Richard Avedon - Master Photographer

Here is the first in a series of 9 videos on YouTube about Richard Avedon and his lighting techniques. It's called Darkness and Light.

Click here to view them: Richard Avedon

The 60 Most Wanted Photoshop Tutorials

There has to be something useful in this bunch of tutorials. Check them out. Tell me what you think.

60 Tutorials

Check out this technology in a music video

Watch this video and post a comment below. What do you think? Future possibilities?

This is done by Arcade Fire and needs to be opened using Google Chrome. It uses Google earth and street view and combines it with the footage shot for the video and it's based on the address you enter. Very interesting!


http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Year One optical Devices

Laura Hayes and John Howard Wileman Exhibit of Optical Toys



Here is an example of an old-school optical toy. Check out this great site and post your opinion of it on your blog. You can comment on the layout of the site, your favorite toy and how it works, or any other opinion you have concerning the site. Remember to search through many pages on the site to see how all of those toys work!

Surrealism in Art and Photography

Surrealism is an artistic movement that was founded in the early 1920s. It's influences include Sigmund Freud (famous psychoanalyst who was fascinated by the subconscious mind and dreams). "Surrealism style uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehensibility." In other words, it doesn't make sense in the real world, only the surreal world. Surrealism includes an element of surprise and uses unlikely juxtapositions and blends dream and reality.

Please research Surrealism in Art and/or photography and create a vuvox presentation that includes the following: (Please post your finished vuvox presentation on your blog by Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. Ready to present please!)

1. What is Surrealism? (In your own words please!)

2. Pick one Surrealist artist and briefly discuss their view on surrealism, the years they produced art (or birth-death), and who they are as artists in general. Were they part of other artistic movements?

3. Show 8 examples of Surrealist art by the artist you have selected.

Please pick one artist each so that we can cover all of them.

Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Hieronymus Bosch, Yves Tanguy, MC Escher, Erik Johansson (modern day photographer), Jerry Uelsmann (modern photographer who worked with negatives to create surrealist photos).

4. PLease include any and ALL links that you have used to find your information. Please do not copy and paste directly from these links!! That's called plagiarism and it's a big fat NO-NO!

5. You can include a reference list at the end of your presentation, but you MUST embed a minimum of 3 links (they could be videos, audio interviews or just other websites with more information) into your vuvox presentation.

6. Don't forget to use hotspots and cutouts. Make the presentation surreal, but make sure we can clearly see and identify the artist's works, as well as the text that answers the questions above.

This is a precursor to your Photoshop assignment, so start thinking about ideas for your own photoshopped surrealistic dreamscapes... here are a few kind of fun ones to whet your appetite.

http://www.alltelleringet.com/

SLR Camera Simulator

Check out this camera simulator. It allows you to change the settings on the camera and see the results. You can vary the lighting, the camera/subject distance, the focal length of the lens, ISO, aperture and shutter speed. It's really cool. Try it out. Hopefully it will help you understand the impact the various settings have on your final image.

SLR simulator

Check out this 3D Facade mapping

This is one heck of an advertisement for LG Optimus one. Impressive. Perhaps we can create something like this for the outside walls of LCI. Amazing inside...

How to write about my logo! For Year 1

Hello Year Ones,

Once you have finished polishing off and fine tuning your beautiful logos, the next step is to post them on your blogs and write a statement about them.
To post them, you'll need to go to Save for Web and Devices and save them as jpgs. Don't forget, you MUST KEEP THE ORIGINAL .ai files with all the layers as well.
You should hand in all of your files (.ai) - rough pages and final page with you black and white and colour logos into the drop folder.

What to write about my logo...

1. Where did you begin?
Start with your name research. What did you find out about your name? And what 2 or 3 qualities did you end up using to design your logo around?

2. Where did your brainstorming lead you?
What imagery and ideas did you come up with to illustrate those qualities? How did you end up with the imagery you decided on? This is where you talk about symbolism and meaning.

3. Break it down.
Now discuss your choices of shape, colour, line quality, direction and type (thick, thin, gritty, smooth, diagonal, horizontal, curvy etc.). Also discuss your choice of typography. What do those letterforms (the way the letters look) say? Are they edgy, artsy, confident, corporate? Be as descriptive and specific as possible. State the shapes used. State the colours used, the name of the font, the description of the lines. And then, explain the meanings behind all of these design choices. (ie. I chose a circular shape because it represents the sun, the moon and all of eternity (or whatever it represents to you). I chose to place the pictorial image so that it overlapped the circle to represent the idea of leaping forward etc.)

