References

Reference


I referenced each image as I used them either as part of my project or research. Even though all the information is in my own words I did use several sources in order to produce more accurate research. 




I have displayed some of the websites which I researched and looked at below:


http://www.twiggylawson.co.uk/fashion.html
http://uktv.co.uk/yesterday/homepage/sid/5436
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/60sindex.shtml
http://absoluteradio60s.co.uk/
http://www.retrowow.co.uk/retro_style/60s/60s_fashion.html
http://www.themodgeneration.co.uk/2010/07/mods-and-rockers.html

Great Train Robbery Image

Great train robbery


For the event of the Great Train Robbery there weren't any images of the incidents as in those days there were no CCTV cameras operating therefore only images of the location of the incident were available. At first when I researched this historical event I thought of incorporating some of the events that occurred that night like the red light signalling the train to stop, or the separation of carriages, the loading of the money and postal bags on the truck. There was a very limited variety of images in which I could incorporate the events I mentioned previously therefore I decided to focus on the criminals behind the robbery. I listed there names on my previous blog on the train robbery but when it came down to finding images of each individual there wasn't much. I would have liked to have had an image with the photos of the 15 criminals involved but seeing as I wasn't able to get a hold of all of them due to poor quality images or images taken of them at a much older age I focused on Ronnie Biggs whom everyone believed was the mastermind of the robbery. 


The image I found best to incorporate in my project has been extracted from:
http://www.rnw.nl/data/files/images/lead/060809%20Ronnie%20Biggs%20politiekaart%20EPA%20ANP-489472_0.jpg 

Steps I Took To Produce My Image


I opened up photoshop and selected to create a new document. Once I had my new document opened I selected the Rectangular Marquee tool. I then drew a large rectangle slightly smaller than the actual page document selected the bucket tool, I filled the rectangle with a light beige colour (#F1EBDB) I selected the Lasso tool and randomly drew jaggered lines on the edges of the paper with no order once I had selected it I pressed on delete. The selected areas were removed according to where I had drawn with the Lasso tool. I repeated the same method for the other 3 sides of the rectangle. 

I selected Layer and then on New Layer to create another layer for my image. This time I choose a darker shade of beige (#EEDEB3) this was the medium shade layer. I created a clip mask on this layer by clicking on CTRL+ALT+G.

After I created the medium shade layer I went and created another layer and this time I filled the background with an even darker shade to the one I just created previously. This layer was the darkest layer (#C3B48D). I went to Layer and I selected Add Layer Mask and the on Reveal All so that a layer mask would be added to the layer I was working on. I also created a layer mask on the medium background layer. I then selected Filter, Render and on clouds. I did this step for both the layer masks I created. I then changed the opactiy to 72% on the darkest layer

I went to File, Open and selected the image which I had extracted from the internet, once it was opened I selected Layer and on Duplicate layer. I clicked on the Magnetic Lasso tool and selected the area of the image that I want to use. I dragged the Image onto the background which I had created and name the layer Ronnie Biggs.

Since the image is a different colour to the one i'm creating I went to Filter and in the drop down listed I selected Blur and then Gaussian Blur with the Radius 3.3pixels.

In my Dark Background layer I went to image adjustment variations and clicked on more red and more yellow. This gave my image a Sepia effect. 

I created another layer this layer is for the title of my wanted poster. I selected the text box and drew a square at the top of the page. For the font of my text I decided to choose Eras Bold ITC with the text colour #907225. I decided to also use the Gaussian Blur with the radius 3.3pixels. 

Since the background is slightly yellow to give it the effect that the paper is older I decided to smudge the text so that it goes with the spoilt effect of the background. I selected Filter, Artistic and on Smudge Stick a window appeared with options, I set the stroke length to 2, the highlight area to 13 and the intensity to 5. 

I repeated the same process for the rest of the text although I changed the font sizes. The text underneath the main title has a font size of 36pt and font size 48pt for his name. I also added the Smudge Stick and Gaussian Blur to the other text.

