Since the discovery of photography, black and white are seen to have more than 2 distinct values. There are hundreds of values of gray on the scale of black and white. Depending on how much black is added to the white or vice-verse, there is a different value. In one of my classes in the past, one of our projects was to make a color scale of black and white, using 10 different values. After we made this color scale b using just pencils, we had to find a black and white photo from a magazine, and make a grid over it. By using this value scale, I had to decide based on where the grid fell, which value to transfer onto the graph paper. In the end is a final image, that closely mimics the original (left).
This method is adapted from the artist Chuck Close. Chuck close takes a photograph, and by using a value scale he transfer a single value from the grid, to the blank grid. By using only one value per box, the juxtaposition of the values side by side creates a single final image. (left) The further you step away from the photo, the more unified the values become creating the image as a whole.
This method is a take on the idea of photo realism. Photo realism is painting from the use of a photograph. The initial image serves as the starting point. By transferring the values or colors by using the grid, the artist creates an organic from by using a geometric template. This technique provides the combination of different mediums to create one final product. This technique was very popular in the 1960's and 70's, but it is also a technique that is used to day, and from personal experience it is a great way to learn how to create values, and learn how they react with each other by using a value scale.
Photo: Chuck Close, butlerart.com, Georgia, 1984
Photo: Girl, 2008, Beth August
No comments:
Post a Comment