TheVirtualInstructor Blog

It is important for us as art educators to prepare our students for life outside of the classroom.  One way to connect students to the world beyond the classroom is to expose them to some of the careers that artists fill.  One career that is especially exciting for students is video game design.  Many artists are finding their way into this arena and many more are aspiring to be a part of it.  Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or shun ‘em, video games are part of our culture.  This is a medium that our students are familiar with, and more importantly recognize the relevance of.  The multimedia industry  is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world economy.  This industry is a natural fit for many of our creative students.  So now is the time to start showing them what their creative minds are capable of.  If you are knowledgeable in Adobe Flash, you can use it to teach video game design.  But not of us have that luxury.  So how can we expose students to video game design, if we are a (ahem) inexperienced in video game design?  Easy- use Scratch.

What is Scratch?
I first introduced to Scratch through ARTStem and a workshop held at The Center for Design Innovation where I was able to create an interactive math game for my daughter in just a matter of a couple of hours.  Scratch is a program developed by MIT.  It is completely free to download.  It is actually it’s own computer language that helps students better understand how programming works.  Students can easily create their own computer games using Scratch and then share them on the site for others to play.  This program encourages dynamic learning and aligns nicely with 21st century learning.  Scratch is designed for students from 8-16, but younger and older students can definitely find the process challenging and rewarding.  Still intimidated?  You shouldn’t be, because Scratch features educator support through ScratchEd, which is a great resource for teachers.   Take a look at Scratch in the following video…

Scratch: overview from andresmh on Vimeo.

So, give it a try and implement video game design into your art curriculum.  Show your students what their creative minds are capable of.

Visit the Scratch Website here and download the free software.

The digital age is well upon us and many artists are creating artwork or ehancing artwork using software designed with the artist in mind.  Many of us are aware of the big players like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, that sometimes can be out of the price range of some artists.  Although if you are a student or a teacher, you may find that you can get some great deals on these products.  If you are not sure whether you’re ready to take the plunge into the realm of digital art, you may take a look at some of the free drawing and painting programs that are free to download.  I’ve included a list of some of the ones that I know about.  Feel free to leave a comment with others that I may have missed.  Using theses free programs will give you a chance to experiment and decide if digital art may be something that you want to pursue.

Free Software for Drawing and Painting

Gimp -

“GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows and Mac OS X.” -From Gimp Website

Google Sketchup-

“Model anything you can imagine.

Redecorate your living room. Invent a new piece of furniture. Model your city for Google Earth. There’s no limit to what you can create with SketchUp.

SketchUp makes 3D modeling fun.

We believe powerful software can also be a pleasure to use – the secret is intuitive tools that work the way you think they should. Apparently, millions of people agree.” -From Google Sketchup Website

Project Dogwaffle-

“Project Dogwaffle version 1.2 (this freeware version) is based on the powerful achitecture of  Project Dogwaffle 2.0.  It’s a light, yet powerful tool for artistic expression.  We felt that the aging prior free version (v1.11b) was in need of an update, since it was written for earlier operating systems and we wanted our new users to have the speed and power of our newer software architecture. ” -From Project Dogwaffle Website

Artweaver-

“Artweaver lets you paint creatively with the help of a huge range of painting tools. You can create sketches from photos or just experiment with colors.”- From Artweaver Website
Free Trial Adobe Products- Check out the Adobe products(Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash) for free with these free trials.
Free Trial Corel Products- Check out the Corel Products (CorelDRAW, Painter) for free with these free trials.

When the camera was introduced into the art world in the 19th century, many painters of the time got seriously worried.  They felt that their steady revenue from portrait painting was being threatened by the camera’s ability to reproduce images so accurately.  If I were a painter of that period, I would probably have had my fears as well.  But instead the camera did not end the livelihood of artists.  It sent the art world in a new exciting direction where emotion, expression, and abstraction found their place.

It seems that we have found ourselves in a place that is similar to the 19th century painters.  Many of us find ourselves as artists threatened by the digital revolution.  The computer is at the center of this revolution, and if we as artists do not embrace it, we may be at a serious disadvantage.  Programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Flash, Autodesk Maya, Corel Painter, and Corel Draw (to name but a few) are changing the way art is viewed and more importantly created.  Not to mention the influence that the web has had on how we consume art.  Look around you and take notice.  We are truly living in a Renaissance – a digital Renaissance.

The iPad is a clear representation of what the future holds.  No longer will we be tied to a desktop computer or even a laptop.  Instead we can now go where we want and have the world at our fingertips.  A new app on the iPad called “Brushes” gives us a glimpse of the future of art creation on the go.  Consider the future sketchbook.  Could the iPad be the predecessor of the sketchbook of the future?

Where will the computer eventually send the art world?  I don’t know.  But I do think that the world of digital art is here and is a part of the art of the present; and will be a major part the art of the future.

The following video is a painting created on the Apple iPad using the app- “Brushes”  The artist’s name is David Kassan .

