Beginning 'Loss of Balance' Project (Digital Graphics Basics)

We had arranged to meet the Digital Graphics tutor (Marta Pogorzelec) on Wednesday morning at 9am but unfortunately we could not meet because she had the flu. I had emailed her the night before as she had requested to see some examples of our work and initial ideas for the project, when she replied I found out that she wasn't going to be at University the next day. I decided to still write about the work I have produced so far and how I intend to develop my visual ideas further. 

In the previous week, Marta sent us both an email with some example works we could use for inspiration, the topic title and some links to artist websites. These were very useful to look at and gain ideas from. I like the email communication because it helps us to keep focused when we are not in the class especially as we have only arranged to meet for an hour once a week. I have decided to stick with the topic she gave us, 'loss of balance' as I think it sounds quite interesting with many possibilities in the creation of digital graphic images. Below are a couple of example works she sent us in the email:

There is clearly a loss of balance as you observe the three heads across the image, the head on the left is in focus, the middle head is slightly out of focus and the right head is out of focus/blurred. This image has quite an intense appearance especially with the use of a black backdrop. It references the theme well.

This work appears to have lost balance because the figures don't have heads. I like the blocks of colour and the way transparency effects have been used to create a layered variation of tones, you can see colour layers underneath layers that have been placed on top. The expressive marks also help to create a loss of balance, kind of like a shaking effect.

In my email reply to Marta, I explained some of my initial ideas in a list format. The ideas I wrote down are for the theme 'loss of balance':

• Falling
• Head spinning, world spinning - blue atmosphere
• Uneven scales
• Yoga pose failing, unbalanced pose
• One-sided
• Weight
• Psychedelic patterns - looking at optical illusions (I have some of my own photos of these that I may use)
• Unbalanced diet - apple falling out of a person's hand, doughnut being lifted to mouth, healthy to an unhealthy diet, loss of balanced diet, food choices affect our body's balance
• Spilling something being balanced in hand - teacup spilling tea

I attached the three digital graphic images I had created so far, giving a short explanation of what each is about/what I am trying to convey. Each of the photographs I have taken myself whilst being in Poland and I used Photoshops to edit them e.g. using effects, adding colour using my digital drawing tablet and pen. 

The first image is slightly off centre, it is an inverted photograph. I have added blue and gold marks using my digital drawing tablet and pen to add some unbalanced colours to the black and white contrast

The second image features only 1 eye I saw spray painted on a wall. I used Photoshop effects such as posterise and colour lookup. The colours could be described as unbalanced because they are contrasting - I didn't change these colours. The eye is unbalanced because it does not feature a second eye as well as the rest of the human face

The third image has an adjusted composition, it is not straight. I have added purple specks to the snow beneath the bicycle structure to create a clash with the green. I changed the exposure and colour lookup, as well as some other effects using Photoshop

Balance is not something you find, it is something you create

I look forward to finding out the tutor's feedback when we have a consultation next week to discuss the work I have produced so far. In the meantime, I will continue to experiment and may do some more digital painting combined with my own photography.