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!
Designing with Power...
assignment #1
Welcome to the art of Andreas Preis,
Preis is a Graphic Designer from Berlin, Germany. Preis has created many beautiful graphics professionally, many of which are awe inspiring, complex, and wonderfully inspired by words.
Tools to use?
You may use any software, pencils and paper, paint, markers, etc to complete this assignment. In the end however, it must be a digital graphic design. You may use the scanner to bring in any drawings you might create that suit your goals.
Colour has a huge impact on the mood of the design. A predominantly red colour usually represents strong emotions—love, anger, passion—while blue can make the design feel calm, cool and peaceful. Color contributes to the unity of a series of flyers, emphasizes important information and leads the eye through a design.
Are your lines straight and slim, or thick and squiggly? The quality of the line (hand drawn to precise) can say a lot about the mood you are setting with your design. Hand drawn or thick lines tend towards juvenile themes, where as straight and thin lines are more refined, corporate or intelligent. How lines interact with each other is important, too. If they are straight, thin lines, but are colliding at all sorts of crazy angles, that is going to be chaotic. If they have a hand drawn quality to them but are more or less straight and orderly, this can give a much needed personal appeal to a design. Space is often referred to as white space, and gives the design some breathing room and the eye a place to rest. An ill use of space (or perhaps a very well planned out use) can make the design feel crowded and claustrophobic. Too much space, however, and the design can seem unfinished, like it’s missing something. Once you know the rules (for any of these elements, really), you can also experiment with breaking them in order to push a different emotional response. Value can really add unity to your designs if you pay attention to this neglected element. It is also a great way to create a focal point and guide the viewer’s eye through the layout. This little element can bring together parts of the design to make them balanced; using elements similar in a high intensity value (light, towards the white end of the spectrum) can create a subdued tone, where values lower in intensity (darker, towards black) can be ominous and foreboding. Using values on either extreme of the spectrum has a very dramatic effect. 
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What to do?
Within Preis' designs you will find many symbols and images that compose the whole of his designs.
Your assignment is to build one thing out of many things, like Preis, based on the theme of words. Powerful words that you feel are important. You will choose 3 Power words that either represent you, your family, your community, or something that is very important to you. Once you choose your words, you are to create 3 corresponding illustration/designs that are complex, based on symbols and colours that have meaning to the words chosen, and that are designed by you. 
Did you know that shapes can convey a mood just like any other element of design? Angular shapes like squares and triangles tend to indicate masculinity, while smooth and curving shapes like circles are more feminine. Squares are very familiar to us (think of your monitor, a piece of paper or the TV screen), so they are secure, trustworthy and stable. Circles very pleasing to the eye and are organic, whole, peaceful and exude unity.
Scale and Size Bring balance, proportion and contrast to your designs with scale and size. Just for reference, size is the actual dimensions of an element on the page,scale is the element’s relation to its original (like putting a person on a billboard—it’s going to be “larger than life”) and proportion is the relation of all the elements on the page in terms of size and scale. Use scale and proportion to indicate the actual size of an object or to emphasize the difference in the sizes of two objects (a child’s hand against its mother’s is a common use of size). Texture is a fun element to experiment with and use to bring realism to your designs. It can be effectively used to add visual interest and it really helps make a design unique. Textures are not just applied in the computer; you can take into consideration the materials used in the final printed pieces, too. Assignment Requirements:
Your final product must be digital.
You will have 3 different designs All 3 designs will maintain a unifying theme Final image size will be 10"x 10" Final assignments will be printed using the Roland on Decolite, with the intention of wrapping them on wood stretchers. The purpose of graphic design is communication. As you go through each stage of your design process, ask yourself how you are using each of these elements of art and design to enhance the delivery of the message, affect the mood of the piece and relate the product or message to the target audience. Remember that these elements apply to everything in the layout, from composition, to photos, to typography. |
Learn to create a .GIF
(a small animation) assignment #2 Graphics Interchange Format The Graphics Interchange Format (better known by its acronym GIF; /ˈdʒɪf/ or /ˈɡɪf/) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987[1] and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability. The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image, allowing a single image to reference its own palette of up to 256 different colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space. It also supports animations and allows a separate palette of up to 256 colors for each frame. These palette limitations make the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color, but it is well-suited for simpler images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of color. GIF images are compressed using the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique to reduce the file size without degrading the visual quality. This compression technique was patented in 1985. Controversy over the licensing agreement between the software patent holder, Unisys, and CompuServe in 1994 spurred the development of the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) standard. All the relevant patents have now expired. |
The following two links are very useful in the creation of a gif. With Photoshop and some photos, students learn how to make GIF animations. GIF stands for "Graphics Interchange Format," but the process is much easier than it initially sounds. The GIF format stores multiple frames of illustration that give the appearance of movement when the frames are displayed individually. GIF animation is most often seen in those often-annoying Internet pop-up ads, but the format can be put to a much more constructive--and enjoyable--use! The first project is very simple--making an animated bouncing ball. The assignments get progressively more difficult as students add backgrounds and work with several layers of color. The students really enjoy this format because they don't have to be artists to create these illustrations.
Standards addressed: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. They collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Overall: GIF Animation enables you to be creative while engaging in a difficult process... tough at first, but the end product is so satisfying. HOW DO I CREATE A .gif? if you'd rather a video... 
