April 1st Class

To Do List:

1.Project Calendar Update and Review
2. Flickr site invite an posting wallpaper design and patterns

• scale
  
• contrast
  
• frame crop
  
• form
  
• texture
  

Make sure you know how to load images to Flickr
Adobe Illustrator Intro

• setup document- project 01 7x7 square, Black and White ONLY!
  
• interface and palettes
  
• arrow selection tools
  
• pen tool- points handles
  
• type tool
  
• outlining type to make it an object
  
• object selection properties
  
• cutting lines and points
  
• joining points
  
• page crop and printing
  

HomeWork:

1. Work on Wallpaper Designs [refer to project description, 7"x7"]
   
2. Join Flickr- make account and upload your our patterns jpeg found on internet
   
3. Make sure you know how to post to Flickr !
   
4. Post 2-3 Pattern designs to the PSU120 Flickr group site
   
5. Print out at least one pattern to hang up for Monday as a show and tell.
   

How our Labs work

I have placed in the Art 120 Handout folder a PDF document called " How our labs work.doc" that covers the Lab policy and printing policy. Please review this document.

Welcome Back! It's Spring term.

Happy Spring everyone.

This is the ART 120 Computer Graphics for Art and Design course Blog. Please refer to this Blog for daily and weekly class announcements, scheduling, and projects descriptions. 

Adjustments to projects and scheduling do occur during a term for unforeseen events. I will always document these changes on this course BLOG.

I have also made a course Flickr account that everyone can post final projects on. 

The link is: 

Projects Overview

Adobe Illustrator

1. Wallpaper Pattern from Letterforms
Make four final customized wallpaper designs out of type letterforms through constructing, deconstructing, and customizing  letterforms from selected fonts.

Objectives: Illustrator vector drawing tools and attributes, drawing in the digital environment, pattern design visual language.

2. Design History Postcard Exchange

A designer from design history will be assigned to each student and through applicable research, each student will create and design a postcard (or postcards) highlighting the designer's work. Students must create original illustration inspired by assigned designer for the front of the card. The back will have a short description written . They must print a set of cards and then they will exchange with each other. 

Objectives: Research, design history, printing, production, craft, illustration work/rendering, beginning type basics.

3.A  Logo recreation exercise
You will be give four logos and you must recreate them in illustrator. For each logo that you recreate, you
must outline the steps you used to recreate the logo (be able to show and explain what you did...take a minimum of four progress screen shots - you can't just scan and live trace the logos!) Try to simplify
shapes/paths/points/ etc. as much as possible so that the logo's color is easily modifed later.

3.B  Presentation

Present work from 3A to class. Learn how to make a digital presentation and speak to the class.
PowerPoint? PDF’s?

Objectives: Articulation of form, process and work realized. Speaking skills.

WebTools

We will be covering these tools during the term.

1.  Connecting to Art Server
2. Flickr account
3. Blog
- place for process documentation
- using online web tools to build your a blog, making links, uploading photos and more

Adobe PhotoShop 

1. In-class Photoshop Kick start projects:
1. Potato Head- Basic selection tools
2. Rubber Duckie- Pen tool selection
3. Sit Dog, Sit- Channel tool
4. Green Photos suck! – Color correction skills

2. Photoshop Composite Project
Select one of the following project One or Two

1. Composite a Creature
In the vein of the cryptozoology, create a monster from other animals. Use at least three different animals to take parts from. Use the channels and path tools to make your selections.

2. Composite a self-portrait/landscape using the methods of the artist David Hockney
Make and take your own photographs. The more you make the better- more visually interesting.
Think about changing your point of view and perspective while shooting. Also consider shooting just an object and trying to get many perspectives while shooting then composite them together.
Color/image alter the original images. Concept for portrait.

3. Heraldic Logo

Design a logo based on Heraldy. 
Heraldy definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldry

This projects focuses on logo creation from analog drawing to digital realization. Making hand drawings in a scketch book, scan in sketches, 

Objectives: Working from Photoshop and Illustrator, 

Ideas for working analog then redrawing http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/how-to-design-a-classic-heraldic-figure/#more-1420


4. Film Strip Animation
-make a time based sequencing, animation, drawing tools, type tools, photos, stop motion

Catalog Course Description

Computer Graphics for Art and Design is an introduction to computer graphics as a technical and creative medium for art and design. Concurrent enrollment in lecture, lab, and studio is required. Lectures introduce concepts of vector and raster graphics, including digital type, image and device resolution, electronic color theory, file formats, and digital print technologies. Labs assist with fluency in computer graphics applications. Studios apply concepts and applications to creative projects. Prerequisites: Art 115, 116.

• Vector versus raster graphics
• Digital type and type technologies
• Foundation skills in vector graphics: drawing, painting, tracing, transformations, layers, and layout
• Typographic composition and customization
• Image scanning and preparation
• Construction of logos and illustrations
• Image and device resolution
• Electronic color theory
• Foundation skills in raster graphics: masking, painting, layering, image adjustment, transformations, filters, and image modes
• Vector and raster file formats and image compression
• Digital print technologies
• Integrating vector and raster graphics environments

Course Calendar

Week One

March 3- First Day of Class

1. introductions
   
2. read Course Blog together
   
3. read Project Descriptions
   
4. create individual blog accounts and send URL to Michelle
   
5. collect e-mail addresses
   
6. printing policy and labs
7. ODIN account info
8. art server
9. font folder + loading 

April 01

Project Calendar Update and Review
Flickr site invite an posting wallpaper design and patterns

• scale
  
• contrast
  
• frame crop
  
• form
  
• texture
  

Make sure you know how to load images to Flickr

Adobe Illustrator Intro 

• setup document- project 01 7x7 square,  Black and White  ONLY!
  
