Monday, January 16, 2017

ASSIGNMENT 3: Cut & Paste: Digital Collage Poster Design Theme



To get a better understanding of how the Adobe Software works (Illustrator/Photoshop) this assignment allows you to cut and paste images you find in magazines/photos/web/original images and combine those into a 12x18 digital collage to be printed.This simple design process will allow you to understand the software of your choice while also designing a contemporary image that could be art in it'self.


Here are some past student designs using photoshop:



















The collages below are from archival advertisements and throughout the history of collage design:




Size: 12x18
Media: Photoshop/Illustrator/Printed Materials
Printed for Critique
Influences:  You should be able to name a particular artist/designer who influenced your design.
That means some research into the artist of your choosing. Your design can still remain unique to your own point of view and artistic vision but you should have at least investigated an artist/designer who might have given you new insight into the collage process.

You could even use magazines/paper/printed materials and cut out images first and then scan them as a printed digital file. Think outside the creative box on this.

Theme: Choose a theme of your own choice that might apply itselt to the images you find and digitally collage to the format. All themes are open to you. Think of something you wish to say using found imagery (photos and type included) and then take a look at the history of collages in art.

It could be a portrait or landscape or something that is of concern to you like saving the environment, time change, religion, sexuality, politics or even some subject that might seem controversial. Experiement in visually telling a story through cut/paste method.

Due Date: TBA


A Cut-Down History of Collage

"Collage is the twentieth century's greatest innovation." — Robert Motherwell

"After Picasso and Georges Braque, collage became the most consequential visual-art form of the twentieth century." — Peter Schjeldahl

While artists have been layering images and incorporating autonomous elements into their work since the advent of paper, collage truly emerged as a medium in its own right in the early years of the 20th century with the Cubist experiments of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The duo coined the term “collage” (from the French verb “coller,” meaning “to glue” or “to stick”) to describe works composed from pasted pieces of colored paper, newsprint, and fabric, considered at the time to be an audacious intermingling of high and low culture. It revolutionized modern art.

Whereas the artists’ earlier Cubist phase, known as “Analytic Cubism,” was comprised of paintings that fragmented the world into a series of basic lines and curves, this later period of “Synthetic Cubism” involved combining fragments of various materials to create a new whole. In Picasso’s iconic Still Life With Chair Caning (1912), perhaps the most famous work of this period, the artist playfully renders a tabletop still life by incorporating everyday elements like newspaper and rope, as well as a trompe-l’oeil piece of mass-produced oilcloth printed with a chair-caning pattern.

Inspired by Cubist experiments, artists associated with Dada—particularly the movement’s Berlin branch—began incorporating collage techniques into their work. Hannah Hoch, Richard Huelsenbeck, John Heartfield, and others pioneered the technique of photomontage, using preexisting photographs, often drawn from mass-media sources, to create composite images that sharply critiqued German society and culture in the aftermath of World War I.

Drawing on the foundations of Dada, neo-avant-garde artists of the 1950s like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns created assemblages that brought collage techniques into three dimensions—laying the groundwork for much contemporary sculpture—as well as works on paper that incorporated found elements drawn from the mass media and everyday life. Likewise, the incorporation of materials and images culled from mass culture and consumer goods was a signature of Pop art, exemplified by collage-based works like British artist Richard Hamilton’s Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956), which ironically parodied the lifestyles peddled in advertising through the direct inclusion of its imagery.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

ASSIGNMENT TWO: The Peachtree Road Race Tshirt Design

 Here's a great first project for all of us to work on that involves a client, The Atlanta Track Club and The Peachtree Road Race. (great client-related project that you can put on your resume as well.)

We'll work on this project for a few classes and then finish up on Wednesday January 25th. Everyone is expected to create from 1-3 designs and enter their concepts. This does several things for you and one being that it gives notice to YHC and the art program as well as getting your work out in front of professionals. 

Research what has been done in the past. Think of what kind of Tshirt you would most want to wear yourself and then design one that encompasses all the aspects of running as well as city pride in the event itself. It's an international event and one that deserves a great design.  Go for it!

 Critique: Thursday January 26th.

AJC Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt Design Contest

Each year students, professional designers and amateur creatives enter the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt design competition in hopes of having their artwork be the one that graces the front of 60,000 AJC Peachtree Road Race finisher T-shirts. The winning designer receives $1000, and the four runners up, $100 each. 
Entries Accepted: 12:01 a.m. November 30 - 11:59 p.m. February 10
Voting Period: February 22 - March 22
Winner Announced: July 4
Official contest rules can be found at:
http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/event-information-peachtree-t-shirt-design-contest-rules
http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/t-shirt-finalists

Entrants may submit up to three designs.




