Edited photos in the style of Andy Gotts

After having looked at my artists work, I began to realise that I needed to get up into the studio as this is the place in which Gotts shoots. Although the majority of his pieces are taken on black backgrounds, I took mine on both black and white so that I could compare after editing them. Due to the fact that I am looking at animals and humans, I decided to use a double exposure so that I could show both of them in one photo. These are the results:











Overall, I really like the outcome of these photos. However, I prefer the photos that are taken on a black background as it gives depth to the photo and gives the photo a more dramatic atmosphere. This also links more to Gotts' work as he mostly uses a black background. Furthermore, I also like the photos that have the human pulling a similar expression as the animal. For instance, in the lion double exposure, my subject is roaring, just like the lion. This portrays the idea of humans being similar to animals. In my next shoot, I am going to take more portraits on a black background and get the subject to pull different expressions that mimic animals.

Best Photos 04/05/17

The following are my best photos from Thursday's lesson:

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

After having looked at the contact sheet that I have made with all of the photos from Thursday's lesson, I have come to the conclusion that these are the best. However, I don't like the quality of the photos as they were taken on an I Phone 5s rather than a DSLR. With image 1, I was trying to show a more neutral face where I just had the subject smiling rather than pulling a different facial expression. I think this works as a basis of what I can compare with. Meanwhile, for image 2, I asked Carina to act surprised and this was the result; although the facial expression shows surprised, I think that I would have liked it to be slightly more serious than funny, however I think that it is an image that I can work from. Moreover, I think image 3 links more to may artists, Andy Gotts' work, more than others due to the fact that the facial expression is more unique and quirky; I think this would be a good photo to then draw from in my work.

The following are my best photos from previous shoots:

Image 1

Image 2

After having looked back on some previous shoots that I did with a friend to help improve my photography skills, these two photos are my favourite. I really like image 1 as it shows different emotions such as anger and frustration and I think that I would be able to draw from it really well in the style of Vince Low, however I don't particularly like how you can see the body in it as I am only focussing on faces at the moment. Meanwhile, in photo 2, I really like the use of the black background as it allows depth into the image, unlike some of the others. It is similar to image one that I shot of Carina, however the quality of the image is much better as I used my canon DSLR and I shot this in an actual studio.

Andy Gotts Artwork Analysis

Andy Gotts

Photography

‘Scarlett Johansson’

2013

http://filmmakeriq.com/images/scarlett-johansson-by-andy-gotts/

                Andy Gotts is a photographer based in London and New York and is mostly known for his captivating portraiture photos of celebrities. He was inspired by actors and the work that they can create so he wrote to 300 actors/actresses asking for them to be a part of his project and got one reply from Joss Ackland. After he finished these photos, Ackland loved the photos and recommended him to a friend. This cycle then went on and proceeded until Gotts had created enough photos for a whole body of work. A lot of his work has been published in magazines such as: Glamour, Empire and Total Film. He also worked with advertising campaigns. He wanted to show viewers the side to celebrities that we don’t usually see due to their profession, which is why he got most of his subjects to pull quirky facial expressions. I like how he has managed to show different emotions in his work; when he was photographing Scarlett Johansson in Paris, he shouted out an emotion and she pulled an expression that conveyed that feeling.

                Gotts has used a relatively narrow aperture to create a deep depth of field as there are no signs of blur around the edges of the subject; this means that he had to use slow down the shutter speed slightly so that enough light can be let through the lens. I think that this use of aperture is meant to persuade the viewers to look deeper into things rather than only seeing somebody from one perspective; they may have a different side to them.

                Throughout this body of work, in particular this piece, Gotts has used a fairly bleak colour scheme which juxtaposes well with the fun and quirky expression the subject is pulling. The fact that Gotts has placed the subject in front of a black background allows the subject to stand out and creates depth in the picture. In this picture, dramatic lighting is used to create a lot of differentiation and contrast in tone; this creates quite a theatrical mood and gives off the implication to the audience that there is quite a pantomime feel to the piece. Although the majority of his other pieces are in black and white, this piece has a very low saturation, meaning there is still a slight hint of colour in areas such as the cheeks, lips and eyes. He has also managed to be able to create a crisp texture, as evidenced by the hair in this image.

