Creating a Website: About Me Page

Zoe began life in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and spent most of her youth nomadically moving from place to place.  Zoe discovered that through the photograph she could create a stillness and permanence to existence, and the camera became an ever-present feature that brought comfort amongst chaos.  Zoe still believes that her camera is a magic box and every photograph she takes is a remembrance, and proof that she existed. 

 

 Zoe has a first degree in English and Media from DMU. She also achieved an MA with Distinction in Creative Media Arts (Photography) from the London South Bank University. Zoe's film 'Let's Eat Hair' was shown at the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester. Zoe continues to make photographs and writes creatively.

I completed this and then I added this to my website by clicking on the right hand menu and going into my 'About' page.  I then copied and pasted my test in from blogger to the website page and changed the font to match my fonts on the page. The final page look like this:

I may change the image later but this will work for the moment.

I also looked at the mobile view and adjusted my names and made it smaller so that it fitted correctly on the page

Creating a Website: Contact Page & Social Links

 I am carrying on with website creation and today I am going to add a contact page and social links. 

I used the add button on the left hand menu to add social links icons.  I then clicked into the social icons and deleted ones I did not need.  I then I added the links by clicking on the ones I was using; these were Blogger, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and YouTube.  I then saved my changes and clicked on Preview and Then I checked each link worked.  These are in the footer so they appear each page.

I added a new contact forma and deleted the old one and then I went to settings and email notifications and set the notifications to my email. 

I then changed the font of the 'Get in Touch' to Palantino Linotype so that is was consistent.  I then added an image by clicking on Add and then Image and I uploaded my own image to Wix and added to the page.  I am not sure I liked this yet so may change this to a different image later on. I previewed it and made sure that everything worked.

Then customised my contact form by clicking on the form setting and the 'design' icon and then went to customised and I customised the 'input fields' by added a colour of pale grey and then I customised the font so that it matched the font of my website which was Palantino Linotype 27pts. 

I have checked everything is working and previewed but I may more changed later, but happy with page for now.

I checked the mobile view and on this page no changes were needed.

I updated this page with a new image as I really felt this image did not work - this is my updated page

I also checked the mobile view and I was much happier with this version 

Uncertain Times: Project Plan

 I created this project plan based on my project sign-off using a Venngage Infographic template.  this plan will ensure that I organise my weeks as we have a tight deadline and I need to make sure all work is completed each week. 

Uncertain Times Project Plan

Project Plan Update - 21/11/23

To update and consider the work and how I have managed this over time I went back to my project sign-off from Week Four and Looked at what I had completed

• Project Sign off post - complete

• Initial Research post - complete

• Project Plan - Complete Updating Now

• At least three research posts on other artists/designers - Lee Miller, Daido Moriyama, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Website Research on Katy Grannan and Corrine Day, Sense 8

• A post on your target market - Ideal Customer Infographic 

• at least three process posts - this will include contacts, technical details of original images and sourcing stock images, editing film and finalising  - Collecting Stock Images, Editing Film, Editing Decisions post

• Technical research post on software you will use - Software Practice on Photoshop, Software practice on Clipchamp

• Post on creating your portfolio - Completed website portfolio, Introduction and added the portfolio

• Finalising your portfolio and adding to your website - Completed 

Creating a Website: Photography Home Page

 Today we began creating a website using Wix.  I began by choosing a template. 

This is the site I have chosen to customise.  The next step was to change my name so I selected my name and then on the pop-up dialog box I chose the font Palatino Linotype, I made this larger to 41 pts and I made this bold and adjusted the setting using the transform controls as my name is rather long.

I changed my navigation bar to the same font Palatino Linotype 32pts and bold.  I then deleted any pages that were unnecessary and I just kept Home, Portfolio, About, and Contact. I also deleted the login box so that no one has to log in to view the site.

I then changed the copyright sign to my name and the correct date and I changed the font to match the font on the page. the copyright lives in the footer and should appear on each page.

I completed a change of background image using my own work and then I cropped the image using the Wix Photo Editor so it fitted correctly onto the page. I then used the preview button to see what the site looked like when published

I then saved all my changes using the save button in the top right-hand corner.

I have now completed my home page, I will be adding the social media links later.  I will use this image for now but I may change this before publication. 

I also looked at my mobile view of my homepage and just adjusted the page to get rid of blank space - this is now much improved. 

