Vanity Licence Plates

You've purchased your dream car, and its perfect in every way. But something is missing, that personal touch is what you need. How about a vanity plate?

I can't give you the car, but we can create the ultimate licence plate.

The Assignment

Create two vanity licence plates.

The first plate should be a reflection of your personality. Are you an artist or a cheerleader? Have your plate reflect your likes and dislikes. Who are you in 8 or less letters?


Mr. B during the American War for Independence.

Select a famous person and create a licence plate that reflects them.

Hero or Villain?

1. Start by thinking about what message you many want to send to other motorists. Read the Dictionary of Custom License Plate Terms to generate ideas for you plate.Lets keep it clean please!!
2. Create an RGB document that is 6x12" in size.
3. Place guidelines 1/2 inch from each edge.
4. Use the rectangualar markee tool to select the inside rectangle created by the guidelines. Inverse the selection then smooth the selection by 6 pixels. Fill with the color of your choice. Save the selection and use Channel Operations to make the border raised.
5. Type out your plate number/words in Arial Rounded MT. Scale the text, then rasterize it. Use Channel Operations to make it raised.
6. Place an appropriate graphic between your text.
7. Place an appropriate background behind the border. Reduce it's opacity so it won't interfere with the text.
8. Include the State and or Country/Planet.
9. Add a Slogan (ie. I love NY)

Post your two licence plate designs to your blog.

• Write about how your plate reflects your personality.

• Why did you chose the imagery you used?

• Why did you chose a particular famous person?

• How does the imagery and text reflect that person?

My Example:

In my Benidict Arnold plate, I selected an image of the Battle of Saratoga for my background. Most people know that Gates was the commanding general during the battle, but few know that Arnold's actions lead to the American victory. Naturally the location is the "State of Dishonor", Arnold betraying his country by conspiring to give the British plans to West Point.

I'm in a Painting!

Asignment:

Now that your have successfully completed your "Me and a Famous Person" image, we'll take it to the next level. This time you must place yourself in a famous painting. I feel right at home in Grant Wood's American Gothic. Ain't my wife purty?

• Post your image to your blog and write a couple of sentences about your artist and the image that you selected.

A Couple of Thoughts: 

This is very similar to the last project with the exception of adding a bit of texture to your face. Try using Grain or Noise Filters.  Don't forget to manipulate the Color Balance.

Me and a Famous Person

Mr. B and Jimmy

Assignment:

Back in the day I ran with some interesting people. Here I am with my buddy Jimmy.  He was kind of on the edge, if you know what I mean. Seriously, we all have some famous person we would like to meet, maybe even the President. Using Layer Control and the judicious use of the Eraser Tool place yourself in photograph with a famous person.

Procedure:

1. Select a famous person and search for a photograph that you can insert yourself into. (Make sure you pick as large an image as possible.)
2. Determine the position/angle of the face you are replacing. I'll take your photo and download it to the Boccini directory in the Student Commons.
3. Consider the best way to merge your face into the image. You can place your image between two layers of the original photograph and erase the top image revealing your face. Another tactic is to use the Lasso Tool to select your most important features and place them on the face of another person. Make sure your "feather" your selection.
4. Use Image/Adjustments/Color Balance to match your skin tones to that of the other photograph.
5. Print out your image and place in the folder.
6. Blog your image and write a few comments about why you selected your famous person.

A Few Thoughts:

In concept, this is an easy project. Application is another story! Matching your eyes, nose and mouth positions to the "host" image is extremely important to your success. (Scaling) Your position must match the position of the person in the original photo! 

Surreallism

How many Surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer: Fish

Are you confused yet? Surrealism is an art movement that seeks its subject matter from the subconscious mind. The ideas of Sigmund Freud and psychology were the impetus behind the surrealist movement. Often artists would use the idea of spontaneous suggestion to drag subconscious imagery from their minds.

Your Assignment is to create a Surrealistic Image.

Process

1. In order to collect your images in a spontaneous manner, try word association. Pick a subject and select an image. What subject does that bring to mind?  Pick another image. Make a small collection of images for this project. (Create a new directory to save your images).
2. Using the same blending techniques as your Photo Montage, merge your images together to create your Surrealistic image. 
3. Think carefully about the organization and placement of the images. How is your composition balanced?
4. Make sure there is  a particular Point of Emphasis.
5. Post your image to your blog and comment on the underlying meaning of your imagery.

