Antigalatean

An artist inspired is a channel for something greater than the self.
To channel ideals may often be aimed at obtaining them, but more often the result is to become them.

We bring Dreams. We sculpt societies. We create worlds. We invite you into them. . .

___About_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

During my first phone conversation with the model Yelena, she told me about an idea she’s had for a while to do a sequence of images depicting her self painting a character who steps out of the painting and comes to life. I had the idea to make the sequence a single page via comic style layout and end it with both characters stepping back into the painting. We were both pretty excited about the idea and made plans to do it immediately.

Galatea was name given in the 18th century to the animated statue sculpted by Pygmalion [wiki]. Interpretations of this story have been frequently logged in the annals of pop history since. A notable reverse reference can be seen in the video for “Take on Me” by A-ha . Similarly to A-ha’s video, this Piece (Anitigalatean) is a reverse reference of the Galatea Mythos.

We all had a great time working on this piece.
For me, the hardest part was choosing a hand full from a couple hundred awesome photos to work with.


___Credits_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Models: Yelena W. & *JayelDraco

Photography & Digital Paint: *JayelDraco & *Blackscarab333

Photomanipulation: *JayelDraco


___Tip____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Continuity in sequential photomanipulation:

• Problem: It can be hard enough getting the color correction, depth and shadows to look convincing on a single image, multiply that by 9 (in this case) and one can certainly run into quite a few problems. Even if each image looks great on its own, they might not look so convincing together. Colors and shading might be off, painted in details might not be contiguous. . . etc.

• Solution: Work in passes. For each step you take apply that step to the first image, then the next image going all the way down the line until they’ve all gotten the treatment. Then, apply your next step to the first image, going all the way down the line again. When using things like photo-adjustment layers, use the same settings on each image. I often just drag and drop a duplicate onto each image. If you follow this method through with each step, your end result should have a homogenized look throughout your sequence.

• Example: First I cut out all of my images in a pass using the same method. In this case, I used the Polygon Lasso Tool with edge feathering set to 2 pixels. I made sure to use the same technique of cutting out on each image. Then I applied my layer styles to each element of each image consistently. Then I did a pass of color correcting, not using the same settings, but eyeballing for a consistent result. Etc, etc. . . However, in cases where there is narrative development (such as paint accumulating on the dress) I did my pass for each color and brush of paint stain, starting with the first one, then going to the last until they all looked “stage one”. Then skipping the first on I did another pass to get the rest at “stage two”. Then skipping the first and second ones, I did another pass to get the rest at “stage three” and so on. Had I tried to do each one beginning to end separately I’m quite certain that my failure to keep consistency would have been colossal.

I hope this Tip serves as valuable food for thought as you continue your artistic journey.


___Respect________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As always, your questions, comments and critiques are greatly appreciated, however Please Respect The Models or you might find your artwork will not come to life, sweep you off your feet and invite you in.

I hope you enjoyed this piece.
Keep Rockin. . .
=j=