Initial Research: Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now & Method Acting

 In my performing arts project this term I will be creating a showreel, therefore I want to explore in my initial research acting methods.  I have chosen to look at Marlon Brando and Apocalypse Now (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as Brando used this acting technique for this epic film. 

Marlon Brando star of The Godfather films, is well known for using method acting. Today states; 'Drawing on inner torment What set Brando apart was the way that technique unleashed his inner conflict. The same qualities that made Brando a world-class actor also made him, by some accounts, a world-class pain.' (TODAY.com, 2004).  Brando used the Stanislavski technique that he learnt as a young actor from his mentor Stella Adler who taught Brando emotional memory 'Adler, argued that the actor’s role was to use emotion to command the attention of the audience as much as possible.' (Kemp, 2022)

Marlon Brando on the set of "Apocalypse Now."

SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES

Method acting can be a gift and a curse, as essentially, the actor, becomes the person they are playing and this scenario went to extremes when Brando played Kurtz in Coppola's Apocalypse Now (Based on Joseph Conrad's book 'Heart of Darkness' (1899).  Coppola's own vision for the character who is lost in the jungles of Vietnam was a "lean and hungry warrior" (Madden, 2022) . Brando had put on a lot of weight and refused to memorise his lines; 'Brando didn’t connect with what Colonel Kurtz..and decided to rewrite his entire character from the ground up..often talking about reformatting the character in his vision. Though they may not have had time to overhaul the entire story, Brando’s plans for Kurtz came entirely from improvised dialogue, often taken from those rambling tangents that happened to be filmed in between takes.' (Coffman, 2023).  The film itself became a nightmare, the budget began at 12 million and became almost 30 million and much of this was Coppola's own money, Coppola faced financial ruin if the film was not completed, and 'the calamitous shoot gave Coppola an epileptic seizure, and on three separate occasions, he threatened to commit suicide' (Madden, 2022) Brando also refused to work with Dennis Hopper who was always high on cocaine and insisted on a continuous supply on these. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack and nearly died probably brought on by the very stressful conditions of the shoot and Coppola's 'manipulative directing style '(Madden, 2022)  Coppola wanted the actors to become the characters he envisioned, however, Brando had resolved to become the character he envisioned and through the method acting of Brando many actors wanted to follow his lead;  'He [Brando] changed the idea of the type of person male actors wanted to be. They to be visceral, not polished; they wanted to be masculine; they wanted to be intense.' (Kemp, 2022).

Apocalypse Now was a metaphor for the times, and this highly intense and now classic film has stood the test of time just as Conrad's Heart of Darkness, I leave you with some words from Conrad:

“I don’t like work--no man does--but I like what is in the work--the chance to find yourself. Your own reality--for yourself not for others--what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means'  (Conrad, 1899: from Bookroo)

References

TODAY.com. (2004). Marlon Brando redefined acting. [online] Available at: https://www.today.com/popculture/marlon-brando-redefined-acting-wbna5354214.[Accessed 26/10/23]

Kemp, S. (2022). How Marlon Brando changed Hollywood acting forever. [online] faroutmagazine.co.uk. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-marlon-brando-changed-hollywood/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Coffman, T. (2023). A Match Made In Hell: Marlon Brando in ‘Apocalypse Now’. [online] faroutmagazine.co.uk. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/a-match-made-in-hell-marlon-brando-in-apocalypse-now/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Madden, C. (2022). The Apocalypse Now Controversy Explained. [online] SlashFilm.com. Available at: https://www.slashfilm.com/783841/the-apocalypse-now-controversy-explained/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

bookroo.com. (n.d.). The 25 Best Heart of Darkness Quotes. [online] Available at: https://bookroo.com/quotes/heart-of-darkness [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Project Sign Off: Uncertain Times

 After considering my ideas I have now signed off my project on 'uncertain times'  This will be a short film using still images.  here is a quick mock-up using one of my images from the sequential work and a stock image of an explosion.  This is the kind of look I will be trying to achieve through my film. 

Please find my Project Sign Off here I will be working on this throughout the term and I will post my project plan in the next post.