It is quite easy to create a slide show in Adobe Flash.  However,  it is more complex than just throwing a transition between images in a standard video editing program.  Slide shows created in Flash can be used to showcase artwork through the creation of a portfolio.  A slide show created in Flash can also be a nice welcome to visitors to a website.  The process of creating a slide show in Flash can seem tedious, but the level of control you get over the transitions is well worth it.  In this free art lesson, I demonstrate how to make a simple slide show using a fade in/ fade out effect.  You will also learn how to center your images and make them match the size of the stage with just a couple of simple clicks.

To see the video art lesson click here-> How to Create a Simple Slide Show in Adobe Flash

Using clipping masks to create interesting effects is a skill every designer and artist should know how to do.  Although there are variety of ways to create the same effects, using clipping masks is by far the easiest and the quickest.  Using a clipping mask allows you to create an image that shows through text.  It is not just limited to text, though.  Any shape can used to create a clipping mask. You are only limited by your creativity when it comes to using clipping masks in Photoshop.

First, pick the image that you want to use a clipping mask with.  Second, type your text or draw or import the shape that you would like to use as the mask.  Duplicate your background layer (the one your image is on).  Pull the duplicate layer above the text or shape layer.  Go to “layer”->”create clipping mask”.  A small arrow that points to the text below it will appear on the duplicate layer.  Hide your original background layer and make sure that your duplicate layer is visible.  There you have it, you’ve created a clipping mask.  All of your layer effects can still be used on any of the layers.  You can even go to the text layer and type something completely different and it will stay locked within the clipping mask.  Have fun and be creative.

To see the video lesson of How to Use Clipping Masks in Photoshop click here-> How to Use Clipping Masks in Photoshop

Using selective color to enhance a photograph artistically is a popular Photoshop technique.  There are a variety of ways that this can be achieved.  I believe that the easiest way is using a layer mask to choose which areas are to be colored.  This is how it works.  First select the image that you would like to enhance using selective color.  Pick an image that has good contrasting colors.  Think about color theory when are choosing your image.  You will be highlighting the colors, so color theory should be very important. Open your image in Photoshop and duplicate your background layer.  Go to “Image”->”Adjustments”->”Desaturate” to take the color out of your duplicate layer.  Next, choose to “add layer mask” from your layer palette. Then you will use a soft brush with the opacity lowered a bit to paint black in the areas that you want colored. Remember, you are on a layer mask, so you aren’t really painting black.  Instead, you are removing the mask to reveal the color underneath on your original background layer.  If you make a mistake, simply paint with white to desaturate the area again.

To see the video demonstration of this Photohop lesson click here-> Selective Color in Photoshop

Creating a growing animation in Adobe Flash CS4 is easier than you think.  I’m not talking about just using a tween.  If you create a masking layer, you can make your animation grow like a real plant would-from the ground up and then out.  First, you will need to either create a vector image in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or draw your image in Adobe Flash CS4.  If you create the image in Illustrator, import it into your Flash library and then pull it onto your stage.  If you draw it in Flash then it is already on your stage.  Name this layer, “mask”.  Create a new layer.  Name the new layer, “artwork”, as this layer will hold the actual marks.  Pull the “mask” layer to the top of the layer order so that the “artwork” layer is directly below it.  Now right click on the “mask” layer and select the word “mask” from the menu.  Unlock both of the layers to see the art.  Click on the outline box on the “mask” layer.  Go to the “artwork” layer and make a mark where you want your animation to begin.  Hit the “F6″ key to go to the next frame and draw a little more. It’s okay if your marks go beyond the mask.  These marks won’t be seen in the final animation.  Continue drawing within the masking lines on the “artwork” layer and hitting the “F6″ key until the entire mask is filled.  Export your animation and enjoy the show.

To see the video demonstration of  this lesson click here-> Create a Growing Animation in Flash

Using text to create imagery is called Micrography.  It is an ancient technique that originated in the Middle East.  A variety of media can be used to create Micrography. Most commonly drawing media such as pen and ink or graphite is used.  Adjustments in the application of value create the image through the text.  By adjusting the line quality,the illusion of value changes.

Micrography is usually a painstakingly long process, but it can be done quickly in Adobe Photoshop.  First, you will need to bring in the image that you want to use into Photoshop.  I have found that portraits work particularly well. Duplicate the image layer.  Next go to “image”->”adjustments”->”threshold”.  You can slide the adjustment bar to alter the threshold effect. Next, create a text layer and cover the entire document with a small font text in black . Be sure to cover the entire document.  Make the text editable by  going to “layer”->”rasterize”->”type”.  Go to the threshold layer.  Select the white areas with the magic wand tool.  (Be sure that the contiguous box is unchecked) Go to the black text layer and select the eraser from your tools.  Erase everything in the document that is selected. Don’t worry as only the black text in the white areas will be erased.

To see the rest of this lesson and to see the video of this lesson… click here-> Micrography-Text Drawing