Revitalization - the Twelve Steps
Everything Starts With Something… or Nothing by Ron Maubidea
It was late summer in 2008, when work began on this photograph. The image was of a woman who trained hunting birds in her native country and Costa Rica. Plagued by poor quality, the photo offered little more than basic shapes and a faded background.
After eliminating the background and zooming in on her shoulders, the concept of a bust-like portrait began to emerge. I focused the sculpting technique on the right side of the image when a muscular limb took shape. Since biceps had neither feathers nor wings, the work was abandoned until 2009.
What you see in the first photo (step 1), was the result of a lost theme and how it was recovered. The following steps will demonstrate the various stages in ADS and how they were applied...
The Falconer and her Bird of Prey
Step 1
Reconsider the existing form
Step 2
Image Redefined (adjust color and contrast)
Step 3
Image Redefined (monochrome)
Step 4
The Addition of Color Filters
Step 5
Image Realigned and Cropped
Step 6
Cleanup with Enhanced Color
Step 7
Concept Expansion A
Step 8
Refinement
Step 9
Concept Expansion B (sculpting the falcon)
Step 10
Refinement
Step 11
Refinement
Step 12
Clean Up and Final Adjustments
Haitian Creole Pudding: Happenstance and Feathers (2009)