The background was too yellow therefore lowered the opacity of the Dark Background layer down to 40%. I then selected the Lasso tool and drew small, random sections on the sides, I pressed delete and this gave it the effect of having cuts in the paper. I made these cuts in the layer of the Light Background as it had no other masks or effects in it. I wanted to add a sort of dirty effect to my image so I created a new layer and filled it  with a grey background #999595. I then selected the burn tool and used it in random areas to make it look more realistic. In order to blend the grey background and burn tool I lowered the opacity down to 20% which made it lighter and blended it to the rest of the background. 

The image of the criminal was too yellow from the sepia effect so I clicked on the drop down menu of the image and selected luminosity. I also added a Drop Shadow to the light Background. 

Final Image

I choose to create a wanted sign as many of the images available on the great train robbery were poor quality. I gave the background an old, torn effect as the image of the criminal that I was incorporating was poor quality. I blurred out the image and the text so that I would have a faded washed out look as if the paper had been tampered with a lot or had gotten wet with the bad weather as these posters would have been displayed in the streets. The jagged edges and cuts on the page also help to give it an old effect. I also blurred out the images as back then photos etc... weren't very good quality compared to nowadays. This is why I also didn't crop out the image of the criminal accurately, the edges were jaggered and some extra bits of the original image were still left on the one I used. 

Mods and Rockers

When I first looked at the Mods and Rockers I wanted to create a newspaper cover with a headline of some fight between the gangs but as I looked though the images available I didn't see any which I liked therefore I changed my idea from a newspaper cover to a sign. I also found that there were more photos available based on the Mods than the rockers and I didn't want to just create an image about one I wanted to incorporate both gangs. 


Mod's and Rocker's


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1lIYdiZh0hnByzpiVOWEuCkePVIejESNZZUat-Z1W8cHJ9WHLUA0FGI24LF0U_BU5VJ24B-bnWvwFMgtdUDWMqZQigvJDIXLUptID7xJf-F7zOI7zZiSHnnTQFxzKz__1_M5XzD0x1Xi/s1600/no+sign.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P2Dlr80VXs-65YkEI5gxKLCZYKU8KyHhDPHIjUqvmUuEK3XkR_zwwlvdN9fkVdpZVrUtSzm0yGO8yljaoMwqN9C-6S0k1oyRVvFUwx4zfKvjzPgtCdjE-fZExFb3W9QsX-u4SJZHGSs/s1600/modvrocker.jpg

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/PhotoGallerys/Chicago-IMS-Mods.jpg

Steps I took to create my image


I opened up the image in Photoshop and duplicated the layer I then clicked the eye beside the original layer so that it would disappear. I selected the Magic Wand tool and removed the white background so that I would be left with the red sign. 

I opened up the second image and duplicated the layer, I also used the magic want tool to remove the background. I then moved the image to the document where I had the red sign displayed and I placed the image of the Mod and Rocker on top. I realised that part of the wheel on the Rocker's bike was missing so I went to the document where I had my original image displayed, I used the Magnetic wand tool to cut out the area which was missing in my wheel in order to replace it. 


Before

After

I went back to the layer with the red sign and I pressed CTRL+T in order to adjust the size, I made it smaller as it was too big for the image displayed in the middle. 

On the layer of the red sign I pressed SHIFT+CTRL+9 which made the image more transparent but still with enough colour. I went to the layer where I had my image of the Mod and Rocker and selected the Magic Wand Tool on extra areas of the image to remove (i.e. background of the rims as its the background of the original image). The Magic Wand Tool didn't remove all the colour of the background therefore I selected the Eyedropper tool and clicked on the area with the colour of the rims of the bike. Once I had selected that I used the Paint brush to go over the sections with the colour of the original background. I then opened my third image in a new document and used the Magic Wand tool to remove the background. I dragged the image onto the one I was working on and before I placed it on the middle of the image I used the Lasso tool to select areas which had bits of the original background left and pressed delete.  

