Upon entering this course, I had done digital art and graphic design professionally for a number of years for such clients as Carol Channing and The Moody Blues. Prior to that, I had studied many programs and techniques regarding digital art since high school. With practical and professional experience in the field and in the use of Adobe products, my usage of more complex technique took dominance over more basic techniques. That much so that I took the basics for granted.
When given the specific parameters for this assignment, I had to dive far back into my own history. Over the years, I had forgotten the capabilities of some of the more basic tools available in Photoshop. However, as I progressed in this assignment, I found myself rediscovering many of the basic preexisting tools that the program had to offer. For example, in my clear shapes image, I discovered that using the elliptical selection tool in conjunction with the airbrush tool allowed for me to come up with an interesting form of shading. This allowed for the holes in the cheese to look semi-realistic. Also, the airbrush tool over the tile pattern I used allowed for the appearance of glare, helping establish the perspective. By far, the clear shapes piece is my favorite. Not to say that the other parts I didn't enjoy doing, but I saw them as a warm up for this piece in retrospect. I can say with full confidence this project help reignite my love for Photoshop.
All in all, I didn't attack this project with a set plan in mind. Any form of art starts off as improvisation, in my experience. One of the honest benefits I saw that I got from this project was a reawakening of myself to the basic power of Photoshop. After years of importing elements into Photoshop and manipulating them with the tools, it is easy to forget just how capable the program is on its own.
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