deciding weather to keep one of the drawings with face colour

       

when placing the faces next to each other on a A1 document on photoshop to decide how i want them to be displayed on my A1 board in the exhibition, i thought that the these two drawings used too similar colours which therefore made them clash when sat together and also made the other 2 drawings out of place next to 2 that looked like a set. 

 above i have played around with colour that i felt was needed or was missing when i placed all the drawings together.

 i didn't like how the one on the right has a cut of edge on the arm, i much prefer the way the one on the left gradually looses colour to represent the arm finishing without having to show a definite outline.
i decided to play around with changing the colour of the coat, though i like the combination and complimentary of the blue coat and pink of the lips, i wanted to make each drawing as true to the photo reference as possible to show a true likeness to each culture. as the colour of the coat is white in the photo reference, i have used a off white/grey, i thought this was applicable due to one of the current fashions which the/our western culture is following at the moment, androgyny - the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics. Sexual ambiguity may be found in fashion. 

i have also improved the quality of the right version by rubbing out excess lines and neatening up edges. i have also increased the levels more to get rid of smudges on the page. 

playing around with scale and composition to fit onto an A1 board

Adding colour to African woman

Though I haven't finished or refined the paint I have applied on photoshop I don't think adding colour works as well on this drawing. I think the combination of the black pen work and the natural colours work well together that there is no need for the added colour of the skin- maybe makes it to much and takes away focus from the jewllery and cultural objects I am wanting to show? 

further development with style

after asking a few peers which one they preferred the majority went with the one on the right (skin colour added)

printing tests

one thing i wanted to address in this project which has let me down in previous projects is the quality control of my resolutions once printed.  to my disappointment and my frustrations when printing of final pieces of work, ready to hand in, my prints have sometimes had smudges, lines etc that i have not noticed on photoshop before print. so to try and avoid this, i have printed off test prints to see if there are anything i need to change or if there are any small faults i need to address.

i am glad i have done this as i have found on one drawing in particular (western culture) that i have accidentally gone over the lines with the blue paint brush. 

Across the globe, few people have difficulty recognizing someone who is considered beautiful. Beauty is often sought after, revered, and sometimes interpreted as a personal virtue. Standards of beauty are usually social markers determining cultural status, social acceptance and suitability as a mate. However, beauty remains an elusive notion. Scientists continue to study the biological and anthropological factors behind physical attractiveness, while advertisers continue to employ ideals of beauty to sell products. Countless people continue their quests to become or remain beautiful to receive the benefits society offers for beauty. A physical aesthetic has remained constant over time throughout the diverse cultures of the world. In this sense, beauty has been regarded as a reflection of health, vitality, sexual allure and social appeal. Although the specifics of what makes someone beautiful can differ across countries, cultures and communities, the concept of beauty has existed for as long as there have been people.

http://paulford.com/beauty-in-different-cultures/

editing final images

i scanned each pen drawing into my laptop and adjusted the levels to increase the contrast in the image and get rid of any marks of smudges on the page. 

i have also painted over marks that did not disappear after adjusting the levels. 

the problem i encountered with this image is that there is not much to add colour too, and the clothing she is wearing is white in the reference image. above i have used a off white to colour in the shirt, however i feel this does not make the image interesting of aesthetically pleasing. 

i have changed the colour of the top to make the colour 'pop' i have also coloured in the lips as the reference image shows she has dark pink lipstick on, and as western culture wear lipstick to make their lips look fuller and more attractive i thought this would be appropriate.  

below i have played around with just adding the basic colours of the dress and i have also experimented with adding the floral pattern to see which works best.

i really like the amount of colour i have added to this illustration, i feel it is just enough to give a impression of the garments but not to much to over complicate the image. the use of negative space make the detailed image appear easier on the eye as there is a lot to focus on. 

however i am not 100% on the colour added to the lip plait, i feel the tones i have added looks random against the block colours i have used to colour in the rest of the image. 

i have erased the colour added to the plait, i feel this works better as i think the detail on the plait is enough to draw attention to it and the colour is not necessarily needed. 

it was difficult to decide which areas of this illustration to colour in as the reference photo has multiply colours to choose from. i also had to figure out how to effectively fade out the colour of the sari - i did this by lowering the opacity of the paint brush, however the problem i had here was that when over lapping areas i had already painted, the colour become darker which meant i have areas of uneven paint. this is something i hope i will be able to solve through more photoshop play as i am still learning how to use the software. 

over all i am pleased with the results of my final resolutions, i am happy that i was able to experiment with a different technique and manage to still create a result i feel works just as well as the pencil and collage technique i have had trouble to move away from and try something new. 

now i will need to figure out how i want my work to be displayed on the A1 board ready for our exhibition.