women's suffrage, as I'd done some research into the right of women to vote. I wanted to make a campaign based on that theme. After I finished my pastiche, I wanted to redesign some old posters, then use them as if it was happening today. My idea was met with good comments and I was happy I could go forward with it.

After the quick talk we all jumped on the computers and set about finishing our work. With only today and tomorrow to do this, I was hoping to get a lot done today. The only thing that stood in my way was the technology; getting my head around Photoshop was taking a lot longer than I thought it would. It was slow going and I had to redo a couple of things before I was happy with the result and could move on.

This was very much my whole day; find an image, copy it into Photoshop, resize and arrange it before I could delete the background so it looked like it was part of the Last Supper. With many of the things I had to do being fiddly work, I had to concentrate in order to get my work done in time and not make too many mistakes. After much of the work was done, it was time for the next step; making the images of the women match each other. I did this by changing their colour and brightness so one didn't overpower the others. After being shown how this was done, it was my turn to have a go. Learning new ways to change an image is a useful tool to have, not just for graphic design, but also for any photos I want to fix up. With a little bit of playing about with contrast and colours, this work was done.

With that part of my piece finished, I had to move onto the next part, women's suffrage and the posters (and buttons). This was one of the ideas that came up in the group discussion this morning. I found a photo of some women with a banner campaigning for the vote. After loading it into Photoshop, I used my finished pastiche as an overlay so it looked like my image was on the banner. I then added a couple of effects to make it match the rest of the photo, like a bit of blurring, some shadows, and some text which I faded and multiplied.

After all that work it was time to call it a day. I'd done a fair bit and got two of my pieces done which I was happy about, but as tomorrow is the last day, I just hope I can get a bit more finished so I have a couple more pieces to show.

Visual Communication Working Towards the Final Piece14th October

Working Towards the Final Piece 14th October

Once again Tuesday's Visual Communication started with the group catching up on what they had done over the last week. This was a chance for all of us to explain how our ideas had changed over the weekend. Having the opportunity to talk through my ideas with the group meant I could get a fresh view on my concept. I could also give other people feedback on their work and ideas. When it was my turn to talk I explained how over the weekend I did some research on the artist Andy Warhol, and how that tied into the Pop Art example I did last Thursday. This was one of the many styles I tried before I came to the final decision of a pastiche of Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. I wanted to have The Last Supper as the main setting, but instead of all men, I would have women in the roles of traditionally male dominated jobs. I wanted to question the role of women and how in the past there were very few opportunities for them.

With the talk over, we were then sent off to start our final piece, or pieces for the end of the week. This was a hard task as I had to search for different images of women working in male dominated roles. I had difficulty thinking of thirteen different recognisable jobs for my image so I wrote a questionnaire asking people to write down different jobs where women weren’t well represented. The results were amazing. One career mentioned that surprised me was that of graphic designer. With all that information at hand, I got back to the task. It was much easier with the ideas from other people. I went get back to the search engine to look for images.

I could now get back to my final piece. I started with a photo of the original Last Supper and opened it in Photoshop. I then started reading down the list from my questionnaire for some ideas. After a bit of searching I soon had several images ready to be layered on top of the original painting. This is where I had to get to grips with layering multiple photos and blending each one into the photo, so that it looked like it was part of the original painting. The first thing I had to deal with was deleting the background from photos of the women I added. This was a difficult and time consuming task as I had to go around each one individually and make sure there wasn’t any background colour showing through.

Before I knew it the class was over, but with the progress I‘ve made today I’m sure I'll be able to finish this work tomorrow.



Pastiche

Pastiche - Something old, something new, something borrowed, something...

A pastiche is a mixture of materials, forms, motifs or styles in an artwork. These may be borrowed or appropriated from a range of different sources. Usually the artist doesn't try to hide the use of the imitated motifs, forms or styles that have been used. This is particularly true in commercial art where a range of well know images from the past are often used in advertising. The artist relies on the recognition of the borrowed style or image. In fact, meaning is only made if the viewer recognises and understands the reference.

