The Fundamentals of Photorealism (Pt. 1)

Photorealism.


The aspect of life to acquire such a level of detail and precision to replicate the surroundings on a two-dimensional plane.


This is the path I follow.


With a few tweaks as well.

Traditional photorealism is well, a tad bit... boring when you think of it.
I have always preferred photorealism because of the skill levels exhibited by the artists and I still hold a bias towards these types of pieces because of the artist's skill, paitience and dedication.

The other styles of art are frequently dubbed by some as 'being more creative' than photorealistic pieces.

I'M GOING TO CHANGE THAT.

I have spent most of my time building up my skill and as such, I have been expressing my ideas through other channels; not necessarily traditional art.



Now I have to try to fuel my creative fire with this ammunition.


However, this post is about technique.

Along the continuing road towards achieving photorealism, I have been taught various techniques as well as having developed my own.




1. OBSERVATION

This is the key to being able to draw, paint, sculpt or construct anything.

Observation does not mean to 'look' at something.
It means to observe, scrutinize, study the subject in question, collect tactile data, trace the shadows, feel the textures, observe the deflection of light against its surface, watch the angle at which it lies...

It is a deep sensory experience.

Not simply "Arite...ah watch it, wat now?"



It is almost a scientific experience, sampling data from the environment of the object as well, gaining a holistic knowledge of the subject and THEN, only then, can you begin the next phase of rendering a realistic piece of art.

And remember, realism is attained before PHOTO-realism.



2. RESEARCH


This may also fall into the category of observation, but this one is less direct in relation to the object.

Research involves the observation of SIMILAR objects (subjects) and the heavy scrutinization of those as well. Look for every imperfection, every blemish as well as every...single...detail which makes this subject unique and not just part of a collection of mass produced items.


Also, take a look at the work of the masters.


It helps.

Make Google your friend (or Bing or whatever is your favourite search engine).



When looking at the work of other photorealists, you can pick up little hints as to their prime focus in their pieces. When you can see where they put the emphasis into their works, you can also try to translate that into your own pieces.




3. OBSESSION

This 'branch' of art is very time consuming and demands A LOT of paitience if you want the result to look wonderful. Developing an obsession with completing pieces is a must if you want to retain your sanity.

Especially if art is a hobby of yours and not a full time endeavour.

Develop a perfectionist approach.

When you do not accept flaws in your work, you become more dedicated to fixing them in future works and the quality of your artwork begins to improve rapidly.

Digital Art

Using Photoshop has inspired me to explore the realm of digital art, wallpapers and digitally rendered graphic design projects.

Photoshop is no easy software to master, however, the vast quantities of tutorials available out there on the internet, and the learning videos released by organizations such as Lynda and Total Training, make the job quite a bit easier for a rookie like me.


Traditional art is still my main area of expertise.


However, digital takes about one-hundredth of the time to complete.

In my time between the last post and the graphical revamp of the blog (done completely by me in Photoshop), I have created some...interesting pieces of digital art.

Some were created by following tutorials to the digit.

In others, I simply let my imagination and experimentation run free.




Here they are:

Wallpaper attempt 1
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, Digital Painting 1920 x 1080

A more likable wallpaper attempt (at least to me)
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, Digital painting 1920 x1080

A radical photo-manipulation of my friend Marc.
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, Photo-manipulation 1440 x 900

A distant planet being visited by a strange starship.
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, Photo-manipulation and Digital painting, 1920 x 1080

 

Digital art is possibly...more efficient than traditional media, but I personally think that it is not as valuable as traditional art because of the ease of it.

Going digital is absolutely perfect for the graphic designer.

With digital (especially with a tablet) you can achieve the most impeccably smooth gradient effects and lighting simulations.

Most importantly, with digital, you can step backwards and tweak your designs.

Unfortunately in traditional media, you must either start over or cut out and redo your wrongs.

There is a fine line between what you can achieve in traditional and digital media.
The difference is the ease of accomplishing these tasks.

I suppose that's why traditional sells for so much more than digital.

Playing with Photoshop

Graphic design is an interesting venture in terms of the factors necessary for grabbing the visual interests of the viewers while keeping the transmitter active to broadcast the necessary message to the specific viewer.

By definition, graphic design is the process of applying visual art and communication skills to create a medium in which a specific message can be conveyed to the specific target audience this message was meant for. It's all about presentation and clarity.

I personally have an extreme fondness for working in traditional media such as pencil or pen for undertaking these graphic design challenges, but recently, I have tried and succeeded in using digital media. 

Namely, Adobe Photoshop CS4.

However, don't get fooled, I haven't come anywhere near to doing what the professionals can do with this software suite (using Adobe Illustrator along with Photoshop).

But at least I'm trying some text effects.

I must say however, that the tutorials at PsdTuts are a colossal help to learning how to achieve some of these effects. The rest lies in personal touches and judgement by visual appeal.

A nice little design with a subtle indication of the value my form class will be to Hillview in Form 5.

Experimentation for creating an effect of fluid within glass.

My very own experiment (observation, not tutorial) for making TRON effects text.

A grungy, gritty, urban sticker.

Playing with effects, layer masks, expanding my brush collection, expanding my font database and many other ways of toying around with this magnificent program is the way to achieving true design inspiration.

Of course, first you need to learn HOW to use the software.

I am still going through that journey, and it is indeed a long, winding road.

I STILL cannot do anything magnificent with PICTURES!!!


I use another, simpler program to accomplish that task, but they are indeed small edits. Nothing much to be raving about.

This vacation will be the perfect time for me to isolate myself from my normal interactions and truly develop the skills needed to take myself to the next level.

Both in terms of artistic development and academics.

CXC is next year >.<