Anyhow, all of this got me thinking about colors.
Coloring books.
I decided to simply apply the principles of coloring books to a couple of my photographs with the very simple/very basic concept of regressing towards a childlike look/feel.

I started with this photo:

It’s already manipulated with the process I described in my earlier post a couple of weeks ago.
But I wanted to dirty it up. Simplify it.
I converted the image to black and white.
Adjusted the contrast/levels.
And started coloring. Red, Brown, and Blue using a wet brush in PS CS4.

It came out ok, but not as cool as I thought it was going to be. I’m not sure how to make it pop more than it does without making it look pixelated. I tried to add some texture to the colors by simply layering them via brush strokes over brush strokes. This was done haphazardly without much thought to building edges, almost as if I my vision was somewhat gone (Mr. Magoo-style).

Since I wasn’t getting anywhere with my prior attempt I decided to ditch the Chicago effort and move on to a self-portrait I took recently.

This was taken in my bathroom with one light source, using an portable flourescent Ott-Lite “Plant Growth” lamp that my boss gave me. I prefer flourescents because they are much harsher than normal bulbs and are typically white enough to slightly wash out the subject (i.e. me).

As soon as I started this one I knew it was going to look like a Warhol knock-off, so I did my best to distinguish it by leaving the strokes messy and overlapped; not at all as clean as Warhol’s Monroe. I do wonder if it would look better if it had been sharper though. If the color on the face didnt overlap with the glasses/hair.

Perhaps next week, I will try to combine elements from this post with what I learned during the creation of my Adventures in Pattern-Making entry to create a bright/colorful pattern for the masses.
Following Dr. Novachord’s post asking for audience participation….

What should the subject of my next pattern be?
A. Chow Yun-Fat
B. Robocop
C. Amelie
D. The 400 Blows

THIS IS DR. SALVATRON TELECASTING LIVE FROM THE STREETS OF LONDON.
ADIEU ADIEU ADIEU
TO YOU AND YOU AND YOU

+TRANSMISSION OVER+