Initial Research: Lee Miller The Aftermath of World War II

For my photo/film project I will be creating original photographic images therefore I am looking at the images of Lee Miller, specifically the photographs she took at the end of World War II, as these show the aftermath of war. Lee Miller began as a model and muse of Man Ray but later she also learnt photography and became a prolific and exceptional photographer working for Life and Vogue magazines. 'She started her career as a fashion-model in New York, later moved to Paris to try her hand in fashion and fine-art photography and was then appointed as war photographer on the front-line in world-war II by Vogue on behalf of America.'(Kapoor, 2020)  The image below is shot using natural daylight coming from the large windows.  The image has been taken top down so Miller (the photographer) was probably standing on a staircase looking into the room.  The rule of thirds has clearly been observed with the three bodies coinciding with the points of the golden ratio.  

 Deputy Mayor Ernst Kurt Lisso and his family after committing suicide by cyanide to avoid capture by US troops, 1945 by Lee Miller

In the image above the three high ranking Nazi offers are laid out and Calvocoressi states; 'Leaning back on the sofa is a girl with extraordinarily pretty teeth. waxen and dusty.  Her nurses uniform is sprinkled with plaster from the battle for City Hall (Calvocoressi: 2002:P62)  The aftermath of the final battle is palpable and this is the consequence of defeat shown in poignant detail here in Millers image. The object on the desk show a previous ordered life, the telephone, the stamp paper and pens, an in-tray.  The mayor sits at his desk for the final time and now there is endless darkness. Like the photographic shutter there is a light, a moment and then a moment of complete darkness before the next frame appears, which is never identical to the last. Alllmer argues in her paper that 'Miller composed images that destabilised Nazi iconographies and explored the breakdown of Nazi aesthetic representations.' (Allmer, 2012).  The power of the image was used through propaganda from all side in World War II and now images are so prolific and with social media manipulation of events and 'fake' news has made our times even more uncertain.  

In my own work I will be looking at more research on Lee Miller and her images and I will explore further techniques and skills to inform my own photographic and film work for this project. 

References

Kapoor, M. (2020) Lee Miller: A woman who took 60,000 WWII photographs and also bathed in Hitler’s tub, the day he..., Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/the-collector/lee-miller-a-woman-who-took-60-000-wwii-photographs-and-also-bathed-in-hitlers-tub-the-day-he-b7f04f07c137 (Accessed: 18 October 2023). 

Calvocoressi R. (2002), Lee Miller: Portraits from Life, London, Thames & Hudson.

Allmer, P. (2012) Lee Miller’s revenge on Fascist Culture - Edinburgh Research explorer, University of Edinburgh. Available at: https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/lee-millers-revenge-on-fascist-culture (Accessed: 19 October 2023). 

Major Project: SMART Objective

 After considering my initial ideas and creating a Milanote with intended research I am now ready to write my SMART Objective for my project.  SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

Film Still, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) Directed by Nicholas Roeg. Above David Bowie 

My photographic project this term for Digital Arts will be a short film of no more than three minutes that will incorporate original and stock still photographs to produce a visual narrative. The concept for the film will be 'uncertain times'.  I will use either a voice-over or subtitles to tell the story, in the manner of Chris Marker's Sans Soleil and copyright-free music. I will take the original shots using an Olympus OMD-Mark II DSLR and I will edit the film using Clipchamp.  This will be completed by the beginning of December.

Milanote Board: Photo Story Project

 In this post I will show my Milanote board which I have used to show the research I intend to do that informs my photo/film project and will inform my project sign off meeting.

Milanote: Photo Journey

Please click on the link above for the full-size Milanote!

Major Project: Initial Ideas

 For this term my first idea is that I use photography but I would also like to use some mixed media to create an art collection of between 4-6 images that could be my portfolio for this term. Maurizo Anzeri has good examples of this idea, in this image he has overlaid the Photograph with embroidery creating a strange mask over the woman underneath.  I like the muted colour palette here and this kind of sepia look is a possibility for my own work. 

Angelo,  from the “Let Them Play” series, 2010

Miles, for Dazed and Confused, 2011*

In this image the pink embroidery again really works over the black and white image and actually this image reminded me of Lazslo Moholy Nagy's work, it has a kind of constructivist sensibility to it. 

