Final Book

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Front shot of the book featuring the cover and pages behind.

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Opened view of the book featuring the artwork on the pages.

The Fence- Analysis

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An analysis of my line work titled "The Fence", highlight focal points, general movement of the piece, and filling as well as labeling negative space.

Text Tool- Swing on the Spiral

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This picture features a (shirtless) singing Maynard James Keenan, lead singer and songwriter of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. This piece uses an image traced picture of Maynard as the focal point, in which a pattern is applied to the texture of Maynard's skin that features the lyrics to the ending part of Lateralus- in my opinion one of the most lyrically and musically complex segments of any song in existence. Set behind Maynard is a black background with a pattern set over it that features repeated phrases that are memorable in Tool songs; for example: "I will find a center in you", from Sober, as well as "Prying open my third eye" from Third Eye. This background is complex and visually pleasing- it gives your eye more to look for after you've established the basic shapes and ideas. Placed on the bottom of the page is the word "TOOL" with multiple overlapping gradients over it to give the word depth, as well as the lyrics of the ending of Lateralus placed over it. To lead the eye to the focal point of Maynard's face/microphone, I have multiple items of text. Chief among these assisting texts is the spiral that reads "Spiral Out", referencing the repeating phrase in Lateralus that is played while the drum beat is choreographed to the number sequence of the Fibonacci Spiral. Other assisting texts that lead the eye include "Prying open my third eye" in the bottom left leading upwards, "We are eternal" bulging outwards towards Maynard, and "Learn to swim" flowing like water towards Maynard.

Pattern Work- Burn Your Wings

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To create this piece I started with the background, which is composed of an image traced photo of a dragonfly created into a pattern. This pattern was placed on a black square with an 'old paper' effect overlaid over it. With the background in place, I image traced the same dragonfly in a different way to create variety, enlarged this particular dragonfly instead of making it into a pattern, and placed it in the foreground. I placed a multitude of different patterns upon the dragonfly to create variety within its structure and shape. With the dragonfly completed, I then copied and pasted the very same object and applied the 'motion blur' effect to it, which I then placed over the previous dragonfly to create the illusion of flapping wings. From here I crated two sort of towering, pointing shapes in the background with a pattern placed on it that gives it the illusion of being forged from stone. These towering structures point towards the focal point of the page, that will be explained momentarily. To create the back-set of the focal point, I used the blend tool on two triangles, the center most being white and the outermost being a dark shade of grey. I overplayed over this triangular shape a pattern that makes it appear textured and grainy. I then created the focal point: the big words "Burn Your Wings". I used the text tool to create this, as well as an inner glow to give it depth. To fulfill the requirements I overlaid several patterns over each word, using different patterns for each to create variety.

Ceri Williams Artwork

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A piece of art by Ceri Williams. Find more by him at his website.

Gradient Tool- Cognitive Dissonance

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This piece is, by far, the most complex piece that I have created so far, both development-wise as well as presentation of the actual piece. "Cognitive Dissonance" was created using chiefly the gradient tool to create depth and other likewise effects in the piece. Examples of gradients are found in every object, or at least parts thereof. For a focal point in "Cognitive Dissonance" I created an eclipse of a foreign object, presumably some form of large object in the sky (such as the moon or some likewise satelite). This eclipse became the focal point of the piece. To create the effect of the eclipse I used two ellipses, each with a specific gradient. The gradient on the black ellipse is harder to perceive (by design), and flows from a deep black to a lighter grey radially, the lighter gray making up the center of the circle and radiating out into the black of the outline. The glowing object seemingly being eclipsed is an ellipse of a slightly larger size with a very different gradient placed upon it, in which it ranges radially from a white center out to nothing. This creates the glowing effect on the eclipsed object. To add more character or meaning to the eclipse as well as add something to the art piece that creates meaning, I image traced a photograph of the human eye, added a general gradient radiating outwards from a black center to an invisible barrier, and placed this eye on the black foreign object that is eclipsing. Behind this, for the background, I played out an image traced picture of old, weathered paper, with the very same gradient effect as the eye. On top of that I created a series of bars that progress from dark grey to a seeming white using the gradient tool and blend tool. I then took a photograph of a water splash, image traced it, and added gradients to the darker parts to create depth. I then added an outer glow on this image, which then and now resembles a landmass. I used this landmass as a representation of an intermediary between the background (which the bars seem to imprison), and the eclipse with the eye (in which the eclipse is beginning to break, symbolizing the opposite of the background, instead of being imprisoned the light source here is only just being set free). The eye upon this symbol of the light coming free is a representation of the human body and thus the mind, which adds a human element to the piece that ties together the meanings and thus leads us to the title: "Cognitive Dissonance". Cognitive Dissonance in the field of psychology is a condition in which an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. This is represented in the artwork through the means of the eclipse and the bars in the background. The eye represents our human perception, and the black object represents the previous set of beliefs, ideas, or values, and the light then represents the actual reality of it. The light was once eclipsed, but now it is coming into view.

Line Work- The Fence

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To make this piece unique, I first created the pattern or symbol that is present in the forefront, off-center towards the top-right of the page. To create this symbol I used multiple circles with no fill while using the "Charcoal" style of Brush definition on the stroke for each. In the center of this symbol I have two triangles with the very same brush definition, one of a larger size and opposite vertical orientation than the other. I then used the Blend Tool to fuse the two triangles together in a sort of triangular spiral that creates both depth and character for the shape. To add depth to the central symbol I copied and pasted the entire symbol itself, then changed each consecutive line to a lighter shade of grey than the darker one placed above it. I then copied the central triangular shape in the center of the symbol that I described above, and then enlarged the shape whilst tilting it as well. This created a sort of triangular spiral around the symbol, leading your eye towards the focal point. Then, set behind the central symbol I used the same technique of copy and paste to create depth on a background splatter looking design, which was created using a singular circle, the "Charcoal" style of Brush definition, and a very high stroke count. The resulting splatter effect creates a background for the central symbol, as well as creating movement and eliminating blank space. Then, coming towards the focal point, are three lines of a single "Grunge" brush setting of varying stroke sizing, leading your eye through the page to the focal point. Set as the background and border for the piece is a fairly complex shape created using the  Blend Tool between four collective lines. The resulting latter of lines then twisted and turned to create a three dimensional effect that was then added to the background to remove blank space and add definition to the piece.

Art Piece

A piece of art by Joshua Davis