Computer Art Syllabus
ChenangoForksArtDepartment
Keith Rosko
BASICS:
Knowing your computer:
What is hardware and what is software? Define…
The different parts of the computer hardware….
Computer, mouse, ports, disk drives, hard drive, monitor, speakers etc.
Computer software…
Memory
What is your hard drive?
What is your RAM?
How are the two different?
Bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes.
What are these units of measurement and how do they relate to each other?
Programs – what are computer programs?
Knowing your system and network:
Moving around in the virtual world (organization)…
Your student account and the J drive (vs. the desk top).
Creating folders and files, directories and sub-directories.
The mouse – right click, left click, scrolling.
Files and file types (the main file types).
What each file does and how it works and how it saves.
Image files vs. other types of files.
How are images different from text?
What do different programs do to images?
Image size and when to use what file types (and/or programs).
File compression – how it works.
What is the difference between a vector based program and a pixel based program?
What are pixels and how do they work?
Knowing cyberspace and the internet:
Computer etiquette – what is it and how does it work.
Email etiquette – what is it and how it works.
Internet Saftey – what is it and what does it mean?
What are the big internet no-no’s?
How to remain safe.
What to do and where to go if you feel threatened.
Copyright – what is it and what does it mean?
What is plagiarism?
How copyright affects you.
Photo touch up vs. photo manipulation…
What is the history of photo retouch and photo manipulation?
What are the ethical considerations of using photo retouch programs?
Where does one draw the line?
WORKING IN PHOTOSHOP
The specific units of study
HUMANIMALS (intermediate)
Student finds a photo of an animal they relate to in some way and morph the animal face and theirs into a composite image.
Accessories…
Importing images via camera connections.
What is a USB cable, what is a fire wire and how do they work?
Using a basic digital camera connection.
The basics of composing and lighting a photograph.
Light and shadows vs. a flash.
The different types of flashes.
The different camera modes.
Background, composition, positive/negative space, balance and focal point (as well as POV).
Creating narrative images (speaking through pictures)
How to create mood and communicate before you ever manipulate the image.
Image size and image resolution
What’s a good resolution?
What does resolution mean?
What is a pixel?
Explain the phrase – “garbage in, garbage out” and how does it apply to images from the internet?
How do you create a new file?
What are layers and why are they so wonderful?
What is the History menu and how does it work?
Changing the history menu settings.
The selection tool…
What is it, where is it (where is the “tools menu”?)
What are the different types of “Lasso’s”? (there are three).
What is a “Magic Wand” tool and how does it work?
What does the “select similar” option do?
What does the “color select” option do?
How do you change and layers opacity?
What does the Rubber Stamp tool do?
How do you use the rubber stamp tool?
ART HISTORY CONNECTIONS
DADAism movements.
Photographic darkroom techniques prior to the advent of computers.
Double, triple exposures and sandwiching negatives.
Introduction to Surrealist photographers…
JK Potter, Jerry Uelsman, David Bowers
COLORING BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS (beginner)
1 - Student takes a photograph and creates the illusion of a black and white photograph that one spot of color (addition of color must make the image must be narrative in nature).
2 – Student creates a high contrast self portrait (with spot color) in the style of a comic book frame (aka Frank Miller) and adds text.
3 – Student takes an old black and white photograph, and using layers and transparency, creates the illusion of an old fashioned hand colored photograph.
How do you change an image to black and white (two ways).
Desaturation vs. changing to Grayscale.
What are the benefits of the one over the other?
How do you create a second layer (multiple layers)?
How do you create a duplicate layer?
What are the benefits (main benefit) of creating a duplicate layer?
What is a Layer Mask and how does it work?
What is the Eraser Tool and how does it work?
The Magic Eraser and Background Eraser?
How does each work?
Eraser, block, pencil and brush options?
What are two ways of creating spot color on an image (HINT – erasers and layer masks)
Explain how each works.
What are the benefits of the Mask over the Eraser?
What tools do you use to create a high contrast image?
The Levels option.
The Histogram menu.
The Contrast/brightness menu.
Advanced menu options.
What are the file types?
When is each used?
What are the good points and bad points of each?
Explain how file size works (how many bits in a kilobyte etc).
ART HISTORY CONNECTIONS
Early hand colored photography
Contemporary hand colored photography
RETOUCH AND REPAIR (beginner)
Student takes a damaged photograph and repairs it.
Saving copies and samples.
How is it done and what’s the benefit.
Review the rubber stamp tool.
The Filters menu.
Using the Blur filters.
Using the Noise filters.
The Smudge, Blur and Sharpen tools in the tools pallet.
Cutting and pasting, copying, and cropping.
The shape selection tools.
Using feathering to create vignettes.
Healing Brush and Patch tools.
Color correction by…
Adjusting Color Balance, Hue and Saturation.
Fixing Red-eye…
The hard way.
The easy way (Color Replacement tool).