A pastiche differs from a parody in that it's usually respectful. In some cases, the artist may intend a humorous reaction to their work, or a gentle parody, but it's more about the style of the original in a new context. In some cases the new work can be almost a homage to the artist.

Pastiche is not just associated with modern art, advertising and commercial art of the 20th and 21st centuries. In the 16th century, some of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's early works were almost certainly a pastiche of Hieronymus Bosch's paintings. For example, Bruegel's work, "Mad Meg (Dulle Griet)", is very Bosch-like in composition. This imitation of style was intentional. Bruegel intended to replicate the imagination of Bosch as much as possible. Both artists painted similar subject matter as well as complex compositions.

It is common today to find artists and designers using the art of pastiche to make something new from something old. By borrowing a recognisable style from the past, or using it as inspiration, artists can create a new work or design that not only arouses a response from the viewer, but connects them to something familiar. By giving something old a modern twist, it creates an new feeling that may stimulate, surprise, intrigue, provoke, delight, or amuse the audience. Pastiche connects us to something familiar whether it is an image, composition, style, or technique.

Pastiche is characteristic of modern popular culture and is common in the images that bombard us daily in advertising. In some cases it is almost a case of over-exposure. In the age of mass media we see virtually too many images, especially in advertising. In many ways it is just about impossible to be original.

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is such an iconic image that nearly everyone recognises it. It is often pastiched in advertising as well as more traditional art because the artist knows that people will make the connection. It is a work that has inspired many artists and designers to create works. Modern technology has also opened a whole new world for possible interpretations of this well known image.

Artworks and designs that copy the style of another work, or combine various, distinct styles together into one work are now generally acknowledged and accepted. Pastiche is all about style, and creating something new and different by copying the tone and feeling of the original. It's almost a paradox in that artists should look to the past sometimes in order to move into the future and create new original works.

Visual Communication Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was an a American artist who covered many aspects of the art world in his lifetime, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, film, and music. As well as being an traditional artist, he was one of the pioneers of computer-generated art. He was also the leading figure in the Pop Art movement.

Sadly, when Andy Warhol was young he contracted Sydenham's chorea, also known as St. Vitus' Dance. This meant he had to spend several months confined to his bed. This caused him to miss out a lot of school work. He also became somewhat of an outcast with his classmates. While confined to his bed, Andy Warhol spent much of his time drawing, listening to the radio, and posting pictures of movie stars around his room. Later in life, Andy Warhol described this period as very important in the development of his personality and his skills.

From an early age Andy Warhol showed an interest and talent in art. He took classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art as a young teenager where he won several awards. Later he earned a degree in pictorial design at Carnegie Institute for Technology, now called Carnegie Mellon University. Whilst at Carnegie Institute for Technology, Andy's sometimes non-traditional drawing style meant that he was often given extra work to do over the summer. This was so he could keep up with the academic standards of the school. Once he graduated, Andy Warhol moved to New York to begin his commercial design career.

In the 1950s Andy developed his style in illustrations using a technique called "blotted-line". This was a mixture of drawing and printmaking and allowed him to create a variety of illustrations following a similar theme. Although the blotted-line technique allowed him to make similar illustrations, the process was a long and complex one. Andy needed to follow many steps before an illustration was finished. Even though the blotted-line technique was complex, it gave his art the dotted, broken and delicate lines that are characteristic of his illustrations. He would colour his illustration's with watercolour dyes, and sometimes even gold leaf, as well as use his own hand-carved rubber stamps to create patterns on his work. Andy Warhol made good use of the blotted-line technique when he was working as a commercial illustrator for the high end leather company Fleming Joffe, and when he worked as a designer for I Miller shoes.

It was in the 1960s after some time traveling the world that Andy Warhol moved onto painting on canvas. This eventually lead him to his Pop Art debut. The exhibitions were held at the Hugo Gallery, the Bodley Gallery in New York and in California. However, it was at the Stable Gallery in November 1962 that Warhol would have his first solo pop art exhibition. The works shown there included 100 Soup Cans, 100 Coke Bottles,100 Dollar Bills and one of Andy Warhol's most famous artworks, Marilyn Diptych. He would go on to print many other iconic American objects and celebrities such as Campbell's Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles, mushroom clouds, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Troy Donahue and Elizabeth Taylor.