                As far as composition is concerned, Gotts using a variety of techniques that aid in the end result of a captivating and intriguing photo. For example, most of the pieces are filled with the subjects head, including this piece, rather than trying to capture the body; by doing this, Gotts is able to show emotion much more successfully than he would have showing the whole body. In a similar way, the shots are taken at a close up which shows emotion and in most cases the quirky, fun side to the celebrities. In this composition, there is a vignette that places an angelic mood around the celebrity, highlighting the good and happy side to their personality. Additionally, he has used the technique of simplicity as the face is the only aspect in the photo and there are no distractions in the photo; there is negative space around the subject as he did not want the viewers to be diverted by any unnecessary information.

                From looking at Andy Gotts’ work in detail, I have come to the conclusion that I am mostly interested by the fact that he has used unique and quirky facial features to show happy emotions. I want to be able to create a similar mood in my work, which is why I will do one shoot in this style and then reflect on how it went; this will then allow me to develop my work further to create better outcomes. Another element of Gotts’ work that I am interested in is the fact that he has used a black background and altered the saturation of the face. I think that this provides a lot of contrast in the piece, which is something that I would like to show in my work. In order to produce something similar to Gotts’ work, I am going to start looking at the result of shooting in the studio. From my own past experiences in the studio, I really liked the result of using the butterfly lighting technique as this highlights the contour area of the face and results in a more attractive composition. Hopefully, when I am happy with the outcomes that I am producing, I will then be able to convert the image into a piece also inspired by Vince Low’s work as I think they work really well together.

Amy Hamilton Artwork Analysis.

Source 1

Amy Hamilton

‘Bear’

2015

Mixed media

http://www.thepistrophy.com/watercolor-portraits-of-animals/

Source 2

Amy Hamilton

‘Wolf’

2015

Mixed media

http://www.moma.co.uk/buy/amy-hamilton-prints/

Amy Hamilton is an artist that focuses on the portraiture of wildlife and nature. This is something that she is extremely familiar with as she lives in Kingston, Ontario which is a city that contains large amounts of greenery, historic landmarks and a waterfront; she is able to receive a lot of inspiration from her surroundings so that she can produce some unique and striking compositions. The majority of her pieces are quite stylised and fairly illustrative which comes from the fact that when she was young, she decided that she would like to become an illustrator for children's books. As a young girl, her passion was to create short stories about the lives of certain animals, which is something that she wanted to convey in her paintings. After looking at an interview between her and junique.com, I found out that she was deeply inspired by documentaries that she watched throughout her life depicting what happens in the wild ; she said that they helped her gain her own perspective on nature and wildlife, which is something that she wanted to portray through her body of work. Her main objective that she wanted to successfully get across through her work is that nature is a beauty that we need to conserve and protect.

Despite the fact that both source 1 and source 2 have been created on a 2-d, flat background, Hamilton has been able to use different techniques in order to create a more 3-d format. For instance, the movement of the lines in source 2 are creating the impression of the fur moving outwards, creating the impression that the painting has been raised from the background. The fact that the direction of the fur is coming out from the main facial features (that being eyes, nose and mouth), could suggest that Hamilton wants us to pay attention to here as this will show the animals intentions and mood; the wolf in this composition is content, despite its usual predatory actions. Additionally, in source 1 as well as source 2, there is a slight colour wash around the edges of the animal, slowly dispersing; this gives depth to the piece and therefore makes the bear and wolf stand out from the background. The scale of these compositions are around an A5 and A4 piece of paper; this is why she uses more fluid brushstrokes and creates a smooth, rounded texture. The fact that she has used a small scale means that she can get more accurate movement in the marks, which as a result creates a 3-D impression.

