I decided to use one of adara sanchez's illustrations to show what image styles inspire me. Water-colour paintings/images have always been a favourite illustration of mine, so adara's roughly sketched and softly painted illustrations were an obvious choice to show you the kind of imagery that I aspire to achieve. 

Sanchez, A. 2016. Adara Sanchez Illustrations. Barcelona, Spain. 

To create this image, I drew the outlines of the apple slices using a 2B pencil, and then traced the edges & filled in the shading with a fine point sharpee pen. The Image was also based from of a photo of the decaying apples, which I took inside under softer lighting to give the apple slices more shadows, developing more depth in the image.

I drew this photo using a sharpee pen because I have always liked the way they draw and the textures that the pen can create on paper. 

Using the fine point sharpee worked well due to the high contrast in the dark lines on the white background. It also looks quite effective on the "colouring" of the apple skins. What could probably have been done better is the shadows of the apple slices, as the fine point pen didn't create a nice blend from darker to lighter shading. The shading is also very lined as the fine point pen has a sharp edge, thus it would have been effective to use a charcoal or pencil for this part. I drew the apple slices this way because I wanted to see the difference between the image with high contrast, and the first image, which has very little contrast and lots of blending.

I chose to use water colour paints for Day 3 to attempt the soft shading that Adara Sanchez masters in her illustrations. However, I still outlined the apple slices in a very accurate and neat fashion, rather than the rough sketching style of Adara. 

I really liked how the water colour paint blended the different shades of colour of the apple skin. What was difficult about developing this image was the water colour paint itself, as it made the process lengthy due to the time it took to wait for sections to dry. Nevertheless I made the image using this process to experiment with the different ways to develop a black and white illustration. 

To create this illustration I used a 2B and  6B pencil, and used cross-hatching to shade and tone the image. Like the previous illustrations, this one has been based from a realy image of decaying apple slices.

I used cross-hatch shading for this illustration because I wanted to make the apples appear much coarser, and to experiment with the different ways of shading an image.

What I think worked well is definitely the cross-hatching technique that I used for the illustration, as it also allowed me to apply different shades of light and dark which gave the image more depth. I think the trickiest part of the image was making the outline of the apple slices as accurately to the photo as I could. However, I think I made this image to help me move away from the perfectionism that I have when it comes to illustrating.

I created this image using only a 2B pencil, and no eraser. It was based off of an image of the decaying apples, however I didn't try to maintain accuracy.

I made this image under the inspriation of Adara Sanchez as I really wanted to practice those rough sketching styles.

What I think worked well was the rough shading and lines used on the apple slices. However I did find it difficult to let go of the eraser and the idea that I need to draw perfect lines to create a perfect illustration. I think that I made it the way that I did to help me let go of the the way that I am used to drawing, and to help me experience different ways of illustrating.

To make this photograph possible, I used a Nikon DSLR camera with an ISO of 800, an F-stop of 6.3 and an aperture of 1/5. I timed the photo so that the lights from the cars would light up the image and create a greater contrast in light and dark.

I was motivated to take this image as I felt that seeing the woman sleeping at a bus stop was very captivating and emotionally moving, because it made feel sympathy for her.

Although the woman was the motivation of this image, I think making her a small part of it worked really well in that it showed how everyone keeps moving in their own patterns, and ignores what it out of the ordinary. But what I would like to have done differently is make the darker, to enhance the sympathetic emotions the image conveys. 

This photo journalism picture was taken on the same Nikon DSLR camera with an ISO of 800, an F-stop of 6.3, and an aperture of 1/4, very similar to Day 1 of Photo Journalism. Again, like Day 1, I tried to time the image to capture a moving car in the image.

The reason why I took this image was because I was reflecting on the movements of people seen in the Day 1 photograph. I wanted to make an image that showed an even greater contrast of this, and seeing the bicycle pushed me to take the photo. 

For me, what seems to work well in the image is the blurred car, which really shows the movement that I aimed to capture. I also like that the picture shows how many people choose environmentally unfriendly methods of travel. What could have been improved is the overall quality of the photo, as I struggled to take a clear photo without any noise. I think I took the photo the way I did because I felt like the bike meant something, so I made it the central focus of the image.

I took this photo on the same camera and adjusted the settings to an ISO of 800, an F-stop of 4.5, and an aperture of 1/20. This photo was taken with very natural lighting that flooded in to the car park. The photo was meant to be very natural, so I didn't use any special tools in the process.

I took this photo on the way to my car, as I realised how many cars were actually just sitting there, not being used. I was inspired by the emptiness of the car park and how it represented the waste of space created by people.