After placing the text in the middle I pressed CTRL+T to resize the text I then added several effects to it. I added the drop shadow to all the layers as it made the image look bolder and more 3D.

Drop Shadow: Blend Mode- Normal

                          Opacity- 100%

                          Angle- -172º

                          Spread- 0%

                          Distance and Size- 5px

                          Style- Linear

                          Scale- 150%

I have displayed my final image below.

I chose to create a sign as the Mod's and Rocker's were made to be very troublesome by the media therefore many people would stay away from them. Gangs clashing would cause serious fights which sometimes were exaggerated by the media therefore the public despised them. The red circle would be familiar to a viewer as the no smoking signs have that red circle with a line on it therefore they would immediately know what this image meant when they see it. I choose a cartoon of the Mods and Rockers as there weren't many available that I found useful. I also liked this image as it shows how they dislike each other. I also incorporated text so that the image wouldn't be so plain and to also emphasis on who this sign was directed to.  

The Beatles

Looking at the information that I looked up based on The Beatles I would like to incorporate the band members as well as things that are to do with their success in music. Before producing the image below I had started another image which incorporated the band members, an apple with headphones and a layer mask with the effect of a map. I chose this idea as the Beatles created their own record deal Apple records, the map effect was because of the fact that they had an impact globally and the headphones signify music. This idea at first was coming along but when it came down to incorporating the band members I didn't know where to place them therefore I decided to change my image and incorporate another perspective of the band.   


The Beatles


The images I will be using have been extracted from several sources, I have displayed these below:


http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/256/e/2/BEATLES_logo_2_by_JohnnySlowhand.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zizzles/5190586901/sizes/l/in/photostream/

 http://www.3dwallpaperstudio.com/wallpapers/union_jack_flag-1366x768.jpg

Steps I took to create my image

I opened the fly image in photoshop and duplicated the layer, I clicked on the eye of the original layer so that it would disappear. I then opened the image of the band another new document in photoshop. I duplicated the layer and then selected he Magic Wand Tool in order to remove the white background. I then dragged the layer onto the other document where I had the Union Jack Flag.

Since the image of the group was larger than the flagI pressed Ctrl+T and resized the image to fit into the centre of the flag.

On the layer of the group I pressed Shift+Ctrl+3 which made the image blend into the background with a transparent effect. I opened the other image onto a new document and again I used the Magic Wand tool to remove the background. I then dragged the first word onto the document which I had been working on and placed it and the centre left of the flag and the other word I placed it more on the centre right of the flag. The text was too big so I pressed CTRL+T to resize it down. 

On the text I added some effects:

Drop Shadow: Blend Mode-Multiply

                          Opacity- 75%

                          Angle- 120º

                          Spread- 0%

                          Distance and Size- 5px

Bevel and Emboss: Smooth

                                    Depth- 100%

                                    Direction- Up

                                    Size and Soften- 0px

                                    Angle- 120º

                                    Highlight Mode- Screen 75%

                                    Shadow- Multiply 75%

Final Image

In the image I created I choose to use the Union Jack flag as the band was British, also british artists back then would hardly make it onto large record deals in America hereford the flag also symbolises the fact that british artists can make it to the top. I Incorporated the band members as the image is about them I decided to use a full length image as it also shows the fashion back then. I left the text how it was originally apart from the drop Shadow as it added some texture to the image and also stood out. 

Twiggy

Twiggy


When I was first researching about Twiggy I wanted to re-create a Rolling Stones magazine with an image of her on the front cover surrounded by things she's done (i.e.release a single, create a clothing line etc...) When it came round to doing the image I chose a different one to the one below although I then had to change it  to the one I have now as I couldn't find a way of making an effective magazine cover due to how dark the image was. I also realised that instead of re-creating a Rolling Stones cover I could make a cover with the title of her magazine on it. 