Meanwhile, Hamilton uses layering as a method of building up form and depth so that the contrast in tone is high. In some areas of source 2, it appears as if she has used a runnier medium (i.e. inks or watercolour) so that she can get a lighter tone, when compared to the darker tones, which have been made by using thicker mediums such as acrylic paint. The result of this is that she can get a much more distinct differentiation in the darker and lighter areas. Moreover, in source 1, the different tones have been achieved by using different shades of the same or a similar colour as in the darker areas of the bear, where there are more shadows, a dark purple has been used, whilst in the lighter areas, a faint red and maroon colour has been used.

I believe that she has used certain colours to reflect the environment around the animal or its lifestyle. For example, the wolf in source 2 has been painted in blues, greys and blacks which represents night time which is the most typical tie to see wolves outside. In a similar way, the bear has been painted in purples, reds and light browns due to the fact that they live in forests (a place where you would most likely expect to see bears). The colours when combined with the types of marks create a mythical-esque mood and feeling. Hamilton uses a variety of types of marks in each piece that all lead to a slightly stylised composition; she uses flicking, detailing, washing, layering and in some cases using a palette knife. The contrast in marks leads to a more interesting piece as she has managed to capture the different areas of the body accurately.

Furthermore, she uses two different compositions with her work; she either centres the animals in the piece or she moves the animals to a corner of the background. This helps her show different sides to animals rather than always front view, like source 2. Another compositional technique that she uses is that she leaves a lot of negative space around the animal so that it stands out from the background itself. By doing this, she also creates a dream like scene as it aids in resembling a dream scape. From this, I am able to figure out that nature is one of her peaceful places and that she thinks of it as surreal and trancelike.

After having looked at her work in depth, I have come to the conclusion that I like her use of marks and how she has created high contrast by varying them throughout her compositions. Also, I like how she has managed to show the beauty of animals by using colour and smooth marks as this is something that I want to try and achieve myself. When I start my experimentations, I think that I am going to start off by getting used to the feeling of working with similar mediums. After this, I am going to experiment with colour and see what colours relate to different animals the best and figure out how to combine them. As soon as I am comfortable and confident with this, I will then go on to try drawing facial features with these mediums, as long as I haven’t changed any ideas by then due to other research and how I feel with these materials.

Vince Low Artwork Analysis.

Source 1

Vince Low

Black biro

Date unknown

‘Cheeky Monkey’

http://www.inspirefirst.com/2014/05/14/animal-vince/

Source 2

Vince Low

Black biro

Date unknown

‘Why So Serious’

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/89509111317950986/

Vince Low is a portrait artist who focuses on celebrities and animals. Inspired by celebrities as they manage to create a wealthy and happy life for themselves, despite the fact that the ones he has drawn from suffered from dyslexia. As a young boy, he was diagnosed with dyslexia which decreased his confidence in himself and in his school work. However many people in his hometown, Kuala Lumpur aren’t aware of dyslexia, which made him feel alienated and undervalued. When he grew up, he started to give up on academic subjects and try out the arts; he became engrossed in drawing and illustration and went on from there. Later on in his life, somebody recruited him for a job that raised awareness for dyslexia; he then went on to campaign for many other dyslexia campaigns. He wanted to use his artwork as an example to everyone with dyslexia that there is something in them that is their own specialty; they each have their own interests that make them unique. In order to carry the meaning across successfully, in some of his compositions, such as source 2, he uses famous quotes to help inspire younger people with dyslexia and help them understand that even if you do have the learning disability, it doesn’t have to control your life.

In order to create a good form, Low had to layer the scribbles so that he could create darker tones when compared to the lighter ones, where he had used less dense lines; as a result of this, he managed to create depth and give the impression that the drawing is 3-D, when in reality it is flat. For example, in the hair of the Joker in source 2, he has used multiple layers of biro in the places where there are more shadows and darker tones whilst on the face, there is barely any line as this is the lightest area on the subject. In a similar way to source 2, source 1 even shows the highlights in the monkey’s eyes, which enhances its form and indicates the idea of it being 3-D. I believe that each piece has to be fairly large so that Low can fit all of his details in the portraits (roughly, I think they would be around A3). This means that he can improve the form in the drawing as he is able to add more layers to the piece to create a much larger and distinct differentiation in the shadows, midtones and highlights. The movement of the marks are used to indicate the directions of the different features in the face. For instance, in source 1, the marks for the fur are moving outwards towards the edges of the monkey and in source 2, the marks are curlier in the hair area as it shows how his hair is slightly over the top and shows form as well due to the fact that we see where some of the hair overlaps other areas of the hair.

