Embed Source Code for Animated Flash Movies

The above button is an example of an embedded swf file. Here's a link to the source code you'll need to embed your animated flash files. Make sure you are in the EDIT HTML tab of your blog post or, it'll look silly.

Art 399 Concept Art - Assignment 2 - Environment Concepts

Game Bridge concept by Alex Munn

For your second project, you'll be researching and developing a set of environmental concept drawings. These could be  concepts for a game, an animation, a movie, a book, interpretive dance, amusement park, stage set, or none of the above. Here's what you'll do.

1. Write a description about your place. Where is it? What year? What does it look like, smell like? Describe the color palette there. What emotions does the place invoke? Who and/or what lives/lived there? Let your imagination run wild. Wild, I tell you.

2. Do lots and lots of visual research on your place. Architecture, flora, fauna. Mood. Look for images of interesting lighting schemes that fit your vision. And always, always. . . textures. Blog this stuff, baby. Taking your own photos is very helpful too.

3. Do it! Create preparatory drawings/collages as needed!

4. We'll have a work in progress crit on Wednesday, February 3. Final work is due Monday, February15.

Make sure you check out your hero artists to inspire you to new heights of lunacy. Blog about 'em.

Environmental concepts for Fallout 3

Art 351 - Assignment 3: Create 15 Animated Dingbats

1. Create a library of 15 animated dingbats.
2. Due Monday, February 1.
3. Post your progress as you go!

Here's a quick demo video on getting started with animation in Flash. More to come.

Concept Designs for Left 4 Dead 2, Youtube Vids by Daarken

Randy Lundeen, Environment Design, Left 4 Dead 2

Here's a link to an interview with a character and environment designer on Left 4 Dead 2.  Dig it. CG Society's a useful site. Check it out.

Daarken, Liche King Design

Also, here's a link to Daarken's Warhammer character design demo that Cody McD shared on Wednesday. Loved it. Live it. It's just part 1 of several -so check 'em all out!

Art 351 - Assignment 2: Two more collages and interactive writing

1. Take one of your collages and double (at least) either the height or the width of the document. Use Modify > Document to accomplish this. Now work on your new canvas.

2. Create a new collage (or start with one of your old ones) and push the scale contrast! Enlarge stuff so it extends way off the canvas. Shrink stuff down. Go to town.

3. Write about 3 satisfying "interactive" experiences you've had in life. Think about sight, smell, sound, atmosphere, color, texture, drama, sensation, emotion, physicality, sensuousness and all that. Post to blog with relevant pictures.

4. Put all of this glory up on your site so we can critique first thing MONDAY, January 25.

image by Ernesto Caivano

Art 496 Capstone Paper Expectations

Fallout 3 Self-Portrait by Evan Carroll

Everyone in Art 496 has the honor of writing The Glorious and Most Noble Capstone Paper. "What are the expectations of such a paper, and how can I write one?" I hear you ask. Well, I'll tell you.

1. Think of the paper as a presentation of your project to an audience of complete strangers. Use your project proposal to help you articulate your project and your process to this audience.

2. What were you trying to achieve with the project? Did you have a clear goal or purpose in mind? Were some aspects of the project more experimental? Discuss influences on the project, and include images and a bibliography.

4. Reflect on your process and give a post-mortem of the project. What went right? What went wrong? Did the project change as you went along? Did obstacles arise? Were they expected or unexpected? How did you overcome these obstacles? What advise would you give others undertaking similar projects?

5. Include images of your project and process. These may be attached as an appendix or integrated into the body of the paper.

6. Print this out, bind it, and bring it to our final critique.

Art 496 Capstone and Art 450 Special Projects - Proposal

We'll meet next on Wednesday, January 28th at 3:00. I've already talked to you about your projects, so I'll expect you to all have the details firmed up as follows:

0. A working title for your project.
1. A one sentence description of your project.
2. A one paragraph description of your project.
3. A one page description of your project.
4. A description of what you're going to actually produce during the course of your project. Make sure you include any preparatory/exploratory sketches, photos, collages, animatics, rough cuts, and interpretive dance you'll be doing.
5. Visual and/or written research for your project. Stuff done by other people.
6. Treatment visuals for your project. Stuff done by you.
7. A written description of specific technical and research issues you will need to address during the course of your project.
8. A timeline of your project. When you will be doing all of this good stuff. You must include specific DEADLINES (for example: "January 27th", not "some time in January."
9. A blog containing all of the above. You will also keep track of your activity here. If you do something for your project, blog it. I check these things oft, so I expect to see constant brain activity here.
10. Your magic sunshine. See you then.

This Made Me Happy

It's the Pac Man Skull by Le Gentil Garcon. Three Cheers! Found this via NextNature. Also, a couple of skull references. . .

 

Exporting A Still Image From Flash

Here's a short video on how to export a blog-ready image from Flash. "I hope you cherish it as much as I."

Bloggerel: Freddie Williams' Perspective Paths!

Concept and Comic types might want to head over to Freddie Williams' site to download his groovy time-saving Perspective Paths for Photoshop and watch the 5 minute demo on his site.

His book, The DC Comics Guide To Digitally Drawing Comics is a very readable and useful guide to digital drawing.

Bloggerel: Oberlin Student Stuff

image by Yugean Park

For some nice examples of student blogs, check out the student links on Pipo's Oberlin Photo blog. Scroll down the page a bit and look to the right hand links. . .

Art 399 Concept Art - Assignment 1 - Character Based on Self

1. Create a set of character designs based on yourself.  You can do one or several. Feel free to experiment with styles, approaches, and media.

2. Post 'em on your blog. Include rough sketches and work in progress (WIP!)

Due Date: We'll critique these on Wednesday, January 20.

Art 351 - Assignment 1: Dingbats! and Flash Demo Videos

 

Halloween Dingbats by Samuel Casal

1. Choose a theme of some sort and accumulate some related raw visual research on your blog. The theme can be very loose and fun. For example: "abstract pattern designs," "monsters," "random stuff that I've drawn for no good reason," "famous biscuits of the middle ages," "angry old people," "doodles," "pseudopods n' such," "goat referendum," "body parts and organs," etc. Use the theme choice to help you, not hinder you. If you're not one to enjoy thinking up themes ahead of time, just make stuff and think about a theme after you're into the project. Also, don't be afraid to let your theme evolve/change as you create your dingbats!

2. Create a Flash Library of 26 symbols related to your theme!

3. Use your library to create an organized layout of your symbols and export it as .png.

4. Create a set of 3 collages (see example by Samuel Casal, above) using your dingbat symbols and export these as .png's.

5. As usual, post all of this fragrant goodness to your blog.

Due date: Wednesday, January 20, 9:00 a.m.

Here is a link to the demo videos taking you through the basics of drawing and symbol making in Flash. Victory!

Art 399 Concept Art - Blogs n' Syllabus

Here's a link to the course syllabus. You are required to maintain a blog for this course. Once you establish your URL, post it as a comment to this post.
Each week you will be posting to your blog.
1. Images from an interesting site or artist that you're looking at.
2. Some of your own work. Photos, writing, doodles, sketches, anything.
3. Post samples of whatever you've been working on in this class.

Art 351 Interactive - Blogs n' Syllabus

Here's a link to the course syllabus. You are required to maintain a blog for this course. Once you establish your URL, post it as a comment to the class blog at: soucomics.blogspot.com
Each week you will be posting to your blog.
1. Images from an interesting site or artist that you're looking at.
2. Some of your own work. Photos, writing, doodles, sketches, anything.
3. Post samples of whatever you've been working on in this class.