Severino Canepa

Photoshop based photographer/designer, creating almost collage like pieces out of statue portraits.

L I N K S -

Graphic Design & Illustration - Severino Canepa

Severino Canepa is a Swiss graphic designer and photographer who runs a graphic design website, Apollo Project. Creating digital compositions which incorporates vibrant gradients and shapes. Utilising the digital elements and techniques with the incorporation a collage type base.

Severino Canepa's work captures the portraits of statues, focusing the attention to the facial features and angle the head is positioned. Each of his pieces are uniquely different but have the sense of unity and link well with each other - having the same concept. His works is more a poster type style, with the text around the boarder.

The statues have a layered look, overlapping the same image over itself but shifting it slightly with a shadow underneath, which makes the pieces feel more complete - giving it more dimensions rather than it being flat. Alongside that there are various shapes going through the photograph having outlines of rectangles to circular gradients.

The thin lines running through gives the piece a more digital look - either running in different directions or using the thin lines as a shifted outline for the gradient shapes.

Using a dark background to accentuate the statues features and make the varied colours more prominent. Using photographs of a light-coloured statue and using a darker background makes the image stand out more as it won't get lost in a white backing.

The statues itself, are edited as black and white with a higher contrast - to reveal more of its textures and shadows. The heads of the statues are also placed on top of a square stone base.

I like how he uses gradients within the shapes as it makes his portfolio visually interesting as opposed to colour blocks of the same colour. Cutting out different elements of the statue and giving a disassembled feel as if the shapes are protruding out being exposed. Linking with the theme of shapes and colour, the use of various colour palettes within outlines and shapes are present all around. The finish pieces are cleaner and well thought out with the subjects looking/placed in different directions.

STATUE COMPARISON :

Canon 600D, ISO 200 5.6 1/80

Manchester Piccadilly Gardens - statues

I tested taking photographs of these statues which are scattered around Piccadilly Gardens, though the photographs are not the best. The position/placement of the statues are quite high up and are made from a much darker material compared to Canepa's works.

Personally, the statues made from darker materials would blend too much with the already dark background loosing more details. However, I could experiment with changing the colours of the background to tackle this.

It would be difficult in trying to get a clear shot of their faces especially when his works revolve around statue portraiture. Honestly, I like the look of the lighter statues against vibrant colours like Severino Canepa's style.

Canon 600D, ISO 100 5.6 1/200

Trafford Centre, Near Primark

The shoots for these similar photographs are much clearer in capturing the facial features and texture of the stone. Responding to his works, I want to include texture and detailing from these statues - marble type stone.

With the editing process I am able to retain the details whilst brightening the piece, alongside turning it black and white.

Comparing the types of statues, the photographs taken from Trafford Centre I think would work much more better in recreating responses for Severino Canepa.

DIGITAL PROCESS :

Taking the edited photograph, open onto photoshop on a separate layer
Using the select tool select the background and ctrl + x to delete. Using the eraser tool or polygonal tool to clean any edges on the statue.
Duplicating and slicing the photograph to create an almost collage type piece, shifting the areas slightly.- using the lasso tool to create clean cuts in the image.
Using the shape tool I added various shapes; circles, rectangles and outlined shapes onto the piece - any colour

-'Lock transparent pixels' on the shapes layer, which keeps anything within the painted area (shapes), then using the gradient tool select a range of colours to add gradients in different angles.

Using the polygonal lasso tool; outline the head to keep as the subject.

Removie the background.

Create an underside/base of the statue's head - imitating a broken/cut head.

Create smaller rough edges to resemble rubble/ an uneven edge similar to stone.

Using the statues texture - take sections and place them over the painted area. (New layer + clipping mask)

Layer 4 - Using a darker colour and clipping it to the underside. Make the layer 'Soft Light' to darken the base which keeps the texture of the statue. Lowering the opacity/harshness.

Another way is to go to 'Image > Adjustment > Brightness/Contrast'

Select different parts of the statue and 'copy + paste' it onto a new layer. 'Ctrl + T' move the image slightly in any direction. Creating a layered look.