Photo Montage

When you look closely at Photoshop, you can see evidence of past chemical photographic processes. Photoshop is, in effect, a digital darkroom. Having been weaned on old school film photography, I always amazed at how easy it now is to create and manipulate photographic images. My Fort Montgomery photo montage would have been nearly impossible to create when I was in high school. This type of image was often created by illustrators, not photographers.

Assignment:

Your "Photo Montage" will include a large background image and three auxiliary images.Your images should be interrelated in some way. My theme about the American War for Independence should be obvious.

Process:

1. Decide on a theme.
2. Collect images. Make sure your background image is a large file. It's always better that you begin with large images in order to achieve crisp results.
3. Blend the images together using the Gradient Tool with Quick Mask. Minor manipulation can be accomplished using feathered brushes and the Eraser Tool.
4. Use the Text Tool to include a line of basic text. Select a Font that reflects your theme. I've used Poor Richard because of it's 18th Century flavor.
5. Print image and place in folder for evaluation.
6. Post your image on your blog.

Bacon?

Got Bacon?

Creating your own text tutorial. Now that you have experience using many facets of Photoshop, it's time to create your own text effect. Feel free to use bits and pieces of the many text tutorials we've used. Remember, your new text effect should be substantially different from any we have previously used.

Procedure:

1. You must have a minimum of 8 steps.
2. You may use "parts" of existing tutorials to create your new text, but it must be a "completely new" concept.
3. Illustrate each step.
4. The final illustration should show the finished product.
5. Use additional text, arrows and selected areas in you illustration. (to provide emphasis).
6. The name of the tutorial should be clearly presented at the top.
7. Include "your" name beneath the tutorial name.
8. Consider the layout of your tutorial. Leave space around text and illustration to make it easier to read. 
9. Use a "Serif" type face for body copy.
10. "San Serif" faces are OK for headlines.
11. Your tutorial must be repeatable!!
12. Blog your "Whole" tutorial.

Here are a couple of effects I created this year...... but I didn't document how I made them! Don't make this mistake. Write down the instructions as you go. (In MS Word.)

Texture Tutorial

"Assignment"

Taking what you've learned from making textures, using filters and channel operations, create your own "texture tutorial". You can work to create a "real" texture, or experiment until you come up with something new and unique.

• Make it simple to understand. Can your kid brother or sister do it?
• Illustrate each step.
• Emphasize at least one step by circling and pointing out a part of an illustration. (see below for an example)
• The last illustration should show the completed texture.
• Your heading should include the name of the texture.
• Print it out and test it on a classmate. Does it work as advertised?

Here is and example of a  first step:

1. Create a new document that is 5x5 inches in size. Set your resolution to 72 and your color mode to RGB. Make your background contents white.

Solar System

Assignment"

• Using your Blobs, Marble, Wood and Metal textures, create a "Solar System".
• Create a star field using the noise filter.
• Add additional stars using assorted brushes and the brush tool.
• Use the "Lens Flare" filter to create a sun.
• Each planet will should incorporate the three layer effect demonstrated in class. 
• Scale the planets to give a feeling of depth. (Relative Scale)

Textures

Students will create a series of textures that they will apply to their Solar System Project.

Marble

Blobs

Diamonds

Light Sabers

Wood

Metal 1

Metal 2

Metal 3

Lightning

Pop Art

Pop Art is imagery that depicts everyday objects and societal icons. Often graphic design techniques and printing methods are applied. (computers, silk screening etc.) Comics, advertising signs and even soup cans have been used as subject matter. Andy Warhol is often considered the most influential artist in the Pop Art movement.

"George and O"

Assignment:

Select two everyday objects, logos or well known important people for your project. It's best if the two images have a direct connection. (Both Washington and Obama are presidents.)

1. 8x8 inch document
2. Use grids with “snaps”.
3. Step and repeat the first image 64 times.
4. Flatten image (Layer/Flatten Image)
5. Use a different filter effect on each image.
6. Use "quick mask" to cut out a contrasting image and position above grid for visual effect.

Matrix Project

We've spent the better part of the first week of school getting accustomed to the basic tools that Photoshop has to offer. Then we put  Using those tools you've created 4 matrix designs in different color schemes. 

1. Each design design must start with 3 different 1x1 inch images.
2. Follow a different matrix for each design.
3. Each of the four designs must use a different color scheme.
4. Each design must use CHOPs (Channel Operations) to "raise" a part of the image.
5. Gang up all four images on an 8.5x 11 document.  Use guidelines and "snaps" to center the four images on the page.
6. Post Image to your blog.

My example