Fourth Plinth - Work Diary

Fourth Plinth - Work Diary

Evaluation

Overall, I think that my fourth plinth project went well and feel that I managed to create some interesting and original images. In total, I created seven composite images using different landscapes and using the same object which was a small plush fairy. I thought the idea was good for the fourth plinth project as fairies are obviously related to fantasy and are therefore not something that you see everyday which therefore make it ideal for the project. I positioned the fairy in a variety of landscapes. One set of the images were with it placed in countryside landscapes while the other set had it positioned in a city landscape. Below shows my favourite and least favourite image out of the seven which I produced.


This is my favourite image from the ones which I created as the surreal element is not completely obvious at first glance and therefore requires the audience to look at the image more closely in order to find the hidden aspects. I like the way that in the image the fairy appears to be perching up in the tree. This could make the viewer perceive the fairy as being mischievous which adds interest to the image.


This is my least favourite image out of the seven which I created. Obviously, I edited the image using photoshop but I feel that the editing is more obvious in this image than the others and feel it is not as well done. I do not feel that the burning to create a shadowed effect in this image is overly effective as the day on which the image was show was not sunny. Also I feel that because the background image was shot at an angle, the fairy needed to be at an angle as well which is not. I think that this would make the image look more realistic and natural and therefore more effective.

Idea Development

If I were to look at the topic of the fourth plinth again, I would try to perhaps work with a larger object as I feel this would make it easier to photograph in the studio and add to the images. However, if I were to complete the topic again involving the fairies, I would perhaps use photoshop to manipulate the colours of their clothing and maybe use multiple fairies to create a more permanent and colourful feel to the images. I think this would help to make the composite images more attractive and striking to the audience and would also make them more eye-catching. Also, before I started the topic, I would perhaps look at the Cottingley fairy images for inspiration and perhaps attempt to recreate similar images but with a modern twist. Below are some of the images which I would use as inspiration for this.

Fourth Plinth - Fairy in London

Fourth Plinth - Fairy in London

After adding the plush fairy to countryside landscapes, I decided to use some of the photographs that I took in London and add it to that setting. I feel that this allowed me to create some more interesting images which surrounded the fairy as the surreal element for the fourth plinth project. 

Below shows how I created one of my composite images using photoshop.

First, I took my original image and adapted the curves in order to make it brighter. I then selected my image of the fairy, used the quick select tool to select it and then finally copied and pasted it onto my original image. 

Once the fairy was moved onto the image. I selected edit and transform in order to rescale and move the fairy image.

Once the image was positioned in my desired place and was scaled in a way that I was happy with, I used the burn tool to create a shadow on the fairy and statue in order to make it look more realistic. To finish, I adapted the curves of the fairy layer to make it bolder.

I created this image using photoshop and like the way that the angle of the added image compliments the angle of the original image. I also like how the fairy is bold as this makes it more obvious and therefore attracts the viewers eye more. I tried to make the image appear as though the fairy was sitting and looking out and watching the fountains. I feel the image is effective as it is very surreal and therefore supports the topic of the fourth plinth. 

I like this image as when you first look at it, you are unable to notice the surreal object within the image. I like how the fantasy element is not obvious as this therefore makes it seem more mysterious when the viewer finally notices the fairy which is hidden to the side. I like the way that the fairy appears to be sitting on the traffic light button and also appears to be watching the traffic. I think this image also supports the fourth plinth element as the object is somewhere strange and where you would not usually see it. 

I created another image of the fairy sitting on a pillar. I like this image as it looks as though the fairy is watching the pedestrians walk past. I like the way that the original image would be boring by itself but with the added element of the fairy, the image becomes interesting and attractive to the audience to look at.

Fourth Plinth - Composite Images - Fairy

Fourth Plinth - Composite Images - Fairy

For this shoot, I decided to use some of my previous images which I captured for the landscapes topic and add in an object which in my case was a little angel keyring which I positioned in a range of settings using photoshop. I used the burn tool to make the pasted image look as though it belonged in the setting and also to create shadows within the image in order to make it look slightly more realistic. I like how the below images that I have created can be thought have a link to the Cottingley Fairies. This is an idea I would like to use as inspiration later in the topic.

This is one of my favourite images which I have created. I like how the two images were taken at the same angle which makes the two fit together much better. I also like the fact that the fairy looks surreal, but still realistic as the positioning of the fairy has helped to make the image look effective.