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Creating your own brush
Click on the words above to go to an explanation of how...
Texture Photo Tutorial Assignment #3
Use this Tutorial (the guy is quite good and has a nice Aussie accent):
http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/apply-a-texture-to-a-portrait-for-an-artistic-look/
In this tutorial, I will show you how you can manipulation texture by using a combination of selection tool, free transform tool, refine edge tool and stamp tool in Photoshop. Presented by psdvault.com
Full Tutorial: http://www.psdvault.com/photo-effect/create-abstract-photo-manipulation-with-tree-bark-texture-and-brush-elements/
Stock Images Download: (get them here, or below the video)
Model:
http://mirish.deviantart.com/art/Dovahkiin-4-347578099
Tree Bark Texture:
http://www.cgtextures.com/texview.php?id=51115&PHPSESSID=7ko5seomtintlghd7a3896j4j3
http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/apply-a-texture-to-a-portrait-for-an-artistic-look/
In this tutorial, I will show you how you can manipulation texture by using a combination of selection tool, free transform tool, refine edge tool and stamp tool in Photoshop. Presented by psdvault.com
Full Tutorial: http://www.psdvault.com/photo-effect/create-abstract-photo-manipulation-with-tree-bark-texture-and-brush-elements/
Stock Images Download: (get them here, or below the video)
Model:
http://mirish.deviantart.com/art/Dovahkiin-4-347578099
Tree Bark Texture:
http://www.cgtextures.com/texview.php?id=51115&PHPSESSID=7ko5seomtintlghd7a3896j4j3
Typography Project... Assignment 4
As a goal, we are comfortable with type.
Type surrounds us in every artistic venture that we embark on.
Type is how we communicate, express, and investigate information.
I want you to create a bit of Typography for this assignment. You may use any words (school appropriate) or arrangement of letters to create a typographical piece. You may print (produce) you piece in any form... I am leaving this open because I want you to focus on your own creative process within the design process. You are in Media 30... This shouldn't come as a shock to you that I want you to explore your OWN process, not copy someone else's...
You must:
(use the steps in the design process and be able to hand in proof that you used them...)
1 identifying the problem or need (design brief)
2 researching the problem
3 generating ideas and visualizing potential solutions
4 choosing the best solution
5 choosing the best method of presentation
6 making or modelling a solution
7 presenting the solution
8 evaluating the solution
draw up 10-15 thumbnails sketches regarding the placement of type, colour, style, etc that you want to convey. (step 3)
draw up a couple of comps, bigger sketches to choose from. (step 4)
etc...
etc...
Type surrounds us in every artistic venture that we embark on.
Type is how we communicate, express, and investigate information.
I want you to create a bit of Typography for this assignment. You may use any words (school appropriate) or arrangement of letters to create a typographical piece. You may print (produce) you piece in any form... I am leaving this open because I want you to focus on your own creative process within the design process. You are in Media 30... This shouldn't come as a shock to you that I want you to explore your OWN process, not copy someone else's...
You must:
(use the steps in the design process and be able to hand in proof that you used them...)
1 identifying the problem or need (design brief)
2 researching the problem
3 generating ideas and visualizing potential solutions
4 choosing the best solution
5 choosing the best method of presentation
6 making or modelling a solution
7 presenting the solution
8 evaluating the solution
draw up 10-15 thumbnails sketches regarding the placement of type, colour, style, etc that you want to convey. (step 3)
draw up a couple of comps, bigger sketches to choose from. (step 4)
etc...
etc...
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
assignment #5
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 Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premier. STEP 3: FIND AND 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! |
And moving on to bunnies...
Comfy with Tracing in Illustrator?
How about Drawing Cartoons
Complete the following tutorial:
How to Create a Cute Bunny Vector Character
I also found another video that will help you to see how a few other elements work in Illustrator... It is only 5 minutes and breezes over some important tools and concepts.
How about Drawing Cartoons
Complete the following tutorial:
How to Create a Cute Bunny Vector Character
I also found another video that will help you to see how a few other elements work in Illustrator... It is only 5 minutes and breezes over some important tools and concepts.
Breaking it in gently to Illustrator... as Corel has gone wayside.
Using the Pen Tool
The Pen tool gives you the greatest degree of control in drawing vector shapes.
We will go over how to draw lines and shapes with the pen tool using the .ai file below:
Pen-tool-practice.ai
The Pen tool gives you the greatest degree of control in drawing vector shapes.
We will go over how to draw lines and shapes with the pen tool using the .ai file below:
Pen-tool-practice.ai
- Set your Fill color to None and your Stroke color to black or some other strong color.
- Select the Pen tool.
- Starting from the top shape, trace over the template images. The shapes get more challenging as you move down.
- Finish up by tracing all the way around the outside edge of the car.
- click: add an anchor point with no curve arcs
- click+drag: add an anchor point with handles which define curve arcs
- alt+click+drag: change the curve direction going out from an anchor point
- ctrl: press-and-hold to move an anchor point or adjust its handles on the fly
- add an anchor point within a path segment: move the pen cursor to the path where you want to add an anchor point (a + sign will appear next to the cursor), click to add
- delete an anchor point : move the pen cursor to the anchor point you wish to delete (a -sign will appear next to the cursor), click to delete
- change an anchor point from curved to straight: alt+click
- change an anchor point from straight to curved: alt+click+drag
