ISABELLA ALVARENGA
DIGITAL MEDIA
My Identity Collage
1. My ideas from before my final ideas were way different from each other. My very first ideas were something gloomy and Japanese technological-like, being inspired by Serial Experiments: Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion. But, I felt like it wouldn't work for me so instead I went for my favorite artists and how they influence my taste and quality in music. The artists that are featured in my collage are Tame Impala (like by a lot), Cage the Elephant, and Ginger Root. I have a lot of love for these artists/bands, I'll go more in-depth into them later.
After brainstorming and doing research on what pictures would work with this collage I decided to make a checklist and jot down my ideas. This really helped get my mind together and then I started to piece together the collage. Sometimes I would get stuck on some parts, such as trying to figure out how to have images fit into other images just like the album covers that are fitted into the camera lens. I did this by using the paths panel to edit the image's shape I started to add more photos from concerts I went to.
I added other photos such as the Cage the Elephant-Melophobia album cover head and the slow rush bottle from Tame Impala. I also added a psychedelic pattern to my portrait by importing a psychedelic pattern of my choice and then turning it into a pattern in photoshop by importing a photo and then using the Marquee tool to select the area, then pressing edit, and then define a pattern. I used free to transform a lot to edit and transform the photos to what I wanted them to look like, along with using the magic wand tool and the quick selection tool to erase anything that I don't like in my images. I also used feathering to smooth out the edges of my photos, and to blend them in a little bit. Using the crop tool helps a lot, to edit the sizes of the elements easily without having to type in the numbers in the transform panel. To edit photos separately, I went back and forth with photoshop tabs which is very useful to do separate edits without closing the main project.
2. Blend modes are used to blend 2 images together to get different effects, using this tool for my project I used the colors of the images between the gate to my advantage, editing the lighting around the photos and making them blend with the gate. Layer masks are used to blend 2 images together to have them appear at the same time. I used this tool by technically erasing the middle gate photo so the camera lens can stand out from it. Adjustment layers can be used to "edit" the photo, but it's basically just a layer above the photo so it is non destructive and the editing can easily be removed. I used the adjustment layer tool to edit the saturation of my collage as it was looking a little to dull to my taste.
3. How does this collage represent my identity? I've always loved music, it's always in my life no matter where I go. Whether it be my mom singing or my dad playing Spanish rock on road trips. I'm always listening to music, it calms me down, can get me in the mood to do productive things, and can keep my mind thinking and being creative. My favorite artist that really changed my music taste and I've been basically listening to my whole life is Kevin Parker aka Tame Impala, his music is so clean and crisp and his beats never disappoint. It always gets me in the mood and instantly makes me happy, it's one of the many artists that me and my dad bond over. He was my top artist for my Spotify wrapped 2022 and I was part of his 0.1% top listeners, very surprising, right? I added photos of when I went to his concert last year in September, going with my dad and my Uncles made it worthwhile and I was about to cry with happiness. The photo on the top camera lens is my favorite single from him: It might be time. The photo below is his all-time popular album: Currents. Even the background is Tame Impala: A mix of Lonerism and InnerSpeaker. I had to add the Slow Rush bottle on the bottom because it's one of his many symbols that people can tell.
Another band that I still love to listen to is Cage the Elephant, they truly make works of art. I grew up listening to them, and I still do to this day :) A new upcoming artist, named Ginger Root truly swept me off my feet with his Japanese 80s city pop-inspired music style, such an amazing and unique artist. I was able to see him and his band in person in Santa Cruz, he is such an underrated artist that I can't stop talking about, I even got a bunch of merch from that night I was so happy. Ginger Root's style is truly one of a kind and out of this world, I can't wait to see him grow and have a bigger fan base :)
​
4. The things that were definitely successful in my project were the Melophobia head, my portrait, and playing around with the background. I was able to learn more about photoshop and more of its many tools. The possibilities are endless and you are free to create what ever you want with photoshop. The one thing that was a little bit unsuccessful was the non precise Marquee tool cutting around the camera lens to fit the images into it, it is a little bit jagged and I hope to make sure it goes well again instead of using the marquee tool I could have just used a layer mask and use the brush tool to paint in the desired image inside the camer lens and basically the image is cropped on its own .
​
5. Based on the learning target, the level of mastery my project demonstrates is "Exceeds" I think this because I went above and beyond by using other tools such as the marquee tool for easily selecting and getting rid of non-necessary elements and creating a hollow shape in the camera lens for other images to be placed. Another reason why I think I Exceeded the expectations for this project is that I used other blending effects such as Inner shadows, glows, outer glows, bevel and emboss, and drop shadows to enhance my photos. I also added a swirl pattern to my portrait to enhance the theme and make it more colorful, along with increasing the saturation to have more hues in my collage. I enjoyed this project as it expresses my love for music and the people who make my favorite beats and tunes :)