
STOP MOTION WITH FACE MAKEUP
Click on the image to the left and be transported to a Petapixel review of Emma Allen's Stop Motion film. You won't even need headphones, as just watching it without volume is mindblowing...
Remember that you are creating a stop motion film this term on your own... you may participate in another student's film as well, but you are each responsible for a stop motion film of a short length. Your film must tell a story (no matter how short), and you will use the steps provided in the assignment explanation provided in the pages below... Have a great day!
Click on the image to the left and be transported to a Petapixel review of Emma Allen's Stop Motion film. You won't even need headphones, as just watching it without volume is mindblowing...
Remember that you are creating a stop motion film this term on your own... you may participate in another student's film as well, but you are each responsible for a stop motion film of a short length. Your film must tell a story (no matter how short), and you will use the steps provided in the assignment explanation provided in the pages below... Have a great day!
A cool backwards video to see... created in Israel
TYPOGRAPHYAssignment #1
TYPOGRAPHIC SELF PORTRAIT

Project 1: Typographic Self Portrait
Objectives:
• Foster an awareness of type as shape and image.
• Stimulate thinking of type as an expressive medium.
• Examine typefaces and identify their expressive characteristics, (their “tone”).
• Learn how to apply basic design principles to a typographic solution.
• Discover that type can be as fun or as serious as the intent of the designer.
Problem: Using only type, create a self-portrait. You may use individual characters, entire words, or a mix of both individual letter and words to construct this self-portrait, you will want to start with a photo of you... and follow the tutorial below.
Follow the design process in solving this problem: do a minimum of 10 thumbnails; from those 10 thumbnails select 3 to develop into roughs, and from those 3 roughs select 1 best piece to render as the final comp. The final typographic image should convey some of your essential spirit, and not exclusively be a faithful reproduction of your physical appearance.
The final image must function both as an indication of who you are, but also as a strong composition complete with focal point(s) and accent(s).
Color, while optional, when used must be integrated in a balanced way into the composition. You may decide that no one word/ type character composition fully expresses who you are, therefore, you should establish a visual hierarchy about how you want to portray yourself. For example, you may decide that your strongest characteristic is that you are “friendly”, with “sensitive” a close second. Using the principle of emphasis, place primary emphasis on the word “friendly” in your portrait (by making it the largest, using a bright color, etc) while placing secondary emphasis on the word “sensitive” (making it small, using a lighter color, etc.) Consider the following words as a springboard to analyzing what you want to emphasize about yourself with your self-portrait:
assertive reserved wild nice
open ditzy friendly quiet
timid silly stoic dippy
brawny slim interesting hard-working
gentle forceful sensitive conscientious
cute cool logical artistic
Final Presentation:
We will look at these as a class, doing some critique and technique sharing, then submit your final work to me as a pdf via file drop submission on the public drive. Got to "public" drive, select "New Media", select "Assignment Hand In", then select your class and drop your PDF into the folder.
Objectives:
• Foster an awareness of type as shape and image.
• Stimulate thinking of type as an expressive medium.
• Examine typefaces and identify their expressive characteristics, (their “tone”).
• Learn how to apply basic design principles to a typographic solution.
• Discover that type can be as fun or as serious as the intent of the designer.
Problem: Using only type, create a self-portrait. You may use individual characters, entire words, or a mix of both individual letter and words to construct this self-portrait, you will want to start with a photo of you... and follow the tutorial below.
Follow the design process in solving this problem: do a minimum of 10 thumbnails; from those 10 thumbnails select 3 to develop into roughs, and from those 3 roughs select 1 best piece to render as the final comp. The final typographic image should convey some of your essential spirit, and not exclusively be a faithful reproduction of your physical appearance.
The final image must function both as an indication of who you are, but also as a strong composition complete with focal point(s) and accent(s).
Color, while optional, when used must be integrated in a balanced way into the composition. You may decide that no one word/ type character composition fully expresses who you are, therefore, you should establish a visual hierarchy about how you want to portray yourself. For example, you may decide that your strongest characteristic is that you are “friendly”, with “sensitive” a close second. Using the principle of emphasis, place primary emphasis on the word “friendly” in your portrait (by making it the largest, using a bright color, etc) while placing secondary emphasis on the word “sensitive” (making it small, using a lighter color, etc.) Consider the following words as a springboard to analyzing what you want to emphasize about yourself with your self-portrait:
assertive reserved wild nice
open ditzy friendly quiet
timid silly stoic dippy
brawny slim interesting hard-working
gentle forceful sensitive conscientious
cute cool logical artistic
Final Presentation:
We will look at these as a class, doing some critique and technique sharing, then submit your final work to me as a pdf via file drop submission on the public drive. Got to "public" drive, select "New Media", select "Assignment Hand In", then select your class and drop your PDF into the folder.
Assignment #2 The Movie Poster TUTORIAL
Photoshop Movie Poster Tutorial
(click on these words to go to a different tutorial after you have finished Spanish Villa...)

You will need headphones.
You will require patience.
I will assist you, as will your peers.
You will learn the basics of Photoshop.
You will learn the basics of movie poster layout and design.
You will learn to manipulate photos.
You will learn about typesetting.
You will learn about image construction.
Students will be able to identify key elements of design seen in movie posters
Students will use exploratory methods and inquiry to acquire information regarding element of movie posters
Students will discuss the information acquired during investigation
Students will reflect upon key elements seen in movie posters as well as what elements attract their attention and explain why they are attracted to it or why it is successful.
open photoshop.
file: public, new media, adobe, photoshop, movie poster Spanish Villa, blocks3 Shortcut, movie poster.
You will require patience.
I will assist you, as will your peers.
You will learn the basics of Photoshop.
You will learn the basics of movie poster layout and design.
You will learn to manipulate photos.
You will learn about typesetting.
You will learn about image construction.
