Haydn Russell's Digital Art Gallery

Overview: This image is a vector graphic I created in Adobe Illustrator. As this was my first project in Adobe Illustrator, I followed a tutorial  on YouTube. The final image came out very well and is a good start to using the tools I learned while studying the program. Process: The above image is a combination of dozens of layers, each with their own unique properties. The simplest items were perhaps the small blue stars and meteor-objects as they are simply filled in polygons that have been resized and rearranged. The two small planets located on either side of the subject were also simple, they are a combination of the same shape resized with each having a slightly lowered opacity than the one inside of them. Throughout the entirety of the image, the theme of utilizing gradients is heavily present. Each of the smaller planets have gradients, the two "moons" on the ring have gradients, and each of the flowing layers within the glass planet itself have gradients. These a...

Overview: The above image was a short project I made in Photoshop. I've been learning Illustrator recently and wanted to do something quick in Photoshop to make sure I don't forget anything I've learned. The final product is a composite of four images, the archway, the planet, the astronaut, and the space scene in the background. It was simple to make and the only real skills involved were color matching and masking. Process: To create the image I first had to make the space background. I simply layered it over the archway and create a mask so that it fit into the correct space. The floor was originally orange in the photo I used so I then created a blank layer, filled it with a sample purple color from the space photo, then played with the opacity until it looked like a proper reflection. Next I took the planet, originally orange, and fiddled with the color mixer until it was a purple color. This way the scene was sort of monochromatic. The black area around the stock ...

Overview: This image is inspired by a poster for a game called Fallout 4 . The intention of this image was to both create a composite to practice color matching and to learn how to use the light effect rendering filter. It took an estimated twenty minutes to complete as it was a fairly simple project. Process: The image is a simple composite of two images, the blast and the city. Both assets were found on free to use stock sites. First I masked the mushroom cloud so that it no longer had its original background. It was then placed on the city image and duplicated. The duplicate was then changed to a lighten blending mode and the opacity was brought down so that it was a little less harsh. Next, a mixing brush was used on the bottom of the blast so that it mixed with the city features below it. With the shape of the cloud done the next step was to add the light. Using filter>render>lighting effects.Using a pin light focused on the blast it added the spreading light effect that...

Overview: Shown here is my cover submission for the 2018-2019 edition of the Counter Clockwise literary art magazine. After the voting process, it was decided that this will be the back cover of the upcoming edition. Process: Creating this picture was a simple matter of modifying a previous creation of mine. The first step was to create a 8.5 by 11 canvas so it was the correctly formatted size for the magazine. Since the original image was a square, I created an layer behind it. This layer was then filled with a circular gradient using the color sampled from the sky of the other image. At this point that point I wanted to implement a clock, so I found a free to use asset and masked it so that only the clock face remained. I did a little spot healing on the clock to remove stains and then it was time to add text. This was done by typing 2018-2019 in a font to match the clock, rasterizing that text, and then masking it to reveal the clock hands. Finally I needed to find a creative wa...

Overview: The two images shown are a before (left) and after (right) of an exploration and practice I did using the brush tools in Photoshop. I completed this project independently before I created this blog in an attempt to learn the different tools available to me within the program. It is not my finest creation, but I believe that it displays the growth in my talent throughout the previous months.  Process: The process in the image above was done using only the brush tool, ripple filter, and multiple layers. While using the brush I held the Alt. key which allowed me select a color to paint with. I then went to each piece in the image and painted over them with the correct colors, adding layers so that I could paint roughly in certain places and simply hide the rough edges under the more refin ed pieces. One important lesson I learned in doing this assignment was how to use the brush settings. I used different brush hardnesses depending on what section I was painting, su...

Overview: The above image was created using multiple hues of a single color. It shows a unique image that is simplistic and different from anything I have created before. Due to the nature of the image the final project only took me about half an hour to complete.  Process: The image was created using only a few of the tools found within Photoshop 2018. The main tool was the lasso which was used to created the outline of each landscape. The foreground uses the original color, a dark red that was randomly selected. After outlining the foreground with the lasso it was then filled using the paint bucket tool. I then repeated the process on a layer placed below and filled it with a lighter hue of the foreground color. This was repeated until the general outline was finished. Next I rendered a tree in a separate document and used it to define a custom brush. Once done the tree could be placed anywhere in the image easily and in any color I wanted, providing more detail. To edit the s...

