Class Assignments / Projects will be posted here
Assignments are listed in chronological order below – the NEWEST assignment(s) will be posted at the top of the page as we move forward. Past assignments can be found by scrolling down towards the bottom of the page. Check this websites home page for bi-weekly posts with expanded inspiration and tutorials to help you on your project/assignment practices.
**Assignment Submissions Information **
When you complete each assignment, please e-mail me to let me know – always add your sketches, production files (.psd or .Ai) as well as a .JPG version of the assignment and your research into your folder in our shared Google Drive (link on canvas). Please label finished work properly by indicating that it is a “Final” file submission – here is an example below:
Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#1-Final.psd
Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#1-Final.JPG
You can always check my folder as a formatting example 🙂
Tutorials & Class recordings are placed on Canvas the day after class.
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Assignment #7 – Semester Portfolio –
Include a series of pages for each completed semester project in the final semester Portfolio – A full demonstration / tutorial was shared to our canvas page on 12/4 – please watch the tutorial for formatting and saving the file as a PDF.
*Submit your Final Portfolio in your folder in our Course Google-Drive no later than 12/19 at 6pm please.
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Assignment #6 – Invisible City > Planet (Space) Travel Suit Composite Image/Collage
Develop a composite image to describe a space / travel suit / fashion or an avatar / robot / machine / Character Traveler for the Invisible Cities story you are developing. (Yes, you can make more than one)
Steps & Process:
Repeat the similar steps and process as in Projects 4+5 for developing a personal survival tool for your selected traveler. Consider the climates and survival needs for either a human traveler in considering the requirements of the travel/space suit, or imagine, describe, design and create a composite visual description for an avatar/robotic/mechanical surrogate traveler.
Develop 1-2 opposing three dimensional composite views (perspectives) and 1-2 two dimensional views (top head, front, rear, left and right profile) of the travel/space suit or avatar/robot/surrogate travel character.
Digital Tools:
(Composite multiple images together in Photoshop+ Illustrator + After Effects)
Explore and employ knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Employ the combination of tools to develop new composite tool views.
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Assignment #5 – Invisible City > Planet Travel / Survival Tool
Create a composite image (or a series of them) of a critical, personal, daily / survival tool(s).
Think of the traditional Swiss Army Knife tool or a Communication Device invention or a hybrid of both!
Steps & Process:
Repeat the similar steps and process as in Project #4 (the interplanetary-vehicle) for developing a personal survival tool for your selected traveler.
Create a personal human scaled object (tool) with all the colors, lights and shadows you can see. You can take a real-life image as a reference and based on the image you create the layers for all the colors you believe would best represent that object.
Digital Tools:
(Composite multiple images together in Photoshop+ Illustrator + After Effects)
Explore and employ knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Employ the combination of tools to develop new composite tool views.
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Assignment #4 – Interplanetary / Multipurpose / Amphibious Vehicle Composite Image(s)
Create an Amphibious Inter-Planetary Vehicle
This digital collage project details the process for visualizing a designed object through assembling and layering diverse digital images into a complete composite image.
Create an 8.5” X 11” formatted document with a resolution of 300 dpi, select and assemble relevant images and/or shapes to create a digital composition for the purpose of describing an amphibious vehicle that includes transport elements for multiple and different terrains. This includes landscapes, air, gas, liquid, water, ground or solid environments. Explore, develop and utilize specific principles of composition learned in the previous weeks. This project will explore and demonstrate proficiency in using all the compositing tools learned in this class to date, (photoshop & illustrator) including performing high quality selections and color corrections.
Create a set of composite images (digital illustrations) and views that can also describe/illustrate the climates, seasons, weather patterns and atmospheric light conditions on your Invisible City / Planet. You may develop and or draw from these seasonal views constructed in project 2.
Step 1:
A travelogue requires a means of transportation to, from and within known and strange new worlds. A multiple transformable means of safe and complete transportation is integral to the journey, the traveler’s experience, and story. Speculate and describe the kind of multiple modes of movement (fly, glide, sail, climb, dive, land, drive, roll, crawl, dig etc.) required to navigate and negotiate the various territories the traveler will need to engage to arrive at and, circulate through and return from your selected Invisible City story.