I like this image as at first glance, the image is normal but when you look closer, you can see the fairy on the bottom left hand corner. I like how the surreal element of the image is less obvious and is more hidden. I like this a sit makes the image more mysterious and interesting. I used the burn tool to make the fairy look as though it were perched on the little branch. 

I like this image as it is very interesting and the colours are very bold. I like the way that the fairy appears to be perching on the leaves and looking out into the distance. I feel that the image shows thought which is portrayed through the fairy looking out and by the viewer not being able to see its face. I also like how you are able to see the fairy's wings in this image as it   presents the element of fantasy which I have tried to portray in the images.  I also used the burn tool in this image to show the shadow on the leaves which makes the idea of the fairy sitting on the leaf look more realistic. 

I also like this image which I created using photoshop as I like the less obvious element of the fairy in the photograph. I like how the fairy is positioned in the top left hand corner as it takes the viewer a little while to find the surreal element of the image. I chose to position the fairy so it appeared to be sitting on  one of the trees branches.

Evaluation

Overall, I am very pleased with my first attempt at final outcomes for composite images. I like the element of fantasy that my chosen object has bought to the images. For the images which I created, I used photographs which I previously took for the topic of landscapes and added in the images of the fairy, which I took in the studio, to the landscape setting. To begin with, I found creating the composite images using photoshop quite challenging but after a while, found it to be second nature and also found that I could do it quite easily. While creating my images, I also perfected the art of using the burn tool in order to make the fairy appear as though it belonged in the settings which I chose. I like how the four images which I have created all link with each other as this makes them interesting. I hope to develop this idea further in the future and will use the idea from the 'Cottingley Fairies' as inspiration. Overall, I am really pleased with my first outcomes for the topic of the fourth plinth.  

Fourth Plinth - Artist Research

Fourth Plinth - Artist Research

Cedric Delsaux

Delsaux is a French photographer who captures series of surrealist and manipulated images. His most surreal series is one called 'Dark Lens' where he added Star Wars figures into images. Below shows some images from his 'Dark Lens' series.  

I like this image as it is very clear and the figure looks as though it belongs, though the viewer knows it really does not. I like that the two images combine very well due to their similar colour schemes and the well positioned figure.

I really like this image as it clearly combines an unrealistic image onto a real setting. I like the way the Star Wars figure is slightly hidden by the fog as this makes the image less obvious and lets the viewer find the figure of their own accord. 

I like this image as the colour schemes of the two combined images match very well which therefore leads to the two images complimenting each other very well. I also think that the scaling and shooting angles of this image works very well. 

I also like this image as it is quite mysterious and also looks very realistic, despite the viewer knowing it is not actually real. I also think that the lighting works very well within the image as it helps to draw the audiences eye to the star wars figure and also makes it look as though the figure is really there. 

Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons was born in 1955 and is an American Artist known for his production of banal objects such as baloon animals. Koons was born in Pennsylvania and studied at the Maryland Institute College of art in Baltimore and the School of Art Institute of Chicago. He lives and works in New York City. He had his first solo exhibition in 1980 and nowadays, his work is shown in many galleries around the world. Koons is renowned for his public sculptures, and example being his monumental floral sculpture 'Puppy' which is shown at Rockefeller Center and is permanently installed at the Guggenheim Bilbao. In addition, Koons has received numerous awards and honours in recognition of his cultural achievements. During his career, he has created numerous series with an example being the Banality series. He is not actually a photographer and is in fact, considered as an artist. Koons uses his balloon animals to create surreal images which would not actually occur in real life. 

I really like the idea of the balloons as they look incredibly surreal and as a result look effective. I like this image as it shows the grand scale of the balloons by placing them in an area in which they can be compared to the people walking past.

I really like this image and think that it looks very effective as it can be compared to the people in the background. I think this image looks more effective due to the setting it is placed in as the background appears interesting and vibrant. I also like how you are able to see reflection in the balloon.

I like this image as the background is very interesting and it also adds interest to the image. I think that the artist is trying to convey the idea of a family dog outside the house within this image. I like this as an idea but the image u made interesting by the enlarged balloon dog. 

I like this image as again, it has an interesting background. I like how with this image, the shooting angle of the balloon matches that of the background. This is an essential part of the shooting process as it helps to achieve successful and effective images.

The Fourth Plinth

Fourth Plinth Ideas

To get some inspiration for the topic. We visited London and I shot around Trafalgar square where the real fourth plinth is. Below shows an image which I took that shows what the fourth plinth featured when I was up in London.