Online Color Theory

1

Scales

2008

Angie Meiers

2007

Quinette Gottfredsen*
Pam Porell*
Sharon Kahle
Jenn Bish

NOTE: In the Learning Center Under the Illustrator course there is a blend

colorsaturation.swf flash movie that shows you step by step how to complete this assignment.

Also

Nancy Wood's video tutorials for creating tint tone and saturation scales

tints Tints
tones Tones
shades Shades

color picker Basic Color Picker and Selection tools

Nancy: "In Illustrator or Photoshop, there is a color chip on the toolbar that represents the selected color. If you double click on it, you open the "color picker". It's a square of that hue with all the gradations to gray and tints and shades from light to dark.

The top right corner is fully saturated. As you move the selector left- it becomes less saturated. Up is lighter and down is darker. This enables you to adjust the tone and value of any hue."

Other Various designs

Jenn Bish (2)
Jenn Bish (3)
Julie Freiberg (1)
Julie Freiberg (2)

3 designs

2008

Angie Meiers

2007

Suzette Sorensen
Cheryl Ferrell
Tressa Jones
Colleen Kane

Denise Wynn 3 Designs

Jeff's feedback on the above assignment posted as an example of objective written analysis useful in a critique or for participation points.

We see well crafted design exercises that deal with scale and progressions, inferring dimension and space, and for contrast a design that deals with same sized elements that create a flat pattern. There are no distracting titles, the information is discreetly available to us at the bottom of the canvas.

Options: You could try saving as a gif with 256 colors - for designs without gradations you can get the best edge quality with gifs. However, a high quality jpg might be smaller and give you good results. Check the file size and compare. And for a stacked presentation this big I often reduce the width to 500 or 600 pixels, rather than 800. It will load faster, fit in a browser window better, and you shouldn't notice any difference in the viewing experience.

Charles Arnoldi HYDROMATIC 60 x 60" Acrylic

Other Week 1 Resources

Basic pshop (1) Streaming swf

2 formats - covering the creation of basic raster shapes using the selection tool, filling with color, changing hue, opacity, scale. Good for exercises and designs.

coming : a video of creating basic vector shapes, changing hue, opacity, scale. Good for exercises and designs, 24 step color wheel.

this is a really good interactive reference for color theory classes
(and design) colorwheel

caponigro.pdf (PDF Download) An excellent easy read on general color theory - a link to nore of his writing is on the apple website at colortemp

Free software downloads
Color overview

wellstyled.com generate a color scheme
Color scale example

2

DQ Notes

How can you find the complement of any given color? How do complementary colors relate to one another visually? In what design situations would you consider utilizing complementary colors? An interesting approach to describing complements follows:

Suzette Sorensen

For my assignment this week I sent a fictitious letter to my art director "Art" to tell him the color complement I wanted to use for a two page photo shoot. I found the color orange on the color wheel and went directly accross to the color blue to find the two comlementary colors. The split complementary colors are the colors you come with by blending the two colors in even steps. For reference I used our AI Online lectures, our text "Understanding Color", and Wikpedia.com. Week Two – Assignment One
Suzette Sorensen
October 9, 2007

Memo to Art Director – Art Gopher

Art,

Orange is the new going to be the new black this season, and we’re going to have to sell the idea to the masses with this two page photo shoot. The color scheme we are going with on our first page is contrasting. I want the complementary colors of blue and orange to really stand out. First of all, I want a white ground, (background) color. I would like the model to be wearing dark indigo skinny jeans, paired with the darkest navy colored T-shirt you can find. Over this I would like to see the yellow/orange trench coat which I will be sending over with my assistant. Using the opposite sides of the color wheel should really sell the coat and make the color pop out to the viewer.

On the opposite page I would like to tone down the contrast a bit. We will still use the colors of blue and orange, but we will introduce fabrics with the split complementary colors in between the two basics. I would like to use a grey ground color for this shot. The model will be wearing a brown glen plaid skirt with accent colors of tan, navy blue and orange. This will be paired with an orange light knit turtle neck, navy blue tights, a tan colored blazer and a coordinating Navy blue cashmere wrap. By blending the colors in steps the outcome should come out more harmonious, less edgy, hard, and contrasting than the first page, but still just as fabulous as the first page.

Thanks for putting this together, while I’m away in Tahiti.

Suzette

Angela Meiers

Good Afternoon Art,

I just received your email and understand you are requesting some input in regard to our ad campaign for the City of Igloos. I opened the attachment and viewed your color palette. I think we are on the right track by utilizing white, however, it's creating negative space on the pages and the igloos are nonexistent! We should revamp the existing color palette to include complement colors, thus enhancing the visual impact for our Single-Family, Town Homes and Condominium Igloo designs.

