For my last three pieces, that culminate into the completion of the project coursework and ‘pull it all together,’ I chose a hot-button topic. Gay Marriage.
For the first ‘issue’-themed project, module 3, I chose a relatively harmless issue, one that couldn’t really be argued against successfully. For this module, I had to push the issue. I know there are two sides to every argument, but with all due respect to anyone and everyone, if you don’t think people in love have the right to marry, you are wrong. I find it appalling that, if I so chose, I could divorce my husband tomorrow, go to Vegas and have a person dressed like Elvis marry me to a man I barely know, but true soul mates who happen to be homosexual, have no right to get married. My husband’s best friend is gay, and half of the people I know are bisexual, or gay. It’s absolutely ridiculous that they have constraints placed on their lives, during a time when approximately half of all [hetero]marriages end in divorce, and the "Sanctity of Marriage" can be stepped on and battered around by heterosexuals as much as they like, which leads me to my first piece.
This piece is all about the flash-in-the-pan 55 hour marriage Britney Spears went through, very publicy, making a mockery of the concept of marriage as sanctimonious, or the religious right between a man and a woman. Without actively engaging the religious right, I made this first piece to showcase how casual marriage is allowed to be treated by heterosexuals.
I used a quote from an article on the 55 hour marriage from here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=128102&page=1. The top and bottom text are stylized with stroke, outer glow, and bevel. The inner picture uses inner and outer glow, and stroke. The images of Britney on the side got a duplicate layer, which a filter of film grain was applied to, then the opacity was lowered. The original layers of the side circle pictures were then adjusted via hue/saturation to a purple/magenta. The banner was filled in using gradient. I used bright colors to really draw the audience in. I know this 55 hour marriage is old news, but it still demonstrates how moronic the issue is in 2011.
I used the following images for this piece:
The next piece was inspired by an article, which I found by clicking a link off of Gay Marriage for New York, a facebook page I am a ‘fan’ of. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gay-Marriage-for-New-York/78689587354 ; it linked to http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/27/local/la-me-adv-gay-marriage-stay-20110328 which is a compelling article about an old gay couple who have been together 40 years, but can’t get married, and they are running out of time since one of them has Alzheimer’s. I think I did a good job summing it up and making it poignant to the issue at hand.
For this piece, I started by creating the background. To do this, I picked two shades of violet and used the filter, render, clouds. From there, I made a new layer, and applied another filter, halftone paper, using black and white. I changed the opacity on that layer drastically, and came up with the background.
Next I copied the image of the elderly gay couple over, and applied a bevel to it. (http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-03/60455062.jpg)
I put in the rainbow down the side next, then put in all the text. I made a grey background for the pink text, then I applied ‘stroke’ to all the text. I left the composition simplistic, yet compelling.
My last piece had the least graphical elements to begin with so I had to make up for it with creative layout and backgrounds.
My inspiration was the very simple but effective image located here: http://i.imgur.com/WBcr4.jpg
To get the background effect, I picked two pastel pinks. I used a filter of Threads, then I used the modify/selection to get a border, which I played with a new layer. I used black and white and a filter of chalk&charcoal, then converted to smartobject, and lowered opacity. I used the shape tools to make the shapes, then added the text, all with black 2 pt stroke, and then finally, I used a new layer and a rectangle with the layer fx pattern overlay, overlaid the pattern and lowered the opacity. Not a ton of work, but some playing around, and it makes a better, cleaner, more engaging version and it still rings poignantly true.
My final culmination, three pieces using techniques learned and improved upon in this class, to support gay marriage,
I really like the theme of your three pieces. I think that maybe they could use a common visual element that helps tie them together as well (if you mean for all three of these to work as sequential imagery). I'm pretty sure the Sanctity of Marriage Image meets the requirements of the project all by it's self though.
ReplyDeleteFor the Sanctity of Marriage piece I think you could not have chosen a better example to make your point. The pictures you chose are perfect and I really like how you arranged them.
Suggestion A:
This piece has a very "cartoony" feel, maybe you could add semi-transparent duplicate layers of the photos with the sketch filter applied so the color shows through. It's just a thought, I think it would create a better harmony with the photos and the rest of the image. Right now, I really like the background but if you leave the photos as they are, the background is overwhelming and distracting and sort of clashes with the low contrast/low saturated photos. I think that my suggestion would tie it all together well. Plus, it works well with your very colorful style!
Suggestion B:
Alternatively, you could tone down the background so that it meshes more cohesively with the image.
Having said all that, I really do like this piece as a whole.
The only other thing I can suggest is that I would try using Drop Shadow instead of Outer Glow on the text except for the last piece because it overlaps onto black.
For your Prop 8 image, This is my favorite of the three! The photo is an excellent quality; it is clear, bright, and the color is highly saturated. I think that this makes the photo work well with your colorful style. Typically, I am not a fan of patterned backgrounds but this time, I am not distracted by it and I like it. The only part of this piece that I can suggest change for is the text. The pink is distracting and difficult to read. Like I said before, I recognize that you have a very colorful style (and I like that) but, I would just make sure it doesn't interfere with the clarity of the text.
Finally, I love the pie chart idea. I am distracted by the background though. Maybe you could make the background out of solid colors and apply a pattern to the border instead?
I hope I don't come off as overly critical. I love your style but wanted to make sure that I gave you the type of feedback I like to get from my peers. :)
No, you weren't overly critical, I honestly read the assignment as we had to make three separate pieces. The assignment says "three compositions" and slapping three images in one photoshop document didn't scream three distinct compositions. I thought it was make three different images that are on the theme. The Britney Spears piece, while poignant, is my least favorite of all the pieces I've done, but I tinkered with it so much and worked so long on it I had to just stop and turn it in. Thanks for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteYou relayed your message very well with all of the projects. I like the prop 8 chart best of all. The sanctity of marriage has a tabloid look to it, which works very well with the photos and style and placement of the type. Your 3rd piece uses a great photo. I would like to see different type font; something in a serif solid color. The multicolor bars on the right are distracting and take away from the photo and the message.
ReplyDeleteI do not get the connection between Brittany Spears and gay marriage. As I looked further it became clear that you were for gay marriage but just because Spears was married for 55 hours has no relevance to gay marriage
ReplyDeleteIt's actually very relevant to the gay marriage issue. It's a literal sarcastic jab. A lot of the anti-gay marriage arguments hinge entirely on the idea that marrying two women or two men together defies the sanctity, integrity, and definition of marriage as it now stands. Britney spears is used because she is famous, but really heterosexual couple that thinks getting married 'just for fun' and then divorces 55 hours later shows how little regard and reverence heterosexuals actually have for the institution of marriage. The main crux of the issue is that if heterosexuals are allowed to treat marriage like an afternoon at the carnival, why are gay people not even allowed to be married? It makes no sense morally, and it certainly makes no sense in terms of sanctimony when you see an example like Britney Spears. I think you should reread Brittney's (B_Boiardi) comment above; This really is a very poignant piece in terms of theme even if its not expertly designed.
ReplyDelete