October issue # 12 PicsArt Monthly Photography Magazine

Monthly
Issue #12 | October 2014
21- YEAR-OLD
THE BEST PHOTOS
COME TO THOSE
PHENOM AND HIS
WHO WAIT
FANTASTIC SELF-PORTRAITS:
A TASTE FOR FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX STODDARD

PRO INSIGHT
Luck ........................................................................................................08
INSPIRATION
Falling Into the Hands of PicsArtists..........................................18
The Hypnotic Collages of veronique.........................................62
PICSART IN ACTION
Bring Pop Art Colors to Your Photos.........................................28
TUTORIALS
The Best Photos Come to Those Who Wait...........................30
Projecting an Image Over a Body................................................40
Halloween Face Painting Design Tutorial................................48
How to Draw a Powerful Wizard................................................56
WHAT'S NEW
4 Reasons to Update to PicsArt 4.6.4 for Android...............72
A Taste for Food Photography......................................................76
INTERVIEW
21-Year-Old Phenom Captures Fantastic Self-Portraits:
Interview with Photographer Alex Stoddard.........................84
FEATURE
Autumn in a Tube .........................................................................104
DIY Witch Hat..................................................................................106
The Monochrome Mysteries of Frãncisco Jordán.............108 CONTENT

MEET OUR TEAM...
Editor-in-Chief | Arusiak Kanetsyan
Art Editor | Cristina Gevorg
Art Director | Vahan Balasanyan
Designer | Ina Sarko
Copy Editor | Madlene Minassian
Editorial Contributors | Arto Vaun, Satenig Mirzoyan, Mark Gargarian
Special Contributors | Chris Corradino
In-House Photographer | ma_lina
Address: PicsArt Inc.,
800 West El Camino Real,
Mountain View, CA 94040
Copyright of Socialln Inc. ( PicsArt Photo Studio ) 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be re-used without the written permission of
the publisher. The content of this magazine is for informational purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of publication.
PicsArt Photo Studio does not claim any ownership right for the photos in the Magazine. All photos,if not mentioned otherwise, are the property
of respective PicsArt users. The PicsArt username or photo owner is cited on each photo. PicsArt Photo Studio has a non-exclusive, royalty-free,
worldwide, limited licence to use, modify, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, and reproduce PicsArt users’ photos, including without limitation
distributing part or all of the Magazine in any media formats through any media channels.
@ma_lina Cover photo by Alex Stoddard

WELCOME !
FOLLOW US...
This month, grab a hot cup of coffee
and nestle under a blanket, because our
October Issue is perfect reading for art
enthusiasts looking to get lost for an hour.
We really packed it in this time with a
fresh spread of beautiful art, fascinating
photography articles, illuminating tutorials
and compelling news.
Fresh from the airport and exhilarated by
his latest expedition to Tanzania, acclaimed
photographer Lou Jones has penned his
latest squib of wisdom on what it takes to
make your own luck in the field.
For another take, flip open to our latest
lesson from resident photography
professor Chris Corradino to find out why
your first 10,000 photos are your worst.
Looking to refill your creative juices? Find
inspiration in the stunning self-portraits of
Alex Stoddard, a 21-year-old phenom who
takes surreal photos that prod at man’s
relationship with nature.
Brush up on your own skills with one of our
tutorials and learn how to draw a wizard or
create double exposure with our app. Your
friends will be asking you questions right
and left when they see your results online.
To go deeper into the app, find out what’s
new and read about our latest updates or
check out our Pop Art effects with PicsArt
In Action. Then, pop over to the latest
amazing art from the PicsArt community to
see galleries of original artwork and rising
talents, like our PicsArtist of the month,
Frãncisco Jordán.
All of this and more is right here between
these covers. Turn the page to get started
with our resplendent October Issue.
PUBLISHER: PICSART

LUCK
By Lou Jones
I recently spent a month in Africa;
Tanzania to be exact. The trip is part
of a long-term project. (See my recent
PicsArt article “Anatomy of Long
Term Projects”.) My studio staff spent
months researching in anticipation.
We pursued every avenue to make
the assignment efficient, economic
and prolific. But a lot was left up to
luck, by design.
The dictionary defines luck as:
1. success or failure apparently
8 | PicsArt Monthly
brought by chance rather than
through one's own actions; 2. good
fortune; 3. to come upon something
desirable by chance; 4. believing
that whatever happens, either good
or bad, to a person in the course
of events is due to chance, fate or
fortune.
Sage intellectuals such as Buddha,
Louis Pasteur and Mark Twain
debunked the notion of luck. The
best photographers do copious
preparation to find the right
locations, the right times of day and
the right seasons to get the best
pictures. That improves their chances
of success for that unique set of
images. Out of necessity, we make
much of our own luck.