We don't have to stop there; we can keep the igloo units white, change our ground to a complementary color and enhance the complexity of each igloo design by using its split complementary color for the siding, doors and trim. Achieving this enhancement will create two outcomes. The first being a clear distinction of product the second, complementary and split complementary colors will enhance the intricate design our architect worked so diligently on to portray the City of Igloos as a live-work community like nothing this city has seen before! With that in mind, please make the following changes to each design as listed below:

Single-Family Igloo page to a blue ground, keep the igloo white but modify the door and window trim to orange and alter the siding to a yellow-orange tint.

Town Home Igloo page should be changed to a green ground, keep the igloo white but alter all the door and window trim to red and accent the shingles with a red-orange tone.

Condominium Igloo page should portray a purple ground, keeping the igloo white modify the door and window trim to yellow and accent the brick siding with a yellow-green shade.

I believe these colors will deliver the look our client is seeking. Have fun!

More DQ notes - a good example of back and forth discussion:

Sarah

Balance is the basic way of comparing two sides of an image to each other. Within the basic definition of balance, is two more specific types of balance. There is formal balance, or symmetrical, and informal balance, or asymmetrical. Formal balance means that both sides of an image are not only equal in visual weight, but most commonly are mirrored images of each other. An example of this would be to take black paint and paint a design on one half of a piece of paper. With the paint still being wet, fold the piece of paper in half to place the painted image on the other side of the paper. This would create an exact duplicate of the original image. This exact duplication of an image is considered formal balance. Both sides of the paper are now symmetrical.

Informal balance, or asymmetrical, is not a mirror image. Informal balance means that both sides of an image have the same visual weight, but not the same elements. For example, if a picture were to have a tree on one side and a person sitting on a bench on the other side, the image would be informally balanced because there is equal visual weight on each side of the image. Informal balance can be created a few different ways. A drawing could be considered informally balanced if there were two large, but different, objects on each side of an image. However, an image can also be informal ling balanced by placing a large object on one side of an image, and supporting it by using several small objects on the other side.

Balance is important. It plays a big role how are objects are viewed by an audience. In graphic design, where clients have different tastes, styles, and preferences, it is important to know when formal balance would be appropriate for a design, and when informal balance would be appropriate. If I had a young client, or a client that had a younger following, I would mostly likely use an informal balance. Because elements do not have to be repeated in an informally balanced design, such balance will give the audience/client a feeling of creativity and often a sense of “organized chaos.” Such designs tend to be attractive to younger audiences because the design is out-of-the-box. It is unconventional, and therefore unique. These qualities draw in younger viewers and can also attract a variety of age-groups interested in the same things.

If I were to create a design for a traditional company or client, I would use formal balance. Viewers will inevitably look for unity and balance in a composition. Due to the fact that elements in a formally balanced design are repeated, it tends to give the viewing audience a sense of stability. Formal designs are often calm, and, in a sense, are predictable because the elements repeat. This gives a traditional audience a sense of stability and allows them to anticipate what would happen next.

References: Online Lectures Saw, James. Design Notes. 2000. 15 May 2008. <http://daphne.palomar.edu/design/contents.html>.

Jeff

Hi Sarah (: Overall good - let me note some points I made while reading -"Informal balance means that both sides of an image have the same visual weight, but not the same elements." Can't informal balance have unequal visually weighted sides? What if I put everything on one side? "However, an image can also be informal ling balanced by placing a large object on one side of an image..." I think "informal ling" is a typo (:"If I had a young client, or a client that had a younger following, I would mostly likely use an informal balance."I hear this a lot - is it in the reading somewhere? I don't agree at all - old people love informal balance - if anything, they appreciate it more have had more life experience and they can appreciate things asymmetrical! "If I were to create a design for a traditional company or client, I would use formal balance." Why not semi-formal? and when you say 'traditional', can you clarify? That's my editing input - let me know what you think (:

Sarah

It was my understanding from the reading that in order for an image to have informal balance it did not need to have the same exact object on either side, but the objects did need to be visually balanced. I understood that if one side of an image had a large circle, for example, on one side, then it could be visually balanced by having a group of smaller circles on the other side. This would be informal balance because the two sides don't both have a large circle or a group of smaller circles, however, the image would be balanced because there is an equal amount of space on either side. So, no, from my understanding, I didn't think an image could be informally balanced without having equal visual weight.

Second, :) I think that typo was supposed to say "..an image can be informally..." not informal ling. :) oops.