Students will be able to identify key elements of design seen in movie posters
Students will use exploratory methods and inquiry to acquire information regarding element of movie posters
Students will discuss the information acquired during investigation
Students will reflect upon key elements seen in movie posters as well as what elements attract their attention and explain why they are attracted to it or why it is successful.
open photoshop.
file: public, new media, adobe, photoshop, movie poster Spanish Villa, blocks3 Shortcut, movie poster.
Assignment #3, YOUR OWN MOVIE POSTER

What is a poster?
A poster can be defined as a placard or bill, usually large and often incorporating photographs or illustrations, posted up for advertising or publicity or for decorative purposes. The functions of those which advertise include communication, selling and persuading. This does not preclude them being decorative. Indeed the first job of a poster is to attract the attention of the passerby and only once this is done can a message be delivered. A good poster is one which is attention-grabbing, succinct, convincing and memorable.
To achieve these aims designers may use a large format and bold color, simple and minimal text and attractive illustrations which psychologically support and reinforce the written words. At the same time designers must consider the constraints imposed by the methods and places of display and competition from other posters whose messages may be as urgent and emphatic.
Poster design combines the fine and applied arts, incorporating painting, graphic design, collage, and photography. In countries where television is not a major advertising medium, the poster remains a transient yet effective means of reaching the widest audience on behalf of culture, commerce, and ideologies.
Some main characteristics of good poster design etiquette include:
1. Arrange the image(s) and text without a lot of “busy” clutter.
2. Arrange the design and lettering to attract the attention of passers-by.
3. Consider how effective it will look next to other movie posters.
4. Text and design should be large enough to be seen from a prescribed distance, usually 8-12 feet.
5. Use harmonious color combinations.
6. Design and text style must complement each other.
7. Use a modern up-to-date art style, unless you are deliberately trying to create a poster that is mimicking an older style.
8. The design should not detract from the impact of the words.
Assignment:
I’m going to give you two directions in which you can choose to tackle this project.
You choose which one you will want to tackle: Assignment #1 or Assignment #2.
(So, choose only ONE to direct your creative energies on, they are listed close to the end of this post.)
You will need to REALLY study movie posters to see what all is included in the overall work and pay attention to where these text elements are located. Your goal is to create a completely believable, but fictitious movie poster so you will have to imitate the style.
PICK A GENRE:
Give considerable thought to the type of genre your movie will be. Will it be an action movie? Or science fiction? A horror movie will have completely different style of images and text than an action movie or one about romance. Here’s a listing of film genres or styles to consider taking your project into:
-Action (Disaster): Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces.
· Adventure: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through encounters with new "worlds."
· Comedy: Stories whose central struggle causes hilarious results.
· Coming-of-Age Drama: Stories whose central struggle is about the hero finding his or her place in the world.
· Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about catching a criminal.
· Detective Story/Courtroom Drama: Stories whose central struggle is to find out what really happened and thus to expose the truth.
· Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the midst of a clash of great forces or in the sweep of great historical change.
· Fantasy: Stories which are animated, or whose central struggle plays out in two worlds - the "real" world and an imaginary world.
· Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is between a criminal and society. A cautionary tale, rooted in a main character who commits crimes (This genre is often blended with Film Noir).
· Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster (either human or non-human).
· Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is between two people who each want to win or keep the love of the other.
· Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world.
· Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between a Champion and a problem or injustice in society. Usually the Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.
· Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to hurt him or her.
· The Black Comedy: A comedy that uses dark and morbid doings as the root of its humor. Most recent incarnations,Very Bad Things and Stranger Than Fiction.
Other Possible Genres include:The Historical Drama, The Musical, The Western
RESOURCES:
Here are some resources for you to check out to get some ideas on layout from already existing movie posters:
http://www.onesheetdesign.com
http://movieposter.com/
http://allposters.com
Film Genre Ideas:
http://www.createyourscreenplay.com/genrechart.htm
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:
-Dimensions of the Movie Poster is: 29” width x 40” length
-Resolution: 300 dpi
-Completion of Movie Poster Tutorial Spanish Villa
-You may use image sources from the internet to include into your movie poster that would otherwise be impossible to duplicate (for example, airplanes, forests, wild animals, etc.) HOWEVER, ALL IMAGES OF PEOPLE MUST COME FROM YOUR OWN RESOURCES (People you know, and at least one person or character from NDC). You may NOT incorporate images of famous people, stock images, or clip art.
ORIGINALITY - Since we’ve been doing some tutorials and you’ve been honing your skills, I do want to see clear evidence that you are learning to create your own effects rather than relying on simply copying and pasting. 90% or more of the poster design has to be of your own ORIGINAL creation. At this point all of your layers must skillfully blend seamlessly together.
All pictures must be of high-quality, LARGE, high resolution images.
-You will save your work as a .PSD file ONLY. Make sure you do NOT merge or flatten the layers down in the final version. Your final version will be saved into a folder marked “Movie Poster” on your "O" drive but, more likely on your disk as these files get BIG...
Include all of the following TEXT ELEMENTS into your movie poster (NOTE: All of the names of the people in the credits must be names of people within your circle of friends, family, etc. You may not use names that belong to already famous people):
-Movie title
-Names of main actors/actresses (a maximum of four)
CREDIT BLOCK will include (you will need both the official titles listed below as well as names for these people responsible):
A hook or tag-line on the poster (perhaps a famous quote or something you make up).
Quotes from made-up critic reviews.
Assignment Choice #1: Create a convincing movie poster for a completely fictitious movie that includes all the text elements required for a movie poster.
Assignment Choice #2: Create a convincing movie poster for a movie adapted from *classic literature. Like the first assignment, it will include all the text elements required for a movie poster. Come up with new, hip title. For example, Shakespeare’s titles for his plays lacked the contemporary wit that we have grown accustomed to. Therefore, think of a more creative title for a modern rendition for the movie taken from a famous book or play. Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” could instead be called “King of Destiny”, “Wicked Ladies”, or “Mac and Mac”.
