Reflections
This week we learnt about image transfer and light painting. The previous week we learnt on image transfer as well during Huei Hoon's lesson, however it was using laser print as the foundation method along with other materials. This time, the foundation method for image transfer is using inkjet printers along with water and different types of paper. Now I would have learnt a range of methods for image transfer that varies on the mediums and materials used. Despite the similarity in the range of mediums used, the difference in the result is quite different. Nevertheless it was captivating to see the process of the image transfer.
Next we learnt light painting. This part of the lesson was extremely fun and fascinating. I really love things that glow in the dark, for instance the moon and stars. So I really had fun learning and experimenting on this method. It is important to shoot in a dark environment and minimise the amount of light that goes in. The outfit that the subject in the photo wears also makes a difference. Wearing black is practical so that you will not be in the photo unless it is intended. The technique that one uses when light painting can also make different effects and bring about various outcome that will be unexpected most of the time. Light painting is hard to control given the circumstances, so one has to experiment a lot and try different techniques to achieve the desired photograph.
This was the first light painting I did in class. I guess it turned out okay. :)
Tried doing calligraphy light painting but I failed. The environment wasn't dark enough to cover myself, and I was wearing white so it didn't work.
The second try was better but I looked too apparent.
Next I tried doing light painting with 2 people. Josilyn was my subject and I decided to give her cute wings and a crown.
The second try was better though I failed at hiding behind Josilyn. Wearing white while doing light painting was definitely a mistake.
I practiced more and then voila! Josilyn is now a butterfly queen.
Josilyn as an angel
Josilyn as a cat. The whiskers kind of failed and we had limited space, so Grace and Liu Hong were also captured inside the photo.
This cat was better I guess
Josilyn as a pig. The nose is floating away and the tail is too long. It looks like a new pig species HAHA. I failed to turn Josilyn into her favourite animal.. Oh well.
Now it was Josilyn's turn to turn me into my favourite animal, a bunny. It seriously looks very funny and weird.
The next try was good. I love the ears and whiskers but the tail was a bit high, and the carrot looks like an alienated carrot haha.
This was quite good also. My whiskers are SHINING, though I cannot really see my tail.
Next, we tried the method where the one taking the photograph has to put a black paper in front, while the subject moved, so that there were multiple of the subject in the photo. Here, Josilyn shined herself using a torch so that the camera would be able to capture her.
This photo was creepy. The giant josilyn in front looks as if her head was floating, and the expression of her at the back changed from expressionless to smiling. A murderer in progress..
It was my turn to try but it failed, because I shined the torch at my scarf instead of my face. So all I can see is my scarf floating.
Next we did on image transfer. The photo on the left was taken by Josilyn. The photo on the right was changed to my favourite colour, a greenish-blue tone.
The left was the original image printed on the transparency. The right is the image printed on normal paper. I thought I wasn't trying hard enough to press down the image to print. Then I realised that the reason why the print didn't have strong colours was because the printer was running out of ink. HAHA
Despite the printer running out of ink, I decided to just carry on with it to explore the different effects that it would bring to the print as compared to the full colour prints that the others did. The image above shows the process of printing the image.
The print ended up quite decent. It has a grainy effect, and I just realised that it had lines because I was transfering the image on the tiles outside the studio, which was grainy and had the lines in between the tiles, so it ended up as such.
Next I did the method of transferring using water. I LOVE the colour. :) This is my favourite part of the process.
When I lifted the transparency, the print was more apparent. I was scared to take the print out of the water, fear of letting all the ink flow out of the paper and end up with an empty print. It was a risky method of transfer despite the fact that it was an interesting one.
Honestly I love the effect of this transfer. It's so PRETTY.
Brief [ The Emotion ]
This series aims to explore on the hidden or underlying emotions that is expressed in each photo created. Going through a point in life that I imagined only exists in drama, it is a painful thing to experience. It is harder to deal with in real life, as compared to when you watch it happen to someone else in a drama. The play on colours and effects applied to each image helps to amplify each emotion further, in order to connect to the audience and enable them to understand and empathise. What I wish to convey through these photos, is that the unexpected always happens, and how we approach and deal with the problems matters. It is important to break down each problem at a time and start small. Let's all stay optimistic.