Laszlo Moholy Nagy, Gelber Kreis (Yellow circle), 1921

Laszlo Moholy Nagy in his studio

My second idea is to create images and turn them into a film a little like Chris Marker so it may be a combination of personal images with stock images - this will create a narrative like La Jetée (1962) - A short movie by Chris Marker or San Soleil.  La Jetee is a science fiction movie that was the basis of Twelve Monkeys, [Terry Gilliam's] '12 Monkeys (1995), his 1995 film inspired by La Jetée, develops Chris Marker’s ideas even further'(Filmicmag, 2015) . Filmicmag states; 'An interesting cinematic spectacle unlike anything I’ve seen recently, the artistry behind Chris Marker’s seminal film, La Jetée, is groundbreaking. Simplistic in scope, yet vastly deep in its subtext, the film is told through a combination of still monochrome images and the voice-over of a man.' (Filmicmag, 2015).  When I first saw this I was in my first year at university and its photographic beauty is astounding.  I would take black and white images and create a story - this can be narrated and/or there could be subtitles.  There is a simplicity to the images but the soul and longing are palpable throughout and it is the stillness of this moving film.

La Jetee by Chris Marker (1962)

Sans Soleil (Sunless) - Chris Marker 1983

San Soleil is an epic that goes around the world a woman narrates the story and talks about the place the people, and the stories, the diegetic sound comes through quieter and louder depending on the place and the colour and life moves through the world, this a moving film rather than photographs but includes still images and the beauty of the stillnesss again comes through and the film covers so much of life war, sex, work, children, life...

I like the idea of moving between the images, feeling life breathe in-between the images, there have been papers on that moment between images, or the moment we press the shutter. I like the ideas here I want to tell a still story that moves through narrative, through time.  

References

Filmicmag (2015) A comparison of 12 Monkeys & La Jetée, Filmic. Available at: https://filmicmag.com/2015/12/29/a-comparison-of-12-monkeys-la-jetee/ (Accessed: 16 October 2023). 

Advertising Research: Gen X & Retro 1980s 2nd Version

 In this post, I am going to look at advertising in relation to Generation X which will link to my advert for the 1980s retro party event. 'Gen X still reads newspapers, magazines, listens to the radio, and watches TV (about 165 hours worth of TV a month). However, they are also digitally savvy and spend roughly 7 hours a week on Facebook' DMUIC (Digital Arts Handout, 2023) In regards to my own advert as I would like to reach my target market I would put advert in a music magazine such as Q, however this has actually closed down now (Savage, 2020) and possible on social media but probably Twitter and Facebook. Magazines have struggled to survive with the rise of online magazines, cost (now a magazine is very expensive as print costs have soared and the covid pandemic meant that now people really relied much more on information online as they could not physically go out.  The editor of Q stated; 'We've been a lean operation for all of my tenure, employing a variety of ways to help keep our head above water in an extremely challenging print market.' (Savage M. 2020)

Q Magazine, David Bowie Issue (2016) 

Forbes magazine askes the question; 'Why is Gen X-centric marketing still missing the mark so badly?' (Wiley, 2022), Wiley reminds us in his article that Gen X are the smallest generation and often we are overlooked.  However, we are at the height of our earning power in our careers and therefore should have money that we want to spend on goods and services that perhaps other generations would struggle to afford and being that we are older we want more luxury items as our tastes have evolved over the years! Wiley states; 'Gen Xers are in their prime spending years, second only to baby boomers in terms of buying power'  (Wiley, 2022).  Therefore considering advertising for Gen X I would use any means available as Gen X will access both traditional and digital media and I do think if adverts were honed to attract them they would be more likely to spend money, Personally as a Gen Xer I am out off by adverts aimed at Gen Z and Y, they do not have what I want and I will spend more time searching for the goods and services that I am willing to spend money on.  

References

DMUIC Digital Arts Handout (2023), Target Market Behaviours, Leicester, DMU

Savage M., Q Magazine to close after 34 years. (2020). BBC News. [online] 20 Jul. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53477377 [Accessed 25 Oct. 2023].

Wiley, D. (2022). Council Post: Here’s How Brands Can Authentically Connect With Gen X. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2022/03/31/heres-how-brands-can-authentically-connect-with-gen-x/. [Accessed 25 Oct 2023].

Advertising Research : The 1980s an the Spending Power of Gen X

 I have been creating an advert for 1980s party for Gen X.  In this post I am going to discuss advertising and marketing to Gen X. 

