Phase 1: Hello! I'm Elisa, watercolor and sketch artist :) I took this class because I was curious about doing flay lay photo. Also I realized that my Instagram isn't cohesive in style and feel and I have never quite taken it seriously. I have a mix of personal and non personal (work) photos which made me wonder if that's okay?

After taking Anna's class I began to think about the look and feel that I want for my photos that convey creativity and would inspire others to make art.

Artwork Flat Lays - image 1 - student project

Above is a flat lay I did previously. I like to include nature in my photos like leaves, dried flowers, shells. I want to just experiment and get a feel as i practice on doing flat lays. My theme will be art materials, my paintings and nature elements. I am thinking of wood as background (chopping board idea by Anna was fantastic!) Looking forward for the next phase. Thank you Anna for this class.

***

Phase 2: I have sketched a beach scene on location and have painted it. Now I want to create a flat lay of it and include elements that resonate with the piece. So I grabbed a wooden chopping board for background, the painting, materials that I used to create the piece (paints, palette, pen, brushes), shells, cactus plant and a dried flower. I may change my mind with regards to some of the elements but I think most of the things will be included in my flat lay photograph. Comments are welcome! :)

Artwork Flat Lays - image 2 - student project

***

Phase 3: This is the fun part for me--arranging the elements--adding and subtracting until I can see that the artwork is the "hero" and that the look and feel of the photograph conveys an emotion that I intend. I know it's supposed to be just 3 images but I have 4! Talk about being addicted to composing flat lays! ;D I would appreciate feedback and letting me know which of the images is your favorite and why! Thank you!

Image 1

Artwork Flat Lays - image 3 - student project

Image 2

Artwork Flat Lays - image 4 - student project

Image 3

Artwork Flat Lays - image 5 - student project

Image 4

Artwork Flat Lays - image 6 - student project

**

Phase 4: Thank you Anna for being so relevant and so helpful in your feedback. Because of that I have learned to see my photos with fresh eyes and realized that yes, it was a bit cluttered. The painting might be in the center but it was surrounded with a lot of props that made it look so busy..too much. I agree that Image 3 and 4 are the less busy ones... and in the end I edited the Image 4. I crop the unwanted areas, edit the levels, curves and white balance.

Below is the final Image 4:

Artwork Flat Lays - image 7 - student project

I also tried placing the painting on white background (white sketchbook paper) and use simple props as suggested by Anna. I added shells and a dried flower and edited the image as well.

Artwork Flat Lays - image 8 - student project

I also tried cropping the image by using just two thirds of it and allowing the last third to focus on the props. I am not used to doing this though I have tried before. I tried different angles like slanted but it doesn't look so well. In the end I decided for just straight.. I'm not sure if I did right...

Artwork Flat Lays - image 9 - student project

I have learned so much during this workshop..and have enjoyed the process too! I look forward for your inputs, Anna and from my classmates as well. Take care!

PS* Thank you Anna for the explanation about the focus. I tried your suggestion which is to take the photo away to get more focus. The result was the photo became crisper. I want the whole painting to be the focus therefore tapping to focus isn't applicable to me as of the moment. Thanks for all the help!!!

Elisa Ang

empower you to make art inspired by your stories

4,068

167

Company

Community

Teaching

Mobile

Company

Community

Teaching