What worked well with this photo is that it is both colourful and bleak. I like that it creates a juxtaposition in what it represents and what it makes the user feel. Should we feel positive about using all of this space, just for a car? However, I what I don't like about it is that I feel like I could have taken a much more interesting photo by trying a different angle, like taking a shot of the rows of cars to really show the extent of the wasted space. I think I did it this way though, because I didn't actually take the time to experiment with the different ways i could capture the meaning. 

This image was taken using my Nikon DSLR camera with the settings at ISO 800, the aperture set at 1/200, and the F-stop at 5.6. Like the previous images for Photo Journalism, I used natural lighting.

I took this image because I noticed just how many cars were starting to pile up in traffic at such an early time in the afternoon, with so little people walking or catching buses.

What I like about this image, and what I think worked well with it, is how the trees create curl over and create a focus point in the image, and also how the curb creates leading lines towards that focus point. But I also feel that there isn't enough contrast in the image, both with the lighting and the meaning in the image. I feel that it doesn't tell a story strongly enough to really class as photo journalism. I think I took this image the way I did though to see how I could create meaning in an image using photography techniques and rules.

I used my DSLR camera and set it to have an ISO of 800, an aperture of 1/8, and an F-stop of 4.5. The picture was taken outside, however it used artificial lighting which came from the street lights that also reflected on the wet ground.

I took this photo because the reflecting light on the wet ground diffused the light to brighten the area, allowing me to create a softer and more relaxing image. 

What I think worked well with this image is how the tree on the sides of the image create a frame for it. I also think that centering the pathway created effective leading lines in the image to reach a nice focus point,which I think conforms to the rule of the "golden ratio". However I think that ISO should have been increased to 1600, to really cater towards the dark, night time setting, to also help reduce the grain/noise in the image. 

I created this illustration using a 2B pencil, fine point black sharpee, and a red sharpee. First i outlined the image in pencil, and then finished and coloured using the sharpees.

The reason why I made this image was because I like drawing sketching using sharpee pens. I attempted to create the bold styles that are common in comic books such as Osama Tezuka's, who is famously known for his character Atro Boy.

What I think worked well in this comic book illustration is the bold silhouettes of the cadets. I also think that creating a really rough type suited the picture of the commander. However, what I found was difficult in creating this image was coming up with what to put in the image, as i feel that it it quite plain, and needs more colour. I think that the reason why I created the illustration was to set the scene for the comic strip illustration to come.

I created this image using the same materials as the previous week, which was a 2B pencil, fine point black sharpee, and different coloured sharpee markers.

I created this image to improve on the style that I attempt to achieve in the previous week.

What I think worked well for this image is that there is more colour in the image, however I still feel like there is not enough colour or pattern in the background. I think the most challenging part about creating this one was carrying on the style I began in the first comic strip illustration.

This illustration had been drawn using a 2B and 6B pencil for different tones in the shading.

I created this image using only graphite pencils to expand on my experimentation with different ways in sketching. 

What I think worked well in this image is the texture that the graphite pencil creates in the background. However, it was very challenging to create an image that was different in experimentation, but still was cohesive with the overall style for the comic strip theme. I think I made the illustration the way I did because I wanted to see how using a pencil would changed the comic strip. 

Again, I created this image using on a 2B pencil, and a 6B pencil. 

I made this image using the pencils again because I feel like the last illustration was too plain to really see a difference between using the sharpees against the graphite pencils.

What I think worked well is the rough texture created by the pencil for this illustration. But I did find it challenging to make the illustration convey any emotion in such a plain, neutral colour. I think the reason I made this illustration this way is because I was running low on inspiration, as I had driven away from the initial style that I had developed, which was loosely based Osama Tezuka's work.

I created this umage using a 2B pencil, and a variety of water colour paints.

What I think worked well is the water colour which added personality to the illustration. Although, I found it quite difficult trying to recreate the way that Adara uses water-colour in her illustrations. I think the reason why I created this image was again to try out the different ways of creating a comic strip with illustration, however I feel this could have been done much better.

I took this self portrait by placing my DSLR camera on a tripod and adjusted the settings to an ISO of 800, an aperture of 1/100, and an F-stop of 5.6. To take the self portrait I used the timing feature in the camera to give myself enough time to get into the frame. I had also set up a spotlight against a reflector to soften the lighting in the image.

I took this photo to experiment with the different settings on the camera. What I also did was position myself to try and create balance in the photo with myself and the background. 

What I think worked well in the image is the balance that I was attempting to create. I also liked how the lighting created a softening effect on me, and how it almost created the split lighting on my face and neck. What I think could have been done better though is to change the backdrop to something darker, so that the lightness on my skin is even more prominent. However, I took the image this way because I liked the way it looked through the camera lens at the time.

