Book Cover Project!

     It's that time to start picking out a book for our Book Cover Project!

While you are looking for your film frame you also need to start researching a book to read that you will make a cover for. Here some examples of cool book covers...

Here is a list of books we need to design a cover for. You will need to read these books. We need start reading these books now, so when we begin the design part of the project we will be ready. So research and pick a book. Have a selection ready for me that you are going to read by the time we come back from break. 

You do not have to have read the entire book by then, but you need to have selected what you are going to read. Email me if you have questions.

  All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

       An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

       Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

       Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

       Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

       I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest and Kali Ciesemier

       The Making of a Navy SEAL by Brandon Webb

       Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

       Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

       Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

       Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

       A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

       Untwine by Edwidge Danticat

       What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

       The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

Commercial Art Boot Camp!

Hello there you dribble of paint! We are going to master the fundamentals. Unless you master the basics of digital painting you will be nothing more than a scuff on my dirt stained boot. 

How does light hit an object? Notice there are two different types of light sources. There is direct light which usually comes from the sun, lamp, moon, or flashlight. Then there is reflected light also called bounce light that shines from one surface to another.

We need to be able to paint the basics using value. So while this may be easy to draw...digitally painting this is can be quite difficult. It is important to understand that we keep the surface texture smooth. As much as we can mimic realistic textures the more we create believability for our audience.

The reproduction of these spheres not only demonstrates the power of Photoshop to handle different opacities with ease, but also allows for the artist to think about scale and atmospheric perspective. This creates believable depth for the viewer and mimics how distance appears to a viewer in real life.

Name Logos

We are working on name logos. Currently it is important to understand the interaction between Photoshop and Illustrator. Photoshop is a pixel based program that creates images using tiny dots of color. Illustrator is a vector program that utilizes plot points to harness rays of lights...think of geometry.

 Name logos are a way of us creating a brand for ourselves. It is important that we think about how we want to market ourselves. What do our logos say about us? How do we want people to think of us? Our branding should reflect the quality and expectations we want to reach for our clients while being true to who we are. 

 You are not locked into this branding forever, but it should have the intention of permanence for yourself and your client. Branding your name is almost like a first impression that like that first taste of food that either rewards your sensibilities or makes you gag.

Name Logos are due... Thursday, November 17th.