Digital Art
Course Description This course introduces the basics of digital drawing and the principles of art in general which are applicable for any graphics program as well as RL (real life) artistic endeavors.. Any graphics program that has brushes which can be used for blending and retouching will work for this course.
Students are eligible for a 15% discount on any software purchased directly from Ulead. Details will be found in the classroom.
Focus will be on drawing and painting from scratch using brushes and retouch tools in PhotoImpact, though you will be encouraged to practice concepts on a sketchpad, as well.
You DO NOT need any previous art training. Students who do not own PhotoImpact are encouraged to download a trial version of that program to then apply what they learn about the brushes and retouch tools to their favorite graphics program.
You are also encouraged to do variations of your assignment as well as submit your own digital paints for critique and suggestions. It will also be helpful to scan and submit your sketchpad drawings/sketches or your digital sketches. In fact, the more participation of the student, the more progress will be made. This class is geared to have fun and learn at the same time.
For more details, please review the lesson outline below. This course may be modified slightly to suit the needs of the students.
This is a 6 week, self-paced, online course. If you need additional help understanding the material presented, you can communicate with the instructor and fellow classmates. The instructor will monitor and track your progress throughout the class. LVS Online offers many wonderful learning tools to help you get the most out of your online course, including an online portfolio service that manages all your course registrations, certificate of completion option, a class discussion board to interact with your instructor and fellow classmates, free hosting account, and a student upload area.
LVS is a Corel Training Partner. LVS students may purchase Corel products at a significant savings. Follow this link for details.
LVS students are also eligible take advantage of special offers made available by famous software developers such as Andromeda, AV Bros, Extensis, Harry Heim, namesuppressed, Nik Multimedia, and Ulead. Details are provided in the classinfo link found in the confirmation of registration.
If you would like to receive more information regarding this course, click on the "Contact Us" link in the Information section and we'll try to answer any of your questions within the day.
Course Requirements A desire to learn more about digital drawing and principles of art.
Any graphics program that you are comfortable with that has brushes, preferably PhotoImpact
It is respectfully requested that you do NOT use anything but painting and retouch tools in this course. That means, no filters, special effects, lighting, presets, cloning, photo manipulation, tubes, others brushes or any type of plug-in. Because this is an art class which covers both digital and real life art, you are expected to use just what you would need at an easel or doing watercolors, etc. If you choose to add a frame to your painting, thats fine. The instructor will not review assignments, nor give credit toward certificates, if you fail to follow these requirements.
Homework must be reviewed by the instructor in order to earn a certificate. Students have the option of using the Student Upload Area or free web hosting made available for LVS students. Details are provided in the classroom.
If you prefer to use your own web space, you must know how to upload your files to a server. Free tutorials are available: Basic HTML page
WS_FTP
SmartFTP Students should have working knowledge of their operating system: Free Windows Class Here
Directory Structure Tutorial Here Zip files may be necessary to complete the exercises provided each week. WinZip, PKZip, Windows Compression or similar program is required to unzip these files. Winzip Tutorial Here
Windows Compression Recommendation: Drawing is easier with a pen/stylus than with a mouse so we recommend that you own a pen and tablet. The Graphire is relatively inexpensive and works very well. You can find more information about it here: www.wacom.com/graphire/index.cfm
Plan to devote approximately 3 - 4 hrs per week on the lesson, quiz, and assignment.
Course Prerequisites
- None
Course Syllabus Lesson 1
- Introduction to Perspective
- Lines
- Shapes
- Forms
- Tips on beginning
Lesson 2
- Beginning our drawing:
- Tones
- Shading
- Shadow
- Highlight
- Reflection
- Texture
Lesson 3
- Deciding how and what helps to make a good painting. You will continue with what you learned in Lesson 2 and add more information toward the execution of your painting.
- Lighting
- Patterns
- Unity
Lesson 4
- Introduction to colors and what they mean to a painting, including their importance in rendering a good painting as opposed to a mediocre painting.
- Tips and Techniques regarding color
Lesson 5
- Composition. We will compose our picture and decide what we want to accomplish. This will help you focus on the main interest, balance, variety, simplification and unity of the painting. Lesson 6
- This lesson will probably be modified as the course progresses, but by this time you should have at least one completed painting as well as learning more Tips and Techniques. Because this is a unique course the students should be able to create a painting of their choice.
Course Excerpt LESSON 1
I'm taking this opportunity to welcome you with a big ALOHA to LVS's first Photo Impact Digital Art class. I would also like to say that I have purposely NOT taken a lot of time with my examples as I don't want there to be any intimidation and I'd love to see you surpass me in the quality of your own work. All critiques will be gentle and constructive. Don't be bashful about either posting or asking questions. The other students will be learning from reading their fellow classmate's posts. I advise saving your painting in UFO format, even though you may feel that it is finalized. After critiquing, or when you are further along, you may want to add objects or make modifications. I also encourage you to post your projects (after critiquing & any changes) to your bulletin board outside this class. Because this class is geared toward individuality, you will NOT be creating duplicates of one another's works. It always makes us feel good to have someone comment favorably on paintings that we have done. Oh, and last but not least, make sure that you sign your finished digital painting!
Keep in mind that a drawing which is to be used for painting does not need to be of high quality. Few people draw with the ease and assurance that produce the confident and flowing lines of really fine drawings. What matters is getting the proportions and shapes right. Everybody tends to draw what he knows, or thinks he knows, rather than what he actually sees. DON'T paint what you know, paint what you observe to be there. The first step in drawing is to take a good long look at the subject and try to get rid of any preconceptions about it. It is my hope that you will learn to see through "different eyes" in observing colors, shapes and forms, as well as becoming a better photographer regarding capturing your subjects.
Measuring
The blank white canvas is, indeed, intimidating to the best of us. Hence, it's important to get it covered as quickly as possible, i.e., underpainting the background or opening a colored canvas.
A well-measured painting looks more professional and has more authority than a carelessly placed one. It's important you learn to measure then do it until your arm nearly falls off. Divide the painting into as many parts as you want in order to measure. In the case of sketching outside or at an easel indoors, try holding your pencil up at arm's length and closing one eye to see whether a line which appears vertical or horizontal really is so. The size of one object in relation to another can be measured in the same way. Once one part of a scene, or figure has been described accurately, all the others can be related to it. But if you begin with a false 'statement', i.e., misunderstanding the angle at which a rooftop slopes away from you, and then try and relate the other shapes and lines to it, the drawing will go progressively awry. If the subject is complex, take some time over your preliminary sketching; otherwise you will become increasingly frustrated when you start your actual painting ... and we don't want that!
Let's just have a good time and get to learning and painting.
Continued...
Course Goals At the conclusion of the course, students will acquire the basics of digital drawing and the principles of art in general drawing while painting from scratch using brushes and retouch tools.
Course Reviews Jean Cox The teacher was always helpful and ready to answer questions. She always viewed the work and gave fair and honest evaluations. More...
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