Last blog of the year: Spring

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.”  ~Proverb

Let’s take advantage of this beautiful weather…  think about the question, “What is Spring to you?” Is it the weather?  The green surroundings? A state of mind?  How could you answer that question.  Go outside and take a photo that answers this question of, “What is Spring?”

Come back when you are done and edit this photo on PhotoShop, adding anything that would be appropriate and then post it to your blog.

Give your photo a title and tell me a bit about why is encapsulates this question of “What is Spring?”  Post it and you are done!

Animation Final Summary

Congrats on finishing your stop-motion animation!  Please reflect on this experience by answering the following questions in a few paragraphs. Answers can relate to anything from idea formation to creation to motivation.

1. What was the storyline of your animation?

2. Did your final animation’s idea differ at all from your first idea?  How and why?

3. What was your biggest success in making your animation? What went smoothly?  What are you proud of?

4. What was your biggest struggle in making your animation? What was tough?  What did you have issues with?

5. What did you learn about the technical aspects of making a stop-motion animation?

6. If you could do it all over again, what would you change and why? What did you learn about yourself through this process?

7. If you were to make a sequel to your animation, what would happen?

Animation Reflection

1. Which animations do you like best? Pick one and describe it.
2. What about the animations are you drawn to? What specific things did you like?
3. Which animations didn’t you like? Why?
4. What will you keep in mind when you make your own animation?

Animations we watched:

Human Skateboard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtbQ4J3RfQ8

Tetris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0LtUX_6IXY

T-Shirt War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKWdSCt4jGE

Lost Things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwX7uEiEWx4&list=RD022_HXUhShhmY

Process Enacted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkq2Kq-LmJg

Her Morning Elegance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

Drawing Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46eaeAfeqw

Cloud Cult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV2n0e-YQ6s

Post-it Note: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpWM0FNPZSs

T-Shirt Brainstorm

1. What theme would you like to explore in your t-shirt?
2. What colors would you like to have in your t-shirt design?
3. What imagery will you see on your t-shirt?
4. How will you make your imagery?  What tools?  What images will you trace? Will you draw out your design first?

T-shirt Requirements

There are some requirements from Threadless that you need to know… Take notes to turn in on the Legal Stuff.

• Read these: http://www.threadless.com/threadless/legal/

• And this: http://www.threadless.com/threadless/submission-kit/

T-shirt Requirements:

•T-shirt can have any theme you’d like, but it must be school appropriate:

       –No swear words

       –No inappropriate statements

       –No drug/alcohol references

       –No sexual connotations

       –No inappropriate imagery

•Design must be created in Illustrator

•Design size 8.5” x 11”

•If words are a large part of your design, you must create the text yourself.

•Everything you make must be original, no plagiarism of ideas and imagery.

Threadless

Go to http://www.threadless.com – choose 4 t-shirt design and answer the following questions

1. If you could describe this t-shirt design in ONE WORD, what would it be?
2. Describe the imagery you see in this t-shirt.
3. Describe the use of color in this t-shirt.
4. Choose three Elements of Art and/or Principles of Design that are used in this t-shirt design? How are they used?
5. What type of person would buy this shirt?
6. Why did this shirt appeal to you?
7. Would you buy this shirt?

Typography Project

It’s time to turn in your Typography Project.  Before you do this….

• Create a name for your font. 
• Make a new Illustrator document, write the font name with the font you created and save it.  
• Then open up BOTH your font alphabet and font name documents in PhotoShop & save as .JPGs.

Upload both to your blog and answer the following questions:

1. What is the name of your font?  How does the name relate to your font?
2. Describe the style of your font.
3. What was your inspiration when creating your font?
4. How does your font relate to your personality? Please explain.
5. What was your biggest struggle in creating your font?
6. What was your biggest success in creating your font?
7. If you could create a 2nd font, what would it look like and what would you call it?

Typography Brainstorm

After learning about the history of font and typography, let’s brainstorm what your font might look like:

1. Describe in one sentence what kind of typeface you want to make.
2. What will it’s style be? (serif, sans serif, decorative, script, etc)
3. What is your inspiration for your font?
4. What would you want your font to be used for?
5. What tools do you think you’ll use to create it on Illustrator?

Helvetica Recap

Now that you have viewed the movie, Helvetica, I would like to ask you a few questions about font and graphic design in general.  Please answer the following questions below:

1. How does a font/typeface create a mood, feeling or image? Describe an occasion when you had a particular reaction to something in print, not because of the content, but because of the font?
2. Think of the font you most commonly use when working on your computer. Which one is it and why do you use that one?
3. How is design an expression of the times? How does politics affect the art of design?
4. Imagine that the post office, your local bank, or your favorite store or company, whose signage is familiar to you started using a different typeface. How would that change their image or your feeling about that business or organization?
5. What might you take away from this film in terms of possible effects on your work or other aspects of your daily life?
6. What changes, if any, has this film made in how you think about print and graphic design?

And now, for a little scavenger hunt…

After you are done, come up to my desk and I will give you a font to research.  Find out the following:

• When it was created
• Who created it
• Where it was created
• Style of the font: Serif/Sans Serif/Script/Decorative/etc…
• An interesting fact

Open up a word document and find the font.  In 72 pt size (or larger), title the page with the name of the font and fill the rest of the information in below (smaller size). Print this out and turn it in.

It should look similar to this:

Due by the end of the hour.

More Illustrator, I Say!

Choose two of the following Illustrator tutorials to create:

1. http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/fun-vector-monster-character-illustrator-tutorial (ignore last steps about the vector texture, unless you want to try it)

2. http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/monster-character-series-part-3

3. http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/monster-character-series-part-4

Then create a character of your own.  Put your two monsters and the character you created together in the same image.  Save and put on your blog.  Due Tuesday at the beginning of the hour.