ART HISTORY CONNECTIONS
What’s the difference between retouch and manipulation.
Early examples of retouch and manipulation…
Matthew Brady and Civil War photographs.
KentState and Sports Illustrated photos.
How much is to much?
Joseph Stalin’s photo retouching department.
Current ethics debate and examples of what is being done.
What is propaganda?
Dove Soap and The Evolution of Beauty website and movie.
PAPER CURRENCY RE-DESIGN Graphic design problem (intermediate)
Student will choose a piece of American paper currency and re-design it, creating a more aesthetically pleasing bill. Consideration must be given to security features, as well as practical design considerations (size etc).
This project has also been done with US Postage Stamps and playing cards as well.
Review the basic text tools and menu.
Elaborate deeper on the Layer Style menu options.
Demo and discuss how to use the Grid and Guidelines.
Snap and Unsnap options.
Resetting the grid options.
The Type tool.
Setting type.
Cutting and filling type.
Adjusting type.
Layer styles and drop shadows.
Discuss the narrative problem posed by the graphics that go on the paper currency.
Both past and present (review spin and propaganda).
Discuss the legality of copying and scanning money (and postage stamps).
Introduce counterfeiting and security features.
Scanning imagery vs. finding images online.
Copyright issues – what is copyright and how does it work?
Online resolution – garbage in, garbage out.
How to fix online resolution (to a point)
Re-sizing images and resizing options.
ART HISTORY AND CONNECTIONS
The Design Process and its steps.
The history and development of American paper currency.
Its symbolism and story.
What is symbolism and how does it work?
Pictorial vs. design oriented approach.
Currency from other countries.
How is American money designed and printed today?
THE GHOST PHOTOGRAPH (intermediate)
Student will create an image that appears to be a photograph of a spirit, ghost or similar ethereal body, based on the ideas of early spirit photography.
Emphasis and review on layers and layer opacity.
Review erasers and brushes.
Review filters.
Review the extraction tools as well as other selection tools.
Begin to examine just what makes an image narrative.
Why do some images tell stories while others do not?
ART HISTORY AND CONNECTIONS
The brief history of photography.
Some early photographers of note.
The history of Spiritualism and Spirit photography.
What were the late 1800’s to the 20’s like, why did spiritualism flourish?
Houdini and the debunkers.
3D ART (intermediate)
Student will use the concepts of cyber-holography and color theory along with 3D glasses to create a piece of artwork that appears to be 3 dimensional in nature.
Color Theory
What is the idea of depth by color intensity and color value?
How does it work?
What is the idea of color vibration (simultaneous contrast)?
How does it work?
Color on the computer vs. color in the “real” world.
How does one see color.
What is RGB vs. CMYK vs. lab color.
What does internet safe colors mean?
How does cyber-holography differ from regular 3D?
The Extraction tool.
ART HISTORY AND CONNECTIONS
Color Theory and Color Psychology.
Color as applied to the commercial art world.
THE RAVEN - ILLUSTRATION PROBLEM 1 (advanced)
Students select a verse from the poem The Raven and must interpret the poem, their verse, and then create an image that illustrates their verse, yet remains true to the meaning and feel of the whole poem.
What is an illustration and how is it different from a simple drawing or painting?
What is a “narrative” image?
How does one create a narrative image?
How does one illustrate a part and yet remain true to the whole?
What is Design Synetics?
The design personality worksheet.
ART HISTORY AND CONNECTIONS
Who was Poe (the A&E Biography)?
What is Gothic Literature?
How did the Gothic (and Romantic) movement begin and how was it related to
popular culture at the time Poe was writing?
What is The Raven about?
What is its usual interpretation?
What is Literary Symbolism and how is it similar/different from visual
symbolism?
The Raven is traditionally done at the same time the English department covers it so that lessons can be coordinated, and English students are used to narrate The Raven movie produced from the CA classes still illustrations.
SURREALISM - ILLUSTRATION PROBLEM 2 (advanced)
Students use the basic tenets set out by the original Surrealists and in Andre Bretons Surrealist Manifesto, and using their own dreams, create a surrealist image.
Adjusting color through the Curve Tool.
Fine tuning color with Channels.
ART HISTORY AND CONNECTIONS
Who were the Surrealists and how did the movement begin?
What is Bretons Surrealist Manifesto?
How did the Surrealists work?
Where did they mine their ideas from?
What is dream interpretation?
How did Freud differ from Jung?
Contemporary Surrealists.
How is their work different?
Dream Journaling (and the study of sleep).
HOME WORK ASSIGNMENTS
Each home work assignment is assigned at the beginning of the month and due at the end of the month. Students need not show any sketches for this assignment (however, sketches need to be in the sketchbook) or get teacher approval – HOWEVER – they also may not work on it during class time.
HAND DRAWING ON PHOTOGRAPHS
Student will select a photograph, and using PhotoShop’s pencil and brush tools, draw on the surface to the image as if it were in the real world instead of cyber space.