THE EMOTION I
This image depicts a scene of me at a neutral state on the outside. However inside, I was feeling sad and in despair. This is expressed by the drops of water tantamount to that of the amount of tears shed. The colour blue, helps to amplify the emotion further. Feeling hopeless, I kept thinking, Are things going to get better over time? Should I avoid people during this time? Will talking to someone help? Maybe? Maybe not? I'll make sure to smile through this.
THE EMOTION II
This image depicts a scene of me at a neutral state on the outside. However inside, I was feeling angry at whatever was happening to me. The outbursts of anger is seen portrayed from the blotches of water. Facing so many complicated things at once, I often ask myself these, What did I do wrong to go through this? I can never turn back time and warn them can I? What am I even supposed to do now? I'll make sure to stay calm through this.
THE EMOTION III
This image depicts a scene of me at a neutral state on the outside. However inside, I was feeling myself growing as a person. The growth of my mental and emotional state as a person. Going through one of the important phase or checkpoints in my life, I can feel myself changing. Am I going to get better? Or am I going to get worse? Or am I never going to change and remain in denial for the rest of my life? I'll make sure to see through it.
Experimental Process
I focused more on colours and abstraction for this assignment because the purpose of my brief is to portray emotions. I played around with the saturation level and exposure of the images, texture of papers used as well as the methods applied during the process of transfer. From my experimentation of these aspects of image transfer, I learnt that the amount of ink needed to transfer, the additional methods used, and the materials used are major factors that help to achieve the outcomes that I desire.
I changed the saturation mode to the colours that expressed the different moods I was experiencing then. I decided to restrict myself to using only colour and focused on the process of creating these images.
The blue emotion printed on the transparency
The print of the blue emotion
This time I tried crumpling and tearing the paper slightly to see what kind of effect and texture it wil give. I placed the transparency onto the paper.
This is the print on crumpled paper. Though I can't really see the image, the colour helps me to see. The creases in the paper makes the print much more interesting. It has an earthy feeling to it which I like.
I expriemented more on the blue emotion as I felt that the emotion wasn't portrayed properly. The previous attempts show the blue print being normal and having creases. The blue emotion is supposed to be more sad and flowy.
So I sprinkled water on the transparency and slowly tilted it to let the water drip. After which, I quickly stuck the paper to the transparency at a vertical angle so that the water will drip completely. But the final outcome wasn't what I wanted. I realised that for it to work I should have used watercolour paper instead of normal paper. Then the drips would have looked nicer.
As I continued printing and experimenting, I realised that the printer was really low on ink as seen from the image printed on this transparency, there are literally white spaces and lines across the image. The effect was cool so I just continued despite knowing that the prints will be even more lighter and faded now. Next I experimented on the next emotion, anger.
I thought very long as to how I was going to portray this expression using the methods that I have learnt so far. Then suddenly I thought of how volcanoes explode and spits out hot lava. That's when I got the idea to sprinkle the water on the print that has already been printed on the paper. This gives an effect that looks like something has been scorched or burned partly.
Lastly for the green emotion which expresses growth, I decided to use the shape and texture of paper to experiment with. It was hard to think of ways to portray me growing as a person using only paper. Then I thought of a puzzle. When you add one puzzle piece after another, it grows to become a full picture.
And so I folded the paper 4 times and got 16 boxes. After which, I printed on it and was surprised that the outcome was how I had imagined in my mind. The lines across the image due to the lack of ink, also helps to amplify the effect further. I really like how the piece turned out.
Exploring on emotions, I experimented with the position of the images, deciding whether to mirror it, turn it upside down or even sideways.
Here, I was trying to portray two different sides of a picture. The left side showing how angry I was, and the right showing sadness, how these two emotions are headbutting each other and can't get along. It shows how two contradicting emotions are able to exist in a single picture.
After that, I decided to switch the images the other way to show how these two emotions are able to accept each other, and work together to compensate for whatever that is lacking in each emotion.
This is how the print ended up like.
Conclusion
It was interesting to work with this medium beacuse there is so much that we could experiment with, be it the material, the process or even the images used. There are so many things I have yet to discover, but I'm definitely going to experiment and apply this medium to my works in the future.
