Alan Kaplan
March 2025 - Chess Player's Nightmare VI
Original
Original 2
Original 3
About the Image(s)
First, here is a guide to the chess pieces if you are unfamiliar with the game. The 4 white pieces are a king with a cross on his crown, a personified queen, and 2 pawns. The 3 black pieces are a personified bishop, a king, and a non-personified queen about to enter the game. There is a lot of cut-and-paste in this composite: all of the figures, the hand, and the chess board. I used (1) a layer mask to remove the boy from the back of the man in the sculpture and (2) the Quick Selection Tool to change the angle of the sculpture’s head. I haven’t learned Photoshop’s Puppet Warp tool, yet. I used the Brush Tool to draw the room with the help of Photoshop’s Grid Tool and then added Linear Gradients to give depth to the room. I used the Ellipse Tool to make the hole in the wall and added depth with the Gradient Tool. I found in a Chinese fortune cookie the James Whistler observation I have quoted on occasion. I copied it onto Original 2.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
12 comments posted
Alan, This is a visually intense image with a lot going on. I find the image a little crowded, i.e. the bending over figure feels too close to the hovering chess board. I also wonder, with less is more as a priority, if the complex background is a little too complex, distracting from all the intense stuff going on in the foreground. Otherwise, I love this image, nicely done. Posted: 03/05/2025 18:06:29
Now that you mention it, I think the background is a distraction. I'll rethink it. Posted: 03/05/2025 21:41:22
Here's a quick "rethink." The focus is certainly more on the chess game, but the floor may need a gradient treatment. Posted: 03/06/2025 09:01:10
This simplification does focus the attention on the subjects and better fits "less is more". A floor gradient may be a great substitute for the receding back wall you removed. Posted: 03/06/2025 09:21:27
Hi Alan, I think that the simpler background works really well, and the gradient will further enhance the depth of the space - will it interfere with the shadow of the chess board, though? The illusion of a closed space where the game takes place against an invisible opponent adds to the thrill and the fatal mood, and the little shadow on the wall is a fine touch. I am trying to search a message in the choice of the personified and non-personified pieces. - I love the quote! Posted: 03/06/2025 14:50:32
Thanks for your feedback. There's no message other than an attempt at a bit of disequilibrium. I added a gradient to the floor, but the chessboard hid the effect. I raised the chessboard and enlarged it a bit to reveal the gradient effect, and the board's shadow didn't seem effected by the change. Posted: 03/08/2025 16:04:02
Hi Alan,
You are a master at creating these spaces. The gradient ties all the walls together, forming an empty space that can contain everything-like this chess game. I prefer the simplified background, as others have suggested.
The human figure is a very strong visual element in the scene, further emphasized by the red numbers on his clothes. Even his pose creates a visual path of interest, drawing us to observe what is happening. The presence of only one visible hand adds tension and mystery to the story.
I'm not sure about the shadow of the chessboard-it looks too strong compared to the softer light and shadows on the walls. Additionally, the shadow of the feet appears slightly unnatural to me.
Posted: 03/12/2025 12:51:01
You are a master at creating these spaces. The gradient ties all the walls together, forming an empty space that can contain everything-like this chess game. I prefer the simplified background, as others have suggested.
The human figure is a very strong visual element in the scene, further emphasized by the red numbers on his clothes. Even his pose creates a visual path of interest, drawing us to observe what is happening. The presence of only one visible hand adds tension and mystery to the story.
I'm not sure about the shadow of the chessboard-it looks too strong compared to the softer light and shadows on the walls. Additionally, the shadow of the feet appears slightly unnatural to me.
Posted: 03/12/2025 12:51:01
Thank you for your observations. Shadows are tricky. At noon, they are sharp and dark. In early morning or late afternoon, they are soft around the edges and more transparent. I enjoy adding shadows to scenes. They add depth and weight, but I don't always get it right. I agree with you about the chessboard shadow and the shadow around the chess player's feet. I like the sharp edges of the chess board, but the edges could be a little blurrier. The chess player has had a lot of different shadows around his feet. I didn't like any of them, so I punted (an American expression related to American football). It basically means I gave up. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:22:34
I really enjoy these special worlds that you create from scratch, Alan. They make the viewer think and go through the image up and down. In this one, I especially like the angles that you created, mixing the figure, board, hand, etc.
I actually didn't mind the initial background you submitted (though I would have put the head more in the black section. But, I can see it both ways as the simpler background brings more attention to the chess game. I know the original figure that is bent over had those jagged edges on his pants, but I might try smoothing them out as it caught my eye as a minor distraction. I so love the hand with the chess piece coming over the board. Fantastic, all around! Posted: 03/13/2025 16:29:08
I actually didn't mind the initial background you submitted (though I would have put the head more in the black section. But, I can see it both ways as the simpler background brings more attention to the chess game. I know the original figure that is bent over had those jagged edges on his pants, but I might try smoothing them out as it caught my eye as a minor distraction. I so love the hand with the chess piece coming over the board. Fantastic, all around! Posted: 03/13/2025 16:29:08
Thank you for your feedback. I agree with you about placing the head in front of the black square. When I shared a couple of my "special worlds" with a friend of mine his reaction was, "I wouldn't want to live in your mind." I took it as a compliment. I also appreciate your complimentary comments. Posted: 03/14/2025 13:26:00
Such a cool image, Alan! It is disturbing yet believable, because all the components have been added so skillfully. The confined space is as mysterious as the strange chess player. I love the hand coming into the frame, watched so intently by the chess player with the strangely textured head. The people on the chess board are a great touch. It's all so deliciously freaky.
The original background might be worth revisiting in another image; there is something very satisfying about its contrast and symmetry. The black square drew my eye into the image in a way that the medium grey surrounded by white does not. A darker room lets my eye focus on the game more. Posted: 03/19/2025 17:24:17
The original background might be worth revisiting in another image; there is something very satisfying about its contrast and symmetry. The black square drew my eye into the image in a way that the medium grey surrounded by white does not. A darker room lets my eye focus on the game more. Posted: 03/19/2025 17:24:17
Thank you for your observations, especially the words "disturbing" and "deliciously freaky" which are, I believe, encompassed by my goal of disequilibrium which I feel is a major component of surrealism. I drew this room about 10 years ago or so and use it judiciously--February 2019, February 2020, and May 2021 in Group 54's Digital Dialogues. The possibilities are endless as my 4 composites using the room illustrate. Posted: 03/20/2025 12:36:19