The next question, I want to address most of all. I mentioned, as did a few of my classmates, that we would use informal balance for a younger client. However, I mentioned right after that comment, "These qualities draw in younger viewers and can also attract a variety of age-groups interested in the same things." I probably should have left out the word "younger" in this statement. My point overall though, was that commonly younger people prefer things to be different from everything else. Formal balance is symmetrical and, while yes it can certainly still be visually interesting, in my opinion it tends to be more predictable. Informal balance has objects that are equal in visual weight, but not necessarily identical. This is why I expanded my statement of younger viewers liking informal balance. I gave this as an example of one type of group that more often than not, enjoys unconventional and more creative designs. I did not mean to limit informal balance to only younger people as I stated that anyone who likes creative designs, versus simple designs, would prefer informal balance.

The next point you made ties in with the third one. By traditional client, and I should have expanded more, I meant a person(s) who wants a classic-type design. For example, say a man and woman, middle age, quite proper and conventional, are picking out a design for their wedding invitations. They would want to use a formal balance because it is symmetrical, well balanced, and "traditional." This could mean that the invitation has three, vertical lines on each side of the writing, and perhaps a horizontal line across the bottom and top. They would probably prefer this formal balance of lines compared to an invitation that had dozens of circles placed seemingly sporadic, across the invitation.
Does all of that make sense?

Hopefully I answered all of your questions, or at least explained my answers a little bit better.

Jeff

Makes sense - and is exactly what I was looking for -
It is informative to study design history - I am reading (slowly) Graphic Design A New History by Eskilson - and the bottom line is that an understanding of what has gone before and what is current is essential for designers - I browsed through some skateboard mags a few months ago and was interested in how grunge and thrash informality had been replaced by formal and clean...Thanks for the additional writing! (:

Color Scheme notes

Go to this link tshirt.htm and look at some of the student solutions to a color theory assignment I designed for a course I built - where practical or experimental design challenges followed exercises and lecture- in this case:
"Four T-shirt Designs -

Create four designs using the t shirt template provided, or use one of your own. Media is open.
Color schemes

monochromatic, complements, split complements, triadic"

You can see the same design interpreted with four different schemes -

while you are there check out /colortheory.htm
specifically the links towards the bottom - some of my favorites include the auto gen color schemer: colorschemer.com/online.html
and here is another http://www.wellstyled.com

If you google around you will find more robust versions - J

12 step wheel, Painted

2008

Stanley Chase: I took an x-acto knife and cut out the colored sections of the color wheel template. I then traced the shapes onto drawing paper below. Then I mixed my colors (the video provided saved me lol). Then I painted onto the traced version of the color wheel. Lastly I glued the two sheets together to get this nice to look nice and neat. Did a few adjustments in Photoshop like texts and such. I hope this is ok.

2007

Dara Harris
Pamela Teltschick

24 step wheel

you need to use the correct colors, like the assignment example - and have the elements line up - it is a tool - not a design

Amanda Zerbin
Pam Porell
Syndra Schmidt
Chris Prouty
Christina Lyczynski

resources

traditional color wheel (enlarge)

traditional,RGB, CMYK wheels
Color wheels are mixing tools, media specific...more
Welcome to week II sample
Color test sheet

3

Note

Unrelated directly to the simultaneous contrast DQ yet grounding the exercise in the overall conversation of color: Nice use of warms and cools in the following two images - are they split comps? I didn't check - but there are lots of orange and blue-green, yellow and blue-violet:

superflat japanese artist murakami takashimurakami.jpg
Oldenburg clausoldenburg2.jpg
Jeremy Blake's contrasty digitally based painting jeremy_blake2.jpg
and the rich balance of warms and warm greens with the one instance of blue used for contrast and accent julia_hoffmann.jpg

Look around you - see how color works and is being used by designers and artists in public and in print (:

1> 2 hues

2008

Stewart Murray

Renee Barerra

2007

Suzette Sorensen
Kate Duxler
Tanya Gordon
Lauren Fig
Danielle Zepess
Pam Porell

2 > 1 hue

2008

Angela Meiers

2007

Suzette Sorensen
Amy Capano
Pam Porell
Syndra Schmidt
Danielle Zepess

week 3 Resources

Colorinteraction Essential for the second assignment
MachBandsBasic interesting gradient effects
Faculty.washington.edu excellent after image exercise
Faculty.washington.edu/#stare more vision exercises

4

transparency

Template with layers use this template - it has layers

2008

Denise Wynn

2007

Pam Porell
Danielle Zepess*

transparency depth vibration

2008

Angela Meiers

Stewart Murray: The three variations of rectangles was in interesting project. I found myself having parts of all three in each to some extent. I wanted to keep some continuity between the designs, so I kept them all fairly rigid.
For transparency I started out with one set of rectangles of different colors and sizes. Then I did equal strips of orange on top, intersecting the others. Then I shaded each section of orange with the more opaque toward the top. I also lightened the other rows with the more opaque toward the right. Using the opacity tool in photoshop helped a lot. Another technique I tried was switching the layers into different orders so there was more of a crisscross action.
For depth I took rectangles of different shapes and built outward. I did not use the same pattern because I wanted some variation. Once I had all the shapes, I took each layer and decreased the saturation and lightness of those sections by equal intervals. Once I was done, I gave the background a darker appearance for effect. I wanted it to seem like all the upper shapes were resting on the ones below.
For vibration I took the major colors and placed them in an off-center pin wheel-like shape. I tried to repeat each color at least once and within that I had slightly different shades to each set. I wanted the movement to feel more outward.