PRO INSIGHT
PicsArt Monthly |9

For most assignments, my clients and I don’t like
surprises. We want to control the models, the
lighting, traffic, permissions, etc. Anything left to
chance can bring a photo shoot to a halt, costing
tens of thousands of dollars. Of course you
cannot anticipate everything. I did an automobile
shoot in northern Maine and thought I had
taken every precaution. At dawn on the day of
the shoot, the mosquitoes came out in droves.
A force of nature. That whole morning was
miserable.
THE GIFT
For street photography you launch into the
unknown, having no preconceived notion of what
you will find. At the end of a good day I hope to
capture one great image. If it is good enough, I
call it “the gift”. I try for at least one gift a day. But
I work hard at it. It is random but is that luck?
Often the best pictures are accidental: a celestial
event, a once in a lifetime occurrence, “the
perfect storm”. We need to not only be there, but
also to be receptive to unusual circumstances.
Eternal vigilance increases luck.
While setting up the most elaborate shots, I
always remind myself to look behind me. We
can be so tunnel visioned that the simplest,
best visuals happen around us when we are not
paying attention. On my first trip to Africa years
ago, I was down on my knees shooting a dance
ceremony. While taking time out to reload my
film, I looked over my shoulder. Being on their
level, I saw the beautiful faces of the village kids in
the audience. That image is in an exhibit right now.
AFRICA
Just being in an exotic, foreign location like Tanzania stacks the deck in my favor. But
this was still a hard nut to crack. In developing new contacts for the second phase of
www.panAFRICAproject.org, my studio staff contacted multiple resources and they,
in turn, introduced us to other experts in Tanzania, and so on ad infinitum. Before we
disembarked we organized institutions and individuals who could show us the inner
sanctums, but we left room for what would surprise us upon arrival. Luck?
12 | PicsArt Monthly

PicsArt Monthly |13
Most Maasai are reticent to having their
picture taken. But we were introduced
to a Maasai warrior who escorted us into
remote regions and paved the way for me
to get a few pictures in his village. It was
fortuitous and invaluable.
INVISIBLE
Even if I had the time and the price was
right, I could not pay everyone who asked
for money to be photographed. So I
devised totally new methods to get candid
photography. Firstly I was more selective,
i.e. I chose carefully which images seemed
worth the trouble. Secondly, I chose more
unique points of view for a lot of the
photographs.

Locals love to show off
their environments and
will turn you on to the
most obscure, quaint,
and exciting treasures
if you engage them.
Concierges, taxi drivers,
and restaurant owners
are excellent resources.
I have used college
students as guides,
translators and models.
Camera club members
are excellent “fixers”.
Last year in Ghana, I
drove 200 kilometers
with a doctor to his
hospital for a chance to
photograph the clinic he
founded.
All over the world,
there is little chance
you will be mistaken for
a native. So your only
recourse is to not draw
attention to yourself. I
wear no bright colors,
mostly dull shades and
buy clothing that has
no labels or logos. This
goes for those loud
manufacturer’s camera
straps. I substitute
nondescript ones. I
cover the brand names,
the makes and models
on all of my cameras
with masking tape. I buy
generic everything.
I tell my students that
if you move slowly
enough, eventually
you blend into the
background. Become
almost invisible, and
control your own luck.
But the more time you
spend in a location, the
more familiar you are,
the better your pictures
will become. Just be
careful, you have to
know when it is time to
move along. That’s NOT
luck.

