Digital artists heavily use image layering to build a finished work. It is a natural way of bringing ideas together and presenting them with poetic intentions. I’ve approached this subject from different angles. In Juxtaposition, I wrote about how layering is used to create meaning. In Abstract Expressionism, I wrote about creating texture.
In this post, I want to talk about creating depth.
Keep in mind that many of the capabilities facilitated by Photoshop and similar programs have their origins in techniques used by painters. To create a sense of depth, painters use semi-transparent paint layers to build upon each other.
To accomplish this strategy in a representational way, I often turn to Pep Ventosa’s ‘In The Round’ technique. This is accomplished by moving around a subject continually photographing. The images are then layered into a single image at varying opacities and alignments. I find this technique not only gives depth but also a sense of animation. I particularly like this technique for photographing people, as I find it offers a sense of inner depth or essence in a way a still photograph or even a video cannot.
Musician Lance Anderson at the Boquete Jazz Festival
Exploring ideas on creativity through digital art.
