DPI W9 ( Nov 18 )

YANG YANG/0363575

Nov 18 2024

Digital Photography and Imaging/Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Lecture: DIGITAL SURREALISM

Digital Surrealism refers to an art form that combines the artistic style of surrealism with digital technology. It merges elements of traditional surrealism, such as dream-like scenes and distorted realities, with modern digital tools like digital drawing software, 3D modeling, and image processing techniques to create artworks.

For this artistic approach, dreams are both an interesting and common source of inspiration. Dreams are often absurd, yet they possess a unique beauty and captivating allure. As a result, many artists draw inspiration from dreams and record these visions and emotions, transforming them into artistic creations. For us, recording dreams is also a very convenient and useful method.

Sometimes, I particularly enjoy recalling my dreams, although I can't always remember every detail clearly. Dreams are often fleeting, slipping away like flowing water, but whenever I wake up, there is always a trace of the dream lingering, as if its tail still touches my consciousness. In those moments, I try to grasp these fleeting impressions and record them using whatever is nearby—paper, pen, or my tablet. For me, drawing is the fastest way to capture and express inspiration. The brush and colors allow me to directly convey the feelings and emotions of the dream, something that words alone cannot fully express. Through drawing, I not only preserve those fleeting moments of inspiration but also gain a deeper understanding of their significance in my mind. Each painting becomes a dialogue between me and the dream, a form of self-expression for my soul.

Tutorial & Practical : Poster Design

Process : 

While making this piece I always think of my cat's various cute and weird sleeping positions, kittens always sleep in places you wouldn't expect. I wanted to create a magazine reportage feel so I chose to use a collage style and added a layer of dots on the background to give the collage or poster a more pronounced texture and a feel of early comic book dots, which I really like. The yellow behind the kitten and the pink of the lettering are close to complementary colours, so it creates a big visual impact and gives some highlights and impact to the otherwise stark colours of the image, and the use of the grey background provides a low-saturation foil for the main subject, so that the whole is not overly cluttered. I hope this poster can express my love for cats and the quote ‘Cats are experts in comfort’.

Final : 

Reflection : 

During the production process, the most profound experience I had was the importance of poster layout. At first, I didn't have much awareness of typography and always thought that it was fine as long as I put up the content. However, through study and reflection, I gradually realised that typography is not only a simple combination of text and graphics, but also the key to conveying information and attracting audiences. How to arrange text, images and space wisely, and how to make each element both co-ordinate and stand out, all of these require careful thinking. I learnt how to use the grid system to help with typography, making the overall layout more balanced and clear. How to make sure the text is readable and even how to make the whole poster look more visually appealing. Whenever I encountered difficulties, I would consult tutorials, ask my classmates and teachers for advice, and even try different options over and over again to finally find the most suitable design style. These challenges made me feel a bit frustrated, but they also taught me more ways to solve problems.

Overall, this experience of making posters has given me a more comprehensive understanding of design. Not only did I learn to use Photoshop and Illustrator, but I also gained a deeper understanding of typography and layout in poster design. I know that this is just the beginning and I need to keep practising and learning in the future in order to keep progressing in design. Although the process is challenging, every small improvement and success makes me feel very satisfied and proud.