FALLING
INTO THE
HANDS OF
PICSARTISTS
Hands are extraordinarily expressive, so
much so, that photographing someone’s
hands can almost be considered a portrait
of sorts. Hands can certainly pack the
same emotional punch as a traditional
portrait.
The precision of hands gives them a deep
range of emotional expression. The way
we reach out and touch the world says
a lot about how we feel. How we feel
about the world in a certain moment,
depending on what we are grappling with
or experiencing, can manifest itself in
whether we are digging our nails in with
frustration, or extending a loving caress.
Hands are often the first points of contact
we make with other human beings, and
the way we hold our hands reveals a
lot about ourselves, whether they are
dancing through the air, playing out a
free-flowing conversation, or clasped
together in reserved nervousness.
In these shots users explore hands
through photography. Together the
photos in this gallery form a play of
gestures, taking us through a surprisingly
varied range of emotions.

PicsArt Monthly |19
@maha151
INSPIRATION : PHOTO

@miirriam

@lisafussel

@deluuxe
@delacam @delacam
@simayguler

@deluuxe

BRING POP ART
COLORS TO
YOUR PHOTOS
One of the breakthroughs of the
Pop Art Movement was its use of
color. Pop artists used processes like
silkscreen printing to simplify the rich
and realistic color palettes of original
photos into a limited range of unnatural
tones. Realistic tone variations were
substituted for uniform pinks, yellows,
and bright blues, giving
images a new, startling
look that people weren’t
used to seeing. This
color revolution began
to apply itself onto
many paintings of pop
stars and cultural icons,
foregoing painterly
depth for a new and
intentionally artificial
filter that changed the
way we look at the world
around us. PicsArt’s Pop
Art Color effects tap
into these colors and
bring the Pop Art color
revolution into your
photos. Choose from
some of the Movement’s
most recognizable color
themes and transform
your favorite shots into
Pop Art with the touch
of a button.

THE BEST PHOTOS
COME TO THOSE
WHO WAIT
by Chris Corradino
Leonardo Da Vinci didn’t get much
recognition until he was 46 years old. Ansel
Adams started as a pianist before picking up
the camera. Van Gogh only sold one painting
while alive. Yet, despite these initial struggles,
each artist left an undeniable mark on the
world. Their secret? A passion to create art
even when no one else was interested in
looking. Persistence is necessary to succeed
in any worthwhile endeavor, including
photography.
All photos by Chris Corradino

Largely considered one of the most influential photographers
of the last century, Henri Cartier Bresson said “Your first
10,000 photographs are your worst”. Unfortunately some
photographers give up before this, frustrated by results that
don’t meet their expectations. The hard-working photographer
however, can use these mistakes to learn from and improve.
It’s time to dust-off those forgotten tools and put them to use.
Imagine the possibilities of your next 10,000 images.

The ingredients of any spectacular photo are only one part
technical. Sure, the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are
important. Yet, as any great chef will tell you, recipes are
meant to be tinkered with. Today, we have more control over
images than ever before. From in-camera settings to the digital
darkroom, our pantry overflows with possible options. Rather
than settling for the same tried and true formula, keep pushing
yourself to learn new methods. Be bold in your experiments, and
you just may stumble on a new recipe for success.
PicsArt Monthly |35

Commercials for the New York Lotto once ran the slogan,
“You have to be in it to win it”. I find the same concept true
of photography. It’s difficult to predict when or where the
next great photo opportunity will arise. Only those who head
out with their camera often will find what they’re looking
for. Overnight success is a myth. Most anyone who has
accomplished something worthwhile first paid their dues with
splendid effort and persistence.

Rejection letters are valuable material to save, or even
frame. These are brilliant motivators for proving the
naysayers wrong. Don’t consider them as failure, but rather
a reminder of the work still left to be done. As the Hall of
Fame hockey player Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100%
of the shots you don’t take. Stay determined, work hard, and
remain patient. The best photos come to those who wait.

PROJECTING
AN IMAGE
OVER
A BODY

TUTORIAL : EDITING
With PicsArt,
there are numerous
ways to creatively blend
images with one another,
each one with its own use in
creating striking artistic illusions.
In this tutorial, we’re going to show
you how to blend a photo over a
portrait. The results look as though the
person in your photo is having an image
projected over them by a film projector.
It’s easy to do and, once you get the basics
down, there’s no end to what you can
create with this handy trick!
PicsArt Monthly |41

UPLOAD
PHOTO
Upload a photo,
preferably a portrait of
a person against a fairly
uniform or neutral
background.