*Having trouble remembering what some of the most famous works of literature are? Then, check out a listing of literary classics on this web-site: http://classiclit.about.com/cs/tp.htm
Poster Rubric
Use of Class Time
4 Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.
3 Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.
2 Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others.
1 Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others.
Graphics - Originality
4 Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display.
3 One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display.
2 The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others.
1 No graphics made by the student are included.
Required Elements
4 The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information.
3 All required elements are included on the poster.
2 All but 1 of the required elements are included on the poster.
1 Several required elements were missing.
Principles of Design
4 The poster layout is exceptionally well balanced and has good use of unity, movement, emphasis, contrast, and rhythm.
3 The poster layout is balanced and uncluttered with some unity, movement, emphasis, contrast, and rhythm.
2 The poster layout is somewhat balanced. It is excessively cluttered and/or contains too much white space.
1 The poster layout is not well balanced, is cluttered, or has no design principles present.
Grammar
4 There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster.
3 There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster.
2 There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.
1 There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.
Labels
4 All items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
3 Almost all items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
2 Several items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
1 Labels are too small to view OR no important items were labelled.
A poster can be defined as a placard or bill, usually large and often incorporating photographs or illustrations, posted up for advertising or publicity or for decorative purposes. The functions of those which advertise include communication, selling and persuading. This does not preclude them being decorative. Indeed the first job of a poster is to attract the attention of the passerby and only once this is done can a message be delivered. A good poster is one which is attention-grabbing, succinct, convincing and memorable.
To achieve these aims designers may use a large format and bold color, simple and minimal text and attractive illustrations which psychologically support and reinforce the written words. At the same time designers must consider the constraints imposed by the methods and places of display and competition from other posters whose messages may be as urgent and emphatic.
Poster design combines the fine and applied arts, incorporating painting, graphic design, collage, and photography. In countries where television is not a major advertising medium, the poster remains a transient yet effective means of reaching the widest audience on behalf of culture, commerce, and ideologies.
Some main characteristics of good poster design etiquette include:
1. Arrange the image(s) and text without a lot of “busy” clutter.
2. Arrange the design and lettering to attract the attention of passers-by.
3. Consider how effective it will look next to other movie posters.
4. Text and design should be large enough to be seen from a prescribed distance, usually 8-12 feet.
5. Use harmonious color combinations.
6. Design and text style must complement each other.
7. Use a modern up-to-date art style, unless you are deliberately trying to create a poster that is mimicking an older style.
8. The design should not detract from the impact of the words.
Assignment:
I’m going to give you two directions in which you can choose to tackle this project.
You choose which one you will want to tackle: Assignment #1 or Assignment #2.
(So, choose only ONE to direct your creative energies on, they are listed close to the end of this post.)
You will need to REALLY study movie posters to see what all is included in the overall work and pay attention to where these text elements are located. Your goal is to create a completely believable, but fictitious movie poster so you will have to imitate the style.
PICK A GENRE:
Give considerable thought to the type of genre your movie will be. Will it be an action movie? Or science fiction? A horror movie will have completely different style of images and text than an action movie or one about romance. Here’s a listing of film genres or styles to consider taking your project into:
-Action (Disaster): Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces.
· Adventure: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through encounters with new "worlds."
· Comedy: Stories whose central struggle causes hilarious results.
· Coming-of-Age Drama: Stories whose central struggle is about the hero finding his or her place in the world.
· Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about catching a criminal.
· Detective Story/Courtroom Drama: Stories whose central struggle is to find out what really happened and thus to expose the truth.
· Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the midst of a clash of great forces or in the sweep of great historical change.
· Fantasy: Stories which are animated, or whose central struggle plays out in two worlds - the "real" world and an imaginary world.
· Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is between a criminal and society. A cautionary tale, rooted in a main character who commits crimes (This genre is often blended with Film Noir).
· Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster (either human or non-human).
· Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is between two people who each want to win or keep the love of the other.
· Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world.
· Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between a Champion and a problem or injustice in society. Usually the Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.
· Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to hurt him or her.
· The Black Comedy: A comedy that uses dark and morbid doings as the root of its humor. Most recent incarnations,Very Bad Things and Stranger Than Fiction.
Other Possible Genres include:The Historical Drama, The Musical, The Western
RESOURCES:
Here are some resources for you to check out to get some ideas on layout from already existing movie posters:
http://www.onesheetdesign.com
http://movieposter.com/
http://allposters.com
Film Genre Ideas:
http://www.createyourscreenplay.com/genrechart.htm
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:
-Dimensions of the Movie Poster is: 29” width x 40” length
-Resolution: 300 dpi
-Completion of Movie Poster Tutorial Spanish Villa
-You may use image sources from the internet to include into your movie poster that would otherwise be impossible to duplicate (for example, airplanes, forests, wild animals, etc.) HOWEVER, ALL IMAGES OF PEOPLE MUST COME FROM YOUR OWN RESOURCES (People you know, and at least one person or character from NDC). You may NOT incorporate images of famous people, stock images, or clip art.
ORIGINALITY - Since we’ve been doing some tutorials and you’ve been honing your skills, I do want to see clear evidence that you are learning to create your own effects rather than relying on simply copying and pasting. 90% or more of the poster design has to be of your own ORIGINAL creation. At this point all of your layers must skillfully blend seamlessly together.
All pictures must be of high-quality, LARGE, high resolution images.
-You will save your work as a .PSD file ONLY. Make sure you do NOT merge or flatten the layers down in the final version. Your final version will be saved into a folder marked “Movie Poster” on your "O" drive but, more likely on your disk as these files get BIG...
