Digital Photography & Imaging - Project 4
2 December 2024 - 30 December // Week 10 - Week 14
Racheal Tan Tze Rou // 0381005
Digital Photography and Imaging // Bachelor of Design (Hons) // Creative Media
Project 4 : SELF-TITLED
PRACTICAL & TUTORIAL
INTRO | My name is Racheal. I am 19 this year. I was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia, a place of cultural heritage. I've been wondering about what my future looks like, and I'm still trying to find out what kind of person “I” am. |
PARAGRAPH 1 | What is your passion? I've never been particularly passionate about anything, but I've recently discovered that I'm quite adventurous and love exploring all sorts of different activities, so I guess that's also a kind of passion. |
PARAGRAPH 2 | What’s motivate you to achieve your dream? My motivation is the opportunity to learn, grow, and challenge myself, especially when I see how achieving my goals make me have the sense of accomplishment. |
SUMMARY | How do you want to visualize your dream into an artwork? I would like to put a picture of myself with the collage of wings and a combination of a picture of the sky. Also, I want to include some birds beside me in the poster to show the desire of freedom. Then, I would like to make a collage of my eyes like the moodboard poster #1 |
INTRO | I would like to combine elements of surrealism, and collage design that we learned earlier to express the message of my poster. |
PARAGRAPH 1 | What is the concept behind it? The reason of adding wings and birds is because eventually, all birds must leave the safety of the nest and become what they are meant to be, so I want to bring out the message to spread your wings. |
PARAGRAPH 2 | What is the message you want people to understand it? The message I want to convey is that it's normal to feel lost, but we have to be brave enough to step out of our comfort zones, explore and try everything we want, because if we never try, we'll never know how things will go. |
SUMMARY | What is your motto/ quote? FLY HIGH: Until you spread your wings, you will have no idea how far you can fly: By Napoleon Bonapart |
MOOD BOARD (3 Poster reference)
POSTER 1 | POSTER 2 | POSTER 3 |
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After laying out all the elements in Ps, I felt that the text would make the whole layout look overcrowded and cluttered, but without the text, the layout would look very empty, so I tried to add “tears” like my reference to the moodboard poster 2. I also planned to add a photo taken from my back.
I first create a poster referring to my sketch progress but I found that the overall was too bright and not the result I was looking for so I made an color adjustment referring to my moodboard reference poster 1 to harmonize the poster.
DIGITAL POSTER PROGRESS #1 (no colour adjustments) | DIGITAL POSTER PROGRESS #2 (after colour adjustments) |
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ARTIST STATEMENT:
I created this artwork as a reflection of my journey toward self-discovery and personal growth, it was inspired by the idea of freedom and transformation. The collage design combines surreal elements such as wings, birds, and skies to symbolize bravery and the desire to explore beyond boundaries. The collaged elements of my eyes symbolize imagination.
In this poster, I made a bigger version of myself with wings, and looking at my little lost self, I wanted to remind myself that when you feel lost, find your courage and start again. This poster conveys the message that it’s okay to feel lost, but courage lies in stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing new experiences. Just like birds leaving their nests, we must spread our wings to realize our full potential.
There are some elements in my poster:
The wings
Represents courage
The birds
Represents exploration
Bigger me
Represents a “god” to remind the people to find their courage
Tiny me and shadow
Represents people who feel lost and discouraged
Tear
Growth and courage, it symbolizes the release of fear and doubts as part of spreading your wings
Clouds
Uncertainty about changes in cloud forms and shapes can reflect ambiguity or transformation. But on the other hand, the endless sky is a metaphor for infinite possibilities.
ANIMATION
Timeframe: WEEK 10 - WEEK 14Duration: 15 second
Output: .MOV or .MP4 less than 20MB
Size: 1080 x 1920 px vertical video (I.G reel/ story size)
Eyes
I animated the eyes with a subtle left-to-right movement, the restless gaze mirrors the feeling of searching for meaning and navigating life’s uncertainties.
Wings
By animating the wings , it represents breaking free from limitations and reaching new heights.
Birds
I also animated the birds in the clouds to symbolize hope, possibilities, and dreams taking flight.
REFLECTION
Creating this poster and animation was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to experiment with visual storytelling and symbolic design. I began by exploring collage techniques and surrealist styles to visually express themes of self-discovery. Using Ps, I practiced layer masking, blending modes, and image manipulation to create a dreamlike composition that felt cohesive and meaningful.
Animating elements, such as wings, birds, and eyes, introduced me to frame-by-frame motion design. I learned how timing and layer transitions influence movement, creating subtle yet impactful effects that enhanced the emotional tone of the piece. Throughout the process, I observed how important it is to balance visuals and motion to maintain harmony in the composition. Testing animations repeatedly helped me refine details and ensure smooth transitions. I also gained insight into symbolism in art, learning how simple elements like clouds and tears can evoke powerful meanings related to dreams, hope, and vulnerability.
Overall, this project taught me to embrace trial and error and trust the creative process. It not only improved my technical skills in digital art and animation but also encouraged me to reflect deeply on personal growth and bravery, aligning with my message of stepping out of comfort zones and spreading one’s wings to face the unknown.
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