SELECT
DRAW
From the menu bar,
select the Draw icon.
PicsArt Monthly |43

ADD
PHOTO
Select the Add Photo
icon to add a second
image in a higher layer.
Choose an image with
lots of patterns ideally.

INTEGRATE
PHOTO
Adjust the size of your
image and fit it over
your portrait. Reduce
the opacity to blend the
two images.
PicsArt Monthly |45

ERASE
Select the eraser and
customize its stroke
size to your liking. Erase
the parts of your added
photo that extend be-yond
the figure in your
portrait, perhaps leaving
only a piece for style.

EFFECTS
Confirm your drawing
and select the Effect
icon. Choose an effect
to give your photo its
final polish, like the
Dodger effect depicted
below.
PicsArt Monthly |47

HALLOWEEN
FACE
PAINTING
DESIGN
TUTORIAL
Getting excited for dressing
up, and transforming
ourselves, for Halloween
does not discriminate
between age. This tutorial
will show you how to create
a spectacularly spooky
postcard or collage for the
occasion with PicsArt’s
Halloween backgrounds and
Clipart. With a few creative
touches, anyone can create
something special and unique
on PicsArt that captures your
Halloween persona.

PicsArt Monthly |49
UPLOAD
BACKGROUND
Enter Collage from
the Main Menu and
choose Background to
choose your desired
Halloween-themed
background.

ADD PHOTO
Choose Add Photo to
place and adjust a photo
onto your background.

PicsArt Monthly |51
APPLY EFFECT
Add an effect to your
photo such as Twilight.
Tip: You may change
the opacity, which will
help you later erase
undesired parts of the
photo.

BLEND
PHOTO INTO
BACKGROUND
Choose the Brush to
erase undesired parts of
your photo to reveal the
background. Adjust the
Brush for size and lower
hardness to avoid sharp
edges.

PicsArt Monthly |53
FINAL TOUCHES
Bring back the opacity
of the photo. Then,
select the Lighten
blending mode. Confirm
to save your progress.

ADD CLIPART
Open the Halloween
Clipart package and
choose your clipart
items.

PicsArt Monthly |55
BLEND CLIPART
INTO PHOTO
Blend your clipart into
your image by choosing
the Overlay blending
mode.

CONJURE UP A WIZARD WITH
PICSART DRAWING TOOLS
British science
fiction writer
Arthur C. Clarke
once said, “Any
sufficiently
advanced
technology is
indistinguishable
from magic.”
Drawing with
PicsArt can feel
a little like that at
times; an entire
art studio like
lightning at the
tip of your finger.
This month, get
your introduction
to what drawing
with PicsArt is
like with this
wizard drawing
tutorial. By the
end of it, you
may not feel so
different from the
great magician on
your canvas once
you realize just
how easy it is.

TUTORIAL : DRAWING
DRAW A ROUGH
OUTLINE
Open a new canvas by tapping on Draw
in the main menu and selecting the
Draw on Blank option. Draw a very
rough outline of your wizard to frame
him within your canvas.
PicsArt Monthly |57

REFINE OUTLINE
Reduce the opacity and add a new layer.
Trace a refined outline using your rough
outline as a guide. Reduce the opacity,
add a new layer and repeat the process
for a final outline.

ADD SHADING
In new layers, add shading of various
darkness. Reduce the opacity of each
layer to control the shading intensity.
Merge your layers into a single shaded
layer when done.
PicsArt Monthly |59

COLOR THE
DRAWING
Customize the brush to color-in your
drawing in a higher layer. Hide your
shading layer while you’re at it to work in
a clean space.
FINISH SHADING
Unhide your shading layer, and make
sure it is at the top. Reduce opacity to
beautifully integrate your shadows into
your colors.

