Lesson: Multiple Me Photography

Overview:

Students work in pairs and use a digital camera and tripod to photography themselves in a scene with multiple poses. By never moving the camera, the background remains the exact same allowing the student to use basic Photoshop techniques to combine the poses into one photograph.

 

 

Objectives: The students will...

-Identify the various composition techniques that make s great photograph.

-Analyze photographs and determine compositional elements.

-Apply knowledge of composition techniques to his/her photography.

-Choose a theme/situation and location to photograph that makes the subject more interesting.

-Know the rules and practice them during instruction and independent practice.

-Assemble multiple photographs into one collage image that produces a Multiple Me.

 

ODE State Standards:

Standard 1; Benchmark C; Indicator 1PR, 2PR, 3PR, 5PR, 6PR,

Standard 2; Benchmark B, D; Indicator 4PE, 5PE, 2RE

Equipment:

-Digital camera

-Tripod

-Camera card/flash drive

-Photoshop

-Props

-Studio Light

-Reflector

Instruction:

Day 1: Composition

Day 2: Digital Camera Manual Mode overview and Set Up using a Tripod

Day 3-9: Photographing, 5 poses (in pairs, 1 group a day going to a location in the school while the rest of the class continues to work on previous project)

Day 10: Photoshop

-Open Test Files in Photoshop

-Drag all photos into one document using Move Tool

-Save As Photoshop File (.psd)

-Explain Layers, Name Layers

-Order Layers (Closest/Top to Furthest/Bottom

-Explain Lasso Tool to select person

-Explain Layer Mask to “Hide” information

-Explain Black/White Paint Brush to adjust the Layer Mask 

To simplify:

-2-3 photographs of the individual

-Use Eraser Tool instead of Layer Masking 

To challenge:  

-6-10 photographs of the individual  

-Multiple outfits, lots of overlap in figures  

-Include more than one composition technique

Homemade Product Photography Setup

An inexpensive way to create your own photography studio for the classroom. I used this for product photography with my students. There is also a great YouTube video from prophotolife that I discovered that walks you through the process of setting up the homemade studio. I used this video to introduce the lesson because he uses great vocabulary and it is easy to follow and see the effects that lighting can have on an object.

Materials:

• 2 Pan lights with high watt bulbs
• Diffuser made from white sheet, acetate, or similar material hot glued to a frame
• Piece of white foam core or anything white and glossy to reflect light
• White Backdrop: white sheet, large piece of white matte board

The Setup:

The Results:

(These photos are straight from the camera, unedited)

Glamour Shots, Zombies, and Aging Portraits

This is a project I taught during my student teaching. It utilized a lot of the tools in Photoshop that are adaptable to any project or photograph. This project went over very well, and they especially enjoyed turning themselves into zombies. The students started by taking their own portraits making sure to have no major facial expression and that they were straight forward. This would make the transformations go much more smooth.

Glamour Shots

The first version the students worked on was the Glamour Shots. The tools and techniques used in this version included:

• Layer masking
• Making Selections
• Layers and Adjustment Layers
• Blending Modes
• Filter>Noise>Median to apply a soft skin layer typically used in portrait editing

 

Zombie-fying

The second version the students worked on was the Zombie transformation. The tools and techniques used in this version included:

• Layer masking
• Making Selections
• Layers and Adjustment Layers
• Blending Modes
• Color Balance to match peeled paint textures to apply to grunge skin textures

Aging Portraits

The final version the students worked on was aging themselves. The tools and techniques used in this version included:

• Layer masking
• Making Selections
• Layer and Adjustment Layers
• Blending Modes
• Patch Tool and Opacity to apply wrinkles
• Liquify to accentuate facial features

Lesson: Grids and Guides

Overview:

This project introduces students to the grids and guides in Photoshop. They selected one subject matter to photograph from multiple angles ending up with between 10-15 photos to use for the grid project. The students composed a blank document in Photoshop and applied their own grid composition to it using the Guides and Rulers. They used the Rectangular Marquee Tool and the Layer Mask to put their photographs into their grids that they designed.

Photoshop Skills:

• Guides and Rulers
• Multiple Layers
• Rectangular Marquee Tool
• Adding Layer Masks
• Transforming and Scaling

Design Concepts:

• Cropping and Composition
• Variation in size
• Balance, Color, & Unity
• Hierarchy
• Margins and Columns
• Intro to Layout Design 

Lesson: Typography as a Composition

Overview:

This project introduced students to typography and thinking of typography as a design element rather than as a literary element. The students used Photoshop and placed each letter of their name on a separate layer to enable transforming and rotating each character separately.

