Towering blocks
With eight days left of my Affinity Designer free trial I want to try out as many different design concepts as I can. Today I have used one of my art therapy paintings as a design base.
‘Towering Blocks’
depicting how the mechanical and structural landscape impacted my space, watching through bloodied hollow eyes; fire and smoke filling the sky, blocking the escape route
Stage 1:
- opened image of painting into ‘designer’ program
- opened a new blank layer on which to create drawn image
- used blocked shapes and colour fill to add tower blocks
Stage 2:
- added colour wash to create sky
- added colour wash with gradient filter to create road surface
- used trapezium and triangle shape tools to add pathway features
- used rectangle shape tool and gradient colour fill to create building at end of pathway
- used paint brush tool to add colour streamers to sky
Final stage:
- selected red lines in pathway and used bevel filter to create depth
- used segment shape tool to create windows
- used rectangle shape tool to add door to rear building
- used blur filter tool to alter shape and opacity of sky streamers
Final result is more optimistic: spacious and colourful, full of possibility and optimism, windows shining out with welcoming light.
If only to rework dark-day creations into visions of hope, I feel that today’s exercise has been fruitful.
marilyn unmasked 
You’re getting good at this, how can you make the most of your free trial. Something more ambitious, something from scratch, an image that comes into your mind from your recent diary post? Give it a go!
Good morning Dr B Great idea, thank you. I’ve been thinking about my response to my change of mood re yesterday’s images. Also about studying psychology as I believe my own reflection has more lasting impact than all the behavioural therapies. I chose philosophy of education rather than the other two ologies for my BEd. 🤭 Enjoy your day. M
I think that a psychology degree would benefit you more and in a direct fashion. For the first year or two you can learn all of the basics: person psychology, process psychology … then something on brain biology and mind, then into a little specialism such as education psychology, social psychology, etc. Who are you taking the degree with?
Sorry I wasn’t very clear. I gained my BEd Hons back in 1987. Now I’m waiting to see if I’ll be accepted as a research student with the OU. Proposal’s on autistic students and lowering barriers to inclusivity. I’m studying research methodology at present. It’s not out of the frame though. M