Digital photography project example
You have been assigned to a freelance project for a brand new company whose intentions are to design very silly caricatures using photos of everyday objects. These caricatures are designed for computer games, movies, and promotional materials such as toys, games, and dolls.
The final caricature will be composed of several images you have shot yourself with a camera in order to emulate one of the caricatures named below. For example, let’s say you choose to create Fantasias Furniture Fairy. You could take several photos of different furniture in your home, and then create a funky caricature with these furniture pieces.
This CEO would like four caricatures to start with. Your job is to choose and eventually create just one of these caricatures:
• Fantasias Furniture Fairy • Rockin’ Rhapsody Roy • Computer Critter Chris • Garbage Dump Dan • Flippin’ Food Fred • Terrible Toys Todd • Garden Glitter GraceYou will be responsible for creating a polished composite that consists of a combination of photos and text and may also include one colorized line art. You will put the elements together to look as if each photo and line art (if you choose to add one) combination is one caricature, not several objects simply placed together in a collage format.
Keep in mind:
• Lighting sources • PerspectiveBe prepared to explain:
• Your design concept • Your design solution • Problems encountered and solutions • Techniques used including filters, effects, and hand tools • Whether or not you feel you accomplished your goalsRequirements for this Course Composite Project
• Digitally manipulated imagery, header, slogan/description, and source information• Illustration/digital imagery: This should be original, scanned, or taken and uploaded with a digital camera
• Headline of sell sheet: caricature’s name
• Short description of what the caricature is and what it can do if it moves or talks, and so forth
• Source information: company name, address, phone number, Web site address (can all be fictitious)
• At least four photos
• At least 10 layers, including adjustment layers
• Apply one of each of the following: layer masks, blending modes, opacity, gradients, painting, tools, filters, and so forth
• Very clean layer masking, saved selections, if needed
• Final document size should be 8.5x11, 300dpi
Each week you will be responsible for submitting a different phase of the project.
By (specified date) you will submit Part 1 (see below) which includes a Concept Statement (posted in the discussion area) and your four sketches included in one pdf attached in the discussion area, as well as questions and comments for your peers (your questions and comments can happen throughout the week, they don't have to be posted by this deadline).
Part 1
The Concept Statement needs to include the following:
1. How you interpret the client's needs and an approach you might take in determining a possible design solution.2. You should reflect your ideas for the final caricature, including the company name you created, the caricature name you have chosen to create, and a short description of what this caricature is and what it can do if it moves or talks, and so forth.
3. Source information should also be included. For example, company name, address, phone number, Web site address (again, can all be fictitious).
4. Sketches need to be four roughs, with pencil (color pencil or marker) and paper (NOT drawn on the computer), illustrating four unique, and very different, ideas for your caricature. You should show the text as simple lines and create quick sketches of the caricature so that we can identify the images you are going to use. Scan these sketches and attach them to your discussion as one .pdf file.
Initial concept sketches
Local cafe' owner "Fred" of the "Flippin Food Fred" greasy spoon cafe', has just finished remodeling his premises, and is also looking to add extra new locations. To go with the new look of his business, Fred is looking for some images (relative to his cafe' business) to adorn his front window display, his business cards, logo and for advertising. He will be maintaining his cooking style of cheap and cheerful burgers, hotdogs and sandwiches.
For this concept I clearly need to utilize food in the design, and make it look happy and nourishing, appealing and with character. Basically, the caricature will come from the food itself, and only the type of food prepared and consumed on the premises.
The Company information is as below:-
"FLIPPIN FOOD FRED,"
99 Cent Drive (Through),
Outer Flippin State,
FL 050607.
123 456 7890
http://www.flippinfoodfred.us
Sketches
Image A: "The Jolly Meal" logo, a breakfast on a plate.
Image B: "Louise (Anna) Cheese, one of the many sandwich combinations on offer.
Image C: "The 99 Cent-a-bite," Hot dog and fries with onions and lettuce. Actually costs 99 cents (excluding tax), but the management does not guarantee 99 or 100 fries per serving.
Image D: "Flippin Hot Frog" the signature dish (2 burgers and 2 hotdogs), tomatoes and fries optional.
Part 2
Photography
This is from one of my ideas for "Flippin Food Fred," I opted for "Flippin Food Frog." My choice was born out of accessibility and simplicity in material - but that's where the simplicity ends. I wanted to create an appealing and appetizing caricature with a basic animation look about it. Rather than have the complexities of a kitchen background, I opted for the darkness of a stage background, therefore suggesting that Flippin Food Frog has some celebrity status. The image is far from completion, and I am undecided as to what I want in the other hand (sauce etc.) I am also considering a serving of fries to act as the audience - oh well.
I took all the photographs, after a little light shopping. Then manipulated every image in photoshop. Each image went through the "Quick selection tool," and then a little reduction in size before becoming one of the layers in my finished (for now) photograph. All the images were then reduced and rotated to create a body that looked proportionate to itself. The grill and spatular was manipulated to fit the character.
Shadows were created by duplicating each image, and adjusting them in the levels control to complete black. Then I reduced the opacity to 50%, gave them a "Gaussian" blur, and manipulated them with the "transform - warp" tool.
The spotlight beams were created by making the basic shape with the "polygonal lasso tool," then using the color of the lime and black, made a gradient, which I then reduced the opacity and fill to 50%. I also envisage doing more with the eyes, such as the flare tool in Illustrator, but I'm still out on that.
The text I added for now as a prerequisite for this assignment, but the style and position I foresee changing in the near future.
Photoshop manipulation - first stage
Part 3
Photoshop manipulation - final stage
Technical Details:
4 alpha paths.
8 files of layers
2 layer masks
and more manipulations then you can shake a stick at.
EYES. copied and reduced in size, changed saturation to Hue -175, Sat 100%
FILTER - ARTISTIC - PLASTIC WRAP - 777
Duplicate Eye, free transform and reduce width.
Duplicate Eye, Put to back, Blur-Gaussian Blur 20%
GRILL. outer glow.
Background. Gradient green black - Filter - Render - Clouds. Reduce opacity to 50%
Light rays - Diffuse glow.
Re-Adjusted Spatular shadows - Transform - warp
Warped spatular head to resemble microphone (added text).
Bent L Arm - Transform - warp.
Text - Bauhaus 93 To give it a more solid, legible and free-flow and shiney look to it. - Layer-Type- Warp Text - Bulge (25%).
Layers - Layer style -drop shadow -inner shadow - outer glow - inner glow- Bevel and Emboss - Inner bevel - depth 170% - Gloss Contour.
Fries - Quick selection tool, created LAYER MASK. Alpha Path. Duplicated and added color correction, contrast.
Added Bottle tomatoe sauce.
Changed sauce name.
Created shadow.
Warp transform.
Added sauce - Used lasso tool with 10% feather. red gradient. Left it looking blurry to give it a sense of movement.
Added onion ring and pickle (chain and medallion). Quick selection tool, duplicated, created shadow, added letter "0" and colored, rasterized and cut-out.
Added text to background, warped text in Layer - Type - text warp, reduced opacity to blend into background.
