3 posts tagged “4 color”

I first made and designed my own business card back in high school. And I made not just one design but several. Now you might say, “Who would want a business card from a nobody, high school student?” Simple. My friends.

“I have a number to give out so I might as well do it in style,” I thought. So I conjured up my own business cards back in 1996 or so. Yes, I had no knowledge of other design programs back then and still Corel Draw was a bit new and troublesome for me. Anyhow, all I needed back then was MS Word and clip art images. I also only had the Paintbrush tool where I would make my own designs. I would later copy and paste these designs and lay them out in a blank Word document for printing. I was off to a good start with MS Word. I felt I could print anything.

So there, I have had sheets of my own business cards. Back then of course, my print outs weren’t exactly those of a professional 4 color business card printing company. They were actually a far cry, so there. But it really did give me a sense of freedom – as to who I could be, which facet of me should I reveal on my cards and so on. I kept playing on with different designs and I felt I could be anybody. The possibilities were absolutely liberating. It’s realizing big fantasies on such small 2 x 3 spaces. Isn’t that weird?!

There were stars, unicorns, rainbows and bears on one business card. On another, there were paintings of famous artists. On others, there were just these collections of crazy fonts. I printed pastel colors, dark colors, neutral ones, greys and so on.

I even bought all kinds of paper I could get my hands on. Simple bond papers are no good, except of course for text prints. I printed on board stock, on colored paper, on neon paper, paper with metallic finish, pearlized colors, paper with all sorts of texture, and so on. I think I even printed sticker business cards.

Consequently, I learned my ABCs on printing from such experience no matter how limited it may seem.

I knew better what to expect when printing on colored paper, on highly-textured paper or paper with uneven surface, and on paper with a smooth feel versus ones with a rough feel among others..

Nowadays, with the complexity of design software programs and with the confusing resolution, of dpi’s and ppi’s, and file formats, I sometimes wonder “Do we get to toy around with printing and design anymore?” I guess I better buy my Dummy guides soon.

To compare the recent Warner Bros. release "Beowulf" with DreamWorks' similarly-produced "Shrek" would be just like comparing a CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black) image, the kind usually turned out by four color printing services, with the negatives produced by a standard RGB (red-green-blue) image.  

Even while buzz has been building about the film as early as the second half of last year, it was only during the last couple of months to the run-up of the film's theatrical release when still images of the film started turning up. They were thinking this would set a new benchmark in the field of CGI-animated films in Hollywood (at least, outside the Walt Disney system, with its own built-in loyal following).  

The ensuing success of the historical comic-book adaptation "300" with its CGI-assisted visual flourishes amping up the gore factor to the delight of audiences worldwide only served to spark further anticipation for this adaptation of one of the most beloved epic poems in the English language.  

For one, they have managed to arouse (no pun intended) interest once again in this work of verse, with a powerhouse cast including Academy Award winners Sir Anthony Hopkins and  Angelina Jolie (reuniting once again after Oliver Stone's sword-and-sandal suckfest "Alexander") as well as John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn and British actor Ray Winstone as the titular beast slayer.
   
Before one can say "a-WOOOHH! a-WOOOOHH!!", Winstone channels his inner King Leonidas when he introduces himself to Hopkins' King Hrothgar.  His Beowulf, as it turns out, is a bit of an egomaniac out for self-aggrandizement. He knows that Grendel is an unarmed, simpering mama's boy (but whatta MAMA-Angelina Jolie with a tentacular-looking tail and anachronistic high heels!!!!) so he faces the ugly mofo buck naked - much to the consternation (and shock) of his "thanes".
  
Director Robert Zemeckis - himself no stranger in blending animation with live-action players (see "Who Framed Roger Rabbit") delivers his promise in pushing the genre to its limits - or as far as the bottom line would have it.  Screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary manage to work in some snarky elements of lowbrow humor (like one of Beowulf's "thanes" and his courtship of an amply-endowed barmaid) into the epic story without necessarily distracting from the plot.  Even as the opening scenes at the Meadhall do have a "Shrek"-y feel (especially if Shrek spent a year buffing up at Gold's Gym), once Grendel thunders in and turns one of the punters into human shrimp cocktail, you have this feeling you're not in Far Far Away anymore. 

Arrows fly, limbs get severed from bodies, the hero faces his share of monsters to slay...the eye candy potential is already there ready to be harnessed (many say that the film is best enjoyed in an IMAX 3D theater where the graphics practically LEAP right in front of you); yet one leaves the theatre with the feeling that beneath all the technological wizardry, the soul of a true epic manages to beat in the hero's body as he lays dying on the beach. 
 

Are digital prints “high” art?

As Duchamp presents his toilet bowl to the rest of the world, digital artists also beg the same question: What is high art?

Art history can be amusing. Whereas the standard of good painting used to be verisimilitude, or life like, it castigated photography as unworthy of being called high art. This then set the battle for photography to prove itself against paintings. Instead of concentrating on its strength with lifelike portraits, it opted to create surrealism. Elaborate tableaus are put-together, imitating common painting subjects. Petroleum oil is spread on glass plates to soften the edges of the prints, strobe lights were played around with, and different settings were studied.

Many traditional artists are crossing over to the digital world as artists slowly emerge in this world without ever touching a paintbrush. Most professional photographers are quick to extol its virtues. Digital art is a combination of painting, photography, and so much more.
 
Despite these strengths, few people will consider digital prints high art. For one thing, four color printing allows mass reproduction. I would hardly believe a mass produced poster, regardless of how well designed, or how new the concept, will fetch nearly as much as a painting of the same caliber. There is the Mona Lisa, and there are other Mona Lisas. While one is priceless, others can be bought cheaply in a souvenir shop.

Digital art can now be printed on an artist canvas, evoking the same feel and texture of a painting. Brush strokes can be imitated in Photoshop and transferred unto print. A 4 Color Printing Company can expertly do all these with the full color process having a gamut of colors that can imitate paint and numerous color combinations. From a distance of several meters, digital print can look like a painting. You may alter a photograph, or start from scratch. You may have anything as elaborate as a surrealist concept or a simple illustration.

For one thing, I believe digital printing has brought visual high art to its knees. Anything can be replicated, though not exactly, it can be done pretty accurately. Art can now be created and enjoyed by more people, even those who can’t afford the expensive paint brush and acrylics. Nor does it require the expensive equipment and chemicals of photography.

The masters of digital art are mostly nameless, and will remain to be so. While paintings can have the snobbishness of high art, but digital prints only smile in amusement.