'Gen X is sandwiched between baby boomers (a traditionally, well, traditional generation) and millennials (a more tech-savvy generation)? This creates an exciting opportunity for omnichannel marketing.' (Kowalewicz 2022) This means that Gen X will look at newspapers, billboards, Facebook (maybe some social media), websites and traditional magazines. 

Photobooth: Hamlet Cigars 1987

My own advert I will be marketing through hopefully the local newspaper, 80s music magazines with the right demographic such as Q or NME, after checking this assumption I discovered that Q magazine is actually closing after 34 years due to a massive drop in sales. 'The magazine's circulation had fallen to 28,000 per month from a peak of 200,000 in 2001.' (Savage, 2020).  This magazine is the music magazine I read when I was younger and appealed to my generation it is unsurprising now that it does not appeal and in physical form as younger people consume only online and due to the expense of magazines and newspapers less and less Gen X are buying them or with less frequency due to cost. 'The cost-of-living crisis will be very tricky for the magazine publishing market to navigate given magazines will likely be considered by many to be a luxury, non-essential item. As of September 2022, the cost of living crisis led 32% of magazine readers to cancel a magazine subscription.'(UK Magazines 2023)

The advert I created contains an images of Axel Rose from Guns and Roses who were at the height of their power and in 1987 'Appetite for Destruction' sold 30 million copies (2021).  Using this group also helped with the Halloween theme as the group are edgy and would be known by Gen Xers everywhere.  I went to a Gun and Roses concert recently and the audience were mostly of my own age and possibly millennials.  

The advert I have created I do think will appeal to my audience both in concept and in placement of the advert.  

References

Lewis, D. (no date) Gen X marketing + selling strategies (2022): BigCommerce, The BigCommerce Blog. Available at: https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/gen-x-marketing/ (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Kowalewicz, R. (2022) Council post: Three tips for marketing to Generation X, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/05/12/three-tips-for-marketing-to-generation-x(Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Savage, M. (2020) Q magazine to close after 34 years, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53477377 (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

UK magazines Market Report - Market Size, Forecast & Growth (2023) Mintel Store. Available at: https://store.mintel.com/report/uk-magazines-market-report (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Ebersole, B. (2023) 13 facts about guns N’ roses, Facts.net. Available at: https://facts.net/history/people/13-facts-about-guns-n-roses/ (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Guns N’ roses album sales (2021) BestSellingAlbums.org. Available at: https://bestsellingalbums.org/artist/5051 (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Final Advert: Halloween Soiree

 This is my final advert...

I really enjoyed making this advert, it is fun and I think the message is clear.  I wanted to remove the background from the logo but as I used a logo maker it would have taken ages as there were no layers and removing the background on Photoshop using quick action removed much of the text as it could not recognise the difference between the background and the writing.  with more time I would have made it from scratch on Photoshop but with time it had the right look and message and I liked the slogan 'Art to Die For!' on the brand.  The image that I created on Photofunia I thought worked well and kept to my plan of using muted and limited colour palette.  I do think the poster has impact and works and the final result within the timeframe is a good achievement. 

Creating an Advert: Final Process for 80s Halloween Event

 Now I have created my plan and the digital assets I need I will create the final advert using Pixlr as we did in practice.

I began by opening Pixlr E and clicking on Create New, I then went to 'Print' on the dialog box and then A$ as this was the size specified in the advert brief. I then added a title and a black background so I then had a canvas, I also rotated the page to landscape orientation by clicking on Page and then page rotation c/w. 

I then opened my Axel image as I felt this was the best image from my assets and it is landscape so it kept within my plan 

I then selected all by clicking on select and then selecting all from the top menu and then I went edit and the copy and then I clicked back to canvas and clicked on edit and then paste.  As there was some black edge once I had used the transform controls and placed the image I just cropped it very slightly for a clean edge. 

I then opened my logo by clicking on file open image and uploaded the logo I created.  I then went to select all, edit, copy, and then clicked back to the canvas, and went to edit, paste, and then just used the move tool to position the logo.

I then added my text layers for the information on the party - so I clicked on the text tool in the left-hand tool menu and added two text layers.  I changed the font to 'Easterica' and the top title I made this 125pts and changed the colour to a kind of zombie green to match the dark green foliage of the trees.  The address at the bottom was the same font and color at 74pts.