Jeff's response: Perfect -
Variation and variety while maintaining continuity. The designs illustrate the concepts. I like how #1 is a weave, whereas #2 is a space.
The written component is also exactly what I am looking for - thanks for a job well done (:

Suggestions?

Labels - in the future place all three labels in the lower right, small, discreet - something like "from top: transparency, depth, vibration, Color Theory, Stewart Murray 2008"

2007 A3

Pam Porell
transparency exercise example
vibration example

Notes

Is Cyan the coolest color? handprint.com:

The coolest color is whatever provides the complementary contrast to the warmest hue already selected — colors opposite red orange in a visual hue circle, such as found in the Munsell color system or CIECAM. These show the coolest hue is usually a blue green with a CIELAB hue angle between 215 and 225. There are few pigments in this region of the color wheel, but the closest matches include manganese blue (PB33), phthalocyanine cyan (PB17), phthalocyanine turquoise (PB16), cobalt turquoise (PB36) or cobalt teal blue (PG50). Together, these hues define a vermilion/cyan contrast as the axis of warm/cool effects.

Traditional warmest: pyrrole orange,naphthol scarlet
coolest manganese blue cobalt teal blue

But artistic practice has not been unanimous. An important and fairly common alternative is to choose yellow as the warmest hue. This usually means choosing an intense deep yellow such as hansa yellow deep (PY65), a dull deep yellow such as yellow ochre or raw sienna (PY43), or an intense middle yellow such as hansa yellow (PY97), cadmium yellow (PY35) or nickel azomethine yellow (PY150) as the warmest pigment. A blue violet such as ultramarine blue (PB29), indanthrone blue (PB60) or cobalt blue (PB28), or a dark blue such as prussian blue (PB27) seems to work best as the cool complement. These choices define a yellow/blue violet contrast as an alternative axis of warm/cool effects. It makes all hues containing yellow (from scarlet red through yellow green) warm colors, and all hues containing violet (from purple through middle blue) cool colors."

5

What does the entire final process look like? Below are student works that include week 5 proposal, thumbs, color roughs, and then the week 6 final with statement - NOTE: Some of the jpgs are 600 x 2500 pixels, 475k, and contain screenshots of the text. It may take a few seconds to load.

Denise Wynn

Proposal:For this project I would like to develop a design around yarns and knitting. I would like to create a contemporary stylish design utilizing the various textures and patterns of yarns, knitting, and knitting needles. This design may also incorporate various geometric shapes to pull together the various elements. I will use color to emphasize the contemporary feel I'm going for and I'm currently thinking I will use a subdued palette. One of my reasons for pursuing this type of design is to create art out of elements that tend to have a crafty feel to them. I enjoy knitting and the various textures of the yarns combined with the patterns of the knitting intrigue me and I'd like to use them in a design. I believe I'll have to make some decisions about what elements to actually include in the design. I think to keep the piece contemporary I will have to be willing to edit out parts I like and not go overboard. One of the other design decisions I will probably have to make is regarding the color palette. At this time my decision is to go with a fairly monochromatic palette but I might have to change that if it's not working. I will be taking photo's of various yarns and knitting to create brushes in Photoshop I can use in my design. I know this is ambitious but I think it's the right way to go to create the look I'm going for.

Jason Ruvo

Proposal:

My goal for my final project design is to create a visually interesting and unique piece of artwork that displays my comprehensive understanding of the concepts discussed and acquired during this course. I am hoping to produce a quality design that would be a great addition to my growing portfolio so that I may use it for later projects and courses. I plan on using knowledge I have gained from this course as well as utilize techniques I have learned in previous courses to complete the project. My initial idea for this project is to create a very modern feeling, abstract design that clearly shows a great understanding of color relationships (i.e warm and cool), transparencies, depth, volume, texture, focus, and other design principles I have learned through out this course. I would like to stay away from color combinations that cause vibration or a distraction in the piece. However, if I am working through a design and I feel that a section could use a little vibration, I will not hesitate to implement it. I plan on using examples of layering, shading, dilation, repetition, and more to achieve a sense of interest in the piece. This design will be more of an informal work that will draw the viewer's eye to points of interest. I will study various art works from some of my favorite graphic based websites for inspiration. I know I want to use many bright, fully saturated colors against a darker background to really make the design stand out. My main ideas focus on a modern, cutting-edge type themes or possibly even a mechanical or technological theme. I plan on using primarily geometric shapes to create most of the design with some other abstract shapes mixed in for fun.
The challenges that I foresee on this project are all problems that I have faced in the past. First and foremost, I must be aware of the time I have to create the design, post it, wait for feedback, and then make any adjustments if necessary. Many times I have great ideas in my head for a design or concept but then have trouble translating those ideas onto a digital canvas using the tools in the program. Lastly, a problem I have many times when completing a project is my own satisfaction or self-approval of the final work. I always think there is something that could be done better or done in a different way. I am very critical when it comes to my own work. Hopefully I will create a design that I am happy with and proud to add to my portfolio in the future. I am very optimistic about this assignment as I have some great ideas I would like to see come to fruition.

Artist Statement:

My goal for my final project design was to create a visually interesting and unique piece of artwork that displays my comprehensive understanding of the concepts discussed and acquired during this course. My hopes for this assignment were to produce a quality design that would be a great addition to my growing portfolio so that I may use it for later projects and courses. My original plan was to use knowledge I have gained from this course as well as utilize techniques I have learned in previous courses to complete the project. Now, as I reflect upon my final project and its construction, I deeply believe that I was able to incorporate much of this courses teaches as well as some tricks I taught myself just from experimenting with Photoshop.My initial idea for this project was to create a very modern feeling, contemporary design that clearly showed a great understanding of color relationships (i.e warm and cool), transparencies, depth, volume, texture, focus, and other design principles I have learned through out this course. When it came time to choose an appropriate color harmony that matched the elements incorporated within my design, I decided to go with the slightly complex triad color scheme. I used hues of red, yellow, and blue. The piece has an overall warm feeling to it with a nice amount of a cool blue added in for contrast and to regulate the warm nature of the design. I felt that this harmony worked well to make images jump of the page and add focus to certain elements. I achieved my goal of staying away from color combinations that would cause vibration or a distraction in the piece. My plan of using examples of layering, shading, dilation, repetition, and more to achieve a sense of interest in the piece came out just as I had envisioned from the start. The completed design ended up being more of an informal work that will draw the viewer's eye to points of interest. My idea of studying various art works from some of my favorite graphic based web sites for inspiration worked out wonderfully. I was able to see what the popular trends were in today's graphic design works and then incorporate my own unique styling to those techniques. The challenges that I faced before even starting this project were all problems that I have faced in the past; time, translating my ideas onto a digital canvas using the tools in the program, and self-approval of the final work. Surprisingly enough, none of these problems ever arose during the artistic process. I attribute that to the fact that I was so eager to tackle this assignment and I had a terrific positive attitude about it all. When you find yourself doing something you love and aspire to do, it does not seem like work at all. It seems like a challenge that you want to go above and beyond in. I am very happy with the final outcome of my project and all of the positive feedback from my teacher and peers was wonderful.

More thumbs to final:

Jason Ruvo (from Design)

Maria Mitchell (From Design)

Final Project Proposal

Example: Angela Meiers

Week 5 : Assignment 1 : Final Project – Proposal

My aspiration is to create an insightful abstract design that displays a comprehensive understanding of the color principles learned throughout my 5 ½ week online course at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division, with instructor Jeffrey Prentice. I desire to portray a design that includes tints, shades, tones, basic design principles, hue, value, saturation, afterimage and simultaneous contrast, color transparency, depth, vibration and color harmony. I want to produce a quality design using the entire material learned in order to enhance my maturing portfolio for future design aspirations and business goals. Not only would I like to produce comprehensive designs for my future aspirations, I want to also showcase this new found knowledge with complete regard for the principals that will benefit me in my future endeavors.

I plan to execute these designs for my final project utilizing Photoshop, InDesign and Adobe Illustrator. I want to push the envelope and dive into learning more tools within these programs to create an abstract piece that will enhance the previous pieces I’ve completed. The application I am most familiar with is Photoshop. Throughout the past 5 weeks I have gained the most experience with option items in Photoshop such as the color picker, layers, image size, tool selections, text box, hue/saturation, opacity and the adjustment layer options. I anticipate employing the same tool options in order to enhance my final project designs.

