Florence + the Machine CD Cover Reflection

Note that this is not an actual Florence and the Machine CD Cover :-)

Shawna P.

Handmade Photoshop Assignment

Photoshop Elements

September 17, 2012

Technical

Originally I had arranged a scene and taken pictures of it on an old sewing table my mom converted into a sort of desk. However, these pictures turned out dark and very yellow, so instead I changed my tactic and decided to create a “virtual desk”. I took all of the objects I previously had put on the desk and photographed them individually in bright sunlight outside my house. I took the pictures from a top-down view so that all of the items would be seen as though you were leaning over the desk. The exception to this was the papers I used on the bottom of the desk and the petals, which I scanned into my computer with a scanner. I had previously pressed the petals to flatten them.

Since all of the items were photographed/scanned separately, I made shadows in Photoshop to put beneath them for a more realistic look. Taking photos individually was a good idea because it meant that I could resize and move each item around where I pleased to make for a more visually appealing overall picture.

Idea or Concept

I eventually decided on a steampunk/Victorian-era theme. I included things like a cup of tea, a wax seal, a skeleton key, and candlelight to sort of set the mood, because I wanted it to almost take you back in time for a moment, where they didn’t have electronics or cars or instant messaging. Some of the steampunk elements include the gears, drawings on the paper, and the pocket watch.

Originally when the theme “handmade” was mentioned I thought of doing something very artsy with feathers, dream catchers, jewelry, and paint splatters. However, at that point I was still undecided on a band to make the album for. When I finally chose Florence + the Machine as my band, my idea began to change. I think that it was the “Machine” in Florence + the Machine that made me start to think about a steampunk/Victorian theme.

Influences

I only recently became drawn to steampunk and old fashioned things. Part of this is due to the Sherlock Holmes movies, which I adore. Those movies depict a very grunge-y, gritty Victorian era, but they include steampunk elements such as complicated devices with gears. I also like the Infernal Devices books (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess) by Cassandra Clare that are set in Victorian-era England and (again) have steampunk elements.

Composition

This CD cover is asymmetrical. When I look at the front cover, the first thing I see is the candle because it is the brightest. However, almost immediately my eyes are drawn down because of the drawing of the mechanical arm at the base of the candle. Then you see the band: Florence + the Machine. I made this the largest picture and surrounded it with flower petals to make it stand out.

I think having the candle makes it easier for you to look at the cover, because it has a circular radius of light, so your eyes are naturally drawn around in a circle. The next thing I see when I look at it is the pocket watch, then the cup of tea, and lastly the drawings of clocks and gears I drew.

Some things are easily skimmed over, like the coins and the drawing under the watch. This is so they don’t distract from the title but still take up a bit of space and aid in guiding you around the cover.

As for the back cover, the main focus is the envelope with the letter that has the names of the song titles on it. After that, I look at the wax seal and follow the words back up to the top to look at the items along the top. I find that the objects at the top help to direct the focus on the envelope, such as the key and cufflink, by pointing down at it.

Motivation

I was really excited to try something like this for Media Arts, because I’ve been seeing a lot of this handmade stuff around and I really like it. I think it establishes a connection between the viewer and the creator because the viewer sees it as being made with the creator’s own hands instead of through emotionless technology. I also wanted to challenge myself a little by merging brushes and drawings and photos together to make one harmonious picture. And since I’ve been getting interested in Victorian era and steampunk, this was a way to figure out if I really liked it enough to create my own art in that theme.

Critical Assessment

I’m really happy with the “wax seal” on the envelope, because it’s actually just paint from a plastic children’s paint palette that I cut out with a toothpick to create a raised edge and created a design on (again, with a toothpick). I photographed the paint still on the palette and just cut it out with Photoshop, and the overall look was quite successful, in my opinion. For some reason, I also really like the shadow on the pocket watch, which I created myself. I think it looks really realistic and I’m very happy with it. I’m happy I took the time to make the shadows for everything because it added an element of realism to the whole picture.

I was honestly surprised by how well my objects went together on my virtual “desk”, especially the way the drawings beneath the desk complemented the objects on it. I was also surprised at the way the coffee stain brushes made the paper look more grunge-y but still realistic.

If I had more time to do this project, I might see if I could find actually clock gears to photograph for a better effect, as the ones I have were just scavenged from my dad’s tool box. I might have even included the chain for the pocket watch, because it had the clip that attached it to your pocket and looked really cool, but probably would have taken a long time to remove from the background.