LIGHTING ACCENTS
&
BACKGROUND
Use the previously described techniques
to add details in higher layers and a
background to the bottom layer. Use
translucent, bright colors to add lighting
accents on top.
PicsArt Monthly |61

INSPIRATION : DRAWING
THE HYPNOTIC
COLLAGES OF
VERONIQUE
PicsArtist veronique klotz (@veroklo) creates
hypnotic digital collages, taking some lessons
from Pop Art and finding fresh and original ways
of making them her own. Veronique’s technique
uses PicsArt to weave various images and
drawings into complete paintings, a technique
which she has refined into a unique style of her
own.
Her paintings are images pasted into patchwork
backgrounds of textures, colors, and scenery, like
those of the early pop artist Richard Hamilton.
She uses bright and fluorescent colors; hot pinks,
astro turf greens and ultra bright yellows. The
images she chooses for her collages are varied;
horses, muscle cars, fish, portraits, and flowers.
The backdrops span newspapers, skylines,
wallpaper, and even the pyramids of Giza.
These collages are eclectic messes, thrown
together like a disorganized desk drawer, but
yet none of it is ever overwhelming or overly
confusing. Each painting has its own lightness,
brightness, and a pulsing but welcoming energy
that makes them really fun to look at. Perhaps
the only real test for a good painting is if you
don't mind staring at it up on the wall every day,
and Veronique's paintings pass that test. Freefall
into a trance and admire her hypnotic and
beautiful work.

WHAT'S NEWS
INSIDE PICSART’S
ANDROID UPDATE:
4 MAJOR
TRANSFORMATIONS
For our latest Android Update, our development
team burned the midnight oil to give you precision
photo blending, fluid communication, smarter
navigation and closer links to your Instagram photos
and friends. Here are the four core enhancements
you will get when you upgrade to the new Android
version.
Precision Blending of Clipart & Photos
When adding photos or clipart into your workspace,
our update will now give you precise control to blend
them into their surroundings. Instead of simply
dropping them into your background, you can now
use a brush to shave off or restore pieces. This way,
you can get rid of superfluous objects or control
perspective by erasing chunks to make them look like
they are partially hidden behind another object.
PicsArt Monthly |73
Fluid Communication
Communication on PicsArt has been brought to the
forefront. Simply put, talking to your friends and
followers has never been so fluid. Each photo will
now display the most recent comments, so that you
can jump into the conversation without ever leaving
My Network. To reply to a comment made on your
photo without leaving your screen. press and hold
on the comment. These new options are available
thanks to an overhaul of the My Network section and
all of your social tabs, which have been redesigned
for logical and easy navigation between your favorite
activities.

Instagram Integration
We’ve also expanded Instagram integration to include an import function so that you
can grab and edit your Instagram images on PicsArt at any moment, then share your
artistic skills with your Instagram followers using the export option. We have also made
it possible for you to find and connect with your Instagram friends on PicsArt. Managing
photos and friends between the two apps has never been so effortless.

PicsArt Monthly |75
Smarter Navigation
To go along with this broader level of connectivity, we’ve also given the network a smart
new toolbar. We have added a new Popular section in the Explore tab which features the
most liked images from the PicsArt Network. You can also customize your photo display
options in your Profile.
The update is available for Android 4.0 and above. Download it from the
Google Play Store.

A TASTE FOR FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
In the past few years, two trends have converged: the “foodie” movement and
the skyrocketing use of smart phones to take photos of what we eat. It’s not
very surprising when one considers that, although it’s a basic human need,
food is a highly ritualized, sumptuous, and visual thing. No wonder these days
it’s captured so much by photographers, both amateur and professional. With
the rise of social media, tantalizing and even artistic photos of food have become
another way to gain attention.
From Instagram and Facebook, to Pinterest and PicsArt, the Internet is now
awash in photos of food. Whether it’s an amateur’s photo of a BBQ cookout or a
professional shooting the rich and dynamic dishes in a fancy London bistro, you
can’t go online without figuratively going to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Photos of food allow photographers to capture an intimate meal or an elegant
night out and leave it to the viewers’ imaginations to create their own connection
and story through the photos they see. After all, everyone has a deep-seated
connection to preparing, ordering, and savoring food.
It has gotten to the point where courses and entire websites exist and are devoted
to, for example, iPhone food photography. Instead of simply documenting what
they are eating, people are taking the time and making the effort to create
visually more polished, artistic photos. Because there is such a huge amount of
food photography, it has created demand for better, more innovative images.
Consequently, one can find a vast array of unique, interesting, and tasty shots of
food. There is no doubt that this is a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon.