I want my work to be expressive for this project and hope my future audience gains a dynamic experience when viewing it. Even though I expect an expressive final project, I foresee roadblocks in my journey with these designs. First, I feel that time constraints and personal inexperience with the software applications I want to utilize will hamper my final vision. Finally, the vast amount of knowledge I’ve learned throughout this course may be too much information for me to portray within a single design.

With this in the forefront of my mind, I need to get started. Please feel free to view my hypothetical attachment of designs I plan to use as a complete or single concept for my future project.

4 bw thumbs of final

Jason Ruvo (description included)

Jason Ruvo (2)

4 color schemes, final

Jason Ruvo (6) color studies

Maria Mitchell

Resource:

And an example of the same design with different color schemes from artist Stan Gregory

Stan Gregory

Design/Idea Resource:

Some formal designs from an old course using organic elements

Old Stuff

4 Harmonies

Note: Place a small color wheel next to each harmony exercise so we can tell which colors you selected

Rachel Coffey
Sarah Svec
Geetha Sreenivasan
Kate Duxler
Amy Capano
Sharon Kahle
Pam Porell
Jennifer Sanders

More notes: Figure and Photos?

Common questions regarding using representational imagery and photography:

Can we use people?

I think 'people' are OK - but we won't know for sure until we see some thumbs

The reason I can’t just say ‘people’ are or aren’t OK is that some designs might be able to pull off a figurative element, others will look amateurish

Regardless of subject matter the composition should work -

That is why I recommend looking at the composition upside down, and in the mirror

And will the people be photographs? Anime? Abstract?

take a look at and you can see there are as many interpretations as there are artists

http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/design/socialmachines.jpg
http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/design/luezer_censorship.jpg
http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/painting.htm (the top image)
http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/painting/philipguston.jpg
http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/painting/peterSaul_artcritics97.jpg
http://jeffprentice.net/teachf/artists/more%20artists/wojnarowicz.jpg
----------------
"Can i use photos for my final?"

(this response was for a drawing course but it applies here as well)

That's a good question - as an artist I would like to say that anything goes - and if the work comes out good, interesting, well rendered, and seems to incorporate some observation as well as "copying"...and also works as a "final" in terms of displaying an understanding of all the things we have been covering in the course - then I would have no problem - because to me the whole purpose of learning to draw is to be able to make manifest your personal vision.

on the other hand - copying from photos is an art in itself and when it fails it is because the photos dont provide enuff info and the drawing appears "flat" and stilted...

So the best thing in this course is to go case by case - if a student appears to have the capability to take the next step and start experimenting with different techniques such as montaging, then they can - with my previous approval -

the best thing is to do some prelims and post them here - that is really what this assignment is all about- we will be able to tell if you can pull it off (:

Having done drawings from fotos myself - one issue you will have is stylistic unity - staying "loose" and using the photos as a reference rather than just copying... another issue is lighting and values - you dont want shadows slanting off all over the place for a representational drawing -

Keep in mind that in the "real" world representation and reality and craft are only a small part of the toolbox you can use as a designer. This course was about representation - so the drawing should reflect that - but in the future you can break the rules at will as long as u understand what u are doing

J

6

Final

Jason Ruvo: I have added some more small details to creat some flow and interest points. The additions are rather subtle... some clouds over the city, lights on the buildings, some sparkle brushes here and there. All in all I am very pleased with the positive feedback I have received and I am content with the final product. I feel I have accomplished the goals I set out for myself in my proposal. The most important aspect for me was to create a portfolio quality piece and I think I have done it. I felt this particular color harmony was the most appropriate for my final submission as it shows extended color use instead of a simple monochromatic scheme. (Jeff's Critique Response)Nice color decision for this assignment - it was one of the most vibrant. You always have the monochromatic/lime green to recycle somewhere else. What you need is a website like Jasonruvo.com where you can use designs like this on a webpage. Presentation details - I like how the gray background dilutes the black outline, softens it. Lots of things we could talk about here - There is no question as to the focal point, and I like how the eye drifts back once we get there to the smaller elements that have been overlapped and rendered using atmospheric perspective. That little sparkling tinkerbell trail acts as in conjunction with the heavier angled diagonal bar with that '2008' visual brake - I thought 'ruvolution' was a smart touch (: All the complexity we see here moves the eye in and around and through the composition working us slowly and then faster around and back using the x, y, and z axises. It takes good editing and decision-making to keep things from getting busy and cluttered - Well done (: J

Cliff Sargent: I have made a myriad of changes over the past day, and I feel that this design is as powerful and potent as my proposal implied it to be. I will speak more about the concept behind my piece in the artist statement, but for now I would like to post this early to get some feedback, just in case there is something crucial that needs to be changed. I have worked hard on this one, and I have it where I want it. The most profound change I feel was the heavily saturated red in the eye, giving the piece a focal point and adding to the aggressive nature. There was also a ton of work done with "curves" in photoshop. My color design ended up being Monochromatic, with variations on red. I experimented with several different color schemes, but for this atmosphere and emotion, as well as reading the last lecture which was very informative, I have come to the very solid conclusion that shades of red suite this far more than any other color.