Include all of the following TEXT ELEMENTS into your movie poster (NOTE: All of the names of the people in the credits must be names of people within your circle of friends, family, etc. You may not use names that belong to already famous people):
-Movie title
-Names of main actors/actresses (a maximum of four)
CREDIT BLOCK will include (you will need both the official titles listed below as well as names for these people responsible):
- -Name of the producer
- -Costume Designer
- -Film Editor
- -Production Designer
- -Director of Photography
- -Executive Producer(s)
- -Producer
- -Screenplay
- -Director
- -Rating of the movie (Choices include: G, PG, PG-13, R…. sorry, no “X” or NC-17 movies allowed)
- -Dolby Stereo logo
- -Release Date (when will the movie be in theaters?)
- Name of the production company
A hook or tag-line on the poster (perhaps a famous quote or something you make up).
Quotes from made-up critic reviews.
Assignment Choice #1: Create a convincing movie poster for a completely fictitious movie that includes all the text elements required for a movie poster.
Assignment Choice #2: Create a convincing movie poster for a movie adapted from *classic literature. Like the first assignment, it will include all the text elements required for a movie poster. Come up with new, hip title. For example, Shakespeare’s titles for his plays lacked the contemporary wit that we have grown accustomed to. Therefore, think of a more creative title for a modern rendition for the movie taken from a famous book or play. Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” could instead be called “King of Destiny”, “Wicked Ladies”, or “Mac and Mac”.
*Having trouble remembering what some of the most famous works of literature are? Then, check out a listing of literary classics on this web-site: http://classiclit.about.com/cs/tp.htm
Poster Rubric
Use of Class Time
4 Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.
3 Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.
2 Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others.
1 Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others.
Graphics - Originality
4 Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display.
3 One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display.
2 The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others.
1 No graphics made by the student are included.
Required Elements
4 The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information.
3 All required elements are included on the poster.
2 All but 1 of the required elements are included on the poster.
1 Several required elements were missing.
Principles of Design
4 The poster layout is exceptionally well balanced and has good use of unity, movement, emphasis, contrast, and rhythm.
3 The poster layout is balanced and uncluttered with some unity, movement, emphasis, contrast, and rhythm.
2 The poster layout is somewhat balanced. It is excessively cluttered and/or contains too much white space.
1 The poster layout is not well balanced, is cluttered, or has no design principles present.
Grammar
4 There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster.
3 There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster.
2 There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.
1 There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.
Labels
4 All items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
3 Almost all items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
2 Several items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from at least 3 ft. away.
1 Labels are too small to view OR no important items were labelled.
Check for the following...

Dear Students...
WHILE WORKING ON on your assigned movie poster. Please be certain to check for the following...
1. Arrange the image(s) and text without a lot of “busy” clutter.
2. Arrange the design and lettering to attract the attention of passers-by.
3. Consider how effective it will look next to other movie posters.
4. Text and design should be large enough to be seen from a prescribed distance, usually 8-12 feet.
5. Use harmonious color combinations.
6. Design and text style must complement each other.
7. Use a modern up-to-date art style, unless you are deliberately trying to create a poster that is mimicking an older style.
8. The design should not detract from the impact of the words.
WHILE WORKING ON on your assigned movie poster. Please be certain to check for the following...
1. Arrange the image(s) and text without a lot of “busy” clutter.
2. Arrange the design and lettering to attract the attention of passers-by.
3. Consider how effective it will look next to other movie posters.
4. Text and design should be large enough to be seen from a prescribed distance, usually 8-12 feet.
5. Use harmonious color combinations.
6. Design and text style must complement each other.
7. Use a modern up-to-date art style, unless you are deliberately trying to create a poster that is mimicking an older style.
8. The design should not detract from the impact of the words.
Chroma key Compositing (can be included in your poster, or a separate assignment) assignment 3b

Chroma key compositing (or chroma keying) is a technique for compositing (layering) two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used invideo production and post-production. This technique is also referred to as color keying, color-separation overlay (CSO; primarily by the BBC), greenscreen, and bluescreen. It is commonly used for weather forecast broadcasts, wherein thenews presenter appears to be standing in front of a large mapduring live television newscasts, but in a television studio it is actually a large blue or green background. The meteorologiststands in front of a bluescreen, and then different weather maps are added on those parts in the image where the color is blue. If the meteorologist wears blue clothes, his clothes will be replaced with the background video. This also works for greenscreens, since blue and green are considered the colors least like skin tone. This technique is also used in the entertainment industry, for example for special effects. Software is available today, such as Pinnacle Studio, which makes it possible and relatively easy for the average home computer user, to create videos using the Chromakey function and greenscreeens.
1. Open up photoshop CS6.
2. Now, open up your photo shot on a Green screen or otherwise.
3. Follow along as instructed, using some new tools in PhotoShop.
Why do you think some of the subject's hair disappears when we crank up the tolerance?
How will you use this method to edit other photos or images?
Is it important to have good lighting on your "green screen"?
Notice how this method has variance in how much "green" it leaves around our sample subject.
1. Open up photoshop CS6.
2. Now, open up your photo shot on a Green screen or otherwise.
3. Follow along as instructed, using some new tools in PhotoShop.
Why do you think some of the subject's hair disappears when we crank up the tolerance?
How will you use this method to edit other photos or images?
Is it important to have good lighting on your "green screen"?
Notice how this method has variance in how much "green" it leaves around our sample subject.
Creating a LABEL...
|
assignment #4 |
Assignment #5 T shirt Design and Printing

Your first task will be to brainstorm 15-20 different ideas for a logo that you can put onto a t-shirt. Your designs should include enough details to be creative and interesting, yet not so detailed that it is difficult to cut out. The following are good examples of negative space logos...
a. Use the page provided, and hand it in at the end of class...
b. Be sure to turn your thumbnails sketches into me for a mark and date the page.
c. Remember that your T-shirt design cannot have gradations or be a raster.
