Mixing Traditional with Digital

I started to manipulate the spray painted symbols in illustrator  to see what effects I could add 

I used the live trace mode for quick and effective results.

Then place it over a coloured fill.
The problem with illustrators live trace is effects like this make the object very slow to work with because of the amount of points on screen which makes the file size massive, but placing the object into photoshop will turn the vectors into pixels and be easier to work with.

This was another experiment using the same technique but this time I wanted to add some colour

So I live traced It

Then use the live paint mode to change the colour.
I am not keen on the colour I prefer it black and drab, but I do like the idea of the code effect.

I wanted to push this code effect further and be more apart of the design.

So I used the same method but this time I used one of the brush and ink designs that I thought could work

I am happy the way this turned out, the code looks apart of the flag but the stars look to perfect and don't fit in with the eroded effect.

Next I decided to try out the effects in photoshop

First I place a image onto a canvas
then added a new layer and applied a gradient over the image

Next I tried out different blend modes to see how it would change the image in this case I used colour burn

next I added some text and used the blend mode overlay to make the text blend in with the colours

I wanted to include both symbols in one image so I opened the Russian symbol 

I then cut it out using a channel mask

And blended It into the other image and darkened it using the layer adjustments mode.

I like the Idea of this divide across the page separating the two flags like the Berlin wall split the world into two, so using this idea and the images and effects I thought I would treat this as a mock up design for this code games front cover.  

I feel photoshop had the better effects and tools to manipulated the images so I stayed within the program

I used a channel mask to separate the image (black marks) from the white background

I placed a black fill across the page as a to signify the Berlin wall and that divide and place  the American to the west of the page.

Next I brought in the Russian symbol 

Using the same channel masking technique

And place it in the east

I wasn't keen on adding the colour 

So I scanned in a brown textural paper for a more old authentic effect 

This works a lot better than the colour in my opinion

I tried a blend mode known as colour burn which gave a sort of scorched effect, I like it but I think another would work better.

I used the burn tool and cranked the exposure up to 100% and started to burn the paper .

I felt the wall needed that bit extra detail. so I decided to add some barbed wire. I opened a new canvas An drew a path and used a brush to brush along the path. then I defined it as custom brush.

From this I painted barbed wire along the wall, finally I added a eroded type ( new press eroded) across the page to add further.

And this was the final result. I think this was a good experiment,  I really have enjoyed this journey into mixed media I honestly feel that I could use this image for my final box artwork for my game but I need to plan out the sizes of the image so I can create the actual game but the experiments have been a success.  

The Vietnam War

America had growing concerns of the spread of communism over Asia , they feared that if one country would fall to communism others would follow as a result of this fear the Vietnam war began, Americas involvement started in 1965 and ended in 1973. they backed the south half of the country to try and stamp out the communism north, But it was heavy price that had no effect the death toll for all sides went into the millions, a terrible loss of life.

All this information can play a part in my game, I will include questions revolved around all aspects of the cold war, so the more research I find the more obscure questions I can ask.

An Idea Is Born

I now have hardly any time left so I need to start thinking how I can bring all this research into the cold war into a final piece. I want this to have graphics design in it but I don't want to just create a image that is some text hidden somewhere I want to take this a step further. I have been thinking along the lines of a board game, or a puzzle game, I had brief look at a coded message post card, It would be good to try and create a game using a code to reveal a hidden message of my own with a graphics design front cover and all the other details based around the cold war, like the history and the secrecy.

This is where my own design principles comes in, I am going to plan this out on paper and see what stapes I need to take to get there.

Experiments

I have been focusing my attention on the two great powers of the cold wars flags
First I drew the two designs on some paper

Then I cut out parts to form a stencil

I used spray paint to stencil out the image out onto some card

Then I applied the same process but changed the material to this brown textured paper

Now this was what I call a happy accident, one of the stencils blew over in the wind and stuck to the paper, so I pressed the stencil firmly down and lifted it off to reveal a inverses print that turned into a success.

Then I tried for different effects by lightly spraying over the stencil for a more eroded and spotty effect.

I was also left with the stencil which could be used as well for an effect.

I feel that experiment went well. I think If I did it inside some where instead of outside I would have been able to control the paint more and create a more eroded effect, I like the images not the brown textured paper more and I think it would fit into the theme of the cold war because it almost looks like that paper that contains top secret information within it.

These two images above are experiments using a brush and ink, I have tried to paint the flags a little more abstract and I am not sure about them, the first one has possibly got potential if I bring it into photoshop or illustrator, the second one probably not.

These two where a result of using a stick and ink and I don't think that they have worked. the lines look too weak and I don;t have the control over the tool, I could strengthen the line though using digital sod ware?

I think a good way forward from here is to select certain images that have worked and see how I can take them further using digital software. I could also use some of the effects around the images to create some custom brushes in photoshop.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Information sourced from www.bbc.co.uk/history

The cold war at it's height, and the closest the world has come near to world war three.The USA discovered that the soviets had been bringing nuclear arms to cuba to point directly into the USA. America had to respond so kennedy sent out a blockade of ships to intercept the russians resulting in a stand off.

At the moment I am gathering as much information as possible to get a better understanding of the cold war and how I can use this information in a final project. 

The Berlin Wall

The information was sourced from www.bbc.co.uk/history

 After world war two Germany and Berlin was divided into sections, USA, British, Russian all governed by there own rules and ways of life (communism and capitalism).Many people defected to the western sectors for the freedoms the west was known for, As a result The Berlin wall was born or also known as the Iron Curtain. It was constructed by the German Democratic republic ( Eastern Germany) in 1961 to stop the eastern population defecting to the west, If they where to be caught they would shot on sight, they where ruled by a iron fist.

There wasn't one exact reason the cold war started, it was years of mistrust and paranoia of  both sides but this wall was certainly symbol of the divide of eastern and western ways of life

This wall has to have a place on my project. It ties into this hidden theme project perfectly and I see It as the main symbol of what the cold war was about a divide in opinions, which led to the mistrust then resulted to the espionage and secrecy.