Nikos Kourous
Foundation
Final year project
A Masked World [Read more]
A Masked World - Cover Page
This is the current title page I have for my story. It's taken from an image used later, but I was drawn in by how the natural gradient in the image could naturally tie the text with the image of the mask spirit. With the time I have left, I'd like to take another photograph for the cover, incorporating the left to right movement and gradient that works well in this image.
A Face Mask, Trapped in a Drawer
In this series of images, the face mask and its spirit wait in a dark drawer as time slowly passes. At first, I struggled with how to visually portray the passing of time while supporting the idea that the face mask hasn't seen the outside world in a long time. From some brainstorming, however, I thought about placing the mask in a drawer; tackling both problems at once. It's claustrophobic and lonely and shows how much time has passed by how much it fills up.
A Face Mask, Staring Out at Freedom
In this image, the face mask sits on the windowsill after finally leaving the drawer, taking in the fresh breeze and the feeling of freedom. I'm proud of the process behind the photography of this image. The 1 photo is actually a composite of 4: one of the scenes lit with a general blue light, one with a blue flashlight pointed down at the mask, one with the light pointed up towards the window for the reflection, and one with a bright white light for added detail. The combination of all four images creates a compelling composition that sucks the viewer out of the window along with the face mask.
Free at Last
This is an image I took of the face mask out on a wet asphalt road. Originally, the main aspect of the image was the fact that the face mask was finally out and about, however, as I edited the image, I fell in love with the wet reflection on the pavement and how it creates an incredible natural paint splatter effect. Now the image is a bit more abstract and works well with the idea that the face mask is moving into a new world.
A Sock and It's Spirit
This is an early drawing aimed at refining the art style I was going to work with of a sock with its own spirit. It was the first time I began experimenting with using real on-set lighting to achieve a more realistic drawing. I realized that doing so incorporated the drawing perfectly; even before I added more realistic detail to the illustration it already felt like it was present in the scene. Through this drawing, I also learnt about how to use blending modes effectively in Adobe Photoshop. Using a combination of the hard mix, colour dodge, and overlays, I transferred the sock pattern from the sock onto its spirit.
A Desk Lamp and It's Spirit
This is another drawing I created as I was developing the art style and look of my illustrations of a desk lamp with its spirit. The original image didn't have much practical lighting, and the desk light was made out of shiny metal, so I decided to practice drawing in my own light reflections. Using a small, very grainy brush on Photoshop I learnt how to realistically apply reflections onto objects.
A Mailbox and It's Spirit
This was my first drawing of an object with its spirit. When I began considering creating a spirit for my face mask, I thought that if my face mask had a spirit, other objects would have spirits as well. After taking a quick walk and some photos, I imagined what the spirit of this mailbox I saw would look like. This drawing played an important role in giving me a clear vision of how my project would look as a whole.
Nikos Kourous
For the past year, everyone has been a bit overwhelmed with a constant barrage of news, guidelines, rules, and endless conversations about the pandemic. For my final major project, I wanted to acknowledge what we've experienced, but through a different, more positive lens that pushes the viewer to think about the future, and how we'll look back on where we are today. My series of illustrations follow the story of a face mask who, after being tucked away in the back of a drawer for five years, finds themselves roaming the outside world, discovering how much the world has changed. Created on photoshop using a blend of photography and illustration, I tap into a fantastical world where objects -- like a discarded face mask -- come to life.
Final year project
A Masked World