This is a REAL assignment being given to you by Denise Gibson, Art Director of Venuszine. Below is a description of the assignment, and one student will be published in an upcoming issue. This assignment involves you creating an info-graphic. Info-graphics might use maps, charts, and other “systems” combined with illustrated elements to create an intriguing image conveying certain information. Many artists have found this to be niche market, with art directors looking for new and interesting ways to display information without it seeming dull or dry in appearance.
Denise wrote:
The purpose of the piece is to demonstrate the importance of the "scene" in indie music. I want it to show how independent music scenes have spread in the past forty years.
Whereas the first part of the timeline attached shows one scene follows another and so on, In the past ten years, we see many disparate scenes cropping up in different parts of the country at the same time (for this reason, a timeline won't work, and I personally think it would be a boring way to arrange this info).
For ease of use, this is arranged chronologically, but the info-graphic doesn't necessarily need to be arranged as suchIncluded in this document is place/years/bands that were active in that particular place at that particular time. Also included throughout the document are band/people that link one scene to another. Not sure if these links will be useful, but I figure more data is better.
Size is 8.5” wide by 5” tall
I'd like to see options/sketches from the whole class by 3/30. I will then choose 3 "finalists" which I will give corrections/feedback to. I'd like those 3 final illustrations by 4/10.
Have sketches for Wednesday as usual!! This will be a 2 week project.
Music Posters range from the brightly colored Hot Rod and “low brow” references to elegantly simple and graphic images. Since these announcements are temporary (instead of the permanent-quality of say, a CD cover) band posters can have more artistic freedom.
Make a poster for a musician or band. TEXT IS REQUIRED. Create an intriguing image that incorporates information effectively. Use the images from the presentation to inspire you with ideas, text, and color. Size is up to you (however, remember that hand drawn or painted text may be harder the smaller you go).
Poster information: Price, Venue (you can make it up), Date, Time, Music Act (duh)
Sketch Due: Mar 11th
Final Due: Mar 23rd (Spring Break!!)
WEDNESDAY MEETING TIMES
12:00 Chris T.
12:15 Shane
12:30 Emilee
12:45 Drew
1:30 Danielle
1:45 Nicole
2:00 Cathy
2:15 Clovis
2:30 Lillie
2:45 Logan
3:00 Chris
3:30 Matt
4:00 Erica A.
4:15 Erica P.
4:30 Cory
5:30 Salem
5:45 Meghan
6:00 Jeff
Create 3 cohesive illustrations for 3 Zodiac signs of your choosing. These images should be vignettes with organic borders (not boxed in by the edge of you paper,etc). The imagery is up to your choosing, whether these are symbolic characters or abstract depictions. We are NOT looking for the everyday logos or symbols. There is no audience or client given to you, but you as the artist have the freedom to direct this assignment any way you see fit (for instance, zodiac for children or zodiac for the Hot Topic crowd).
3 separate pieces, but size is up to you. Color is necessary.
Do some research, but here are some characteristics to get you started…
ARIES- independent, courageous, impatient
TAURUS- loyal, generous, stubborn
GEMINI- witty, energetic, superficial
CANCER- caring, dependable, oversensitive
LEO- confident, ambitious, domineering
VIRGO- observant, helpful, skeptical
LIBRA- graceful, peaceful, indecisive
SCORPIO- passionate, resourceful, manipulative
SAGITTARIUS- adventurous, optimistic, reckless
CAPRICORN- patient, responsible, unimaginative
AQUARIUS- inventive, original, rebellious
PISCES- imaginative, devoted, lazy
Sketch Due: March 4th
Final Due: March 9th
Create an illustration that would be used to advertise United Airlines, who has a history of using fun, whimsical, and clever illustrations to attract customers and communicate their services. Use the ads presented in class as inspiration.
SIZE: Width- 7.5" x Height- 8.5"
Choose one of the following themes:
“Cargo” (a basic theme)
“Travel in comfort” (pillows, leg room, etc)
“Grow your miles even faster” (frequent flyer miles, special vacations)
Sketch Due: Feb 25th
Final Due: March 2nd
Eliot's feedback: "I like how far you've gone with this design. It definitely speaks to how extreme the genre is. I also enjoy how you tied in the chainsaw and power tools that remind me of how the music sounds. The character is aggressive in design and has a Doomsday motif that seems to permeate through out Speedcore and Gabber. An overall successful design!"
Thanks to class A for pointing out that there was a typo for the the book cover handout. height should be 8.5", not 6.5". Sorry for the confusion!
For the last few decades art coming from illustration, tattooing, comics, and other “lowbrow” sources have gained wild popularity in the US as well as around the globe. Some of these artists balance their gallery pieces with commercial work, while others simply show what they are producing for clients. This culture has allowed new income and recognition for artists that would previously been shun from the fine art world.
Some shows require certain themes or restrictions for artists. You will be making a personal piece meant for a gallery along the theme of “Sound”. The size of your piece must be square (but it can be any size of square). Think about presentation and the final product- this is not something you can edit in photoshop before emailing it to an art director!
Sketch Due: Feb 18th (Bring in “the Witches” final, too)
Final Due: Feb 20th
Roald Dahl is known as one of the best selling authors of books for adults and children alike. He is known for quirky, often dark material such as “James and the Giant Peach”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, and “Matilda”. Equally as loved are the illustrations that accompany Dahl’s tales done by Quentin Blake, who’s off beat line work and spontaneous handling compliments the uniqueness of the stories they illustrate.
This week, you will be doing a cover for Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” (later became a movie in 1990). Size of book covers are usually 5.5”x8.5”, and your image should accommodate that ratio. YOU DO NOT NEED TO ADD TYPE, but you do need to make sure there is room for text such as the title and name of the illustrator and author.
I have approved the Wikipedia summary as accurate and suggest that if you have only seen the movie that you note there are differences from the original story.
Sketch Due: Feb 11 (GH images are due by midnight! Please email a low-res jpeg)
Final Due: Feb 18
Watch the trailer!
given to you by Harmonix concept artist Eliot Min
When designing music games, it's not only important to choose songs that best represent the genre, it's also important to design characters that well represent the genre too. Fans of music are easily offended when they feel that their musical tastes have been misrepresented, so it is important for us concept artists to make sure each outfit we design is in tune with the musical scene they come from. We do lots of research on the fashion that each genre of music births and try to emulate the thought process of its followers. In this assignment we will explore the design process of a concept artist.
Pick your favorite genre of music. Design a character that you think best represents that genre. Make sure you have 2 versions of your design. One should be no smaller than 15 x 20 inches, and the other version should be no larger than 3 x 4 inches. These two versions can be the same design, one just being a smaller print. The importance of this is, when designing characters for video games, characters must be recognizable when they are close, but also when they are far away.
Listen to a lot of music when doing this assignment, and have fun.
Sketches due Feb. 4th
Final due Feb. 9th
Eliot Min is a Concept Artist for Harmonix Music Systems Inc., the company responsible for the popular Rock Band games and the earlier Guitar Hero titles. When he's not busy creating characters, environments, and instruments, he creates promotional art (above) used for advertising and marketing after the game is in production. You may remember Eliot as a guest artist in the Fall of 2008 for Montserrat's Illustration Department. He is happy to join us once again!