PicsArt Monthly |77
@donaluna

@whatssabi
@whatssabi

PicsArt Monthly |79
@donaluna

21 YEAR OLD PHENOM
AND HIS FANTASTIC
SELF-PORTRAITS: INTERVIEW
WITH PHOTOGRAPHER
ALEX STODDARD
At just 21 years, Alex Stoddard is
turning heads in the photography world
with a portfolio of artistic self-portraits
that any experienced photographer
would envy. Born in Jacksonville,
Florida and raised in Georgia, Alex
currently makes his home in Orange,
California. His work has already been
exhibited in galleries, auctioned off at
large commercial events, published,
and lauded industry wide, but most
impressive of all, his photos are just
remarkably beautiful. His surreal
portraits explore the human form and
our relationship with nature. They often
take on a whimsical and fantastic feel.
Here is some of what we learned about
his photography.
How did you become a
photographer?
I started taking photographs when I was
sixteen. I would go back into the woods behind my house and take simple self portraits
every now and then, and eventually it escalated into a hobby that I would try to find
time for each week. I took it a step further when I started a “365 Project”, in which
I sought to take a new photograph every day over the course of a year. I posted the
images online and slowly developed a following that had grown to tens of thousands
by the end of the project. I decided by my graduation from high school that this was
something I wanted to devote my life to.

How did growing up in the deep South influence you as an artist?
INERVIEW
I often say that I am a product of my environment, or at least it’s true about my
development as an artist. I was raised in a very rural part of Georgia, surrounded
by beautiful forests and fields. Nature is very important to my work, and I like to
emphasize man’s place within it, so it was easy to do this when I could just walk out my
back door and have that all at my fingertips. I don’t know if I would be a photographer if
I had been raised in a city, as I don’t find that environment inspiring.
PicsArt Monthly |85

Your photographs have a
heavy emphasis on nature, and
integrating into nature. Can you
talk a little bit about why this
theme appeals to you?
Nature’s beauty and diversity speak
for themselves. I don’t know anybody
alive that can’t appreciate some aspect
of nature for its beauty. It also has a
timelessness that I find appealing.
Have you always been interested
by the surreal?
I suppose so. As long as I can remember
I have been involved in some kind of art
- drawing, writing, whatever - where I
would create my own little worlds and
characters. Real life just bores me. It’s
fun to play out fantasies that could never
happen in our own reality.
Your portraits of children are
interesting because the children
are so often faced with terror,
headless adults, chasing crows, gas
masks, etc. What is the meaning
behind this?
It’s weird, but I feel like my childhood
was the time in my life when I felt most
alive... when my emotions were the
strongest, and everything felt more
vibrant and dangerous. I think I was
just a really sensitive kid, so everything
that happened to me felt very strong -
especially my fears. So I think it’s easy for
me to revisit my childhood fears in my
photographs, because I can remember my
feelings so intensely.
PicsArt Monthly |89

Another interesting
theme in your images is
the hiding/obstruction
of a subjects face. Is this
deliberate, and what is its
significance in your work?
It’s often deliberate, yes.
Obscuring the subject’s face
lends a certain anonymity to the
photograph that can often allow
the viewer to insert himself into
the image and imagine himself
as the character. It also takes
away the element of recogniting
a person for who they are and
makes it easier to view the
piece as art. It preserves the
fantasy.
Are your photos shot on
location, or edited, and do
you feel strongly about one
preference over the other?
They are almost always shot on
location if I can help it. I prefer
it this way because it’s always
going to look more realistic,
as the lighting conditions will
match up. I worked on a big
job recently where it was most
practical to shoot everything
in a studio because we had to
accomplish a dozen different
setups in the matter of a few
hours. I shot a lot against a
green screen that day and had
a bit of a challenge making
everything match up (subject
and background) later in post
production. It’s just more work.
PicsArt Monthly |95