Today Andy Warhol is known for his Pop Art. Most of his work is held in the Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Andy Warhol was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

Visual Communication Women's Suffrage (the right of women to vote)

Women's Suffrage (the right of women to vote)

Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote and to stand for electoral office. The right of woman to vote was achieved at different times in countries around the world. In the late 19th century limited voting rights were gained for women in Sweden, Finland and some parts of the United States. In many countries, woman's suffrage was granted before universal suffrage, so men and women from certain classes, or of a particular race were still not allowed to vote.

In 1893, New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote. In 1894, South Australia granted universal suffrage to all women. In the same year, the United Kingdom extended the right to vote in local elections to married women.

In February 1918, the UK Government passed an act giving women the vote if they were over the age of 30 and either owned property or rented for at least £5 a year, or were the wife of someone who did. As a result, 8.5 million women became entitled to vote in the General Election of 1918. On 2 July 1928, a law was passed allowing all women over the age of 21 to vote.

One of the reasons for continued opposition to give women the right to vote was that men were seen predominately as the head of the household and in control of any matters related to outside the home. Women's roles were almost exclusively within the home and focused on the family.

The suffrage movement was a broad one, but their general intent was to bring about changes in voting laws. Extended political campaigns by women and their supporters were seen to be necessary to gain legislation or constitutional amendments for women's suffrage. Perhaps the most notable example of extreme action was in the UK in June 1913, when Emily Wilding Davison threw herself under the King’s horse at the Derby racecourse and was killed. She was the only suffragette to die for the cause and was made into a martyr.

Women's suffrage was a step along the path for women to gain full economic, vocational, educational and social rights and opportunities for women. Unfortunately, sexual discrimination still continues today, and in many countries women are not considered equal to men.

Visual Communication Jemima Nicholas and the Last Invasion of Britain

Jemima Nicholas ("Jemima Fawr" or Jemima the Great) and the Last Invasion of Britain

In 1797 the French army was planning to invade Ireland and set it free from British rule. As a diversion, the French intended to attack the City of Bristol, then go on to attack London. The French mistakenly expected the Welsh to rise up and fight the English. However, because of a gale, the boats were blown off course and 1,500 French troops landed instead at Carreg Wastad, near Fishguard, on the west coast of Wales. This proved to be the last invasion of Britain.

When the French troops landed, they set about stealing everything they could lay their hands on as well as getting drunk. This is when Jemima Nicholas, the Fishguard shoemaker entered the story. Her heroic acts that day became legend and she is now known as "Jemima Fawr" (Jemima the Great).

In February 1797, Jemima Nicholas saw about a dozen starving and drunk French soldiers wandering around the fields of Fishguard, and after seeing them chasing her sheep and chickens, she took action. Undaunted she advanced towards the French soldiers, picked up a pitchfork and pointed it at them. She then single-handedly rounded up the French soldiers who immediately threw down their weapons. Jemima marched them down to the local jail. Because of her actions that day, Jemima Nicholas became a Welsh heroine.

By the end of the century the story had been considerably exaggerated with Jemima said to be the leader of a regiment of women, dressed in their Welsh dress, with big black hats, red shawls, and black skirts, and armed with pitchforks, axes, hoes, and other farm tools. This was done to deceive the French as to the numbers of the British troops opposing them. Despite the lack of evidence for this story, Jemima Nicholas' heroic acts that day entitle her to be remembered as "a heroic single woman" in the words of a local historian.

A memorial stone dedicated to Jemima was erected in 1897 as part of the centenary celebrations. It stands near the entrance of Saint Mary's churchyard facing Main Street.