After you have completed your thumbnail page create your 3 roughs.
a. Your "roughs" are the 3 best designs you created (get feedback, and record it, about which logos to develop).
b. Be sure to place your Roughs page with your thumbnails, and return it to me at the end of class.
After you have completed your brainstorm ideas you will need to collect feedback on all of your designs.
a. You must collect feedback from 5 different people.
b. Each person must look at all of your designs and provide one comment on why they would/would not choose the design.
c. Comments should be related back to the elements and principles of design.
d. In this assignment you will be marked on the quality of comments you collect.
e. Please write or type the comments out making sure your give credit to those who provide you with comments.
f. Your feedback sheet should be submitted to Mrs. Hession.
Your next step is to chose the design you would like to use.
Typically it is the one you received the most positive feedback on.
Ultimately it is your choice.
You may decide that you would like to one of the designs that people did not choose.
Your job though is to find out how to make it better and make the necessary changes.
Once you have made your decision you will need to CREATE ONLY ONE COMP for the design chosen. (you are the client so only one is necessary, and because you are going to scan your sketch you will not need color, but have some color ideas ready).
Your sketch should have “clean lines”. This will help when you get to the trace part of the assignment.
Please make sure to turn in your comp for credit.
You will be marked on creativity, level of difficulty, following the above directions, and quality of the sketch.
You will need to demonstrate your ability to use the scanner to scan an image and save that image to your O drive.
Trace
Use the skills you have learned through your practice assignments to trace the design you have created in order to create a vector image. You will be marked on the level of difficulty of the trace and the smoothness of your trace. Be sure to eliminate the jagged look that that can appear.
Position Brainstorm
Before you cut your logo you will need to determine where on your shirt you are going to place your logo(s). To do this please complete the following:
What To Do:
1. Look at your tshirt and determine where you want to place your logo.
2. Measure the space, translating that measurement to your logo.
Cut
Once you have determined the size and colors of vinyl you will use in your design you can cut out the different parts on the vinyl cutter. You will be expected to know how to set up the cutter and vinyl.
Please remember the following:
a. Use heat transfer vinyl, scraps primarily, using a variety of colours.
b. Cut your design in reverse in order to have them appear correct when you apply them to your shirt.
Vinyl Application
Now that you have an idea of where you want to place you will need use the heat press to transfer your design to your shirt.
Here are some things to remember.
a. Watch a demonstration on how to run the heat press.
b. Make sure you have removed all extra vinyl. Any little piece will show up on your shirt if you forget to weed it.
c. Be sure you have set the correct time and temperature on the heat press.
d. Know how to open the heat press when time has expired.
e. Remember everything is HOT, be careful not to touch the heat element or hot surfaces.
a. Use the page provided, and hand it in at the end of class...
b. Be sure to turn your thumbnails sketches into me for a mark and date the page.
c. Remember that your T-shirt design cannot have gradations or be a raster.
After you have completed your thumbnail page create your 3 roughs.
a. Your "roughs" are the 3 best designs you created (get feedback, and record it, about which logos to develop).
b. Be sure to place your Roughs page with your thumbnails, and return it to me at the end of class.
After you have completed your brainstorm ideas you will need to collect feedback on all of your designs.
a. You must collect feedback from 5 different people.
b. Each person must look at all of your designs and provide one comment on why they would/would not choose the design.
c. Comments should be related back to the elements and principles of design.
d. In this assignment you will be marked on the quality of comments you collect.
e. Please write or type the comments out making sure your give credit to those who provide you with comments.
f. Your feedback sheet should be submitted to Mrs. Hession.
Your next step is to chose the design you would like to use.
Typically it is the one you received the most positive feedback on.
Ultimately it is your choice.
You may decide that you would like to one of the designs that people did not choose.
Your job though is to find out how to make it better and make the necessary changes.
Once you have made your decision you will need to CREATE ONLY ONE COMP for the design chosen. (you are the client so only one is necessary, and because you are going to scan your sketch you will not need color, but have some color ideas ready).
Your sketch should have “clean lines”. This will help when you get to the trace part of the assignment.
Please make sure to turn in your comp for credit.
You will be marked on creativity, level of difficulty, following the above directions, and quality of the sketch.
You will need to demonstrate your ability to use the scanner to scan an image and save that image to your O drive.
Trace
Use the skills you have learned through your practice assignments to trace the design you have created in order to create a vector image. You will be marked on the level of difficulty of the trace and the smoothness of your trace. Be sure to eliminate the jagged look that that can appear.
Position Brainstorm
Before you cut your logo you will need to determine where on your shirt you are going to place your logo(s). To do this please complete the following:
What To Do:
1. Look at your tshirt and determine where you want to place your logo.
2. Measure the space, translating that measurement to your logo.
Cut
Once you have determined the size and colors of vinyl you will use in your design you can cut out the different parts on the vinyl cutter. You will be expected to know how to set up the cutter and vinyl.
Please remember the following:
a. Use heat transfer vinyl, scraps primarily, using a variety of colours.
b. Cut your design in reverse in order to have them appear correct when you apply them to your shirt.
Vinyl Application
Now that you have an idea of where you want to place you will need use the heat press to transfer your design to your shirt.
Here are some things to remember.
a. Watch a demonstration on how to run the heat press.
b. Make sure you have removed all extra vinyl. Any little piece will show up on your shirt if you forget to weed it.
c. Be sure you have set the correct time and temperature on the heat press.
d. Know how to open the heat press when time has expired.
e. Remember everything is HOT, be careful not to touch the heat element or hot surfaces.
The T-Shirt Project

While in the past we have used vinyl to create our t-shirts, we now have a new material (media) that will allow us to create T-shirt designs out of raster images... not just vectors.
hurray.
Think about how a good t-shirt design uses balance and symmetry.