There is a very theatrical side to
your photos as well. When you
are shooting do you direct or act
out performances, and if so, how
do you decide what you want
emotionally or physically from a
“performance” for a shoot?
I do direct my subjects or act out the
performance if it’s a self-portrait.
Rarely do I have a subject just standing
in place and posing, but rather I have
them act out the moments before
and the moments after my shutter
clicks. It’s all about the story that I
am trying to tell with the particular
image. It’s never just the one moment.
Often I will go into the shoot knowing
exactly what I want emotionally or
physically, so it’s easy to translate this
to my subject by acting it out for them
myself before they have a go at it, but
sometimes with more experienced
posers, I will explain to them the
emotion and have them interpret it
themselves. That can often lead to a
more authentic personal performance
from that individual.
What inspires you to create?
Knowing that I have the ability to and
that I have endless possibilities before
me are all the inspiration I need.
How do you know that you have
done something “good” or that
you are on the right track with
your work?
If I personally respond to a piece
emotionally, then I know it’s good
enough for me.
PicsArt Monthly |99

FEATURE : PHOTO
AUTUMN
IN A TUBE
October’s Photo of the Month is user
benda8’s (@benda8) interesting twist on fall,
in this case, a full 360 degree twist.
The photo is a panorama of a forest in
autumn, bent into a closed circle. It looks as
though the forest floor has been rolled up like
a carpet with the ends touching, and as if the
camera is peering up through the middle at
the treetops mashing together in the center.
Photo editors everywhere have been taking
delight in this trick of rolling up panoramas
because the final results are so beautifully
bizarre. A single stretch of space becomes a
small cozy universe, and this shot by benda8
is a great example, perfectly bottling up the
orange dried grass and twiggy bark of fall
into a single, narrow tube.
PicsArt Monthly |105

FEATURE : TIPS & TRICKS

MATERIALS
• Black construction paper (2)
• Chalk
• Scissors
• String
• Tape
1. Use durable black construction
paper and chalk to draw a fairly
large spider-web and a few
spiders.
2. Draw the inner circle of
the web according to the
circumference of your
head.
3. Along the inner rim
of the circle, draw ridges
pointing towards the mid-dle
of the circle.
4. Cut out your spider web and
spiders.
5. On the second black sheet, cut out
1/3 of a large circle (like a slice of pie),
and attach its sides to make a cone.
6. Fold out the ridges of the inner circle
of the spider web.
7. Place the cone on top of
the erect ridges and tape
the ridges to the inside of
the cone.
8. Attach your
spiders to strings and tie
the strings onto different
areas of your spider
web/brim.
….Witching you a Happy
and
Creative Halloween.

THE MONOCHROME
MYSTERIES FRÃNCISCO FEATURE : ARTIST
All photos by @senseleesss

Our PicsArtist of the Month, Frãncisco Jordán
(@senseleesss), is a monochrome specialist.
Monochrome describes photography shot exclusively
in black and white or in various tones of the same color.
Frãncisco found that by keeping it simple with colors,
the weight of lighting considerably amplifies its dramatic
value.
Frãncisco’s photos are very much made in the tension
between light and dark, and their composition is kept
simple to let the dynamics of this contrast direct and
guide our eyes. Frãncisco’s personal signature is most
apparent, however, in how the darkness always seems
to be what’s most important in this contrast. He keeps
most of the action in the light areas, and keeps the dark
areas pitch-black, giving the darkest areas a powerful yet
persistently unknowable presence. The darkest areas
stick out of the photo like clouds of ink, which seem to
gently swell against the light, making their presence felt
while never fully revealing their contents.
The way he uses the darkness is not imposing, however,
but rather a seductive tool in his vision. He romanticizes
the aging and natural world, focusing on vintage planes
and antique doors, open skies and churning seas, or
a woman flashing an inquisitive glare. This eclectic
melange seems to coalesce into a greater vision of
antiquity in graceful decay within
a timeless natural world. It is
the shrouds of darkness which
Frãncisco uses to create a sense of
something greater than what’s in
the photo, a larger mystery. It is an
oddly foreboding scene to set, and thrown among it all,
fixing us, are the eyes of a young woman, unaware or
unaffected by the complexity of her partially obscured
surrounding, and untouched by its
uncertainty.
Frãncisco is a notable photographer
because he knows that style isn’t
just a way to send a message, it is the
message. He doesn’t focus on subjects and give them an
edge, but rather assigns them roles in his larger, darker,
monochrome mystery.
MONOCHROME
MYSTERIES OF
FRÃNCISCO JORDÁN

October issue # 12 PicsArt Monthly Photography Magazine

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