Google Docs for Animation

This is just fun, and a creative use of free tools.

Coming Soon - A Digital Arts Curriculum Website

It's been awhile since I have blogged because I've been working on a BIG project. I am building a website with ALL the curriculum I've written for Digital Arts classes including projects in Graphic Design, Digital Photography, Web Design, Digital Video, Interactive Design, Animation. The site will be up and running soon, and this blog will be the first place to hear about it's launch. For now, here's a teaser screen shot:

A time lapse journey through Japan

I absolutely love time lapse photography!! This is a beautiful example:

Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.

Yourself as an Avatar - Fun Photoshop Project

Such a fun project to build Photoshop skills! There are lots of tutorials online, but here's a good one.

Here's my personal example:

The Monster Engine

Okay, so occasionally I come across an artist who is so inspiring that I have to include it on my blog even though the work is not digitally created. An artist by the name of Dave Devries created a book, The Monster Engine, in which he uses child-drawings to create fully shaded, textured finished pieces. The results are amazing and beautiful. Studios like Pixar and Dreamworks would do well to work with character designs created by children. Maybe this would be a fun project in an art room, working in cooperation with younger students. See more examples here.

Image copyright Dave Devries

One take music video

I love this video because it is both playful and technically masterful. Students could try something like this on a much smaller scale. A project like this generates a fantastic discussion on the level of planning, practice, and attention to detail required in order to capture it one take. Have fun with it!

HD Video with Canon 5D and 7D

Digital video has made amazing progress in the last 10+ years since I first started using it. Just as with all technology, it started out clumsy and expensive and now it has become incredibly streamlined and affordable. And some how the quality of video has gotten better and better despite the diminishing size and multi-functions of video recording devices.

Canon makes some great SLR cameras - now with the capability of creating HD video. Below are a couple of examples of the impressive quality of these cameras that will hopefully inspire you and your students.

PUSH PULL from Landis Fields on Vimeo.

HANGAR 7 from Landis Fields on Vimeo.

Visually breathtaking computer generated art piece

This work is completely computer generated and is beautifully crafted. It may be a bit long to show the entire work to your students, but certainly watch the entire video yourself and choose parts to share with your students. Be sure to watch it in full screen mode.


The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

50 Most Beautiful Trees Photography

I love to look at art that inspires me and teaches me something about art creation. Though all of these images may not fall into the category of 'digital art', I'm guessing many have been manipulated in image editing software. More importantly, these are great examples to show students because they are absolutely captivating. I could spend an entire class period discussing what makes these photos stand out from thousands of other photos of trees, and the value of image manipulation in photography.

Take a look at 50 Most Beautiful Trees Photography.

'Either Side of the Sun' - Copyright 2009 Mike Shaw

Fascinating projection art

555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen on Vimeo.

555 KUBIK

"How it would be, if a house was dreaming"



The conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers "Galerie der Gegenwart". Resultant permeabilty of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.



Production: www.urbanscreen.com



Art Direction: Daniel Rossa - www.rossarossa.de



Technical Director: Thorsten Bauer

3D Operator: David Starmann www.shineundsein.de

Sound Design : Jonas Wiese



Realized with www.mxwendler.net mediaserver



A extended version of this documentation can be found here: vimeo.com/5677104

Animation by Illustrator Dustin Amery Hostetler

UPSO- FUEL TV Signature Series ID from FUEL TV on Vimeo.

Welcome to Aviary - Free digital art tools!

This organization, Aviary, has designed a series of web-based applications for creating just about anything, including a photo editor, effects creator, web designer, sound editor, color scheme editor, vector drawing, and screen capture. And best of all, they are all FREE to use!! Naturally, the implications for the classroom are tremendous. Over the next few weeks I will take each of the applications for a test drive and post a review on this blog.

Tilt-shift Stop Motion from Disney

Tilt-shift photography is a technique using a special lens that allows the photographer to create an artificial depth of field. The result can make miniatures look normal size - often used in architectural model photography - or can make real life objects look miniature. For Walt Disney World's 38th anniversary, Disney produced a video using tilt-shift stop motion showing a day in the life of the park. The effect is fun and whimsical, and I think it would be fun to experiment with this technique to for artistic purposes. Students can use software such as Tilt Shift Maker to simulate the tilt-shift lens effect on a photography.

Check out the Disney tilt-shift video here.

Performance art with digital twist

I love the idea of using my entire class of students to create an art piece. Every single person has an important role to play, and it takes careful planning and implementation from the team. Performance art is overlooked as an art form in many classrooms, and yet there are so many outlets for it. Look at the example below of skateboarders in San Francisco outfitted with a light up tetris game piece. Discuss with your students what went into the planning, the roles required to make this happen (including those of the film crew), and cooperation of everyone. Brainstorm ideas - what could we do as a class? How can we utilize everyone's skill set? How do we bring a digital aspect into a performance piece?

Free, Handwritten Fonts - Great for Logos!

Here is a website with some great, free, handwritten fonts. Students should have fun using these for logos, posters, websites, etc. This would be a good opportunity to go over the usage agreements for free fonts as well.

More Color Scheme Websites

I can't wait to use color scheme generators with my students. Picking a color pallete for a design seems like a real struggle for beginners, even with a solid foundation of color theory. This website has the top ten color tools.

I would love to hear feedback from teachers who use any of these in their classrooms. Which one is the best? What do students think of them?

Playful stop motion

This animation has a different aesthetic, with a quirky story. Notice how incredibly smooth the animation is. This is a good example to show students in comparison to other stop motions seen on the blog, because it has such a different feel. It stimulates a great discussion on what makes it different.

Women artists had it tough

Okay, so it's a little off topic of digital arts, per se. But this letter was too great not to share. It's a letter written in 1938 from Walt Disney company to a female artist seeking a creative animation position. Women have really come a long way in getting rights...(you may need to click on the letter to actually read it).

Light Graffiti

Students would love to experiment with light graffiti. These artists are truly inspiring in their creativity and exploration of the medium. Share these examples with students.

The trick for the teacher is providing a dark enough space, and having a tripod to hold the camera nice and steady.

Stop Motion with Legos

Legos are a fun idea for stop motion. Many of your students will have them at home. This video is a little long, but there are some really great parts you can use for reference. I also think the theme of classic video games for this animation is fun.