Exam Question

The relationship between process and product is related to the idea that how a product is made, the steps taken to construct it, will influence the look and the overall use of it. My understanding of this has changed over the semester because before this class, I would not have thought about how much time it takes to create something, especially using technology. The effort it takes to learn about a program or tool and then actually executing it in a useful way takes concentration and motivation. The process, how you create a project and how you learn as you go along, is just as important, or more so, than the final product. Obviously, I am not a master at, say, Photoshop. But over the course of this class, I have utilized tutorials and experimenting to learn more about it. To do so, I have created a lot of pieces that coordinate with themes. Some of the final products are rather simple, but that may be a result of trying to gain experience with a concept or tool and practicing with it. While I may have been quick to assume manipulation on the computer was pretty simple beforehand, I know now that a lot more goes into it than is expected. I also believe that the Computer Arts and Animation career would take a lot of patience and trial and error to really be able to master digital programs.

Tape Sleeve Tutorial

Do you want to learn how to create your very own tape sleeve?  Keep reading to learn how.

Step 1:  Open Adobe Photoshop on your computer.  Create a new project by starting with a blank canvas. Click "File," "New," and change the width to 6.5625 inches and the height to 4 inches.  Name the document so that you know what it is.  It should look like this.

Step 2:  Download this template!

http://www.cdmanufacturing.com/images/sub_images/jcard.gif

 Save the image by following this link.

Step 3:  Click "File," "Open," and insert the picture you just saved.  This will open in a new Photoshop file.  Making sure the "Background" layer in the layer panel located on the right is unlocked, click on the first tool, the "Move" tool, located at the top of the tool panel located on the far left (It is a small black arrow).  Click and drag the template picture so that it, along with the mouse, is hovering on the tape sleeve file.  It'll allow you to be on that file now.  Still holding down the mouse, drag it to the middle of the empty canvas.  Let go, and the template should appear on top of the layer you already had.  If it doesn't, locate the eye on the new layer in the layer panel.  Click it twice and the picture should appear.

Step 4:  Hit the buttons "Control" and "T" on your keyboard to automatically use the Free Transform tool.  By dragging the corners, fit the template onto the canvas.  I just wanted two fold overs, so I only used sections 1-3 and cropped off #4 of the template.  This is what it should look like.

Using the template makes it easier to see how much room you have in each section so you don't fold the final product and have words, pictures, etc. where you don't want them.  

Step 5:  From here, you can move to the "background layer" and change the color.  At the bottom left, there are two squares.  Click the white one, and it allows you to change the color.  I picked red.  After choosing the color you want, click on the paint bucket tool.  On the background layer, click on the canvas and it will be painted red.

 If all you can see is the template from before, click on the eye next to it to make it invisible.

 To make it easier as you go along, on the template layer, click on "Opacity" just above the layer menu.  I moved it down to about 37%.  That allows the background to shine through.

Step 6:  Now you are ready to start designing your tape sleeve!  Make sure that from here on out, you never do anything on the template layer.  You can add new layers by clicking the little square in the bottom right hand corner.  It looks like this.  Be sure to label your layers by clicking twice on the name and typing in whatever you want to call it.

The folder icon to the left allows you to make folders to group your layers.  This makes it easier to navigate.

Now you can get creative.  Create a new layer, and you can add text!  Just click on the "T" icon in the tool bar.  Click on the canvas inside the boundaries of the segment you are working on for the sleeve and start typing.

You can highlight the text by double clicking on it.  The top of the screen has a tool bar that allows you to change the typography, font size, and style.  If you click on the move tool, you can drag it where you need it.  If you hit "Control"-"T" again, you can resize it or rotate it. 

Step 7:  You can also add symbols.  If you right click on the blob close to the bottom of the tool bar, it allows you to make geometric shapes or choose from a custom shape.  If you do that, you can select a shape or change the library of shapes by clicking on the icon at the top.

You can change the size, orientation, and color of these as well.

Step 8:  Inserting pictures can also make it look more realistic.  For example, if you look up a picture of a barcode, you can save the image and open it in photoshop by clicking "File," "Open," and locate your image.  You can drag it over the same way we did with the template.  You can also copy and paste it in.  Make sure everything is in its own layer, and continue to name the layers.  

Step 9:  If you want to, you can right click on the brush tool and select the pencil tool.  You can draw new lines over the ones in the template that are straight by holding the shift key while drawing down.  You can then make the template invisible while continuing to work on your tape sleeve.  These pencil lines keep you aware of your boundaries and let you know where to fold the final printout.

Continue adding in pictures, text, and symbols to get the look you are going for.  I based mine off of pictures of actual tape sleeves to make it more realistic.  You can paint the sections, and if you want to add more in you can do that by expanding the canvas to fit the template measurements.  Have fun!

Ho Ho Ho

Face Swap

Merry Christmas to All!!

Yum

Let's Get Down to Business...

Creepy Clown...

What a contrast!

That's a Punny story...;)

This is a family friendly movie about a doe devoted to his basketball team and his family. But this is no ordinary doe...this is a WINDOE! Part doe, part window, Windoe strives to show the world his true colors by being himself and being the best he can be! Because he looked different than his friends, all of the other deer/does/fawn/elk (you name it!) made fun of him and never let him join in any doe games. Luckily for little Windoe, and kind farmer came along and asked him to join the town basketball team. After discovering his skills, passion, and love of the game, Windoe became the star player! Then everyone loved him and honored him with a movie based on his story. Bring your family, friends, and folks of all ages to see the transformation take place from outcast to extraordinary! A sure favorite, come see Windoe and his friends in theaters near you this summer!

See it in 3D

Response

• What tools do you use to create art?  How do these tools help you in creation of these pieces?

I computer art, I use the photoshop program a lot to morph and manipulate images.  This program has the tools to allow for changing the photographs to look the way you want.  I also use paint and nontraditional materials to create non-digital art.  Depending on what medium you choose, you can achieve different effects and outcomes.  I like using different tools to switch it up, keep it fresh, and add pizazz.

Alter Ego Cookie Edition

Little Fruit toy

Fleece Navidad

Pond Friends Have a Pow-Wow

Disney: 3D

For this project, we used the website Tinkercad to design something to print with a 3D printer. I decided to make a replica of Minnie Mouse! This was a cool experience because I got to see how 3D printers really work. Tinkercad was difficult to navigate, but after a lot of practice and tutorials I finally got the hang of it. I used available shapes like spheres and butterflies to get the right look. I had to create holes on the back so that the piece would print on a flat back. This way, the design would have something to adhere to and not sink down. I'm glad I got to see how these machines work because they are a new developing technology that we will definitely see more of in the future.

Finger Puppets

Playing with Proportions

For this project, I morphed Emma Stone to look like Kim Possible because she has red hair also.  I rounded her face,  volumized her hair, rounded and enlarged her eyes, straightened out her smile, minimized her ear, and gave her a turtleneck.  I wish that the liquify tool didn't add as much distortion and blurriness as it did, but I like the exaggerated proportions.  I don't feel pressured by society to appear a certain way because I'd rather be myself.

Pink Pig: Parts of a Whole

For this project, I created a pig by combining different objects to form the proper shape.  I began by choosing to make a pig, and I decided to fill it with things that are pink.  After creating this collage by warping, resizing, and adjusting the hue of these images, I created a whole picture out of many tiny ones.  I added in the purple to pink gradient for the background because it enhanced the pig and added fluidity.  My favorite part is the face!  It was a little difficult to get the collage of images to look like one animal, but I think changing it so they were all around the same value of pink helped.