In Digital Art II, you will gain experience and learn specific techniques in various forms of digital media. This course focuses on the technical aspect of drawing with tablets, the elements and principles of design, and how to produce a collection of digital artworks, create an artist portfolio, and write an artist statement. This course introduces new, more advanced ways to use the programs and tools in Adobe Master Collection CS3, as well as specific devices such as drawing tablets, cameras, scanners, and ink-jet printers. Most course projects, assignments and class exercises will be completed in Adobe Illustrator, but other CS3 programs will be used.
Course Material
Adobe Master Collection CS3 (Provided by TBA)
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Dreamweaver
- Flash
Laptops
Wacom Drawing Tablets
HP Photosmart printer
Canon Large format printer
Digital Cameras
Scanners
Instructional Objectives
Major topics covered throughout the year:
Elements and Principles of Design
- Value, texture, shape, form, line, etc.
- Color- hue, saturation, tint/shade, analogous, monochromatic, complementary
- Perspective- atmospheric, depth, scale
Digital Drawing with Tablets
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and InDesign CS3
Key questions to include:
What is Digital Art?
How is Digital Art influencing society, visual culture?
What are the elements and principles of design?
What is the importance of presenting work, assembling a portfolio?
Required Student Products
Projects: Short and long term projects will be a large focus throughout the course and is 50% of your entire course grade.
Class Work: Work generated from class exercises and demonstrations will be collected, graded, and factored into daily class work grade. Also, student participation and collaboration are factored in. Class work grades are 40% of your entire course grade.
Homework: There will be ocassional homework assignments, which will be related to material covered in class. The assignments are indended to prepare you for the following class (since we meet twice a week). Homework is 10% of entire course grade.
Quizzes: There will be a quiz for each term, which will test students’ knowledge of material and mastery of specific techniques covered throughout class assignments and projects. These will be included in the Project grade.
Completing projects and homework assignments ON TIME is crucial to your success in class. Students who do not submit work on time for legitimite reasons have a up to week to make up. Class assignments cannot be made up for credit.
Rules and Policies
Entering and Exiting Class- BE COURTEOUS
I expect that you come to class on time. If by chance you are a couple minutes late, enter in quietly to avoid disrupting the class (if you are respectful, you might not have to serve detention). If your behavior causes a serious disruption, or you are more than 2 minutes late you must serve a detention with me after-school that week, no exceptions! You will also be expected to make up any work that you missed due to tardiness, regardless of whether or not you have a pass.
You should have everything you need for class with you (note pad, pen/pencil, charged laptop & bag) and be in your seat when the final bell rings. Once I begin class you will not be allowed to go to your locker until after demonstration/introduction is over.
When it is time for class to end, please do not pack up your bag before I dismiss you. I will be respectful of your time and getting you to your next class – and I expect you to be respectful of my and your classmates’ time. If you start packing up early, you will have the pleasure of being the last student to leave the room.
Restroom Policy- BE REASONABLE
Because we only meet a few times a week, please refrain from making bathroom trips unless it is an EMERGENCY, You must take the hall pass and only one person may go at a time. You are young adults – I therefore expect you to act accordingly and not abuse your bathroom privileges. Remember, we have only two days a week!
Food/Drink Policy- BE RESPECTFUL
No food or drinks allowed in the classroom, except water. If I see it, I will ask you to it put away. If you fail to do so within a reasonable period of time, you have to serve a detention with me after school that day. A mouse can survive 1 month on a crumb of food. Let’s keep class mouse-free!
Obey School Rules-
Please obey all school rules regarding cell phones, music listening devices, hats, and computer usage. I should not have to ask. I will strictly enforce them in our classroom (occassional headphone use when related to academic assignment).
Absence and Tardy Policies- BE PRESENT & RESPONSIBLE
Remember that three tardies are the equivalent of an unexcused absence from class. Additionally, if you are tardy three times for class, you will be required to serve a 30-minute detention after school, doing something tedious and unpleasant. Please be on time. You are only allowed up to 3 excused absences.
You should first check the class website for handouts and description of day’s lesson. If you are absent on a day that a project is due, you should plan to turn in the project on the day you return to school, unless you arrange a special extension with me. Finally, you should check in with me either before school, after school, or via email to clarify the work you missed and to set a deadline for when any missed work is due. In general, you will have two days to make up any missed work. If you know in advance that you will be absent, check with me and be prepared to do the missed work during your absence.
Late or Incomplete Work Policies- BE PROFESSIONAL
In order to prepare you for college, we expect you to complete homework, classwork and projects on time. Turning an assignment in on time means having it ready at the beginning of our class period! Turning in work at the end of the school day is considered late and your grade for the assignment will be lowered by a full grade (for example, an A- would be lowered to a B-). Late work will ONLY be accepted for two days after the due date (for example, if the assignment was due on a Monday, you will have no later than Wednesday to turn it in.) For each day that the assignment is late, your grade will be lowered one full grade.
There may be circumstances when you need an extension on a major assignment. If this is the case, you must request an extension with me at least two days before the due date. I may or may not grant your request depending on the circumstances.
Academic Honesty- BE ORIGINAL
As stated previously, you are all intelligent individuals with important ideas. Plagiarism and cheating of any kind are completely unacceptable in our environment, as it shows disrespect to yourself, your classmates, and me. Students who turn in work that is not their own will receive a zero for the assignment and will be required to make up the work. More serious consequences may result depending on the nature of the offense. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, turning in another student’s work (in which case both students will receive a zero) or taking credit for work from another source (book, magazine, Internet site, etc) without citing your source. If you have questions about the acceptable use of a source, please see me.
Assessment/Grading Policy
Assessment of student progress is as follows: Percentage of Term Grade
Major Projects/Quizzes 50%
Homework 10%
Class work 40%
Final grade for the year will be based on: Percentage of Final Grade
Average of (2) term grades 80%
Final Exam/Art Portfolio 20%
Instructional Strategies
Our learning together will be structured through at minimum the following strategies: direct instruction, collaborative group work, small and large group discussions, one-on-one conferences, technology-based instruction & demonstrations, student presentations.
Technology Integration
Objectives:
Students will be able to…
- identify and apply specific drawing techniques, using tablets in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS3
- manage Illustrator workspace and panels
- save a document with the appropriate format and options.
- explore and gain a deeper understanding of live trace options
- manage color and transparency
gain understanding and identify Color Management settings and proof color on screen.
- create or load swatches, organize them, and apply them to objects
- apply transparency options to objects.
- recolor and fine-tune artwork color by using Live Color.
- explore color combinations using Color Guide.
- gain a deeper understanding of elements and principles of design.
- Line- Hatch, cross-hatching, contour, descriptive, implied, and expressive
- Value, shape, form, color, proportion, etc.
- Composition, rhythm, texture
- complete a series of drawings from observation, imagination
- use layers to trace images
- re-edit/re-touch line application, using the selection and direct selection tool
- paint and draw
- Explore brush libraries
- Customize brushes
- Deeper understanding of stroke (width, etc.)
- Create sense of depth and atmospheric perspective through brush width
- identify digital artists and gain exposure to professions related to digital media