Photoshop - Surreal Composition Using Scale or Juxtaposition

What is Surrealism? Magical Realism?

For our purposes Surreal or magical realism describes an image where the elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.

Here is a link to a TED talk by Erik Johansson. Erik creates realistic photos of impossible situations.

Today we will begin creating a surreal image using photoshop.

Using the provided images plus at least one of your own, (either from the web or a photos you have taken), create a magical realist composition using exaggerated scale. You may select, crop, and place the elements in the composition in any way that presents them in an incongruous, unusual or “super normal” manner.

Activities/Skills/Followed Directions:

Set up document at stated size and resolution. 10 x 10 150 dp1
5/________

Photoshop Skills 

Made precise selections                                                                                                5/________

Used Transform-scale tool to change at least one selection/layer.                           
5/________

Used move tool to move selections from one document to another.                

5/________

Used Multiple Layers                                                                                                                     5/________

Named Layers                                                                                                                        5/________

Include at least 1 additional image to the composition                                               
5/________  

                                                                                     

Creativity

Met requirements for concept: Magical Realism using scale or juxtaposition                                    
 5/________

                                                                                                          

Post Your Portrait

Post your Illustrator Portait and answer the following:

Describe the process of creating your portrait. What tools did you use?
What "mood" did you create? How does the color scheme create the "personality" of the portrait?
Was your portrait successful? Why or why not?

Post Illustrator exercise

Save the exercise as a JPEG and post it. Answer the following;

How did you use layers? Did you put each shape on its own layer?

What specific tools did you use for this exercise? Hint- list each tool you used to obtain the shapes and colors you traced. 

Last, find some examples of art that was created in illustrator. Post them to your blog.

Post Your Poster

Please upload your Thumbnail sketches and your completed poster.

1. What is your Lyric or Poem? Why did you choose it?

Answer thefollowing about your thumbnails and ideas:

2. How deeply did you explore the possibilities for your design? Did you generate many very different ideas or variations on a single idea?
How/why did you choose your favorite idea?
What ideas did you use from your previous typographic exercises

Answer the following about your completed poster:

3. Describe how the:
Font
Color
Sizes
Effects
Placement
of the typography reflects and emphasizes the meaning of the poem or lyric

4. How succuessful were you? What could you improve? What would you do differently next time?

Helvetica

Today we will begin watching the documentary Helvetica, a "film about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture." 

I will pass out a study guide to review. Answer questions 1 and 9 plus two others of your choice.

Link to the Study Guide:
 PBS study guide

Post your answers in the comment section below.
1. How does a typeface create a mood, feeling or image? Can you describe an occasion when you had a particular reaction to something in print, not because of the content, but because of the typeface?

2. In HELVETICA, design writer Richard Poynor says, “The designer has an enormous responsibility” as the person who is “putting wires into our heads.” What does he mean? How would you define that responsibility? 

3. Think of the font you most commonly use when working on your computer. Which one is it and why do you use that one?

4. American designer David Carson says, “Don’t confuse legibility with communication.” What does he mean? What’s the difference between them? 

5. How is design an expression of the times? How does politics affect the art of design?

6. What is your reaction to the grunge style of type and design? Why do you think you respond to it that way?

7. Imagine that the post office, your local bank or other government or corporate entity whose signage is familiar to you started using a different typeface. How would that change their image or your feeling about that business or organization?

8. What might you take away from this film in terms of possible effects on your work or other aspects of your daily life?
9. What changes, if any, has this film made in how you think about print and graphic design? 

Photoshop Text Effects

Today we'll have some fun with Text. First, I'll show you how to add images in text, it will end up looking something like this:

You can find the tutorial at this link:

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/image-in-text-photoshop-cs6/

Next, pick a text effect from the link below and follow the instructions to create one of your own.

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/

 Save both pictures as jpeg files and post them to your blog titled "Photoshop Text Effects"

Expressive Typography Exercise

Choose 5 words from the list below. In 5 different compositions, arrange each word to express its meaning. You can change the size, spacing, placement and orientation of the letters.

You can repeat, omit, slice, block or overlap words or letters.

You must not use drop shadows, or stretch or distort the letters.

Use Arial Black Typeface only.

You will use photoshop to create an 8x8 document with 2 inch guidelines. The letters must be aligned with the  2 inch grid.

compression

transition

contraction

addition

subtraction

disruption

repetition

elimination

migration

expansion

confusion