The Essentials for Photomanipulation

I’m not the most talented digital artist in existence, of course. I’m still learning, and I’d really like to help my fellow artists in their growth in photomanipulation. Because I’m a nice guy. Here you are, I hope you enjoy and you understand some of the essentials for becoming the artist that you’ve always dreamed of being.

So here we go:

1. Let the idea develop before you begin.
Don’t rush it. Often an inexperienced artist will come up with a fantastic idea, but then dive headlong into the project, instead of letting the concept change and grow. Inspiration is hugely important to an art piece, so stay open, explore your concept and don’t confine it to your original plan. Think of it like a piece of pottery on a wheel. An idea has to be shaped and gently formed into perfection. Of course, perfection isn’t necessarily the goal, just be aware of imperfections and take the time to imagine a solution. The fix can come at any time, and personally, I often find that some of my best ideas come at 1:00 in the morning, because I’m not distracted and my brain allows itself to wander. I’ll think of an idea and then wake up in the middle of the night burning with an even better idea. Some of my designs took days, some took months, and some are still in the making.

2. Find the right image.
If you’re not a photographer, or there’s no way for you to capture the image you want, welcome to the world of stock images. I am always impressed by the artists that dedicate themselves to photography, and then take it even further by offering their work for the use in other art projects. They’re the epitome of generosity, in my opinion. That being said, it’s important to be careful when getting a stock image. First off, don’t use Google Images. I did that when I was a beginner, but since have taken a step back from it because of quality and copyright issues. Google doesn’t have a copyright filter, so most of the images on Google an owner that has not specified their photography for stock. Of course, you could ask the photographer, but why go to all the trouble when there is so many more resources? www.yotophoto.com is a search engine for free-to-use images. www.sxc.hu has over 180,000 images, and it only takes a minute to register. Also, our very own deviantART has a resource section as well – just click “Resource and Stock Images” while browsing the art. You might find gold. I just talked about inspiration, right? Well sometimes, the stock artist or image is my inspiration. I’ll see a picture and just have to do something with it.

3. Don’t limit yourself.
What I mean by that is don’t be afraid to play around with your art. Take it to the extreme and back again, and then settle for what looked best. Try everything. If something doesn’t look right to you, then it won’t look right to anybody who views your art, and I guarantee there is a way to fix it. That requires an extensive knowledge of your software, though. So guess what you need to do? I’ll say it again: Try everything! Figure out what every little button does, be curious, play with the software. I’ve been working with Photostudio, Digital Photo Professional and iPhoto for at least a year and a half, and every time I do a little exploring, there’s something new to be learned. I’m still in the process, but just knowing what do to for a specific effect makes me able to try it on any piece of art, and throw off the limitations. You might begin with a set finished piece in mind, but it’s important to let your idea change and grow. Wait, have I said that before?

4. Take your time.
Be patient. Art takes a lot of work, and any artist that tries to force their work to go faster, that sacrifices quality for time, will end up with a piece that looks rushed and sloppy. Of course, there is such thing as speedpainting or something like that. I’m not really familiar with it, but it does exist. For our intents and purposes, however, taking time is what art is all about. Don’t be afraid to stop working when you need a break. Go have a cappuccino or something. I often find that I might take several days to do a piece, and you can often get a new perspective on your piece if you muse on it for a night and come back to it in the morning. Be warned, however, in Photostudio (I’m not sure about Photoshop but I assume it’s similar), the layers merge themselves in the saved version. That’s created huge problems for me, but now that I know, I leave the artwork open and loaded on my computer. I’ve actually left my computer running for more than a week because I was working on a piece of art and couldn’t close it because I’d lose the layers. Don’t be afraid to take forever. It’ll be worth it in the end. However, if you’re on a roll, don’t stop! Being in the right mindset can be immensely valuable to your art (I’ve stayed up past 4:00AM working on art because I didn’t want to stop). You might be tired, but again, it’ll be worth it in the end.

5. Give it your all.
Art doesn’t take kindly to not doing your best. It’ll be obvious that you didn’t push yourself, trust me. Don’t settle for second best when you’re making a piece. For example, in a series I did where my hand was covered in words (see bottom), I tried to lessen the load by using washable marker. It didn’t do the trick. I wasn’t satisfied with how it looked, and so my arms were covered with black markings for a week because what I used was permanent. Don’t stop until you’re satisfied. Another example: I took over 250 pictures in order to capture the spark of a lighter. I kept eight and only really value one. But it was worth it. The time, the effort, it’s all worth it. Always. Take all the chances, take all the risks. Push yourself to the extreme and you’ll become the artist you’ve always dreamed of.

and


This is a mixture of manipulation and photography, just some pieces that I think are really good examples of talented and dedicated artists:




My gallery has some examples as well.
If you have any questions, please comment or drop me line any other way.


StarBoyDeath, over and out.