Statement:

The original concept behind my design was to portray inner feelings of turmoil, immense frustration, pain, rage, and alienation. In another sense I wanted to take a look at the regression of the human state and create an image based on archaic and primal thought patterns. I wanted the photographs to have even more power than they did in their original form, and have symbolic pieces stitched together in a design that truly represented the concept I was designing around, and undoubtedly the color has added an almost electrical surge of energy to the photography, creating such an intense look that the B&W versions are not comparable. I pursued the project with this ambition of creating an antithesis to pop design, which incorporates a great deal of light hearted and friendly subject matter, and much of the time comes off as disposable, impotent, and intellectually bankrupt. Pretty harsh words, I know, but when somebody speaks of art, I think of catharsis, not catering. The design is composed for four photographs, 1 so large it takes up half the page, and the other 3 horizontally stacked upon one another. They all tie in to the above themes, the first depicts an extreme close up of a young mans faced covered in mud and paint, with an almost tribal animosity in his expression. His eyes are sullen, his hair is ragged, his lips are cracked and it is a very extreme form of expression to behold. Opposite this picture is a series of three others, starting with a wide shot of spindly trees, another extreme close up of a glowing red eye surrounded by mud and paint and finally a dirty, primitive looking hand clutching the side of a tree. The composition is balanced by the large picture on the left and the glowing red eye as a focal point on the right. Neither were adjusted so that one overpowers the other, and the eyes can easily take in the entire piece. All of the images had high contrast in relation to one another in the beginning, and after curves had been used, the contrast was even heavier, and that was the desired effect.
The monochromatic color harmony suited the piece, as red is the color wheel's answer to aggressive or passionate emotions and responses, and the various shades mixed with the content in the images intensified the organic and earth related atmosphere. The color scheme had a large part in propelling the desired effect to where I wanted it to be. The image of the fiery trees gave a much needed feeling of depth with the negative space and allows the composition to feel open and not cluttered. Finishing the final project was difficult during the end of finals, as this term was focused at the tail end when everything suddenly got extremely busy and fast paced, while it had been a leisurely trip for most of the term, but inevitably I got everything done including this, and it turned out better than I had hoped. I feel I have accomplished my stated goals, and also inspired myself to create more imagery similar to this, as my newfound love of color has opened an entirely new realm of possibilities. I feel that perhaps my overall presentation methods could be refined. I am still not used to presenting work in a professional manner, and if I can just utilize all the tools to intensify the work so that it is at its full potential when unveiled, I will be satisfied. This has been a phenomenal course. Thanks to Jeff Prentice and all my peers, I wish you luck with future endeavors. -Cliff Sargent

Chaz Head: As a Game Art and Design major, my goal for this final project was too create a design from scratch using Photo Shop as my primary tool. When i decided to create a celtic/viking pattern or knot i believed it would be interesting to me personally while fulfilling the course requirements. My main obstacle would be to find a solid color composition that would reflect something that is ancient but yet artful while respecting the culture behind such relics. Out of the 4 thumbnails rendered, i decided on the design most popular by the criticism i received and my own personal preference. Odin, the king of valhalla and lord of battle was the center piece of my idea and so i set out to create a depiction of the god not a ideal conception of his real appearance. Finished with the illustration, i am happy with the final look. I utilized tools learned in photo shop this quarter to create intricate designs and shapes and used color compositions that benefit my design. Aditionaly i decided to add a gate behind Odin representing the entrance of his realm valhalla and incorporate structures to balance and unify the piece. I encountered many obstacles rendering this piece, the most difficult of which was to make the relics look older and slightly broken down. My solution to this problem came in the form of grunge maps which are textures created from various materials like stone and concrete that can be over layed on top of your illustration to make it appear more worn and damaged. Finally, if there were anything i would like to change it would be too incorporate more color and design into the main Odin piece. It was the first object i created and lacks the more experienced finish of the rest of the piece. The goals that were set into place for this assignment i felt were met but could have been pushed further to enhance the overall image but in all i enjoyed this work greatly and believe i have gained much more experience than anticipated and hope to have similar work in the future.

