MUTANT - idea blog 7

Two days ago I did my test print at COFA. I chose matte paper because last time for the tattoo project I chose gloss and I found that it was perhaps too shiny.

However, this time I didn't really like the matte print. The image appeared dull and flat.

So I decided to try another print on gloss paper.

This is a screenprint of my final image

The next image is a closeup of the mutant.

The most difficult part was trying to blend the legs with the trunk body. I think the front right leg is the most successful. What made that leg easier to composite was because there is black fur on the edge of that limb so it blended more naturally with the dark brown log.

The back right leg was the most difficult. I don't think it is entirely successful. I did experiment with some different variations. I tried altering the edge of the limb with a zig zag pattern so it looked like the leg was coming out of the trunk. I didn't really like the look, however.

Another challenge was correcting the lighting in the image so that the sunlight would fall on the correct parts. I dodged and burned a lot of areas. I think the right side of the image is quite successful in the depiction of where the light should fall.

I think the area with the moss and the flower needs a bit more work. I feel the moss is too bright.

I changed the hue saturation for the nose, making it more pinky-red. It was quite pale before.

I dodged and burned the oyster shells and glue on the back, as well as added in shadows to the large flower that is the mutant's head.

Overall, I am quite happy with my final image. I feel the print looks better on gloss paper too. It gives more depth to the image and realism by creating the feel that this is a real mutant in a real environment. I would have liked the lighting and blending of body parts to have been better.

Otherwise I feel that my image is quite original in that I have seen a lot of other people have merely changed the skin on their model. I have built my mutant up from separate parts and composited them together.