Group Crit (Karen and I)

Here's the progress I've made on the line study project since Wednesday and the notes that correspond with the group crit.

• Projection quality? The image is too gray, needs to have a higher contrast so it can have purer colours.
  
• Straight lines in projection versus softer shapes.
  
• good compostion! :)

I put this one first because it is my favorite out of the new pairings! During the crit, there was discussion about whether or not when cleaning up the lines, I should transform the dots back into hard-edged squares, or somehow leave them rounded. Personally, I like them better when they are rounded, even though they're not "line" studies since they're not crisp. I've done a couple tracings with the hard-edged version, and it just seems to not match up quite as well.

• Consider iterations on the juxtaposition of the images
  
• boost contrast in image, it's a little muddy
  

This was one of those images that when put in front for critique, there was a long silence. It's an interesting image, and there's definitely some conversation going on between two sides, but we are both unsure if it works. I had these two pictures during the very first crit in class, and Jamie suggested to "keep them in the mix." I really like both the line study and the photograph, so I want to try and make them work together. Karen suggests that I continue to explore the images in relation to each other, changing their orientation to see different outcomes. I plan on doing this, and having a group of iterations to choose from, if any of them work.

• adjust line orientation
• top right corner, crop out the floating bit of image?

Even though these lines in this don't all line up, enough of them make solid connections and the spacing of them is similar to the photograph, so the pairing works pretty well. When doing the tracings for this line study, I cropped out a lot of fuzzy edges, which made the lines thinner, which I think will help connect the two halves into a more cohesive composition. Also, a point was made about the top right corner of the photograph, where there is a bit of something floating by itself. I'll make a version of the composition with it cropped out, but I am going to keep this version too, because I'm not sure if it really needs to leave the image!

• not working
  

I think the only thing to say about this is that it is very much a failed attempt. It wasn't even worth critiquing, so I just flipped past it. I don't know what I was thinking, sorry.

• add some horizontals?
• better than first line study paired with it, but try to find another one that's even closer
• lots of tracings

Ok, this one will make more sense once I scan and upload the tracings for all these pairings, which I will do later today. I just want to write down all the comments on these and save them here before I forget them during lunch. For the line study, what I am trying to focus on is the large curved shapes that appear to be emerging from each side of the image. The thinner lines I might not use, or if I do use them, I will only use a few. I'm trying to bring attention to the curved ceiling in the back of the photo, not the checkered lattice in the foreground. I'm really struggling to find a suitable line study to go with it though. Karen suggests to make a few variations on the tracings, and look through my line studies as I'm working on new pairs, keeping an eye out for another one that could work.

• Mess with the levels in the photo, it's a little too gray
• top bar on line study - remember to remove it in tracings!
• Match angles (maaaaybe)
  

Ok, so I had actually already done the tracings for this one and I edited out the black bar along the top of the page. But it was good that she suggested to remove it before she saw the racing for it-I knew I was on the right track! I'll edit the photo so it's not so gray; I'm having trouble with clear images today for some reason! The angle change from one image to the other came up, and I'm not really sure that I want to rotate the lines so the sloping angle matches with the photograph. I think it looks fine with the change, especially since it changes twice in the line study, and the on the border between the connect. Plus, if I change the slope in the line study, I would cause the vertical lines to go crooked, and not match up with the window panes anymore.


Overall, I'm becoming really frustrated with this project. I feel like I'm not producing enough pairings fast enough, and the ones that I am making aren't that interesting. I'm going to take some serious photography time later today, and tomorrow to. I think now that I know what I'm taking photos for, I will have a better idea of things to look for-like diagonal and combined lines on buildings or nature instead of 20 pictures of spider-web cracks on the ground and tangles of wire. Today did help me a lot though; I went around and looked at other people's lines after we were done with the group critiques. Looking at what everyone else is doing really seems to make things make sense, and I get ideas and inspiration-if you want to call it that- from looking at something fresh (my eyes are tired from fliping through the same photos and lines over and over and over).

So this weekend, I'm gonna grind out a lot of photos and pairings! And HOPE FOR SOME SUNSHINE! :)