For this image, I used the DSLR camera that I have, and changed the settings so that the ISO was at 800, the aperture was at 1/8, and the F-stop was at 5.6. I used a single overhead light for the shadow effect, and placed a black board behind the model's head. After I took the photo I changed the settings in the camera to make the image black and white.  

The reason that I took this portrait the way I did was because I wanted to experiment with the different ways I could use lighting for this weeks theme. I wanted to create a sombre but creepy photo using the overhead light that is often seen 

What I think worked well in this photo was how changing the image to a greyscale made an effective contrast in the light and dark areas of the image, which enhanced that sombre but creepy portrait that I was aiming for. The split lighting was also something that worked well to enhance this. What I think could have been changed to improve the image thought, was how close I was to the model's face. I think if i had more distance from the model then it would make the image feel more intimidating or creepy, like someone was watching them from a distance. However the reason why I think I took the image like this was to also make the viewer feel like they connected with the model by being closer to his eyes, and encouraging to them create sympathy, which is what makes the image sombre as well. 

Again, this image was taken on my DSLR camera, but with the settings changed to ISO 800, an aperture of 1/125, and an F-stop of 5.0. I took this image next to a window so I could use bright, natural lighting.

The main reason I took this photo was because I wanted to try and imitate the work of Steven McCurry, who makes the focus of his portraits the eyes of the model. another reason why I took this image was to experiment using natural lighting, because I wanted to capture natural beauty, and evoke a sense of natural happiness and content in the viewer. Initially I tried straight-on portrait photos, however, I was inspired to take this image as if I was invisible to the model, to capture him in his own comfortable element.

What I think worked well in this image is how using the natural lighting helped made the image clear, giving an incredible focus towards the model's eyes, which is what I think is the major feature in the image that evokes comfort in the viewer. However, what I think could have been improved is the noise in the darker parts of the image. Nevertheless I think I took the image this way because not only did I feel that the image expresses beauty and comfort, but the place and the moment I was in made me feel that way. So in some form, I put my own emotions into this portrait.

To make this image, I had changed the settings on my DSLR camera to an ISO of 800, an F-stop of 4.6, and an aperture of 0.6. I used a candle for the lighting in this image with a reflecting sheet to soften the light that hit the model's face. 

I used candle lighting for this portrait as I was inspired by a friend who had done the same thing. However, they used this kind of lighting to create a creepier image, whereas I wanted to use candle lighting to create warmth on the face of this model.

I think that using the candle light worked well to create an image that embodied warmth and a sense of sweet softness towards the model. However, much like many of my previous images, I need to improve my image quality to try and remove the noise that I keep capturing in them. Despite this, I think I took this image this way to play around with the different sources of lighting, and create the feeling of intimacy with the model.

This portrait was taken on the DSLR camera that I own, with an ISO of 800, an aperture of 1/8, and an F-stop of 5.6. I took the photo in a dark room so I could use the flash as my source of lighting.

I took this image using the falsh, because I wanted to see how it would look in a dark room. 

What I like about this portrait is the how the model's pose creates a nice asymmetry in the photo. However, I think that the image could have been improved if i had reflected the flash to diffuse the light source and make the lighting look less harsh on the model. I think the reason why i took the image the way I did was because I struggled to find inspiration to create something that had meaning or beauty.

I used my DSLR camera that had its ISO at 800, its aperture at 1/8, and its F-stop at 4.0, to cater for the dark scene.

What i think worked well for this image was the horizontal balance of the photo seen with the leaves at the bottom of the image. However what made this photo difficult was getting that nice balance. I think I took the image this way because I like how the rock wall had lots of thick, contrasting lines in the cracks.

I took this image with my DSLR camera and changed the setting to ISO 800, aperture 1/20, and F-stop 4.5. 

I took this images because I liked the course texture of the carpet, and I thought about how not many people don't give carpets much thought. I took the shot on the angle so that the lines of the carpet helped give the image length.

What worked well in this image is how most of it is blurred out, with the centre of the image in full focus. Similar to the kind of focus used in micro photography. However the challenging part about taking this image was lining up the strokes in the carpet to be nice and even. I think this photo was taken this way because I wanted to take captivating photos from ordinary textures.

I took this image using a Nikon DSLR camera with the settings set to ISO 800, aperture 0.8, and F-stop 4.0.

Before taking this image, I saw the work of one photographer, Lucy Shires, who captured lots of textures on steep angles which extended the image. After seeing Lucy's work, I was inspired to try and capture some textures on sharp angles.

What worked well in this image is how taking the photo down the length of the slats had created length and focus in it. What I found challenging about capturing this picture though was being able to hold to camera still so that the image didn't blur. This would have been made easier if I had changed the ISO to 1600 to cater for the dark, night setting. I think I took this image the way I did to imitate the work I had seen from photographer Lucy Shires.