Chase Stanley: I plan on creating a design an abstract design using the fundamentals of color we have learned during the duration of this course. My goal is to create a composition worthy of placing in my portfolio. I will be working with Illustrator to create this design and will be working in large resolutions, which will later be resized and submitted for my Final project. The motivation behind my design will be Burning Man. For those of you who don't know Burning Man is a gathering held in the desert just outside of Reno. It can be called many things: festive, art installation, celebration of creativity, true freedom; but the only way to truly know what Burning Man is, is to experience it. I will use many abstract shapes and colors. I envision it now with lots of organic, free-flowing elements and clashing colors; while other elements will be subtle and low key. The whole design will be created digitally and will not have photos included in the image. I see many challenges awaiting me in creating this design. First off Time will definitely be an issue. Another challenge will be creating this design in Adobe Illustrator, I am novice at best with this powerful software and overcoming this will be a feat in itself. The greatest challenge I feel I will encounter though will be creating a design which is truly representational of Burning Man. This event means a lot to me and was one of my greatest inspirations to get into photography and think more creatively. I decided to use a triadic color harmony when creating this design. I used different shades of red, blue, and yellow to convey the imagery I felt best represented my project's goals. I used cool colors to represent the calmness of the outside world. I then used warm colors to represent the craziness and explosive energy of Burning Man. As stated previously the most difficult challenge I came across in this project was creating a design I feel is representational of Burning Man. Furthermore learning Illustrator while creating the design was difficult as well. I view this design as successful, though I do feel it could be improved upon. I feel once I become more adept with the Illustrator I can create a more visually appealing design. All in all I am happy with the outcome of my project, but do realize the room available for improvement.

Pre 2008/Old Curriculum

Palette

Karla Kretzschmer* includes description and source photograph
Amy Capano
Jennifer Sanders
Syndra Schmidt
danielle zepess

Final

Karla Kretzschmer
Rachel Coffey
Lorien Cruz
Amy capano
Kathryn Fanzo
syndra schmidt
Sharon Kahle
Pam Porell
danielle zepess
Redo Bautista

Resources

Mondrian color and design layout

RGB CMYK and Traditional color wheels are used forMIXING colors.Always use the traditional wheel for DESIGNING regardles of media or platform.

If your art director wants you to design a poster using complements (and note how I spelled that - it's compements, NOT compliments) and you show up with a blue and yellow poster because you were designing on a computer and you thought you'd use the RGB color wheel - well, you won't be working there for long. When people say they want complementary color schemes they want yellow and purple, blue and orange, or red and green, or variations of them.The rule is: Use different color wheels for mixing, depending on platform - But one color wheel for designing.

Critiques

Both positive and critical comments.Author: Colleen S. Kane

I thought this week's assignments were challenging but fun.  Most everyone seemed to improve in their understanding of color relationships this week.

JULIE: color exercise 1
Julie’s first color exercise is very well done.  The layout of all four variations is neat and clear--very legible.  The colors in the center rectangles appear different from each other.  The most dramatic difference that I can see is the upper right variation in which she drastically changes the blue hue in the center.  This apparent difference in hue was achieved by contrasting the colors of the background.  The saturated blue background subtracts a blue hue from the color in the center, making it appear lighter and more gray.  The center with the yellow background really pops out and appears much more saturated and bold.  These contrasts are found throughout the other variations making Julie’s color exercise without a doubt a complete success.

PAM: color exercise 1Pam’s submission was also a success.  All four variations seem to show a difference within the center rectangles.  The greens in the upper right have the most subtle difference, probably because of the neutral background used.  But the upper left variation really stands out as the most dramatic.  Pam’s chose to use an orange hue in the center against the blue background which really makes the complementary center completely pop out.  Using these complements together make both colors really intense and bright.  This is the perfect example of a “simultaneous contrast” visual effect.  Great job Pam.

WENDY: color exercise 2
Wendy uses a layout that makes her project very easy to read and study.  The different colors in the centers in both variations display a convincing resemblance to one another.  Out of the two, the example on the right with the green and orange backgrounds is the most effective.  Her choice in colors is very interesting here.  Wendy chooses a yellow-green center against a green background. Therefore, the green hue is subtracted out of the center color leaving it to appear more yellow.  On the other side, an orange-yellow in placed against an orange background.  The orange hue is subtracted from the center color leaving it to appear more yellow.  Wendy successfully made the centers look the same by subtracting that other hue from the color, and both appear predominately yellow. This was well thought out and a great success.

PAM: color exercise 2
There isn’t much to improve upon, you did a good job with your colors.  You successfully made the colors in the center to appear the same.  On the left variation, the darker blue background color makes the yellow center appear lighter and more like the other yellow.  In the right variation, Pam chose to try the opposite visual effect.  By placing the lighter green against a light cyan, the green is made to look darker and more similar to the other green used.  Great job with colors.  I think the colors would look even more similar if the rectangles in the center were made smaller.  This would put less concentration on what the colors actually are, and improve the illusionary effect.

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