So this project began as an idea that really got me excited: creating a Halloween greeting card. Of course what had me the most terrified beginning this project was not the spooky subject matter of my card, but rather my total lack of experience in using Photoshop. But now that creating the card is behind me, I feel pride in myself for being able to complete this project, for one, and I’m surprisingly happy with the result.
So what did I learn from this project? Honestly every step of the way required new information that I needed to use, as well as some experimentation I played with and stumbled upon. For example, no part of the instructions ever required tools that dulled the quality of an image, but it was one feature that came in good use.
For a couple classes I would become flustered because I struggled with the processes of getting the finished product, but I can thank the video recordings of each class because being able to look back at the steps at my own pace and digest that information helped me develop an understanding of what methods I can use to succeed in my goals. But I must admit that while I’m currently proud of my card as a finished product, I did originally wish to create a card from scratch with drawings and illustrations in the vein of one of my inspirations, Edward Gorey, I did need to be realistic and use available pictures to craft my card. But I still used this as an exercise to create a more personal card, so many elements are created based on my own likings and some fears. For instance, my dislike of spiders was a definite aspect that I played up for this card, having insects caught in a spiders web on the front cover, saving the trick of the spider waiting inside for the viewer to open. (It was disgusting looking through images of houseflies and spiders trying to find what could work best, and then zooming in to utilize those pictures, but the trick in the end was well worth it.) Additionally, the trick or treater on the back of the card is both a tie to the card’s joke, but is most recognizably a nod to the Peanuts Halloween special which I love.
So if I had the chance to improve my submission, I would wish I had the capability to make the elements on the cover look like it is from one complete image. While I do like how the color on the individual flies pop in the dark background, I think that they stand out too much and are far too clear to sit on the blurring strings of the web. While I tried my best to blur the insects so they match the environment and don’t appear so clearly placed onto another picture, I think more could have been done. While I’m on this nitpicking streak, I also think the location of the type should also be adjusted, as the inside left panel of the card stretches to close to the center crease, and the card’s joke is off center on the inner right panel.
I wholeheartedly believe that the skills I’ve learned from this project will be beneficial in the future of both this class, but any professional responsibilities I may have in the workforce. Even a shock to me, I felt confident enough to answer any questions that classmates next to me were having in how to do something specialized to their own card. As I continued to work on this project, I was surprised to see that began to use shortcuts when accessing the tools like paintbrush or lasso to eliminate backgrounds.
A specific reading that benefited me in the course of this project was the Mashable article 1850s to 1950s: Photoshop Before Photoshop (https://mashable.com/2015/02/19/before-photoshop/#vQwH_WOZEkqQ). The reason for my interest in this is because first of all it is fascinating to see photographs that have been doctored to create impossible images long before modern technology made this a more accessible possibility. But when looking at these pictures in the article, there are some that, when observing as a modern viewer, I can not believe in the picture’s validity. For instance there was the photograph Man on Rooftop with 11 Men on his Shoulders, which the foreground and background images have an unequal quality that makes me disbelieve in the photo beyond the natural oddity of eleven men balanced on the edge of a high-rise building, although I do appreciate the faint shadow on the man standing on the ledge corner. But other pictures look so fantastic, like Henry Peach Robinson’s Fading Away, in which five different pieces are coordinated into one somber photo. This picture made me feel more accepting of the limitation that I wasn’t able to use hand drawn illustration, as simply by using pictures in a certain manner the image I wanted to produce could be made in a striking way.
But I must confess that I would still be lost if it were not for the recorded session as provided by Professor Dunkle, who helpfully broke down the project into simplified steps and displayed what tools and methods could be used to get the desired outcome. Observing the process at a real time pace was incredibly helpful and relieved many of my irrational nerves that I could never create a presentable enough card. Although now that I have some foundational knowledge I feel that going forward I will be able to keep up in class adequately and not feel impeded by any insecurities. As a matter of fact, I felt such a rush of joy and pride when using effects and completing my project, and I hope that joy continues in the process of learning more from DMA 201.