The thing that I think worked well for this texture image is the contrast of warm and cool colours because I think they also compliment one another. However what I don't think worked well with it is the proximity between the shapes in the patter. I would have preferred to put more spacing between the circles so that the pattern didn't feel as cramped, or just remove the circles altogether. The reason why I did it this way though, was to play with different kinds of geometric and curved shapes to see how they would look placed together in a pattern.

To create this pattern I used Adobe Illustrator CC, and developed a small tile. I then used the same path to create the pattern as I did in the previous image to make the tiling process much simpler.

I was inspired to make this image by my own photograph of the stone wall, as i wanted to make a much flatter and colourful version of it. However I thought it would be much simpler to create a brick design, rather than try to create organic shapes for the texture pattern.

I think that the colour pairing works quite well in this image, as well as the proximity, which creates individual horizontal lines that the viewer can see. However, what was difficult about making this texture was trying to remove the vertical white lines that occur when the pattern is tiled. The reason why I think that I created this image was because I've always like flat designs, as mentioned in the previous image, and colour, which was the major aspect of the image.

This image was taken on a DSLR camera that had its settings at ISO 800, aperture 1/13, and F-stop 5.6.

Before I took this image i tried to find inspiration for creating small settings for macro photography, however much of what I found was natural photography, whereas I wanted to create small fantasy lands for this theme. So i took this image without inspiration, using just normal photography techniques like the rule of thirds. 

What i think worked well for this image is the positioning of the of the figurine and how it sits nicely towards the right and letting the scenery fill the image. What was challenging about taking this photo was getting the lens to focus, as I don't own a proper macro lens for these kinds of close up shots. I think I took the image the way that I did though, because the little witch breathing fire suited the grey scene of the ash tray.

I took this image on my DSLR camera with the settings manually arranged to an ISO of 800, an F-stop of 5.0, and the aperture set at 1/10. For the lighting, I used the yellow light that was overhead in my kitchen. To make the setting, I used brown sugar for the sand, small rocks for the boulders in the background, and a toy walrus from a kinder surprise egg.

I took this image after being inspired some of the macro images created by Flickr user Keenan Brown, which made me want to mix natural elements and with a toy for the image. 

What i think worked will in this image is the mix of natural and plastic textures. I also think that creating a lot of focus on the toy walrus, and blurring out the background was an effective way of conforming to the rule of thirds. However, one of the struggles i had when taking this image was avoiding capturing any disruptions in the image, like the plate that this scene was made on. I think why i took this image the way i did was because I liked how there was lots of orange and brown tones all throughout the image. 

I captured this image on the Nikon DSLR camera, and changed the settings to have an aperture of 1/30, and ISO of 100, and an F-stop of 6.3. The image was taken outside, where there was bright, natural lighting, and plenty of greenery. I used a small moose toy from a kinder surprise egg to be the focus of the image.

Much like Day 2 of the macro-photography theme, I liked the work captured by Keenan Brown. So I set out and instead of creating the scene, I placed the small toy in a natural setting and captured that.

I think that placing the eye of the moose in the center of the image really draws attention to it which worked quite effectively. Another way that the image worked well was the blurred foreground and the clarity in the background which also helped to give the image great depth. I think the most challenging part that I faced when taking this image was trying to put the focus on the moose, and not the blades of grass that were in front ot it. The reason why I made this image the way that I did was because I wanted to experiment with putting something unnatural in a natural setting, to create juxtaposition in the image. 

I created this macro photography using my DSLR camera, with the settings at ISO 800, Aperture 1/8, and F-stop 5.6. The items used to compose the scene in the image included a wire paper rack, a toy car collected from a kinder surprise, and an incense stick holder.

I would like to say that I had great inspiration to create this image, however I wanted to just be creative and make my own scene, rather than trying to recreate or derive from someone else's, so I used the tools around me to create something with depth and focus.

I think what turned out to be quite effective in this macro photo is how the car, which I intended to be the focus of the image, was actually blurred out, creating perspective from the point of view of the car looking down the ramp. What I found difficult to deal with when I took the photo was the incapability of the lens to take such close images. I think that the reason why I took this image though was to try and create a unique scene that effectively told a story.

I took this photo by again using the DSLR camera with the settings at Aperture 1/6, ISO 1600, and F-stop 5.0. I used a miniature tea set in the image and a small ceramic fairy. 

I took this photo because I saw the small fair figurine, and remember an old movie about fairies, and was inspired from the movie to create a small scene with a fairy drinking tea. 

What I think worked well in this photo is the horizontal balance in the bottom of the image, as well as the soft lighting that makes the figurines glow. The thing that was most difficult about the image was trying to remove the fuzziness and the grain. I think I took this image the way that I did because i wanted to try and remove background imagery, to help create focus on the figurines.