Note that this is not a photo retouch or photo-manipulation assignment, but what is essentially a drawing assignment.
Emphasis on layers, and manipulating the brush tools and menus.
How to modify existing brushes and create new ones.
Using transparency and the Modes.
(RE)FINED ART
Student uses library to find an artist who’s style of work they feel an affinity for and select one specific piece of the artists work. This is then scanned into PhotoShop and the student places themselves into the work so that they appear to belong (similar in color, surface texture and dimensionality to characters already in the artwork).
VISUAL TEXTURE HUNT
Student will look for a certain number of visual textures that are either scanned or photographed (using a digital camera or camera phone).
What makes a pattern? What is a texture?
How are the two different yet dependent on each other?
Scanning three dimensional items – how to.
INSECT INSTRUMENTS
Student will find an image of an insect, and an image of a musical instrument. The images should be related either intellectually or through physical appearance.
The two images will be morphed together.
Review layers, layer masks and erasing/blending.
Review image resolution.
Review color adjustment tools.
Discuss the ideas of synonyms and antonyms (as well as visual puns) for
generating ideas and jump starting the imaginative process.
ARCHEOLOGY 101
Student will take an image of a human skull and modify it using tools and techniques discussed in class so far to create what appears to be impossible archeological artifact.
COMBAT ART
Student will take an existing combat photograph and use it as the basis for a piece of narrative artwork. Photograph may be from any American war (or time period when America was actively involved in combat operations).
X-tra credit if the photo is of a family member (immediate or extended).
RORSCHACH INKBLOTS
Student will create a series of Rorschach type inkblots and select one to be scanned. Using PhotoShop, this inkblot will be used as the basis for a piece of artwork.
X-RAY ART
Student will select an x-ray and use it as the basis for a piece of artwork.
X-tra credit if the x-ray is an actual one from the student and/or a family member.
ASSORTED FAST REFERENCE INFORMATION
MEMORY
Memory is the amount of space available for you to store information on your computer and for your computer to run programs.
HARDDRIVE SPACE – space available for you to store information, the more space the more software and/or information (documents or photos etc) that you can store.
RAM – the space available for your computer to run programs, the more space available, the faster the computer will run.
8 bits = I byte
1,000 bytes = 1 KB (kilobyte)
1,000, 000 bytes (or 1000 kilobytes) = 1 MB (megabyte)
1, 000, 000, 000 bytes (or 1000 megabytes) = 1GB (gigabyte)
FILE TYPES
Files are the name for the way your computer stores and reads information. Information is saved as a file.
.doc - document (text files)
.exe - execution program
ppt. - PowerPoint presentation
pps. - PowerPoint show
.gif .jpeg btmp - all are ways to save image files
a: - this is your floppy disk drive
d: - this is the CD-ROM drive
c: - this represents your computer hard drive
j: - this is the network space (network is when two or more computers are connected)
IMAGE SIZE
File types determine how much information a given image keeps and how small the file will be. Remember that most files make a file smaller by throwing out information (pixels).
.jpeg – 344KB
.psd – 891 KB
.bmp – 891 KB
SAVING WORK AND FILE TYPES
.gif - This is great for images that will be used on the internet but only has 256 colors.
The internet only recognizes 256 colors so this is OK.
Why would this be a problem for an image that will be used as a magazine ad?
If, however, the image is a black and white image (like a pen and ink drawing)
.gif is a good file type to use.
bitmap – This file is recognized by all graphics programs and maintains the best quality,
but it is a HUGE file size and should only be used only when moving between
different type of computers and programs.
.psd (PhotoShop Document) – This uses as much space as a bitmap because it keeps all
the layers of a PhotoShop image intact. All images should
be worked as .psd files until they are ready to be saved out
and/or printed.
.jpeg – This creates the smallest file size and is also universally compatible, but it makes
a small file by “compression”. It compresses a file by throwing out information
every time it closes (like making a copy of a copy of a copy).
This should only be used when you are finished (and then saved at maximum
quality).
WHEN TO USE WHAT
.psd - When working on an image and when layers are needed.
.tif - Best to use for images that will be printed on a computer printer.
.gif - Best for black and white work (not for grey tones).
.jpeg - Use when finishing out an image or delivering it to another artist (or client).
.bmp – Best for overall compatibility, but is HUGE.
COURSE OBJECTIVES OR GOALS FOR COURSE
Technology is an element of design that profoundly influences our perception of the environment that surrounds us, making it a powerful layer of design. Understanding the computer and what it is capable of is a challenge for even the most experienced artists and designers.
Today we must understand the complexity of professional applications available: specifically working with PhotoShop, making the transition from pigment to electronic light and pixels.
We will learn the basic language of imagery and symbolism with an emphasis on the images created with the computer.
In addition, emotional, symbolic, and cultural significance of imagery will be explored through visual examples in historical and contemporary contexts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Develop an intuitive sense for the computer and its associated parts and pieces.