**Research, collect appropriate photographic and graphic imagery to develop this project, and begin with thumbnail sketches and paste ups to strategize the carriage, entry, viewing, operational and movement systems of this imagined and invented amphibious vehicle. Your imagination, speculative and inventive visual thinking are your powerful tools. Invention and exploration are also required for you to further develop your visualization tools, means of description and final product.
Step 2:
Develop the composite images that will form the components and elements of the multipurpose vehicle in your analog/digital sketch book and image archive. Develop the 2-4 composite views / perspectives (roof, front, rear, left and right side) of a transport vehicle that adapts to the different conditions of the landscapes traversed in your Invisible City. Consider the environments and conditions your traveler(s) must cross and survive in envisioning, equipping, visually describing and completing, your imagined multipurpose vehicle. How can this vehicle’s design and visual identity expand the visual story of your developing imagined Invisible City?
Step 3:
Develop and complete the final composite vehicle digital views starting from your original sketches, research images or digital sketch book, to a complete colored digital image, using color harmonies (one or more) and layers in photoshop, illustrator, you may also choose to animate the illustration in after effects. (animation tutorials will be share this week)
Digital Tools:
(Composite multiple images together in Photoshop+ Illustrator + After Effects) Explore and employ knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Employ the combination of digital tools to develop new multipurpose vehicle composite views.
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Assignment #3 – Invisible City / Planet Atmosphere Climate
Create a set of composite images and views that describe/illustrate the climates, seasons, weather patterns and atmospheric light conditions on your Invisible City / Planet. Develop these seasonal views from the views constructed in project 2 – Repeat the same process:
Step 1:
Continue the ‘closer reading’ of your Invisible Cities text. Apply your interpretations and define the seasonal climates and atmospheric conditions of your new Invisible City world. Research the climate and weather of your planet/satellite/moon. Consider the multiple, important/relevant locations and views that you developed in project 2.
Step 2:
Develop these selected views in your analog/digital sketch book and image archive. Develop 4-12 composite light conditions views from project 2 and define the atmospheric weather patterns and climatic behavior of your Invisible City world views in layers and composite collage. Consider season/ temperature – Hot, Dry, Wet, Humid, Cold, Temperate, Rainy, Desert, Tropical regional range of seasonal swings and atmospheric light conditions to expand the visual story of your developing imagined Invisible City.
Step 3:
Continue developing and using your page/screen grid/guidelines to establish horizon line /eye levels in relationship to the guidelines and boundaries of your image/frame/screen. Develop layers and effects to transform and expand your existing Cityscape views from project 2 to describe the seasonal and atmospheric effects and new view point images.
Step 4:
Develop and complete the final digital landscape views starting from your original sketches on a paper or digital sketchbook, to a complete colored digital image, using color harmonies (one or more) and layers in photoshop.
Digital Tools:
(Composite multiple images together in Photoshop+ Illustrator + InDesign + After Effects) Explore and employ knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Employ the combination of tools to develop new diverse atmospheric climatic condition views.
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Assignment #2
Invisible City – Your Home Planet / Satellite World / Composite Images:
Class Lecture/Lessons – Framing Views + Light Conditions / Sketching>Perspective>Storyboard->Textures->Aesthetics
Create a set of composite images/views of the planet / moon / satellite world on which your Invisible City is located. Project 2 is focused on creating a set of single images, a series of landscape views of your invented Invisible City on the chosen planet, moon, satellite or orbital heavenly body you selected, reimagined or invented. Continue mining your Invisible City text for clues to develop and expand your world view elements and details. Use and expand upon the information developed in assignment #1 and source materials.
Demonstrations will be shared in class, using the knowledge on lighting and tools learned on compositing, combine multiple objects in photoshop / Illustrator to begin developing scenes of different times of day and seasons in your developing invisible city.
Step 1: Continue the ‘closer reading’ of your Invisible Cities text. Make notes, cut and paste clues directly from the text, define, shape and expand upon the details, clues and information developed from the selected Invisible City text. Consider multiple, important/relevant locations in the developing Invisible City and new world. Establish these locations and points of view in your map.
