Assignment 1: Photogram and Photographic Drawing

Assignment:

You’ll make your first photogram using flat bed scanner instead of photosensitive paper. The theory is similar. By placing objects directly on the scanner bed in an interesting composition you can create an image without a camera. You can make a "self portrait personal photogram" using objects that say something about you.

it was thanks to luckk that i found the objects to use for this assignment :) . i was racking my brains on which object to use to best suit me, and just when i was about to give up, brush teeth and hit the sack, i went to play around with my tube of toothpaste and toothbrush. there was zero expectation, just a one last try kinda thing, but it turned out rather nicely so i added more stuffs to spice things up :)

the idea here is to show the cleanliness freak in me. haha. i think everyone brushes teeth and bathes twice a day or so? but i do that 4 to 5 times a day! guess i'm a little weird right.. :/

so it started out with only a toothbrush and the tube of Colgate. added the comb and the cloth in as i thought that the patterns on them would work quite well in the scan. i like the way they made the photogram looks messy yet there exudes a feel of the need for cleanliness and tidiness (must be 'cos of the black and white too!). the white hurricane-like mess at the bottom is done by smearing toothpaste on a transparent file. was just experimenting, but i thought it looks quite unique. i took quite some time to assemble and reassemble the objects :/

i hope it does not seem too messy! i attempted many combinations and this was my favourite piece:) the Colgate's bright words bring attention to the centre of the piece, and following the toothbrush, the viewer is led to look at the cloth, then to follow the flow of it to the comb, finally to the hurrican-ish toothpaste. i chose black and white instead of colours so to bring out the stark contrast in lines and patterns, and to enhance the clean cuts that signify cleanliness and neatness. do feedback if you think otherwise, thanks!

anyway, just for the fun of it, i put my mini perfume bottle in the centre of the scanner face, while opening the lid of the scanner. it turned out nice! i quite like it at least :) but it was after many attempts have i then gotten the 'dividing' grey light to be in the middle of the scan, falling right on the bottle. couldn't reduce the noise in the photogram though :/

i really like xinying's piece! her idea to use bubbles and and soapy water is brilliant; i can't imagine myself being able to venture so far in the field of creativity :( the vibrant colours, the way the bubbles are similar yet unique in their own ways (i.e. circular yet of different sizes and colours - just fyi for those who don't get me haa), the way it glows and stays shaded at different areas, her piece really shouts liveliness and makes me feel so merry somehow. and yes, i agree on the 90/100 grading! in fact, she deserves more i think! the effort, the creativity, let's not forget the risk to nearly killing her scanner, yes you should be highly graded :) love the art!

about grading my work, i'm not so sure how to go about doing that; hers is about colours, life, vibrancy, while mine speaks of daily life routine. it's subjective i believe, but anyway i have to grade :( i'm giving myself a 7/10, for the many experiments i had done before this final piece. you won't be able to imagine how many objects i've tried to suffocate my scanner with. and altho simple this may look, i really do like the way the shadows play around in the scan. so yup, feel free to comment!