The Portrayed

Working with Convolutional Art, I kept reaching a dead-end in how I could really showcase the project, or how to really make a single product. The goal from the start, after all, was diversity. Unending diversity. At this point, and I'm sure I'll change my mind, the Portrayed is the answer to this problem:

The Portrayed is one of several motifs I've been experimenting with, and the one with the best results. The above collection showcases nine individual random algorithms running over the picture data, transforming it in colour and texture. Some of the images have access to the actual colour of the picture, being able to draw with transparency, but most only have a black/white representation to work with.

One thing to keep in mind is that this would probably work best in print, where the pictures could be seperated with white space between them without diminishing the picture quality. So the above is just a stepping stone, really. But needless to say, all nine pictures are waaay better than the original.

I have already written a bit about the five old images. The four new images will be presented below:

 Fire Within

This piece really stands to be a potential favourite. It uses the digital method of colouring, which tends to create rainbows, but there is something about the sharp contrasts which make the rainbows acceptable. The strong colours, the shimmering cheek, then fulfill that role of obscuring and showing off the picture.

In Static 

Here, the digital stripes create a very obvious effect - one can tell the inner workings of the neural algorithm. At the same time, since it does not cut sharply, it creates some interesting effects as the brush-strokes play together with the dark rings. The combined effect also strikes the balance between obscuring the image too much and too little.

 Seeing Through Me

Working on this one was interesting, how it went from basic, round shapes to more jarring compositions. The end result strikes a neat balance between very gentle, clean lines, and more complex areas especially when it comes to the hair. The colours, too, are quite well picked, well, it's just a Perlin contour map, but I like the gradient from which it chooses - especially the large, flat areas, and short, stout aberrations.

Iron Will

Next to the three others from today, this one is quite simple compositionally, mostly just showcasing the original. However, the way the lines between the red and pink areas have found their place, it really does change the expression and thus the feeling of the original image.