Digital Arts Art 48.11 Spring 2009 CLASS SCHEDULE

Class 1, January 27 : Introduction to the Course, the Computer, and the Lab

- What are computers, graphics, and graphic design?
- Identifying and using hardware.
- Identifying and opening software
- Saving files and making folders.
- Beginning to work with type in Illustrator CS3

Screening: Eames

Reading:READER: "Racism", p.43, "Going Out", p. 219, and "Next", p.288. Handout, "Designing with Type", by Robin Landa.

**Assignments for Next Week: Buy books, discs, and come in for lab time to review what we've covered.

Complete one composition of Project 1: Typographic Word Poems.

• Class In-Progress Review of Project 1
• The Basics: When to use Illustrator
• Typography Essentials (type measurement, history, layout)
• Creating and Stylizing Type
• Expressive Uses of Type Design

Reading:Type Chapter, pp. 151-189.

** Assignment for Next Week: Complete the three remaining designs for Project 1: Typographic Word Poems

Class 3, February 17: More work with Illustration

• Critique of Project One.
• Drawing Lines and Bezier curves
• Create Patterns, Custom Gradients and Blends
• Use Transformation Tools; Rotate, Scale and Shear
• Working with Gradient Mesh tools
• Layout basics.

Reading: Handout, "Layout" by Robin Landa. READER: "Postage Stamps", p. 281, "Advertising Stamps, p. 417.

** Assignment: Do Paper Sketch and Trace for Project 2: Transportation Stamp.

Study the article "Designing with Type" !!!! THERE IS A QUIZ NEXT WEEK!

Class 4 , February 24:Working with Adobe Illustrator

• TYPOGRAPHY QUIZ
• Present Project 2 informally.
• Using the Pathfinder
• Working with layers
• Rasterizing graphics: making them and importing them
• Designer Profile: April Greiman

Reading:READER: Iconography Chapter, pp. 329-353.

** Assignment : Complete Project 2.

Bring objects in to get ready for Class 5.

Class 5, March 3:More Illustrator

Class 6, March 10: Adobe Photoshop

• Critique of Project Two: Transportation Stamp
• Bitmap vs. vector techniques
• Resolution and scanning techniques
• Basic Tools, Palettes and Menus
• Making selections.
• File Formats.
• Designer Profile: David Carson
• Introduction to Layers

Screening: More Eames Films...

** Assignment: Complete Project 3, Object Transformation.

Reading: READER: "Avant-Garde as Software" by Lev Manovich and Photoshop Reference, Making Selections, Transformation Tools.

Class 7, March 17:Adobe Photoshop

• Critique of Assignment 3: Object Transformation
• Photo Session for Project 4.
• Image transformations
• Effects Filters
• Paths
• Discussion of portraiture.
• Working extensively with layers.
• Layer masks.
• Using the rubber stamp.
• Photo retouching and colorization

Reading:READER: "Digital Art" from New Media in Late 20th Century Art by Michael Rush and Photoshop Reference, Chapters TBA.

** Assignment : Choose photos for Project 4. Decide on which will be the base image and try some compositing.
Put together research for digital artists assigned in class.

Class 8,March 24 :Adobe Photoshop

• Actions.
• History.
• Working with lighting.
• Patterns.
• Ink effects.
• Photoshop for the Web (Palettes, File Formats, Photoshop Utilities)
• Digital Photography Resources:
  • Photoshop Curves Tool
  • Photoshop Levels Tool
  • Image Histograms
  • Channels
  • Sharpening
• Presentations from "Digital Art" chapter begin.

Reading: Photoshop Reference, Chapters TBA.

** Assignment : Complete Project 4. Make sure you've finished the portrait by including a background for your subject.

• Class Critique of Project 4: Hybrid Class Portraits
• history of photomontage
• more "Digital Art" presentations
• last minute tips/photoshop review
• in-class photocollage work

** Assignment : Complete Project 5: Photocollage, due on April 21

Class 10, April 7:: Class Cancelled

This class will be rescheduled as an open lab, supervised work session for the final project

Class 11, April 21:Critique

• Class Critique of Project 5: Photocollage
• Lecture by Siebren Versteeg, visiting artist

Reading:READER: "The First Record Album", p.409, "The Best of Jazz", p. 253, "Dylan", p.286 and "Cheap Thrills", p.411.

In Design Reference TBA.

"The Bathroom, The Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste", by Ellen Lupton

Class 12, April 28: InDesign

• Discuss article to be handled.
• Object Manipulation
• Typography
• Document Layout
• Text Editing (flowing, wrapping, rotation and linking)
• Type (leading, kerning and tracking).
• Importing Graphics
• Runaround
• Grouping and Guides
• Background Colors and Shades
• Picture Shapes
• More about resolution (pixel vs. dpi)
• CMYK, Gray Scale, Duotones, Tritones
• Spot color
• Trapping
• File formats (EPS and TIFF)
• Working with service bureaus.
• Designer Profile: Tibor Kalman

Reading: InDesign Visual Quickstart, Chapters 1-3

•Designer Profile: Quentin Fiore for The Medium is the Massage

** Assignment : Choose images and general book format for next week.

Class 13, May 5: Multi-Page Layout in InDesign

• Master Pages
• StyleSheets
• Templates
• Pagination
• Mistakes: Rivers, Widows, Orphans

Reading:READER: "The Medium is the Massage", p.320 and the "Mass Media" chapter (pp.53-144)

InDesign Visual Quickstart , Chapters 10, 17, and 18.

** Assignment : Complete digital version of book.

Class 14, May 12: FINAL CLASS

• Class Discussion of Final Assignment.
• Portfolio guidelines

** Assignment : Complete, Laser-Print and Bind Project 6: Mini-Book Design.
Due During Last Class. Also make PDF to hand in.
Organize files for all class projects.

MakeUp Class,May 14, 10am- 1pm: Work Session for Book Project

FINAL EXAM DATE:TUESDAY, May 19, 8-10am

• Critiques for Project 6
  
• Final Review of all course projects, print portfolio for extra credit!!

Final Review of all Course Assignments, final turn in date for books.