Principle of Design: BALANCE
Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. It may also be referred to as formal balance. When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the result is Bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally around a central point, resulting in radial symmetry.
Symmetrical balance does not mean that one side of the composition is a mirror image of the other, nor does the focal point need to be dead center of the composition. Symmetrical balance creates emphasis and naturalism towards a focal point – at least 90% of good t-shirts have symmetrical balance.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Your first task will be to brainstorm 15-20 different ideas for a logo that you can put onto a t-shirt. Your designs should include enough details to be creative and interesting, yet not so detailed that it is difficult to cut out. Research good examples of balanced logos online for inspiration, but remember, YOUR design must be what you use in the end... Use a piece of blank white paper to get started...
We will discuss the next step next class.
Design a T-Shirt that is made from a design of your own creation!
We are NOT copying someone else's design from the internet and making a shirt from it. You may not use someone else's work. Period.
There are many parts to this assignment
“Thumbnails" brain storm
Your first task will be to brainstorm 15-20 different ideas for a logo that you can put onto a t-shirt. Your designs should include enough details to be creative and interesting, yet not so detailed that it is difficult to cut out. You need to create your own design, and give credit where credit is due. If you borrow someone else's design and modify it, give them credit in your write up for me.
“Working Copy Sketch" research
After you have completed your thumbnail page create your 3 roughs.
a. Your "roughs" are the 3 best designs you created (get feedback, and record it, about which logos to develop).
b. Be sure to place your Roughs page with your thumbnails, and keep it all together till it is due.
“Brainstorm Feedback" develop ideas
After you have completed your brainstorm ideas you will need to collect feedback on all of your designs.
a. You must collect feedback from 5 different people.
b. Each person must look at all of your designs and provide one comment on why they would/would not choose the design.
c. Comments should be related back to the elements and principles of design.
d. In this assignment you will be marked on the quality of comments you collect.
e. Please write or type the comments out making sure your give credit to those who provide you with comments.
f. Your feedback sheet should be placed in your assignment packet.
“Comps" choose best idea
Your next step is to chose the design you would like to cut out and put on a t-shirt. Typically it is the one you received the most positive feedback on. Ultimately it is your choice.
You may decide that you would like to one of the designs that people did not choose. Your job though is to find out how to make it better and make the necessary changes. Keep track of your efforts, as you need to prove to me that you completed this step.
"CutContour Lines" test and evaluate/improve design
Once you have made your decision you will need to CREATE ONLY ONE COMP for the design chosen. (you are the client so only one is necessary, and because you are going to scan your sketch you will not need color, but have some color ideas ready).
Your sketch should have “clean lines”. This will help when you get to the create part of the assignment.
Please make sure your sketch is put into your packet that you will hand in to me at the end.
You will be marked on creativity, level of difficulty, following the above directions, and quality of the sketch.
“Position Brainstorm" model or prototype
Before you print your logo you will need to determine where on your shirt you are going to place your logo(s). To do this please complete the following:
What To Do
1. Look at your tshirt and determine where you want to place your logo.
2. Measure the space, translating that measurement to your logo. Sketch it out to help you in the final printing, include measurements.
“Print" create final product
Once you have determined the size and colors of vinyl you will use in your design you can cut out the different parts on the vinyl cutter. You will be expected to know how to set up the cutter and vinyl. Please remember the following:
a. Use heat transfer film, print using the Roland with help from your teacher.
b. Use CutContour in your design in order to have your logo appear correctly when you apply them to your shirt.
Now that you have an idea of where you want to place you will need use the heat press to transfer your design to your shirt.
Here are some things to remember.
a. Watch a demonstration on how to run the heat press.
b. Make sure you have removed all extra film. Any little piece will show up on your shirt if you forget to weed it.
c. Be sure you have set the correct time and temperature on the heat press.
d. Know how to open the heat press when time has expired.
e. Remember everything is HOT, be careful not to touch the heat element or hot surfaces. Use tweezers to remove the backing from the film.
hurray.
Think about how a good t-shirt design uses balance and symmetry.
Principle of Design: BALANCE
Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. It may also be referred to as formal balance. When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the result is Bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally around a central point, resulting in radial symmetry.
Symmetrical balance does not mean that one side of the composition is a mirror image of the other, nor does the focal point need to be dead center of the composition. Symmetrical balance creates emphasis and naturalism towards a focal point – at least 90% of good t-shirts have symmetrical balance.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Your first task will be to brainstorm 15-20 different ideas for a logo that you can put onto a t-shirt. Your designs should include enough details to be creative and interesting, yet not so detailed that it is difficult to cut out. Research good examples of balanced logos online for inspiration, but remember, YOUR design must be what you use in the end... Use a piece of blank white paper to get started...
We will discuss the next step next class.
Design a T-Shirt that is made from a design of your own creation!
We are NOT copying someone else's design from the internet and making a shirt from it. You may not use someone else's work. Period.
There are many parts to this assignment
- Brainstorm possible simple logo ideas that you would like to design
- Gather feedback from at least 5 people on which design they feel is most effective
- Sketch out a good working copy of your chosen design
- Create the image
- Modify your results to get a great product based on feedback you receive and record
- Brainstorm where your design will be put on a t-shirt
- Print the image on heat transfer film using the Roland printer
- Apply the film to the t-shirt, making sure to follow safety and clean up after yourself and others
“Thumbnails" brain storm
Your first task will be to brainstorm 15-20 different ideas for a logo that you can put onto a t-shirt. Your designs should include enough details to be creative and interesting, yet not so detailed that it is difficult to cut out. You need to create your own design, and give credit where credit is due. If you borrow someone else's design and modify it, give them credit in your write up for me.
“Working Copy Sketch" research
After you have completed your thumbnail page create your 3 roughs.
a. Your "roughs" are the 3 best designs you created (get feedback, and record it, about which logos to develop).
b. Be sure to place your Roughs page with your thumbnails, and keep it all together till it is due.