The image I choose to incorporate has been extracted from:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4x_4C5sE_XCSWP27k8ar-otH0zbYaT-d5Dg_21nCsmIsSq5wQmKlqT427gwrEotTHjqNWLwydQsna9M0yCa5RKDuF66c5-nFJB2UIT9Ue1e-Ql9-GamaA2QSXubb-K5fBFdATPgIgQ6X/s1600/0bf9a771245e_104841465.jpg

Steps I took to create my image


I opened the image in Photoshop and I selected the drop down menu of the heading Layers, I choose duplicate layer so that I wouldn't have to work on the original image. I then clicked on the eye beside the original layer on the layers tab so that it would disappear. Even though my image is mainly black and white I decide to add colour to her eyes as thats one of the features that made her famous. Using the Lasso tool I drew around one eye and then I pressed the Shift button as I selected the other so that both circles that I had drawn were selected. I then pressed the Alt button and drew around both pupils so that they wouldn't change colour. Now that I had selected what I wanted I selected two shades of blue #2aadf2 and #25bde9.


I clicked on Adjustment Layer and selected Colourise:


Hue: 201
Saturation: 22
Lightness: -9


I hadn't selected some sections of the eyes properly so after I coloured them in with the Hue and Saturation I used the Eyedropper tool to select the right shade of blue. I selected the Paint Brush tool and went over the areas which i had missed out. 

I then created a new layer since I wanted to add text I selected the Text Box and drew a rectangle at the top of the page. In this box I entered the title with the font style Hand-writing Dakota and font colour #fa0707. I also repeated the same process for the subheading although I chose a smaller font size of 36pt.

Final Image

I chose to have a simple magazine cover with one image as many of the good quality photos of Twiggy at a young age were very similar in colours etc... I only added colour to her eyes as they are one of the features which made her such a famous model back in the 60's and it was a form of adding some colour instead of just having the whole image black and white. I named the magazine cover after her own magazine, I chose the font style Handwriting- Dakota as it was simple but at the same time looked like someones handwriting. These are the sorts of fonts you would find in teenager magazines which is also why I chose it as she had a huge influence on teenagers. The colour red with the drop shadow makes the text stand out from the image but at the same time doesn't distract the viewer from the actual photograph. 

Tuesday 27th December 2011

Great Train Robbery 


In August 8th 1963 the train travelling from Glasgow to London was attacked by a group of thieves losing approximately two million pounds. Police were caught by surprise as that train had been doing that route around 125 years and never encountered a problem. To complete the robbery it took 15 men and other companions, I have listed some of the gang members below:

• Douglas Gordon Edwards
• Ronnie Biggs
• Bruce Reynolds
• Tom Wisbey
• Jim Hussey
• Bob Welch
• Roy James
• Brian Field
• Roger Cordey
• John Daly
• William Boal
• Charlie Wilson
• Leonard Field
• Jimmy White

Apart from the gang members there was also other people involved to help with the master plan such as guards at the safe house etc...There is no individual who is known to have been the mastermind of the robbery although most believe its Bruce Reynolds (burglar) who started scheming this robbery after he came out of jail in 1962.  Reynolds was able to get a hold of the trains details such as its schedule, how much money it was carrying and where it was held. Roger Cordery figured out a way of stopping the train by tampering with the signal lights (covering the green and using wires to turn on the red light). Early that morning the gang awaited the train and cut all emergency phone lines near the railway track. The first two train carriages were separated from the rest of the train where they then ended up in Bridego Bridge, this is where the gang unloaded the 120 bags of money and post onto their truck.The attackers broke into the second carriage of the train where the mail and money bags were held this train ride had double the amount that it usually carries as it had been a bank holiday in scotland therefore there was accumulated mail. Apart from stealing a large amount of money the train driver Jack Mills aged 58 suffered head injuries (from the attackers) resulting in having to stay in a hospital in Aylesbury. According to police reports the attackers must have been carrying sticks which must have been used to attack the driver. 