4. Get technical.
Discuss your technical process - drawing sketches to computer illustration. What did you learn and how did you use Illustrator? What tools, use of layers, any effects etc.

5. Your thoughts and opinion.
Are you happy with the logo and how it turned out? Would you do anything differently if you had more time? What did you learn about designing a logo? Now that you know more about Illustrator, what do you want to do next? What do you want to learn more about?

That's it!
Be thorough. I don't expect you to complete the written in class today, as you may need the time to finish the logo. I will give you until Wednesday to complete the posting and written part, but no more class time after today.
Good luck. See you tomorrow.
Ms. Silverman

Are you thinking of a career in the Arts?

Here is a great source of information if you are considering applying for a College or University that requires a partfolio. Check it out!

http://sparkboxstudio.com/artschoolguide/

Year 4 CyberARTS class

Woohoo! You made it to your final year of CyberARTS!

This Friday, you must find and briefly research an artist who created a portrait that is interesting to you. The artist must be a Modern or Postmodern artist that created the work anywhere from 1900ish - to the present.

Create a blog post that introduces the artist and the portrait you have chosen. Also, include a mini critique on the painting and why it interests you.

Here is one of my favorites and I was lucky enough to see it while visiting Chicago :)



Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 – 28 April 1992)
Figure with Meat 1954
The Art Institute of Chicago
Oil on Canvas
129.9 cm × 121.9 cm (51.1 in × 48.0 in)

Year One CyberARTS students

Welcome to your first week as a Cyber Artist! If you have found this post you are well on your way to becoming a savvy blogger!

Please cut and paste your blog address into a message attached to this post so I can add you to my sidebar.

It is going to be an amazing year!

Mrs. McFadyen

Some sound and image art to ponder...

Below are a few links worth checking out that will hopefully inspire you!

Erik Johannson is a master photo manipulator. Reminds me of M.C. Escher and Jerry Uelsmann. Here is his website.

Janet Cardiff is a sound artist. If she is ever having a show in Toronto, don't miss her exhibits.

Here is a sample of an art walk through central park you can listen to. In this site she teams up with George Bures Miller. Look through the website at other stuff as well.

Also Joey Lawrence is an amazing photographer and Photoshop artist as well.

Here is his blog and website

A fascinating look at film editing.

Welcome back Cyberarts 3 students,  

As we continue our video making project,
here's a great look at how editing used to be done "back in the day"! 

A fascinating clip of David Lean -- a master director -- at work, showing the hands-on process of editing (literally cutting up film strips!) and explaining how editing and planning of shots affect the final result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EpORAz2R8U

Inspiration from a Former Student

A former student sent this to me and suggested that I share it with all of you. I do not recommend using all of the same techniques as this artist though...


Here are more markmaking ideas not to try at home...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbvSms-1yj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRVts7TFw-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orjALWsyaR4

http://1000acts-of-art.ca

CONTEST

Every Act of Art submitted between now and up to February 25th will be entered to win tickets to the opening night of Swimming for Shore, a community play & Lakeshore Arts Gala Fundraiser. More details can be found here: http://wp.me/p16VBO-hb - please feel free to share this information with your friends.

WHAT'S AN ACT OF ART?

Anything you like as long as it's about experiencing art in some way. You can review a play or musical performance, submit a photograph or painting (one you did or one you like), tell us about your favourite book or poem, or write about an experience you had at Nuit Blanche one year.

We want to document the many ways that art touches all of our lives.

NEW WAYS TO SUBMIT

To submit an Act of Art, visit http://1000acts-of-art.ca, login and use the form on the Acts of Art page OR send us an email via 1000acts.site@gmail.com - we'll post your Act of Art on your behalf.

Thank you and can't wait to receive your Act of Art!

Be well ... from all of us at 1000 Acts of Art

Welcome to a New Semester!

Here is a little inspiration for you designers out there!

Just click on the image to enlarge...

Make it better from Sebastianbap on Vimeo.