Weeks #3, 4 & 5 – Class Info & Resources

Weeks #3, 4 & 5 – Class Info & Resources 

Did you miss the previous week’s post? –> Go here

This post reflects classes on 9/25, 10/2 & 10/16

***No class on 10/9***

Projects / Assignments #1  & #2  are underway!  We will dig into everyone’s progress during our class-time and share our process. Please get into the habit of showing your assignment’s work in progress each week (or at least every other week). Students should be prepared to present and show both their research and work in progress / process with a visual presentation during our class-time. This will help us develop our ideas, language, presentations skills and  reception of creative and critical feedback.

**Assignment Submissions ReminderWhen 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

Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#1V2-Final.JPG (V2 for “Version 2”)

Lets talk more about Assignment/ Projects #1 & #2 :

Resources:

( Assignment / Project Details / Info can also be found on the Assignments Page Here )

Working with Photoshop, Creating Composite Images, Working with Adobe Illustrator – creating vector graphics and applying typography, Adobe After Effects for basic motion graphics! (Exciting!)

**What artists & designers are inspiring your work on these projects?

Feel free to add links to the comments section below!

Below – a series of helpful tutorials on Compositing, Layer Mask, Blending Images & Lighting Effects – Please watch and follow along with each tutorial to help practice your craft.

Compositing / Blending Images

Selection Tools & Smoother Edges

Lighting effects – Dual Sided Lighting Effect

Lighting Effects – Turn Day into Night

More Photoshop Lighting Effects Examples

Neural Filters in Photoshop 2022 are amazing indeed! (see above)

Above – An animation of various graphic assets composed in Adobe After Effects – This week in class we will take a brief tour of Adobe Illustrator and After Effects and the potentials of adding basic motion graphics to your Invisible City Map – here is an example made from the various individual assets from my static map..

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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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Artistic Inspiration – Check out the work of: Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney – Wiki

Matthew Barney on ART21 – <–

http://www.cremaster.net/

Image search results for Matthew Barney

Welcome to ARTC-201 Weeks 1 & 2

Welcome to ARTC-201 Computer Graphics 1 

Fall Semester 2023!

https://irenebrination.typepad.com/files/calvino_italo_invisible_cities.pdf

***Invisible Cities PDF above 

Weeks #1 & #2 – Class Introductions, Resources & Assignment #1 –>

This is our official class website!

It will grow as the semester goes on, and it will remain a resource and repository of value and inspiration for years to come! We will ALL be contributing to this website. Be sure to check out how our website navigates from the menu above.

First and Foremost, Subscribe to this Blog – look in the right hand side bar or at the bottom of the page for the opt-in – (bottom of the page if you are on a mobile device) Subscribing will allow each published post to arrive as an e-mail each week.

*The Google drive links are placed on our class Canvas page in case you need them as a reminder.

The Course Syllabus – https://artc-201.com/syllabus/

The Class Resources page – has a growing amount of useful information and inspiration that will fuel your projects with references and resources – this page will grow over the semester –> https://artc-201.com/course-resources/

The Assignments / Projects page –  is located here and will grow one project / assignment at a time –> https://artc-201.com/assignments/

During weeks #1 &2  we will discuss our first project / assignment, talk about research / process expectations and go over a few demonstrations using Adobe Photoshop. My class demonstrations and tutorials from our class sessions will be recorded (just the software tutorials) and will soon be posted below.

Each week (or biweekly) there will be a new blog post published to this website on Mondays. We will navigate the class agenda from these posts. 

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 ErnstYves TanguyJoseph CornellRoberto 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:

 
Looks all good to read online or download)

 

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 composition.

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

 

 

Photoshop Basic: Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/@Photoshop – Adobe Photoshop YouTube Channel

 

If you have any questions please reach out via e-mail – rseslow@nyit.com