Content Focus:

• Use the characters of your name to develop a unified composition.

Photoshop Skills:

• Type Tool
• Layers
• Blending Modes
• Character Panel for Type
• Rotating and Scaling
• Font exploration and experimentation

Design Concepts:

• Cropping and Composition
• Unity
• Balance
• Positive/Negative Space
• Line and Movement
• Size/Scale

Lesson: Abstract Composition

Grade Level: High School Art, Painting and Pastels

 

Overview: For this project you will you a 2”x2” viewfinder to crop an image from a magazine down to nearly total abstraction. You will use your knowledge of the Elements & Principles of Art to choose your abstract composition. The project will be blown up to 24”x24”, and it will be divided into 4 sections (equal in space, but not square). These sections will be filled in with different mediums for you to explore: Acrylic, Tempera Blocks, Oil Pastels, & Hard Pastels.

Elements: Line, Shape, Color, Value, Form, Texture, SpacePrinciples: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Unity

Steps:

1. Create a 2”x2” Viewfinder
2. Use viewfinder and look through magazines to find a composition you would like to paint on a larger format (24”x24”)
3. Draw the contour lines lightly with pencil onto the large paper
4. You will divide your paper into 4 roughly equal sections (not 4 squares) and each section will be filled in using one of four mediums. They will be done in this order:
1. Acrylic
2. Tempera Block
3. Oil Pastel
4. Hard Pastel

Objectives:
The student will be able to…

• Select a square composition from an image in a magazine that represents some of the elements and principles of art.
• Draw to scale a large contour line drawing of the image using a pencil.
• Divide the composition into four equal areas that are not square and provide balance.
• Apply color using four mediums: acrylic, tempera blocks, oil pastels, and hard pastels.
• Illustrate proper blending and texture techniques to achieve the appropriate desired outcomes.

ODE State Standards:

• Standard 1: Personal Choice and Vision
• Benchmark B
• Indicator 2PR, 3PR, 4PR
• Standard 2: Critical and Creative Thinking
•  Benchmark C
• Indicator 1PR, 2PR, 2RE, 3RE

Instruction:

1. Show Georgia O’Keefe examples
1. American Artist first on the scene in 1916
2. Made large-format paintings of flowers, close up as seen through a magnifying lens
3. Show examples of the elements & principles of art in her work
2. Be inspired by Georgia O’Keefe’s technique by cropping an image from a magazine down to abstraction.
3. Keeping in mind, composition, color, line, shape, texture, space, etc. (Elements & Principles of Art)
4. We are using a Square format 24”x24” for our projects
5. Cut out a viewfinder that is square (2”x2”) and look through magazines to find a composition you would like to paint on a larger format
6. You will draw the contour lines lightly with pencil onto the large paper
7. You will divide your paper into 4 roughly equal sections (not 4 squares) and each section will be filled in using one of four mediums.
1. Acrylic
2. Tempera
3. Oil Pastel
1. Work from dark tones to middle tones, and then add the light tones.
2. Once pastels have been lightened it is not easy to get them back to the original dark tone.
3. Show blending options
1. Light Color to Blend: Start with initial color, sketchy, and slowly add in color in different directions.  Blend with a light color to mix colors together.
2. Heavy Color to Blend: is done after a heavy saturation of heavy colors then blended with paper towel.
3. Baby Oil Blending: Use a paper towel or cue tip with a little baby oil to blend over top of the oil pastel that you put down on your paper.
4. Texture: add a layer of color and burnish the oil pastel in so color is mixed. Add a second layer of color on top. Use a sharp tool to cross hatch into the color to show the layer of color below.
4. Hard Pastel
1. Work from dark tones to middle tones, and then add the light tones.
2. Once pastels have been lightened it is not easy to get them back to the original dark tone.
5. Peer Assessment: Finish the lesson with a peer critique. Have students trade projects and critique their peers artwork using the Peer Critique Worksheet.

The Life of Pigment: by AJ Janke and Andrea Fertgus

This is a Prezi AJ Janke and Andrea Fertgus created for a Painting course that discusses the life of pigment throughout art history.