The study of digital tools for making visual art intended for publication. Demonstrates the resolution of artistic and conceptual problems faced by professional illustrators, using vector graphics programs as visual medium. Vector graphics is the technology of choice for adaptable artwork, suitable for traditional print formats as well as new electronic media, such as Web pages on the Internet. Vector images are often characterized by a stylized, hard-edge appearance. These programs are less appropriate for photographic or painterly material. The course covers leading vector graphics software, with plenty of hands-on use of the computer to build a portfolio and acquire the experience levels demanded by employers and clients.
Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week.
- Technical orientation.
- System software user interface.
- Recommended workflow practices.
- Raster graphics vs. vector graphics.
- Digital illustration orientation.
- Historical overview of illustration.
- Impact of digital techniques on publishing.
- Professional illustration practices and job descriptions.
- Requirements and constraints of common publication formats.
- Vector graphics application software interface.
- Default settings and user preferences.
- Document setup.
- Document-window features.
- Tools and commands palettes.
- Object-selection tools and techniques
- Object-management features.
- Vector graphics object-creation features.
- Underlying geometry.
- Basic shapes.
- Free-form tools.
- Control-point placement tools.
- Features specific to the program in use.
- Vector graphics object-editing features.
- Global vs. local control.
- Basic geometric transformations.
- Boolean operations on shapes.
- Packaged effects (extensions, plug-ins).
- Features specific to the program in use.
- Vector graphics object-rendering features.
- Object stroke attributes.
- Object fill attributes.
- Shading techniques (blends, gradients).
- Display options (clipping paths, anti-aliasing).
- Features specific to the program in use.
- Input/output options.
- Foreign object import.
- Scanning and vectorizing.
- Rasterizing and raster export.
- Vector export.
- Illustration as authorship.
- Constructing meaning in narrative and documentary pictures.
- Typology of text/image interplay.
- Working with and against established conventions: iconography, symbolism, typecasting.
- Visual resources research.
- Print media case studies.
- Electronic media case studies.
Students successful in this class will:
- Read and analyze source texts and design briefs, and demonstrate their understanding of project requirements by compiling a visual treatment proposal.
- Assess the need for reference images and other preparatory information, thereafter planning, implementing, and summarizing their research.
- Translate into images the text or concept being illustrated, adhering to its intent while transcending mere restatement. The work should assert the value of illustration.
- Discriminate between visual treatments suited to vector graphics, and those requiring other types of software.
- Develop a storage structure for varied file types that will be efficient, flexible, and fail-safe. Clearly communicate the purpose of each item handed off upon delivery of the project.
- Schedule their work to fit time and equipment constraints, establishing an effective workflow.
- Create artwork that complies with project requirements and with the characteristics of the delivery medium.
- Appraise the pictorial outcomes of each software feature presented in class, identifying the ones to incorporate in their personal stylistic repertoire.
- Evaluate software vendors' claims against the actual needs of professional artists.