"In Memory of Jemima Nicholas of this Town who boldly marched to meet the French Invaders who landed on our shores in February, 1797. She died in Main Street July 1832. Aged 82 years. At the date of the Invasion she was 47 years old, and lived 35 years after the event. Erected by subscription collected at the Centenary Banquet July 6, 1897."

Visual Communication Eye Catching Colours

Eye Catching Colours   9th October

Once again its Thursday and the end of week one for Visual Communication. The time goes so quickly when you're working hard. The last couple of days we have been getting to grips with new programs like Photoshop and Wordle. We also have looked at lots of different styles which are some of the tools at the fingertips of a graphic designer. Before we got into any of that, we were told about how to make a design sheet. This is something we have to do as one of the final pieces so we can show our thought process and our finished work. With new computer based processes to remember, and get used to, there was a lot of running through my mind.

After the talk about design sheets was over I started creating things in Photoshop. The tutor talked about Psychedelia. The eye catching bright colours and swirling text makes Psychedelia a very good tool for graphic designers. When I first tried, it didn't go well as the vivid didn't seem to go with the selection of photos I had. However, learning the different ways to manipulate colour in Photoshop was something very useful to learn. After the colour change, I then added some text. This time it was my own choice on where and what size text to put in. Each one of the words I wrote, I had to change the font, colour and the layout to make it a personalised design.

After a quick try out of some different designs we were then talking about other styles. One that jumped out at me was Pop Art. I started to look at Andy Warhol's work, the way he used bright colours in blocks that made you look at famous people and well known objects in a different way. Looking at Andy Warhol's art gave me something to think about and try.

Each style I learned about gave me ideas about how to create new versions of the same image. Each style gives an image a different feeling and changes the meaning of it. With this in mind, I'm looking forward to starting my final piece next week.

Visual Communication Digitally Made 8th October

Digitally Made  8th October 

After yesterday's introduction to the world of Visual Communication it left me wondering what will we be doing today? The answer was getting to grips with the software I'll be using on my final piece.

We started by talking about what we did yesterday and the ideas we came up with. This was a wonderful opportunity for the group to hear about everyone else's ideas and to make comments. It was valuable getting feedback on your own ideas and plans and listening to everyone talk about what they planned to do was wonderful. Hearing a group of creative people share their thoughts inspired me. It made me want to create my own work even more. When it was my turn to speak, I explained what I'd researched yesterday; the last invasion of Britain and Jemima Nicholas, the Welsh heroine who captured some French soldiers single handed. It was an exceptional feat considering those were the days when women were expected to be quiet housewives and not get involved men's work or activities, especially not fighting. I then explained to the group how my research on Jemima Nicholas lead me to thinking about the role of women throughout history, and how even today there are still male dominated roles in society. After I finished talking I got a lot of positive feedback which is always encouraging.

After the group discussion, we each grabbed one of the computers so that we could be introduced to some of the programs we'll be using over the next two weeks. The first was Photoshop, and having used a old version of this program before, I wasn't too worried about it. I soon got the general idea of where things were and how they worked. I still had to have some things explained to me, like the size and format, as well as some filters, but all in all it was a fun catch up lesson.

The objective was to make a photomontage based on our own ideas. This was a lot harder, and took longer than I thought as finding suitable images was tricky. When I'd printed the photos, I arranged them on some black card. I came up with the idea for a pastiche of Da Vinci's "Last Supper". Instead of being all men (Jesus and the disciples), it would be all women. This would show women taking over the roles of men, something that rarely happens. Selecting, arranging and resizing the photos so they would fit together was difficult. I didn't get it completely the way I wanted in the time allowed, but I got the general idea down which pleased me.

After a quick break it was time to do some more Photoshop and then make some digital text for our Photoshop montage. This time I added lots of photos of modern women in traditionally male dominated roles. With so much new unfamiliar technology to get my head around, it did slow me down, but it was interesting to learn different ways to create art using different programs. I cut and layered my photos, and then overlayed some text, creating a digital version of a photomontage.

Before I knew it, it was time to call it a day. Now that I have a much better knowledge and understanding of the programs, I can get some more ideas together for my final piece.