In this unit we will be looking at advanced composite techniques. The artists on this page take compositing or collaging to a level beyond mere cutting and pasting objects together. They are creating new worlds or tapestries of nature that at first glance look realistic. However, the more you look at the composites/collages you notice that these are not real. These are composites that are beyond realism. One artist, Jim Kazanjian, calls this work hyper-collage.
Jim Kazanjian
Jim Kazanjian makes images without ever picking up a camera. Instead, he pieces together found images to form mad hallucinations that are just a bit off—in the way a nightmare is all the more horrifying because it is so close to normal.
"My method of construction has an improvisational and random quality to it, since it is largely driven by the source material I have available. I wade through my archive constantly and search for interesting combinations and relationships. Each new piece I bring to the composition informs the image’s potential direction. It is an iterative and organic process where the end result is many times removed from its origin. I think of the work as a type of mutation which can haphazardly spawn in numerous and unpredictable directions."
"My method of construction has an improvisational and random quality to it, since it is largely driven by the source material I have available. I wade through my archive constantly and search for interesting combinations and relationships. Each new piece I bring to the composition informs the image’s potential direction. It is an iterative and organic process where the end result is many times removed from its origin. I think of the work as a type of mutation which can haphazardly spawn in numerous and unpredictable directions."
Lesson
Create a photomontage using Photoshop inspired by Jim Kazanjian's style of hyper-collage. Choose a theme for the photomontage based upon the concept of opposites (hot/cold, inside/outside, new/old).
Objectives
1. Decide upon a concept of opposites.
2. Collect at least 10 high resolution photographs that are labeled under usage rights as "labeled for reuse with modification".
3. Place these images in a folder on your desktop labeled " hyper-collage".
4. In Photoshop create a new document that is named, hyper-collage-your name. The size is 12" x 12" with 300 resolution. This document should be saved to your hyper-collage folder on the desktop.
5. Build and assemble a photomontage using the quick selection tool, refine edge tool, soft eraser tool and masks.
6. Use the tools to create a photomontage that looks hyper-realistic.
7. The final photomontage should be a monochromatic color scheme.
8. Write an Artist Statement.
Create a photomontage using Photoshop inspired by Jim Kazanjian's style of hyper-collage. Choose a theme for the photomontage based upon the concept of opposites (hot/cold, inside/outside, new/old).
Objectives
1. Decide upon a concept of opposites.
2. Collect at least 10 high resolution photographs that are labeled under usage rights as "labeled for reuse with modification".
3. Place these images in a folder on your desktop labeled " hyper-collage".
4. In Photoshop create a new document that is named, hyper-collage-your name. The size is 12" x 12" with 300 resolution. This document should be saved to your hyper-collage folder on the desktop.
5. Build and assemble a photomontage using the quick selection tool, refine edge tool, soft eraser tool and masks.
6. Use the tools to create a photomontage that looks hyper-realistic.
7. The final photomontage should be a monochromatic color scheme.
8. Write an Artist Statement.
For me, photography is more than capturing the perfect moment. Every time I try to capture my astonishment with a single photo, I am disappointed. This was not what I want to see and feel. It is larger, more complex, more diffuse. I have to bring all those fragments together. In compositions in which they together tell a story that transcends my understanding. So, that every time I look at it, I can be surprised again.
Cas Slagboon
Cas Slagboon