I then checked the image for quality and made sure I was happy with the layout and then I exported the image as a png and saved it as jpg as well so I had two good quality copies to add to my blog as my  final poster!

Creating an Advert: Ideas, Planning & Digital Assets

As Halloween is coming up I thought I might create an advert for something that is Halloween-related so here are a few ideas: 

• A Halloween Art Exhibition
• A Halloween Movie Night
• A Costume Party for Gen X (The 80s live!) 

I looked at some other adverts just to get some further ideas...

Beav Arts, Brighton (2023)

The above advert I like the monster image and the font used for Beavarts - the poster works quite well but looks a little like it may be for children and so the target market here is not quite what I am after.

Godmachine: Flood Gallery (2019)

The Godmachine is perhaps more what I was thinking of with my own ideas - this is definitely for adults and actually looks like a great event for Halloween time. 

Halloween Movie Poster original

This is just an original movie poster for Halloween and I actually like this advert the most as I really do think the black and white looks great, the use of rule of thirds is very well done here and the image is really simple and striking.

Halloween Movie Night 

The above poster works but I actually think it is too silly and too colourful so although its message is clear I really don't like this!

Halloween Costume Party

I like the muted and limited colour palette - like the black and white this appeals and the image is striking with a clear message.  

After looking at these posters I think I definitely want a limited colour palette or black and white.  I will do the Gen X (1965-1980) costume party, as I understand this market as this is my own age group, I want it to appeal to both men and women. I need a good name and tagline and a brand/logo so who is holding the party with the party information.  

I will now do a quick sketch of my initial design and upload this so I can think about the layout and plan my outcome clearly. One of my favourite things to do is to visit the graves of my favourite dead artistsso I will call this 'The Dead Artists' Collective'  

I want three faces coming out of the gloom 80s but decayed and ghostly, limited colour palette, possibly using that pinky/purple of the poster above and black and white.and a small logo with a skeleton and easel for the dead artists collective brand.  I think I want it to be landscape orientation.  I will have a play with this though.

I then began thinking about my favourite 80s pop stat and so I started with Adam Ant, I found this image and then used Photofunia to halloweenise!

I quite liked this look so I think I may create a few more of these of 80s pop stars for my concept advertisement for the 80s event!

I have used here Annie Lennox and Axel Rose!

I then created my logo on the Free Logo design Maker we used in practice

The name of my brand is The Dead Artists Collective and I liked the slogan 'Art to Die For!'

I now have created all my digital assets, in my next post I will create the final advert.

Creating an Advert: Class Practice

 Today we discussed adverts in class and looked at different types of adverts and how they were laid out out, who the target market was and how they used logos and branding.  This was to help us think about how we could make our own advert.  

So we had a practice and we made a animal sanctuary advert - I looked at some other advert - here is an example below.

Example Donkey Sanctuary Advert 

For my own advert I followed this process.  I began by choosing a donkey image that I felt had impact from Unsplash

This was the image I choose. 

I then opened Pixlr E and clicked on Create New

I then created a canvas by clicking on 'print' and then A4 in the dialog box and I choose a white background

I then need to open the image I downloaded from unsplash of my donkey's so I clicked on 'File' then 'open' and then the image opens in a new window on Pixlr.

I then used the top menu went to Select and the Select all, then I went copy and then I clicked on the tab for my canvas and clicked paste, so my image appear in the canvas, I then used used the transform controls to adjust the size.

I went to the free logo maker freelogodesign.com

I then added the name of my brand/company and the logomaker gave me lots of options to customise which I did very quickly on the free maker.  I then downloaded as png so that I could add to my advert.

I then opened the logo on Pixlr by going to file, open and logo - again I selected all and then copied and pasted onto my canvas. 

I then moved logo into place using transform controls I placed it in the left hand corner and I adjusted the size to make it slightly bigger.

Lastly I added Text as I needed a tagline and where people could donate to my charity. I clicked on Text in tools menu, I created new text layer I used Adolfini font for the tagline and Veranda for the website so that it stood more for donation.  

Once I was happy with the text and the placement I then went to file, export as png 

My final advert looks like this!

Reflection: I enjoyed making this advert, I believe it is simple and effective and I liked the donkey image as I did think it had impact.  The logo I would have played with this for longer if I had more time and would have made the background transparent.  I would also improve my tagline and fonts if I was creating this again.