art 235    |    project 01- creative strategies

For this project, the assignment was simple: create 6 images that put a twist on a common household object primarily using Photoshop, each being an example of one of the 6 Creative Strategies. For my object, I chose a rubber duck. Rubber ducks are easily recognizable and have a distinct silhouette. Rubber ducks come in all shapes and sizes, which I tried to highlight in this project by choosing images of different varieties of ducks. All of my images were sourced from the image sites Pixabay and Unsplash. 

This image is my favorite of the compositions I created for this assignment. I used the blank, sterile white background as a stark contrast to the decorative, festive snow globe and bright rubber duck. I used a large amount of negative space to draw the eye to the snow globe, and I used the snow globe to frame the duck. The title, "Duck the Halls," is a play on a popular Christmas carol, "Deck the Halls."

For this composition, I swapped the typical material of a rubber duck for the texture of a watermelon. I used a neutral background as not to distract from the subject. By giving a water toy the texture of a fruit that is primarily made of water, I intended to draw attention to the similarities between the two. To even further encourage viewers to draw that conclusion, I dubbed the image, "Waterfowl," which is a play on both the word "watermelon" and the classification of birds that live on the water.

For this image, I wanted to highlight the size difference between a small, toy rubber duck and a large stallion. I created an image with a more muted, neutral background and horse to contrast the bright, more saturated duck. The title, "Waddle Up," is a play on the phrase "Saddle up!"

In "Fowl Weather," I pictured this image being used for an umbrella advertisement or a shoe advertisement. The yellow in the rubber duck is balanced by the yellow of the galoshes, and the neutral background is a stark contrast to the subject. By juxtaposing a rubber duck onto a person's legs and adding an arm with an umbrella, I intended to create a whimsical, creativity provoking image. The title is a play on the phrase, "foul weather," to emphasize the dreary weather in the composition.

In "A Little Bird Told Me..." I based the image on the common metaphor of the same name. I liked the idea of literally interpreting the well-known phrase! I made the image obvious, balanced, and harmonious to get the phrase across. The rubber duck serves as the "Little Bird," and the person in the image is faceless so that the viewer can project themselves as the subject. The colors are primarily neutral and the duck is more vibrant, which brings the viewer's eye to the rubber duck. 

For this image, I intended to highlight the similarities between a megaphone and a squeaky rubber duck. Both items can be loud and obnoxious at times, and both a duck's beak and a megaphone are similar shapes! I dubbed this composition "Quack Back," a rhyme that is a play on both the words "feedback" and the phrase "talk back," but with a rubber duck twist!