Sometimes I do college work and enjoy it

My second favourite class at college is a class where I get to use photoshop a lot. I think it would be my favourite class if I had it more than for an hour and a quarter once a week. We've been doing this assignment since the beginning of January which involves creating an original dvd cover design. I was so happy when I got this brief, I was thrilled. I love photoshop. I may not be the best photographer in the world, but I can god damn manipulate multiple images in compositions. I am yet to get a firm grasp on typography but there's time for that in the future.


Of course, I had to do some research. And then I had to change my concept idea and redo all my research (which I cannot confirm I have actually done...) and now, today, the night before I am due to hand in the entire finished project, I finally got started on the designing. Yes I know, such a stupid thing to do, but I am ridiculously confident in my abilities and I ridiculously underestimate the other people in my class. I shouldn't, but I want to be the best in this class because I'm been using photoshop since I was 13. I can't handle not being the best at something at college. I'm not competitive ... except really I am. 

So I get my Canon 550D out and with no other models available, I am tasked with getting my mother to pose for me. I get what I need quickly from her and spend another 10 minutes trawling through my old hard-drives to find something of me that fits. The majority of the photos were taken on my old Nikon D60, a camera I hate to use these days if the Canon is right there too. The quality of the image is half that of my newer DSLR - much, much grainier and the image file smaller. It's cuter, more compact, but I can't bear to look at it without cringing anymore. I've taken some nice things on it, but it needs excellent lighting to stop the graininess ruining the depth of field.

Nevertheless, a photo from almost two years ago catches my eye, my pose in it very similar to that of what I capture of my mother. I remember that day fondly, strangely enough.

I stick the BBC Radio 4 comedy Cabin Pressure on for some background noise. I'd just be endlessly click the next button if I played music. I'd already spent a few hours trying to make something for the cover but nothing was working. Maybe I should have completed the research after all...

The next few hours were a little tedious: cutting around my cute little nose, trying to get rid of every trace of grass; removing blemishes and prettying the both of us up a little; recolouring the hair and skin tone so you couldn't tell the photos were taken on different cameras and in very different places. I think trying to cut around a VERY messy bun was the hardest thing. 

Then choosing fonts and colours nearly killed me. Text can often make or break an image and I can't really get away with nothing but these intertwined faces on what was still a very white canvas at the time. I googled a font my father suggested - turned out to be perfect. I also set about searching for tutorials for making movie posters, one in particularly being especially helpful. God bless the internet.

The result, in my opinion, is stunning. I think it's original, iconic even, and well designed. I'm incredibly proud of myself. I think it's authentic and near-professional. And that's not just because I made myself look pretty for once. I don't think I could do much to perfect it now, and I've promised myself I won't or might never be finished. Have a peek -

View larger here.

Now I just need to do the spine, back cover and finish my research in the next 16 hours .... I may be handing this project in a little bit late.