Police didn't take long to realise that something was wrong, early that morning they found that phone wires were cut and train signals had been altered. The post office and banks were offering rewards up to £260,00 to anyone that had any information on the crime occurred and the criminals involved. Eventually the police tracked the gangs hide out located in Leatherslade Farm in Bedfordshire and 12/15 gang members were jailed for a lifetime (more than 300 years altogether).  Bruce Reynolds managed to stay hidden from the police until 1969 where he was captured and jailed for 10 years although another gang member Ronnie Biggs escaped for many years and only returned to Britain in 2001 as he needed medical treatment. There he was captured and jailed to complete his 28 year sentence although he was released in 2009 after suffering strokes. 

Monday 26th December 2011

Mods and Rockers 


Mods and Rockers came about in the early 60's, these were two different groups (gangs) of people which had different tastes in music, fashion etc...


Mods


Mods were working class British citizens mainly youths, men dressed in expensive suits  and women followed a similar trend by having a masculine image (short hair, dark eye make up). Mods tended to be from the South East and London, they were seen as the followers of fashion. Mods rode around in Vespa's or Lambretta's as I mentioned in my first blog, these cheap scooters were really the only vehicles they could afford as they spent most of their wages on clothes. 


Being a Mod not only meant having a unique sense of style but also in music. During the 60's The Beatles were very popular although the Mods choose a different style of music which was jazz. Part of their style of clothing was influenced by Black American Jazz Singers i.e. suits. Mods felt that this style of clothing and music made them original especially due to the fact that the American Jazz records were difficult to get a hold of. Mods preferred the lack or Jazz records in Britain as less people would listen to it although Jazz did grow popular which then resulted the Mods into listening to other styles of music such as Soul and Blues. They then moved to Jamaican Bluebeat in order to make sure they were ahead of everyone else. The Mods made music styles such as the Blues very popular in the UK and took a wide interest on several bands such as The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. Although the most popular band who were Mods themselves were The Who (previously named High Numbers), their fashion, music taste, hairstyles were like the Mods. Their performances were different to other bands as violent acts would be incorporated i.e. instruments would end up smashed, Keith Moon (throw his drums around) Pete Townsend (smash his guitar into speakers). This act of violence reflected the Mod Culture. 


Mods were having a huge impact on society there were television shows about the latest Mod trends, music and slang, a famous television show which provided this was "Ready, Steady, Go!". Famous bands would also play in these shows allowing not only Londoner's to watch it but also Mods all over the country. 


Mods tended to visit several clubs in Soho i.e. Flamingo and Marque, they would also visit the Crawdaddy Club based in Richmond. Mods would meet in these clubs to socialise with others of their kind from different areas, they would trade records amongst each other and even invent new dances like the Bang and the Shake. 


Rockers


Apart from the Mod's there was also the Rocker's who's style is different to the Mod's as it consists of jeans, leather jackets and boots (bad boy biker look). As you can tell they are already quite different to the Mod's who are well dressed in expensive suits, the Rocker's didn't spend as much time and effort in self grooming hence why they had scruffy and messy appearance. Rockers drove large motorcycles normally the latest model as they would spend most of their wages on their "ride" rather than on their clothes. 


The Rockers were also working class just like the Mod's although they weren't interested in any new styles of fashion. Just like the Mod's the Rocker's also had their own hang out places such as the Ace Cafe where junk food was served and jukeboxes were played. 


Rockers listened to different styles of music to the Mods as they were interested in Rock and Roll from the 50's rather than the revolutionary music from the 60's. Artists such as Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley were very popular amongst the Rockers. 


As the gangs of Mods and Rockers became more popular their actions were exaggerated and publicised by the media therefore portraying them as criminals. Minor criminal acts such as speeding o sleeping in public areas gave the gangs a bad reputation therefore resulting in them being banned from bars and cafes. The medias accusations of the Mods and Rockers also created tension between the two types of gangs. This eventually resulted in a fight between the two in 1964 during Easter which ended with broken items such as windows etc...This act of violence was reported on national newspapers which also accused them of causing riots all over the country. It seems as though the media is what caused so much conflict between the Mods and Rockers to begin with.