Cover lesson task, Wednesday the 18th of Dec

Objective

To improve drawing skills  

To encourage an alternative method for starting work

To provide a different way of presenting work

To encourage a worry-free drawing experience

Task

Take a good look at your research page.  In your sketchbook, you are going to be drawing from the images that you have collected. You will also be using some different methods to kickstart your drawings.

Below is a list of ways that you can approach the (often daunting) white page.

Tip1: work smallish. Try to make your drawings absolutely no bigger than the palm of your hand...smaller if possible.

Draw with a continuous line.

Draw with your left hand - continuous line.

Draw from memory.

Draw with the papers upside down.

Draw with a shortening time limit.

Extras...

Draw the reverse of the subject.

Draw the 'negative space' only.

Draw by the dice.

Draw the altered scale.

Presentation

Photographed pages of your sketchbook.

Checklist for assessment 

All methods have bee attempted with enthusiasm and retried when things don;t go to plan.

Don't rip pages from your book, they may come in handy at a later date.

Deadline
Whatever is not completed in class, please ensure is done either at home or during lunch session. This work must be posted up by Wed the 8th of January 2014.

Research hwk - for Wednesday the 18th of Dec

Objectives

Prepare for the next page in the lyrics book

Improve drawing skills

Task

Choose another page from your plan. Look at your Pinterest research (and do some more) and select interesting images connected with the subject of the page.

My subject was a cigarette packet; I've allowed the search to offer up other interesting options like the hare smoking and the figure with a smoking head.

Select 4 or 5 (or like me...9) and paste them onto an A4 sheet.

If you can use Photoshop, make a new A4 and paste them onto that. 
Print it off in B&W.

Take to lesson on Wednesday the 18th of Dec.

Presentation

Post to your blog and Print in black and white.

Checklist for assessment

Interesting images.

Time needed

20 mins

Deadline

Wednesday the 18th of Dec

Pen Portrait 2

James Gulliver Hancock. HERE

Objective
To complete one of the images for the lyrics book.

To increase skills in digital and  traditional processes—custom colour palettes / colouring line only / blending modes / making patterns / pattern stamp tool.

Task
Scan your drawing. Forgotten? See below—watch until 1.48.

Complete the tutorials below in order

Presentation
Take whole screen shots of process / post with your final design.  

Checklist for assessment
?

Deadline
tbc

Pen Portrait 1

Objective

To improve line drawing skills.

To create a single illustration for the song lyrics book.

Task

- Look on your boards and find an image that you wish to use. A portrait would be best for this. If not then use an object from your list.
- Print it off in black and white—A5 size.
- Using layout paper (or printer paper if you are on a lightbox) trace the image. 

- Then have another go—but do it freehand.

- Look again at the image above—the artists has drawn only the lines, block tone and details—no shading. 
- Use a dark felt tip for the thick lines and a biro, fineliner or pencil.

Presentation

Photograph (preferred) or scan to your blog.

Checklist for assessment

tbc

Deadline

tbc

Set up a Pinterest account.

Objective

Create a place where all the research that is accumulated during the course can be organised and referred back to.

Tasks

• Go to Pinterest.com and create an account.
• Create six boards (or one for all) that contain images for the music video book. Extra boards for cute cats are not only accepted, they are encouraged.

Presentation

Create a new page on your blog that links to your Pinterest boards.

Extended study: Covering your sketchbook

We are going to have some enforced fun covering our sketchbooks!! 
Woohoo!! You will smile.

N.B. If you haven't already bought a sketchbook, then you can pick one up from me for a fiver. Hardback, nice paper, chunky and a handy compact-ish format.

Lookey HERE for a link to a pinboard full of sketchbook cover examples... but you could really look anywhere for inspiration.

Your task starts now. Look around you and collect stuff to stick on the front and back.  Think about collecting example of type, texture, labels, patterns etc etc.  Other than that, you could draw separate things and overlap them in a sticker-ish manner. When you cover your book, you be required to not leave and black exposed, other than considered design choices.

Seriously, don't turn up this Tues without plenty of stuff or it'll be this...

Brainstorming your lyrics

Objective: 

To use the lyrics get as many visual ideas as possible.

To understand that early planning is best done using a pencil.  It's much faster and sparks the brain 10x faster than a word processor.