Step 2: Develop the selected views in your analog/digital sketch book and image archive. Begin by developing small thumbnail sketches. These sketches can begin as rough outline drawings and combine paste ups of existing images. Create 4-6 new composite views to develop the important locations in your developing Invisible City. Consider the view/camera/frame position/perspectives
Step 3: Continue developing and using your page/screen/guidelines to establish a horizon line / eye level in relationship to the top, bottom, left and right boundaries of your image/frame/screen. Expand and enlarge these to inform your final scaled digital layouts. Use your guidelines as an image scaffolding to organized, position and relate your Invisible City-scape elements for each selected/constructed view.
Step 4: Create 4-6 views from your Invisible Cities closer readings, maps and sketches and developing a range light climate and atmosphere conditions for different times of day and night, dawn, dusk, bright sunny?
Reflected moonlight? Overcast / Cloudy little or no shadow. Focus on the different light, dark, shadow, shade and color changes, experiences, and expressions of each view and light environment you select.
Digital Tools:
Light Conditions – Layers – Grid / Horizon Line / Perspective lines / Light Source location / Hue / Saturation 2D Map Geographies Invisible City Composite Collage / etc.
Composite multiple images together in Photoshop (+ Illustrator + After Effects) demonstrating knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Use the combination of tools, take the time to create an artwork.
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Assignment #1
Invisible Cities – by Italo Calvino – will play a big role this semester.
P1 – Invisible Cities – Metaphysical Guide Semester Project
Narrative / Travelogue / Way-finding / Map + Storyboard / Art Direction – Collage + Composite Imaging – Application of Layers
Deeper Research – Surrealism (Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, Joseph Cornell, Roberto Matta)
Step 1: Read / Research “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino. Select one city description as your semester long project source.
(I found this free PDF of the Invisible Cities book here:
Step 2: Begin a close reading of the text to identify and develop a semester long Travelogue of an imagined place. Begin to understand the Art Direction aspect of building a worldview / environment. You will imaginatively develop / design a visual iconography and language of the world you interpret and translate from your chosen Calvino text. Construct an analog and digital sketch book / scrap book / image archive to begin developing your new Invisible City world.
Step 3: Identify and formulate the imagined world that is broadly, and vaguely suggested and described in the details and clues of the Calvino city you select. Select, collect and assemble these clues to visually shape, locate and assemble as a composite visual document. Research planets, moons, satellites and begin to art direct and curate your new Invisible City and world.
Step 4: Project 1 is focused on developing the geography, landscape and terrain of the described/imagined world in the selected Calvino city text. Create a ‘Map’ or ‘Cartographic Document’ that identifies elements described as clues from the text. Cartographic Design / Documents and Maps include landscape (landforms, water elements /tributaries) or urban features, architectural building, and urban elements, street names, place names, geographic element names, writing, coordinates, geometric markers, longitude/latitude lines, orientation indicators/compasses, wind and other weather features, natural, physical, political and invisible boundaries, legends, titles, scales, inset maps, etc. Not all are necessary or appropriate for every map, but all appear frequently enough that they’re worth developing and integrating into your Mapping/Cartography strategy. Begin by organizing the page > orientation, size and grid/guidelines for position elements within the four-sided frame/screen, similar to the ARTD 103 project grid system for composing shapes and colors.
Options include selecting and elements, words, letters directly from the text and apply, transform, shape or manipulate the text using required computer software and also begin to develop, find, photograph, scan, cut, paste visual, graphic, photographic elements/images from other sources to create the composite Map/Cartographic Document and develop in future cumulative related semester projects.
Digital Tools:
Layers – 2D Map Geographies, Invisible City Composite Collage
Composite multiple images together in Photoshop ( + Illustrator + InDesign + After Effects) demonstrating knowledge of layers, masks, blending modes, and adjustment layers. Use the combination of tools above, take the time to create an artwork.
Students should be prepared to present and show both their research and work in progress / process each week with a visual presentation during our class-time. This will help us develop our ideas, presentations skills and reception of creative and critical feedback. More on this process soon!