“Brainstorm Feedback" develop ideas
After you have completed your brainstorm ideas you will need to collect feedback on all of your designs.
a. You must collect feedback from 5 different people.
b. Each person must look at all of your designs and provide one comment on why they would/would not choose the design.
c. Comments should be related back to the elements and principles of design.
d. In this assignment you will be marked on the quality of comments you collect.
e. Please write or type the comments out making sure your give credit to those who provide you with comments.
f. Your feedback sheet should be placed in your assignment packet.
“Comps" choose best idea
Your next step is to chose the design you would like to cut out and put on a t-shirt. Typically it is the one you received the most positive feedback on. Ultimately it is your choice.
You may decide that you would like to one of the designs that people did not choose. Your job though is to find out how to make it better and make the necessary changes. Keep track of your efforts, as you need to prove to me that you completed this step.
"CutContour Lines" test and evaluate/improve design
Once you have made your decision you will need to CREATE ONLY ONE COMP for the design chosen. (you are the client so only one is necessary, and because you are going to scan your sketch you will not need color, but have some color ideas ready).
Your sketch should have “clean lines”. This will help when you get to the create part of the assignment.
Please make sure your sketch is put into your packet that you will hand in to me at the end.
You will be marked on creativity, level of difficulty, following the above directions, and quality of the sketch.
“Position Brainstorm" model or prototype
Before you print your logo you will need to determine where on your shirt you are going to place your logo(s). To do this please complete the following:
What To Do
1. Look at your tshirt and determine where you want to place your logo.
2. Measure the space, translating that measurement to your logo. Sketch it out to help you in the final printing, include measurements.
“Print" create final product
Once you have determined the size and colors of vinyl you will use in your design you can cut out the different parts on the vinyl cutter. You will be expected to know how to set up the cutter and vinyl. Please remember the following:
a. Use heat transfer film, print using the Roland with help from your teacher.
b. Use CutContour in your design in order to have your logo appear correctly when you apply them to your shirt.
Now that you have an idea of where you want to place you will need use the heat press to transfer your design to your shirt.
Here are some things to remember.
a. Watch a demonstration on how to run the heat press.
b. Make sure you have removed all extra film. Any little piece will show up on your shirt if you forget to weed it.
c. Be sure you have set the correct time and temperature on the heat press.
d. Know how to open the heat press when time has expired.
e. Remember everything is HOT, be careful not to touch the heat element or hot surfaces. Use tweezers to remove the backing from the film.

Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. It may also be referred to as formal balance. When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the result is Bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally around a central point, resulting in radial symmetry.
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
assignment #6

Stop motion animation is a creative technique that involves technology to give a physical object the ability to move seemingly without aid. By photographing an object's "movements" frame by frame and replaying the images in sequence, life is given to an otherwise lifeless item ("The Stop Motion Animation Process"). Stop motion animation is a form of animation that, at its very core, is a simple process that most can accomplish with only a few tools. The steps to take to produce any stop motion animation involves 1) capturing frames, 2) editing the footage, 3) compressing the footage into a video and 4) outputting the creation. The frames can be shot using standard video film or photographs and exported into a video editing program where music, sound, transitions, credits, etc. can be added. The film must be compressed for the adequate outputting of the film which could be for DVD release or simply web streaming.
Due to the ease of access to such a successful form of animation may be why stop motion animation is used so extensively throughout the world and in a variety of fields. Stop motion animation can be found almost everywhere from television advertisements to feature films. The filmmaker/animator PES, for example has created very creative and surprising shorts as advertisements for major companies worldwide. His latest addition to his body of work has been a commercial for the 60th Anniversary edition of Scrabble ("Home of the Twisted..."). And while stop motion is a creative technique which can be used to promote a product, it has high entertainment value as well. For example, stop motion was used to create Tim Burton's famous cult-classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Based on Burton's poem of the same name, it was the first movie to be completely animated using this technique. Exquisitely done, this film took one hundred animators three years to complete due to the fact that it required twelve stop motion moves per second of film ("Trivia..."). This film is a perfect example of how an artist used stop motion animation to adequately portray their creative ideas and used imagery to illustrate a literary narrative.
See the following links for awesome stop motion animation examples...
Whiteboard Stop Animation![]() Lego Stop Animation![]() The first thing you need is, of course, an idea. Try to stick with something simple for your first one–any action that can be split up into smaller parts works well.