One of the most celebrated aspects of the AJC Peachtree Road Race is the finisher’s T-shirt. Since its inception at the second running of the race in 1971, the T-shirt has been highly coveted by those who complete the race (and in the early years, it was limited to only the top finishers). Since 1995, students, professional designers and amateur creatives have entered the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt Design Contest in hopes of having their artwork be the one that graces the front of the 60,000 shirts. Public voting determines the winning design, which is not revealed until the first finisher crosses the AJC Peachtree Road Race finish line on July 4.
The race itself holds a slightly different meaning and significance for every one of us, but one common thread that runs throughout is the patriotism, tradition and sense of community that it brings to Atlanta on July 4 each year. The T-shirt Design Contest offers an opportunity for entrants to provide a visual representation of their interpretation of the race. The five finalists for 2016 were chosen in early February among all of the design submissions by a panel of judges. While each design is different, they all provide a symbolic tribute to the race.
Public voting to determine the winning design takes place on www.AJC.com/peachtree from February 22 until March 22. Limit one vote per day.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

How to Download Fonts from the web for Free and use at your discretion

Can't find a font you like? Try downloading other fonts from the web.

www.1001freefonts.com
www.fontspace.com
www.dafont.com


  1. Locate the font that you want to use. It's important to note that the font must be complete, with bold, italics and other special characters, for it to be recognized by Adobe Illustrator.
  2. Image titled Add Fonts to Illustrator Step 2
    2
    Download the font onto your computer. If it's not already located on your computer, download it now, and save it to a location you can find easily. Most font files downloaded from the internet are sent in compressed form.


    Unpack your font. After downloading, unzip the font file and save it in the correct location on your computer. This location will differ if you are using Windows or Mac operating systems.
    • On Windows OS, right-click the downloaded font and click "Install".
    • On Mac OS, double-click the downloaded font which will cause Font Book to open and display the font so you can preview it, click "Install" to finish the process.
    • Restart Illustrator. Newly installed fonts will show in the font menu after the application has been restarted, and the fonts loaded into the font library.

Blog Assignments: Weekly Blog Assignments that you shouild complete by the Due Dates Posted

These are outside assignments and should be completed week by week.

Everyone should have an online site for the semester. 
It's sort of a safe deposit box where you will store the work you do during this class plus other things you wish to view

As part of outside assignments for this class, each week you will be asked to complete the following assignments on your design links/blogs/tumblr/etc. They are designed to make you think about your present role as a design major. These should be done weekly. The dates are listed for start dates.
We will go over these in class from time to time for discussions about your profession.



WEB ASSIGNMENTS:
These are weekly assignments that I’m asking everyone to complete and put on your individual blogs/websites/tumblrs. You should also be putting your own work and process on the blogs.  What you are thinking about or doing or seeing in and out of class.   

Blog Assignments:

Week One: Due: JANUARY 23TH

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Find some of your favorite and least favorite art/designs from the web. It might be print, film, or mixed media.
Post those and if you wish you can write why you like/hate them. It's all about discovering your discerning eye for art and design.  Commericals that disturb you....logos that are ugly or overrated...Fashion photographs that are appealing to you....Advertisements that actually do their job, etc.

Week Two: Due
JANUARY 30TH
Influences:
Who inspires you? What inspires you?
Where time of day do you find to be the most creative? In class or outside of class?
How do you define art/design? Is it still considered Visual communication or is it larger now?
Identify contemporary designs that influence and inspire you.
This might be video, print, multimedia and all faucets of visual communication that could even include stage design, exhibition design, costuming, theatre, photography, fine art, stage design, broadcast design.

Week Three: Due FEBRUARY 6th

What You Collect:
Find any type of artistic/design work that truly inspires you as an artist and designer. There are no limits here. Be specific. It might be work you aspire to or work you find confusing and yet appealing. Could be film, poetry, artwork, celebrity, spiritual, social, etc.

Week Four: Due FEBRUARY 13TH

Best in T-Shirt/Fashion Design:
Put up some of your favorite T-Shirt designs from your own collection or those you find on the web or in print that you would consider works of art. (your definition of that.)
You might even want to create some designs for yourself with a specific theme in mind.
If you were going to design a YHC Art Department T-shirt what would it be?

Week Five: Due FEBRUARY 20TH
Complete this sentence:
“Each week I feel as though I must check in with...”
This again relates to what are your habits as an artist. It might be someone, someplace or something that keeps you coming back for encouragement or gives your renewed energy to continue creating.
Share those places you feel you must visit every week to stay in touch with art, design, business, etc.


Week Six: Due FEBRUARY 27TH
Music/ Band Design and Music:
Compilation of your favorite Album/Music artwork (CD) and why you love them. It could videos you love as well.
Try and figure out why you like what you like in music.

Week Seven:Due MARCH 13TH
Best Designed Places/Museums/Restaurants/Clubs/Architecture:
Post some of your most favorite logos and architecture designs from Restaurants, Clubs, Museums, Churches, Organizations, etc.

Week Eight:Due MARCH 20
Social Media Do's and Don'ts:
What are the apps that you follow/participate with and why. How many times per week do you post pics or "likes" and what is it about social media you "like" and what drives you nuts.

