class notes 3/31

Remember to revise your projects and post the revised pieces to your blog by Thursday! Start drafting your webpage through sketches in photoshop or illustrator, as we are going to be working on our websites next class!

One of the advanced digital art students, Nemesis Zambrano, is starting a new media and design club, sponsored by Prof Friebele. She is trying to get it started as an official club before the end of the semester, and is looking for students interested to start up the club or be in the exec board. If you are interested, email her at nkzambrano@smcm.edu. Right now she's planning to do a meeting on a Thursday around 8pm (but not tonight!) to start organizing it. If you really enjoy this class you should come out and help!

satellite art

Satellite Art: One Woman Tries to Create Google Earth Murals

I find this article useful and relevant for all of us as we try to create work which is related to and shown on the interconnected web--our work is "satellite painting" even as we work differently in medium.

Also, there are always unknown elements in the work--Dilworth had no clue that she wouldn't get on Google Earth for such a long time, during which her murals faded and for her, were less effective as an artwork. It's always good to see that sometimes, our concept doesn't work out, it doesn't read the way we hoped it will, or something in the process diminishes the final product. Do you think that the work is still as effective as a concept, or do you think it "failed"?

class notes 3/24

Cropping and Resizing:

file->document setup allows you to alter the size and shape of your artboard (which controls what prints in your document!) make sure you are working in INCHES (42 x 24 inches max)

to RESIZE your artwork: unlock all your layers, then hit SELECT ALL (command+A) and hold SHIFT as you drag to resize the artwork

To block out undesired extra parts of your art and trim it, we are going to MASK it. grab a rectangle shape, and place it over the part of your art which you want. Then, select all, and go to Object->Clipping Mask->Make

To make a Tiff:

File->Export and save as a TIFF (print quality)

Or, if it is too large, import in Photoshop, and then save it as a TIFF

No Class on Tuesday (Advising Day!) so project 2 will be due in one week on THURSDAY MARCH 31. Post the project to your blog! (as a jpg for screen quality, not the TIFF)

Your SELF ASSESMENT is also due on Bb, or printed out

And you should have had two artist posts on your blog since the last critique!

I will be the the mac lab a lot this weekend, and hopefully on Tuesday as well. If you need any help or want me to come in to meet with you, give me an e-mail! I will be around all weekend.

class notes 3/22

Hey all!

There are a few art events this week! Tomorrow at 4:45 in Boyden Gallery, Mary Early will be introducing the All-Student Art Show! There will be free food and a chance to mill about and see all the awesome work students here have been creating.
Then at 8pm in Cole Cinema tomorrow, Gabriella Bulisova will be presenting on her photojournalistic work, which is currently showing in upper Monty.

Keep on working on your self-portraits, they are due in a week and a half!

(Also of note is the Thomas Rowe scholarship, which is due April 4th! Unfortunately they are not accepting digital work in the portfolios, but most traditional media are accepted)

Live Trace Button:
this is the "cheat button" when you select a photographic image, at the top is "live trace".
Live trace options allows you to choose the number of colors and simplify objects down. it's good to use and then edit for fancy backgrounds and such! Or if you want to pull an object out of a background, etc.

class notes 3/10

Remember the all-student art show submissions are due today and tomorrow! You can turn them into the gallery tomorrow from 11am-3pm! Enjoy your spring break and come back ready to make some digital work!!! After break we will have a combined class, advising day, then the critique for the project!

Also: submit your art to Avatar, the literary magazine! images can be in color, preferably 300 dpi!

email:

avatar at smcm.edu

kemcafee at smcm.edu

class notes 3/8

text is visual as well as your choice of font changes how it is read or understood

text can be placed in your image as a cohesive element in the image--the text can be part of written content, but also a visual element through size, shape, font, etc!

Notice how these different fonts convey different meaning--some fonts have a certain "brand", which is definitely something people consider when designing text for products.

(fun fact: comic sans got its name because it is used for comics traditionally! and some comic artists have stopped using comic sans because it's so mainstream and has a juvenile connotation)

Text in Illustrator:

Type Tool (T)

-you can also type on a path, or type within a shape in the submenus here

-Type menu allows you to preview fonts, create outlines (to edit individual points on a typeface

-when selecting a piece of text, type tool allows you to edit the text--direct selection tool allows you to treat text as an object

class notes 3/3

a couple notes from today:

eraser tool divides a shape into individual shapes/paths, not erasing pixels like photoshop

Effects:

3D-

-extrude and bevel is where we created 3D objects and in the "map symbol" option allows us to put symbols on the 3D shapes

-revolve-spins shape in space (360 degrees!)

-rotate-moves the object and allows us to see it in perspective

Warp- these objects are similar to photoshop warp effects

SVG Filters- filters and effects to apply to your shapes! very nice for things like hair, shadows, etc

Photoshop Effects live here as well

To create a symbol out of an object:

select your object, then go to your "symbols" tab, next to the trash can icon is an option to "create new symbol" (make sure you set it as a graphic!)

Rotate Tool (R)

Scale tool (S)-not only resizes but you can flip the object!

Warp Tool (Shift +R) is nice for organically moving the edges of the shape

HW: Just keep working on your projects!

Class notes 3/1

Make sure you're saving your files as Adobe Illustrator (*.ai)

To put the image on your blog, go to save for web and devices, or export it as a *.jpg

If you want some inspiration for vector art, here is the Deviantart vector section!

Here are some images from Waking Life, so many different styles!

Shepard Fairey's Obama:

What Shepard Fairy says about street art often can be applied to digital art, in my opinion! What do you think?

Finally, the Kuler website to play with color schemes!

HW: Work on tracing your portrait!!

You should all think about submitting artwork to the All-student show!! You can submit up to 5 pieces, and submission forms are in the gallery!