You may wish to make an inanimate object appear as though it is alive; for example, a sock inching its way across the floor or a piece of paper that crumples itself up. While brainstorming, keep in mind that you can expect to shoot around 10 photos for every second of film. Second, you’ll need a digital camera. Since you won’t be printed these photos, you can set your camera to the lowest size image setting. This will let you fit more images on your memory card at a time. Depending on how long you’d like your movie to be, you may need to “fill and dump” your camera (copying the photos to your computer and erasing the memory card) multiple times before you are finished. Finally, in order to turn your images into an animated video you will need video editing software like Apple’s iMovie or QuickTime Pro. There are also a number of free and shareware programs for Mac, Windows, and Linux, some of which are listed at the end of this tutorial. More information about these programs is available on their respective websites. STEP 3: DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTOS
Now that you’ve captured your images, you’ll need to get them onto your computer. This process varies widely from camera to camera and computer to computer. Consult your camera guide and software “Help” if you are unfamiliar with this process. We’ll be using movie maker. Once you photograph your stop motion project, you simply need to copy all of your photos into an animation folder you create in your pictures folder on your computer. Do not use your "O" Drive for this, as it will fill it... Once you create your animation, you will save it to disk, then you can eliminate this folder once your project has been published. First, import your image files to your computer's hard drive into the libraries folder "Videos". Then open Movie Maker and transfer your photographs from "videos" into movie maker, and begin the process of compiling your photos into an animation. FINAL TOUCHES: MUSIC AND SHARING
To fine tune your animation, you can slow it down by choosing to use more than 3 frames-per-photo. You can also add music to your short by dragging MP3s or AIFF files to the timeline.. FREEPLAYMUSIC.COM To share your stop-motion video, you’ll want to "save movie". The steps in this process depend on which format you wish to use... I believe that for our purposes, "for Computer" is a fine file size and format. If you wish to send your movie to someone via email, you will want to save another copy as "email" size and format. In general, look for “Export” or “Share” options, and try one different formats to increase your understanding. Have fun, be creative and always EXPERIMENT! |
Post-it Note Stop Animation![]() Music Video Stop Animation![]() Story Boarding
STEP 1: STORYBOARD YOUR IDEAS
![]() STORY BOARDING
Storyboards present the visual image of what the viewer will be looking at on screen, whether it's a television set, a movie theater screen or a computer monitor. These are shown in a format called a "storyboard panel". A storyboard panel is a rectangular shaped box on a piece of paper. The dimensions of this box are usually around 4" wide x 3" high for television. There are usually 3 panels to an 8 1/2" x 11" page.The size and shape of the panel can vary depending on what is called the "aspect ratio". This is the size of the width to the height. The television aspect ratio is 1:1.33 - 1 units high by 1.33 units wide (also known as 3:4). Standard Widescreen is 1:1.85, 70mm film is 1:2.2, and Anamorphic Wide screen in 35mm Panavision is 1:2.35.
STEP 2: SHOOT YOUR ANIMATION
Let’s say, for example, that you would like to make that sock move itself across the floor. Start at the beginning: place the sock somewhere and take your first photo. Remember, you want to use camera (still frame) mode, not movie mode. Using a tripod and only moving your object will make it appear as though your object is moving through your frame. Keeping the object in the same general area in each frame by moving the camera along with it will make it appear as though you are traveling with the object. It’s up to you. After you’ve taken your first photograph, move the sock slightly in the direction you want it to travel and take another photo. Move it again by the same distance, and take one more. Continue this until the sock reaches where you want it to stop. You can manipulate your object in creative ways to add visual interest to your film, just make sure that whatever movement your object makes is done slowly over several frames. Finally, if you make a mistake while shooting, delete that picture on your camera and take another. This will save you from having to edit your film later. STEP 4: ANIMATE YOUR PHOTOS
In order for your animated short to play properly, you must tell Movie Maker how long you want each photo to appear before showing the next one. It’s kind of like creating a slideshow, except instead of giving each image a few seconds, you give it only a fraction of a second. The timing you choose will affect the overall tempo and length of your film. For our sock example we used a duration of 3 frames-per-photo. Since videos you create in Movie Maker usually play at 30 frames-per-second, a setting of 3 frames-per-photo means you’ll see 10 photos every second. Now you can see why you have to shoot so many photos! If you use the 3 frames-per-photo setting, you can easily estimate how many photos you’ll need to create a movie of a given length. In our example we used around 100 photos, for 10 seconds of video. If we wanted to make an animation exactly 30 seconds long, we’d shoot 300 photos. Time in Movie Maker appears in “0:00″ format (see figure 3). The number before the colon is the number of seconds and the number after the colon is the number of frames (so 3 frames-per-photo looks like this “0:03″). This next step is very important, so stay with us! In Movie Maker, select all of the photographs in your stop-motion album (the quick way to do this is to click on the very first photo and then, holding down the shift key, scroll down and click on the last photo, or right click and "select all".) You just created your first stop-motion animated video short! |
Adobe Illustrator simple logo tutorial... assignment #0 (extra credit)

I’m a huge fan of typography and logo design, and the zagora logo is pretty cool...
In this post I will show you how the logo was created using Illustrator.
This logo is pretty much a bunch of circles, I used a circle for the module and deleted some segments in order to create the characters.
In this post I will show you how the logo was created using Illustrator.
This logo is pretty much a bunch of circles, I used a circle for the module and deleted some segments in order to create the characters.
Step 1
In Illustrator, using the Ellipse Tool (U) create a circle. Step 2 Select the Circle and hit the Enter Key (return) the Move dialog box will open. Now we can move the circle horizontally or vertically and create copies as well. First we will create the horizontal one, so just add the width of the circle in the horizontal field and click on the copy button. Repeat this process until you have 6 circles side by side. Step 3 Lets create a circle below the first and the third circle. Those will be the Z and the G letters. Step 4 Using the Direct Selection Tool(A), select some segments of the circles and delete them like the image below. Step 5 Select all objects and change the Stroke Weight to 20pt, After that add 2 more elements above the Z and the R like the image below, and delete a segment of the last A. Tip: Use the Object>Transform>Move and Object>Transform>Reflectcommands for more precision. Step 6 Change the stroke colors. I used green for the Z, brown for the As, red for the G and R, and blue for the O. Step 7 Select the A or the second circle and open the Move dialog box. Move it closer to the first letter, Z. Repeat that for the other letters. After that change the order of the letters so the R goes in front of the last A, but through the O. Tip: To do that you will have to create new elements in order to mask them. Use the Move command for precision. Step 8 Once you have a nice spacing and all the letters are well positioned, select all objects again and go to Object>Path>Outline Stroke. This will convert the Strokes to Fill. Step 9 Select the G and the R and apply a linear gradient. Use Orange to Red for the colors. Step 10 Duplicate the element above the Z and change its color to black. Go to Effects>Blur>Gaussian Blur and use like 3.5pt. After that place it beneath the Z and the R like the image below. Conclusion After we had an idea of what we were looking for, the design process became pretty straight forward. That means that once you know what you have to do the tool is just part of the process and you will find many ways to achieve the same result. |