Unifying Hibiscus

After all the planning and editing I have completed my final piece. 

The uniqueness of each culture is represented through the differences of the exotic animals. Together the hornbill, elephant and tiger signify a mix of culture with the help of the Unifying Hibiscus.

Unifying Hibiscus

Like my last two pieces I began with using my original sketch. Initially the sketch was quite light so I went over the outline with a darker pencil, once it was cleared I scanned it to photoshop. As there are three animals I used three layers, one for each animal so I can work on them individually.

The advantage of working in photoshop is that I was able to re-do the outlines as many times as I wanted without being left with messy sketch lines. In my original sketch there were lines separating the animals however I realized these lines were crooked. Thus I created new lines, yet instead of using black lines I used colored lines. My intention was to created boundaries with colors rather than lines (trying to stay true to my reference artist Frida Kahlo, as she used colors to make boundaries).

After completing the outline I had three more layers added for the colors. In the beginning I wasn't sure what color scheme I was going to use but because this was all about unity I decided on using primary colors which happen to be the colors of the Malaysian Flag. It worked well because with three colors there are three animals. 

I chose not to use the black lines as my outline for the animals, instead I chose to play around with positive and negative spaces. I colored in the animals and the environments but leave spaces along the lines. At times it would be difficult because my hand was not always steady and so the color would slip into the spaces. I used the eraser tool to solve this issue. 

To choose the right primary colors, I based it on the first color. I worked on Red and so after using red I used the color picker and moved the arrows along the color spectrum to find the next primary color. (This is so the brightness of the color would be similar to one another).

After adding all the necessary colors, I would flip through the layers to clean up the piece. I would hide layers one at a time to focus on each animal, ensuring that the final piece looked complete.

Lines and Color > Unity and Balance

Sense of Repetition: Hornbill, Elephant and Tiger

The use of the hibiscus in each piece. 

Three exotic animals for three Malaysian cultures. They are not defined, even though each culture is different they are unified. 

Textile Jungle

                           

For this piece I was incorporating two sketches. Since I was adding the textile designs into the jungle environment I used the jungle sketch as the guiding layer and the textile sketch as a reference. 

After creating my outline, I created more layers to begin adding my textile designs. Each cultural design has a layer of it's own, so I can work on them specifically. 

Like the separate textile layers, I have more layers of the different colors. A layer for the peonies on the large leaves, for the tree trunks in the background and for the water designs.

To avoid creating a flat piece I used different color tones to achieve a dynamic look. I used the color picker to find colors that were near each other. I did this for a smoother blend as opposed to obvious differences in color (which would make it look choppy).

After I was done with the first colors, I added in highlights and shadows to make the piece pop out more.  These shades can be found in the leaves and under the water lines. Within the trees in the back I decided to use highlights, as the trees were already very dark. 

Lines and Color > Repetition

The use of environment, similar to Kahlo. (Mixing Culture and Environment).

Malaysian Jigsaw

I began with the original sketch as the first layer. I then created a few layers on top to draw the design again in photoshop. I wanted to use many layers, as I would have more control over each specific part. Moreover, with more layers there would be less chances of losing a large chunk of my work.

Once I was done with my outlines, I hid my original layer to see the final outline. I then created more layers to begin adding colors. 

Unity can be expressed in many ways and one of those ways is through color. I decided to use different shades of blue. As I was doing research I had learned that the blue on the Malaysian flag symbolizes the unification of the Malaysian people. I played around with the different shades to create interesting looks.

Too choose my shades I used the color picker. It allowed me to choose colors that were closely related, therefore keeping a similar tone throughout the piece. I worked on a windows laptop to do my designs and when I had transfered them to my mac the colors were a lot different than I expected. For this piece, the Malaysian Jigsaw turned out more purple. Instead of re-doing the whole color scheme, I simply added a new adjustment layer. 

Layer > Adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation

From there I was able to pick a color that I was satisfied with. 

Lines and Color > Unity and Emphasis

The bold outlines within the jigsaw and the jigsaw itself creates emphasis. The color demonstrates unity. Surrealistic in the sense that the textiles have specific meanings > representation of the three Malaysian cultures.

Hornbill