Week Nine:Due MARCH 27
Favorite Movie Openings/Videos
Post some of your most favorite movie trailers/TV show openings, or videos that you like and be able to tell why you like them.

The YHC Sketchbook Project: Independent Final Exam Project

The YHC Sketchbook Project

A spread from my own sketchbook project about Youth


The YHC Sketchbook Project:
Each of you are receiving a 24-page black 8.5 x5.5 paperback sketchbook. This will be due at the end of the semester. 
It will be your final project for the semester. You've got all semester. Don't wait until the last day to complete it.
There should be a THEME that runs throughout the sketchbook.

These sketchbooks will be viewed by everyone in class and also displayed in the cases in the art department on the 2nd floor. You will also receive a grade. You should have more than enough time to fill the entire book.
Single-page sketches or Double-page spread sketches. It could even be one continuous sketch throughout that somehow is like an accordion fold when opened.  Think what you can do with this book.
Any media is acceptable. Any method of inclusion is acceptable. It should be on a topic/theme that inspires you. I will provide some themes as well if you want to choose from them.
You can take the book apart and run it through the printer or use collage materials or run it through the sewing machine.

It could contain “pop up” images, silkscreened images, gate folds, die cuts, or more conventional image making like pen, pencil, & watercolor. The sky is the limit.  Creativity is the goal.

SPECS:
The book MUST be returned back to me in it’s original shape and size. No larger and no smaller and no heavier. You cannot add or delete pages to it. If you glue, staple, collage materials to it then it should still retain it’s 2D flat shape with possible width and weight.  
Again, the size and shape must be the same when you return it.
Every page must be acknowledged which means no blank pages unless you are seeking spatial or compositional qualities that one side of the page can lend to another side.  For drama or focus. In the end, the book must fit back into it’s acetate envelope.
You could also quite possibly create a new front/back cover if you want using a different type of paper or material. You can change all the cover paper stock if you wish. Maybe it’s cover is made of wood or cloth or mylar wood or any other substrate that will join your thematic approach.
It’s Art serving Art with a purpose.
*I would ask that before all the books are collected that you make a digital copy for yourself. Flat Double-page spreads of the entire book. I would encourage you to even put these pages up on your blogs for posterity.

Again, here are the specifics of the project:
1.  Sketchbooks MUST have a Theme or Topic. You should indicate the theme somehow inside the book.
2.  The name of designer and the Theme/Topic should be listed on the last page of the sketchbook (not the inside back cover but the last page someplace.)
3.  Each Designer should “sign and date” the sketchbook on the last page near their name.
4.  Whatever you wish to do inside the book (and the covers) is fine as long as it returns itself to me at midterm.  (size/scale)
 
That’s it.  No get to work and have fun.
Photography, illustrations, typography, posters, doodles, collage, mixed media, painted images, die cuts, pop ups, stamps, embossed images, printed images, printmaking, etc.  Just be creative.
Possible Themes:
Youth, Vote, Loyalty, Courage, Truth, Friend, Aging, Death,Acceptance, Safe, Peace, War, Industry, Work, Academic, Play,
Native, Homo, Native, Path, Injustice, Sex, Tolerance, Native, Safety, Tolerance, Spirituality, Fashion, Political, Cooking, Explore, Seashore, Foreplay, Language, Chemistry, Hunting, Touch, Secret, DYI, Hashtag, Beauty, Sexuality, Experience, Kiss, Plunder, Nomad, Unity, Survival, Open, Catatonic, Memory, Investigate, Senses, Dilemma, Passion, Naked, Compass, Beach, Mountains, Music,Poetry, Touch, Catastrophic, Divorce, Lonely, Flirt, Theatre, etc. 

It'll be fun so just relax and experiment and have fun doing something so creative. Don't wait until the night before it's due to start okay?







The amazing foldout sketchbook below was created by Augusta Nelson. Just shows you what a little time, creativity and conceptualization of your idea can produce. It's astounding to see this in person. 

Below: This is what an incredible Sketchbook looks like created by Michaela Jelin. Incredibly thoughtful. Poetically Beautiful. A piece of Art that is personal with a universal message. More beautiful in person actually than reproduced here. There were several from the seniors last fall and I'll bring them to class to show you in person.  Achieve for what this can be as an object that represents visual thinking and authentic concepts.

 

The Sketchbook Project: Example

image
image
image
image
imageimage
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image



Another Sketchbook Example:

Below is before the artist started the process:



After ::  My concept for this sketchbook came from my love for collecting old photographs.  Ever since I was a kid I’ve been collecting old things - postcards, letters, matchbooks, photographs, etc.  I had this old yearbook from 1954 that I thought was so great and so funny.  Inspired by Andy Warhol and the Pop Art movement of the 50s - I took apart this old yearbook, used quotes and images from it - and gave it a little pop art twist.  Here’s what I came up with :: 


http://cargocollective.com/Yellowbirdvisuals/The-Sketchbook-Project-round-2 (bigger images) 



image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image