Sketch 2 | Bubble Wrap Rainforest

Project for AMD 317

Sketch 2 Image “Bubble Wrap Rainforest” with the top half of the original photo and bottom half digital art

1000 Journals was an inspiring film and overall project and it was really great to see the results of the journals that they got back. The sharing aspect of the project created a really beautiful community of artists in an urban environment where one can often feel isolated and alone despite being in close proximity to others. As a result of the powerful community-building aspects of 1000 Journals, I wish this project could continue currently. Covid is keeping us even further away from each other than usual, so an online version of this project could prove to be an amazing connection and creative outlet for many people. The artwork that participants decided to include in 1000 Journals seemed to follow a visual theme in addition to a general community building concept. Most of the artists used multiple mediums and inserted everyday objects around them into their entries. This visual style served as an inspiration for my 1000 Journals entry.

For my Sketch 2 project, I decided to combine the two artistic mediums I am newly learning this semester: digital photography and digital art. I have played around with digital art in the past, but this semester will be my first time using an iPad instead of my Wacom tablet. Digital photography, on the other hand, is completely new for me. So, I thought the best way for me to get over my fear is to combine both of the new mediums into this sketch! Also, I thought a photo and drawing art piece would be a great representation of my interests if this sketch was actually in one of the 1000 Journals.

I started by taking a photo of some bubble wrap on my kitchen counter with a shallow depth of field. I arranged the bubble wrap into an rolling landscape with some dramatic texture and ridges. Then, I edited the photo in Photoshop to dramatize the lighting and sharpen the highlights. Finally, I put the image into Adobe Sketch and transformed it into a rainforest inspired landscape using my IPad. This sketch allowed me to develop my skills in both photography and digital drawing and also let me experiment with combining these two mediums. I really enjoyed when I was about halfway through covering up the image and I could still see some of the bubble wrap texture poking through. After my experience with this sketch, I might try combining these two mediums in the future and allowing them to collaborate instead of cover each other.

Move the scroll bar to see my original photo transform into digital art. I hope you all enjoy!

Shelby