Project Three: Vector Polygon Portrait

Ah, my vector polygon portraits! Art so nice they've been exhibited twice. That's a tale for a future post. Just before I begin into reflection proper, I'd just like to state the background of these pieces. The first was inspired by the in-game icons for leaders in "Sid Meier's Civilization V". Google "Pacal civ 5" or "Bismarck civ 5", and you'll see portraits of people inside circles. Those were my inspiration. I play Civilization V quite often, and I've always wanted one of those, so I went ahead and made one. The latter image came from the same polygon self-portrait. I took that original version's wireframe outline and colored it in with pieces I made during previous courses. It was a time waster, nothing else to be said.

I certainly am hurting for compositions this year! With the icon I had absolutely no idea what to do with the design, especially with the B-17 flying behind my head. An image that large and unorthodox was hard to position. Furthermore, I found the polygoning process tedious, albeit inevitably rewarding. I will say, I like the process too much; I'm addicted to making them! Maybe someday I'll post more here. Additionally, once I had taken the original source picture out from the polygons, I had to fill in all the gaps, which was, again, tedious. Still, I like the art style! It's sharp and smooth. I love bold lines and vibrant colors. I'm also a fan of myself in the icon-- I think it's one of the better images of me. The B-17 is also awesome. It is my favorite plane, of course. Having it in there is great.

I used many tools during the process. Just to make the original polygon portrait I used the Pen and Fill tools. To polish it up I used the Polygonal Lasso, Paint Bucket and Brush tools im Photoshop. Then, to make it into an icon, I used Photoshop's Shape and Gradient tools. The Polygonal Lasso tool was also included in that latter set. I used all the same tools and processes on the B-17. The only additional tool was the Blur tool, which made the propellers spin. I was quite glad to learn how to use the Pen and Fill tools. Like I said, I'm addicted to making these portraits, no matter how long they take. 

I can't think of anything I'd redo in these images. Okay, maybe I'd bold the second piece's lines, but that's it. They turned out so well! I'm quite proud of myself that I went beyond the call of duty and made not only a B-17 portrait, not only an icon, but a whole second picture all together! I think I'm justified in giving myself a 8/10 for that. Now, I have to think about what my nation would look like in-game. Does an airfield sound suitable?

(The original image I used for the B-17 is a picture I took of the Collings Foundation's plane, the Nine-O-Nine. Check her and the foundation out!)