Overview: The above image was a new type of graphic exploration that I have never done before. It implements a free to use 3-D model and stock photos that were used as a part of this tutorial  by  Nemanja  Sekulic. This tutorial provided the general guidelines but the finer details of the project I left up to my own determination. This assignment took me around three hours to complete and allowed me to learn how to use the 3-D work space in Photoshop. Process: As mentioned before, the guidelines for the process and the assets for the project were part of a tutorial. The focus of the project was realistically panting the train in the image. To do this I opened the 3-D work space layout and proceeded to open the train file. Next the train layer was dragged to the book image and placed. With the two combined I then positioned the train using the movement tool until the wheels were above the horizon line (which darkened them in the 3-D landscape) and it ali...

Overview: The above image is a very strange photo created using a tutorial. It includes the implementation of a shadow, reflection, removal of the insides of the light bulb, and obviously the addition of the fish and water within the bulb itself. It was created primarily as a way to practice combining images when one is transparent. Process: The image was relatively simple and took me around twenty-five minutes to create. Using this tutorial  I combined the fish, water base, splash, and bulb. The bulb initially had all the typical wires and electrical components so I had to remove them. This was done by using the stamp clone tool to copy clear parts of the light bulb to cover the unwanted bits. Doing this the effect was still choppy so to complete it the newly added colors were blended using the mixing brush. With this done I layer the water base over the bulb and created a clipping mask. To make the water fit within the bulb the clipping mask was selected and refined usin...

Overview: The image above is a surreal composite create from five different images. It demonstrates color matching techniques as well as the inclusion of details in order to make it seem more real. If you look closely you can notice that each shadow is angled in sufferance to the sun, there are foot prints behind the wanderer, and each piece has been color matched so that they blend together easier. Process: This project took about four hours to create, but a portion of that time was due to researching the different processes and tips on how to improve them. The impetus behind the image's creation was seeing landscape creations similar to this with warped dimensions. To achieve this effect I used the perspective warp utility and created ninety degree angles. After doing this the sky did not match so I created a protruding gradient from each side and then used the mixing brush tool to blend them all together. With the background created I then used the pen tool to pull the model...

Overview: The above picture is a composite scene manipulation. Using three different images (the street, cowboy, and ripple) I have created this surreal image above. It is my first large scale composite so in creating it I learned the tools required to color match images in order for them to appear more natural. I am very proud of the surreal effect of the image and the "time travelling" effect that I have managed to create. The final image took me upwards of five hours but was well worth the effort.  Process: As of when this is being written, this has been the most complex composite I have created. It combines three images to create an anomalous effect that I am proud to have achieved. Following this tutorial  I applied a multitude of layer masks and adjustment layers to each image in order to achieve colors that matched and did not seem to be ripped from other scenes. Another major piece of the creative process was the implementation of perspective lines. Removed for...

Overview: The above image is a custom neon sign which I created to explore the process used to create such an image. After travelling to New York City during the summer I began to enjoy these sort of neon signs much more, so I decided to try to create my own using Photoshop. I was unsure what I wanted the sign to say, so I used the Photoshop logo, my name, and the words "digital graphics". The circles are used to unite all three subjects into one cohesive sign. Process: To create this sign I followed this tutorial . One important note is that the fonts used for both "Haydn Russell" and "Digital Graphics" are found within the description of the tutorial. However, they are simply preference and unneeded for the final product. The first step in the process was creating a background. I used a simple brick wall which I then adjusted using the levels adjustment to achieve a darkened room effect. Next I selected the type tool, selected the newly added neon fo...