I believe that he uses a monochrome tonal scheme as it allows him to show tone successfully and also allows the drawing to call out to the viewer more as it is very dark on paper when compared to pencil on paper. This could encourage those with dyslexia to feel that it is ok to stand out and that you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or alone, just because of your learning difficulty.

Additionally, there is not a lot of contrast in types of marks as there is only one continual line, however there is a lot of contrast in tone. Meanwhile, the texture of each drawing appears to be quite rough as the chaotic thin lines create some sharp, jagged surfaces. The chaotic lines were used to show life and also to be free in his work, which is something he was never able to do when he was young.

As far as composition goes, Low has used a couple of techniques so that the viewer is enticed by the portraits and that they are fully focussing on them. For example, the majority of the portraits, including source 1 and source 2, are centralised on the background as they are the most important aspect in the piece; the portraits are also surrounded by negative space as Low didn’t want any distractions in his work deterring the viewers away from seeing the main focal point, which is the portrait and in some cases, the writing that accompanies it.

After looking at Low’s work in detail, I am going to start experimenting with his style and mediums by firstly distinguishing the positives and negatives about the different thicknesses of line and different types of pen (e.g. biro, fine liner and permanent marker). I will most likely then move on to create many more experiments, showing how I can show line and then try different techniques to try and get more expressive work. Once I have figured this out, I want to go on to try some figurative work of a subject whilst still using some different techniques (for instance: not looking at the paper and even using the tip of the pen to create less control).

Framework of research for the next four weeks.

At the end of week 1:

· I will have printed off more visual influences and started to bullet point main aspects of the work that I am mostly interested in.

· Due to the fact that I am thinking of doing a triptych, I am going to look into a variety of examples of them to see what kind of compositions there are; this will then let me know if I want to carry this on. I will take links down from the websites I look at and write down my overall thoughts from this research, outlining why or why not I decide to use this in my work.

At the end of week 2:

· I will create a questionnaire that will ask the participants what they think about my chosen artists work as this will help me in the future when it comes to interpreting their work myself. (I am going to ask some of my friends to take part as well as some of the people in the art class that I teach at my old high school; if I have time, I might even try to create an online questionnaire using Survey Monkey).

· I will then write an evaluation of this part of the research with visual references, describing what the common results were.

At the end of week 3:

· I am planning on visiting the Tate Liverpool and creating multiple pages making observations from my visit that will include: pictures, receipts, descriptions and small analysis of my favourite pieces of art. I will even include visuals from the website and how I found out about the gallery.

· I will also have a look at what similarities there are between humans and animals as this will allow me to get a much better understanding of my chosen theme as this may also spark some ideas that I have never thought about before.

At the end of week 4:

· I will have gone shopping for any key materials that I will need when experimenting with the way that my artists work. From what I have looked at so far, I think that the majority of materials I will be buying are: different kinds of pens, watercolours, inks and different kinds of background materials.

· Before actually buying these materials, I will look online for the best possible prices and quality, whilst also copying links and taking screenshots of the products. Possible places to buy from include: Ryman, The Range, The Works, WHSmith and The Art Café in Hinckley.

· I will have started and completed three fully analysed written pieces of work, discussing each of my chosen artists and their work in detail. (The word count for each artist will be approximately 1000 words).

Introduction To Component 1

Due to the fact that I really enjoyed focusing on animals in my last project, I think that I am going to mainly focus on that this time but in more detail. Additionally, I looked at Vince Low as an artist very briefly in year 9 and I really enjoyed his style of work which is why I want to go into more detail with his work and maybe use human portraits as a theme as well. After looking on Pinterest, I want to look at Vince Low, Amy Hamilton (an animal portrait artist) and Andy Gotts (a portrait photographer). I also looked at the use of triptychs in year 10 which really caught my interest, so as I go on in my project I am going to look deeper at this aspect.