• interface and palettes
  
• arrow selection tools
  
• pen tool- points handles
  
• type tool
  
• outlining type to make it an object
  
• object selection properties
  
• cutting lines and points
  
• joining points
  
• page crop and printing
  

Work In-class! Start those Patterns!

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Week Two

April 06

Review tools and Q/A

Technical Demo

Work In-class on Patterns

Today will look at first round of pattern designs and talk about them. We will focus on our vocabulary usage and visual elements of the patterns and composition.

• Contrast 
  
• Figure Ground Relationship
  
• Scale
  
• Line weights
  
• Frame
  

Illustrator tools continued:

• What are layer and how can I use them to be organized and more efficient?
  
• Crop tool
  
• Pathfinder Palette
  
• scissors- cutting points
  
• joining points
  
• repeat effect tool- cool!
  

Has everyone uploaded a JPEG to the flickr 120 site?

Homework:
Work on patterns Critique in on Wednesday! Have four of your best designs.

April 08

Critique Project 01 wallpaper pattern and design

From the critique use suggestions to make improvements and make your final hand-in by posting to your Blog and the Flickr 120 group site. Please post on your blog the panels shown for the in-class critique and then post again your reworking the patterns with comments /suggestions that you were given and revision you made. 

Hand-out Designers to students for the next project. Do research over the weekend and post research on the designer on your Blog.
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Week Three

April 13

Technical Demo: 

Scanning Images/Device

Resolution

File formats

Photoshop to Illustrator

Tracing tool 

Work In-Class on Postcard

April 15

Technical Demo

Work In-class on Postcard
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Week Four

April 20

Critique Project 02 Design History postcard and exchange

From the critique use suggestions to make improvements and make your final hand-in by posting to your Blog and the Flickr 120 group site. Please post on your blog the postcard shown for the in-class critique and then post again your reworking the patterns with comments /suggestions that you were given and revision you made. 

hand out logos for recreation and groups

April 22

Work In-class on logo recreation

Technical Demos as needed for project
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Week Five

April 27

Technical Demo for Presentation and preparing graphics

Work In-class on logo recreation

April 29

Presentations for Project 03: logo recreation

This is Mid-Term.

I will be giving you a Mid-Term grade for Projects 1-3 Illustrator projects.

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Week Six: Adobe PhotoShop

May 04

In-Class Assignment: Potato Head + Rubbie Duckie

May 06

In-Class Assignment: Sit, Dog, Sit + Green Photos suck!

Select project one or two for the Photoshop Composite and let Michelle know!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Week Seven

May 11

Work In-class on Composite Project

May 13

Work In-class on Composite Project
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Week Eight

May 18 

Critique Composite Project

Start Heraldic Logo

May 20

Work-In Class on Heraldy
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Week Nine

May 25 Holiday No Class

May 27

Show and tell stop motion animations

Animation Demo

Work Day!!
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Week Ten

June 01

Work day!!

June 03 No class due to Sophomore Portfolio Review
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Week Eleven- Final Exam Week

June 08 

We will have class at our Regular schedule time. Final Critique for Heraldic Logo

and Film Strip Show.

June 09 - Final Hand-In Date

Please have your Blog updated with your final work and comments about your idea and process fo each project

IMPORTANT DATES:

Sophomore Portfolio Review Dates
June 03 - 04

Final Exam Week
June 8-13

Grading Policy

Each project is worth 10 pts. There are 10 final projects which total 100 points. Your attendance will be the last factor that will not change you grade if you follow the grading policy requirement or points will be subtracted from your total project grades.
We will have in-class assignments during the photoshop section of the course. The assignments are required to be completed and handed in. They will not be graded but I will be giving a check or "x" if the assignments are not handed in. If there are any "x" or missing assignments a 2 point deduction will occur in your final grade.

1. Blog Process Log
   
2. Flickr uploads of final design for each project
   
3. project 01 wallpaper design
   
4. project 02 Design History Postcard
   
5. projects 03 A  Logo Redraw
   
6. project 03 B Presentation
   
7. project 04- web tools
   
8. projects 05 composite
   
9. project 06 Heraldic logo
   
10. project 07  film strip
    
11. attendence
    

Supplies

Storage

You are require to have a personal storage device. Either a USB flash drive or better yet, a removable external drive. If you plan to be a Design major, an external drive will be needed. The external hard disk should have both USB and Firewire connection. The disc speed should also be 7200 rpm. 

Digital Camera

We will be making our own images. Please have access to a digital camera. Your cell phone camera does not count because the image resolution is too low.

Textbooks/Tutorials

I do not require a textbook or manuals. I do however, want you to take responsibility for your own learning. If you think learning w/ a supplement manual as a reference guid while learning then, please buy yourself a textbook. There is also an online Adobe reference manual which is a free resource. Look under the Help category while working in Adobe software. The are also online tutorials that can be accessed by doing a search in a search engine. Some tutorial resources are free and some charge a fee.

Suggested textbook:
PhotoShop and Illustrator CS3 Classroom In A Book, are available in the labs for students to checkout. There and many other manuals in bookstores and Amazon. Keep in mind that manuals have a very short shelf life because manuals are updated every year.

Tutorials

----------------------
psdtuts.com - free and fee based

vectortuts.com- free

lynda.com- fee based

Attendance Policy

Class Attendance is essential to do well in this course. We will be covering a lot of technical and theoretical information. As a result, attendance is mandatory. Arriving late, leaving early or failing to attend class will directly effect your grade as described below. Students are allowed one excused absence during the term to allow for illness or personal circumstances. If four classes are missed, an automatically F [=failure] will be given. This does not mean you are allowed to miss three.

One absence= Allowed
Two absences= 5 pts off final grade [half a letter]
Three absences= 10 pts off final grade [one full letter]
Late Arrivals = 2.5 pts off