Overview: The two above images are  panorama scenes distorted to appear as small worlds. These images were inspired by multiple similar ones that were created using drones. The first image (left) uses a panorama by Norbert Lease which can be found here . The second image (right) uses a panorama by Holger Vaga which can be found here . Process: Each image above took less than five minutes to create. Using a this tutorial, I was able to do four simple steps to create each of the images. First, the image must be made into a square which was done using Image>Image Size, unlinking the width and height, and setting the width to the same value as the height. The next step is to create a gradient over the sky using the color value from the top of the image (taken using the eyedropper tool). This extends from the top of the image down to the top of the tallest building or landscape feature. This is done so that when the image is distorted the corners are still filled with the pro...

Overview: Above (from left to right) is the original portrait, the first word portrait I created, and the final rendition of the project. Though it appears small and hard to read with the image at this condensed size, the full size image is an essay that I wrote on what I believe in that has had the opacity of the words adjusted to create my profile.  Process: The process to create the final image you see above is similar to that which I used to create my first edition, but there are a few differences. The first is that I used a much longer essay so I could make the words smaller yet still take up the same amount of space. This allowed for each word to provide more detail so you could see more of the face and less of the words. To help with this affect I changed the blending options of the text layer to screen so that there was a subtle effect so that the colors were transferred more efficiently and accurately. Finally, to achieve the desired brightness I duplicated the text la...

Overview: The above image is a word portrait After seeing the same type of image on bill boards, in magazines, and other forms of advertisements I wondered if I might be able to do the same thing. For this image I used the same portrait as was used for the Double Exposure Image  post. For the text I wanted something relating to me so I used an essay I had written called What's Worth Fighting For .   Process: To create this image I first had to create a layer with layer mask using the original portrait. This was done using the select and mask tool and then changing the output to layer w/ layer mask. Next I created a blank layer that then was filled with black using the bucket tool. This created the nice black background. Next I selected the entire image with a text box and pasted the essay onto it. Once the text was in place I used the create layer mask button to add a layer mask. Once done I alt-clicked on the layer mask of the portrait layer, used the select inverse ...

Overview:This image is my personal rendition of the previously posted double exposure lesson. Using a portrait image of myself taken by Lucas Russell I created the above image. Instead of a nature scene I used the New York City skyline. This image was more for a practice without pre-made stock images rather than meaning and theme. Process: The process for making this image was slightly more complex than the Double Exposure Exploration . The first step was taking my own portrait which was done with the assistance of my brother. The most challenge piece of that step was achieving a studio lighting effect so I was evenly illuminated, the sub par success of this is displayed in the shadow around the left eye. Once in Photoshop I created a layer w/ layer mask of the original image. Next I placed the desaturated New York City skyline image over the layer w/ layer mask and created a clipping mask so it fit within the shape of the head. Once this was done I copied the portrait layer...

Overview: The above image is a demonstration of the ocean ripple effect found in the Photoshop CC 2018. On top is the original image found here . Below is the image when rotated 180 degrees, reflected over it's x-axis, and the filter is applied. I chose to do this because it shows potential to allow for a simple liquid reflection effect that could be used in nearly any setting. It may not be as high quality as a liquid reflection hand tailored to the image, but in a time-sensitive scenario I can envision this being quite useful. Process: The photo was created using the filter gallery in Photoshop. After first making a copy of the original image, it was reflected over both it's x and y axes to set the foundation for a reflection effect.  Due to an altered interface in the newer additions, in order to use this filter I had to reintegrate the filter into the program. This was done by going to Edit>Preferences>Plug-ins and then selecting the "Show all Filter Gallery ...

Using a tutorial by  Yulia Sokolova , I learned how to create a double exposure effect. The image above shows the original stock model, and the bottom shows the final product. To achieve this effect I first needed to isolate the model from the rest of the image using the magic wand tool and the layer mask utility. Once isolated, the image was then subjected to adjustments that boosted contrast and increased the black point of the image. The next step was to insert the monochromatic forest image. This image was then rotated 180 degrees and a clipping mask was applied to place it in the previously created layer mask. With the desired shape created, the model was then adjusted to become a monochromatic image with hues applied in order to appear in the same color style as the forest. Finally, the blending mode of the two images was set to screen instead of normal to display the composite of both the model and the forest. Following this were only minor adjustments such as brushing ove...