Task: 

Take your lyrics (12pt, left align on an A4 page, space in between every line) and print off.

Using a pen or pencil, go through the words and associate any image you can–however obvious.  Go for beautiful poetic interpretation.

Presentation:

Scan or photograph them and post them to your blog. Post name–Brainstorming lyrics.

To get a the best mark you can, ensure that your pages are busy and full.

Assessment for type posters

Type Posters - Deadline: Thurs 24th of October 
When I assess the blog posts for your type poster project, I will be looking for the following:

Development - Initial draft drawing
Experimentation - A few work-in-progress shots of Photoshop (whole screen is best)
Presentation - X-Large images, Concise annotations of your posts - write about what is happening in the post.
Final Designs - Choice of type / image / alignment
Clear images of your final posters
Evaluation - Write a post. what went well? what didn't? what did you enjoy? what didn't you enjoy? How would you change it?

Homework - Choose lyrics.

Over the coming weeks, you will be embarking on a Song Book Illustration Project.  You will be researching existing book layout, developing your own illustration ideas, experimenting with different processes and techniques and finally presenting a finished book. Your book will be at least 8 pages long.

The subject of your book will be illustrations of a song lyric - using the whole or part of a song(s).

Task: Choose a suitable song, (believe me, it takes longer than you think)  If you are struggling to find a whole song, choose 6 or more different ones that you find interesting - and could work well visually.
You don't have to understand what the lyrics are referring to, they could be very vague - the most important thing is that they are creating images in your head.



Post just the lyrics them to your blog before the lesson on Wednesday the 23rd of October. Post title 'Possible Song Book Lyrics'

eTask - Google Map Typography

Task:  Using Google Maps, a keen eye and a lot of patience, create a set of A-Z characters from the shapes that exist in the aerial views.  

Use (cmd ↑ 4) to grab a hot of the screen - this lands on your desktop - and then arrange in neat squares using a  A4 Photoshop doc.

Travel as far and wide as you can!  Why not also look for @£$%^&*?~ etc etc :)

Extension Task - Hand Drawn Type

Your task is to create a 'full character set'.

Now that you have looked at a variety of typeface (font) EXAMPLES, look again at the characters that you have drawn and decide which are 'up to scratch' and those that need replacing with more interesting examples.  If you need to replace the whole 26, then that's fine - improving your skills is always the aim.

Work in black and white and feel free to use differing materials.

When you have them drawn follow the THRESHOLD tutorial and arrange as above.

Then get stuck into the 'colouring type' tutorial below...

Assessment for Business Card Projects

On Thursday the 10th of October at 18:00, I will assess the blog posts for your business card project.

I will be looking for the following:

Development - Initial draft drawing
Experimentation - A few work-in-progress shots of Photoshop (whole screen is best)
Presentation - X-Large images, Concise annotations of your posts - write about what is happening in the post.
Final Design - Choice of type / image / alignment
Clear images of your final card
Evaluation - Write a post. what went well? what didn't? what did you enjoy? what didn't you enjoy? How would you change it?

Working with you type scans

Once you have scanned in your type sketchbook pages, watch either one of the tutorials below depending on whether you scanned a colour page or black and white.

If you have a BLACK & WHITE scan... watch this


If you have a COLOUR scan... watch this

Quote Posters

Task:  For open day, I would like to present a collection of inspirational messages relating to creativity on the RM41 wall.  Using a quote from below (or one that you have researched yourself) and a load of typefaces from Dafont - or your own hand drawn and scanned font - create a beautiful 'type only' poster.  I'll print and laminate the best for the walls.

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso
“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it” – Salvador Dali
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people” – Leo Burnett
“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club” – Jack London
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” – Dr. Seuss
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.- Scott Adams
An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. - Edwin Land
Creativity makes a leap, then looks to see where it is. - Mason Cooley
I go wherever my creativity takes me. - Lil Wayne
Creativity takes courage. - Henri Matisse
Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it. - Dee Hock
Rule of art: Cant kills creativity! - Camille Paglia
But out of limitations comes creativity. - Debbie Allen

Getting ready to print your business cards...

Make sure you have the thicker paper (NOT cartridge paper!) and don't forget the headphones folks...

Ready to design your Business Card?

Download the Photoshop Template is HERE (it looks like the image above)

Saving and Uploading a bog header

Headphones please folks :)