Body in Tune
This exercise— which is inspired by the album art from Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea—is anything but neutral! In fact, it’s playful and a bit surreal.
The cover features a woman with her head replaced by a drum. It creates a whimsical yet slightly eerie feel. We’ll take inspiration from this approach by combining images of the human body with musical instruments, creating a playful or funky juxtaposition.
STEPS
Source Your Images
People Image: Start by selecting an image of a human figure—this could be a full-body shot or just a portrait.
Instrument(s): Look for an image of a musical instrument— such as a guitar, trumpet, or violin. I found unobstructed instrument visuals a bit hard to come by (i.e. in magazines), so you might also search for images online to print out.
Background: If needed, find another paper for color or texture in the background. Alternately, your found body image may have ample background space, or you can simply use a plain base/background.
Compose Your Collage :
Experiment: Try out different ways to integrate the instrument with the body. For example, replace limbs with a clarinet, position a giant saxophone in place of a torso, or use a trumpet bell for the head. You can also have the figure interacting with an oversized instrument, like sitting atop a huge trumpet for a surreal effect.
Cut and Replace: If covering parts of the figure isn’t creating the look you want, try cutting out sections of the human form and replacing them with the instrument.
Add Extra Elements:
Get More Surreal: Play around with adding additional imagery—like abstract shapes, landscapes, or text—around the figure and instrument. Play with textures and contrasting colors to amplify the whimsical tone.
