Mississippi State University – Page 3 – Brittany Spencer // Papermaking & Graphic Design

Design I // Value

January 24, 2017January 23, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For Design I’s fifth project, we focused on value. Students chose a photograph, magazine ad, or calendar photo, and were challenged to extract color from their chosen area, leaving only value. They painted 20–25% of the photo with white, black, and grey acrylic paint, following the original values so closely that their painted shape fit seamlessly on top of its unpainted photograph. This challenge was much like a “paint-by-number” activity. If a well-done solution is photographed or Xeroxed in black and white, it should be difficult to distinguish the area painted in greys from the original.

Below are some of the pieces that were submitted. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

ashtyn-carpenter_value — by Ashtyn Carpenter

haley-lawrence_value — by Haley Lawrence

karleigh-harfst_value — by Karleigh Harfst

Intro to Computing // Creature Cartoon GIF

January 22, 2017May 8, 2017brittanyspencer1 Comment

Fall 2016: As an added continuation of their first Creature Cartoon project done in Adobe Illustrator, I challenged my students to turn it into a GIF after we started learning Photoshop. There are many ways to make a GIF, but in my research I found it was best to form their creature in Illustrator, and pull the file into Photoshop to put it into action.

Since I had not made a GIF before, I had my own homework in figuring this out so I could teach my students. I read and watched many demos until I found a system that seemed to work well. I even recorded and posted my own Part I and Part II tutorial YouTube videos demonstrating the steps on my laptop screen so students could reference them outside of class to produce their own GIF.

Students had to implement at least 3 actions in their GIF to receive full credit– for example eyes blinking, arms moving, and feet tapping. The number of frames they incorporated depended on their actions and how many they personally needed to see the actions to smooth completion.

It was so fun seeing these little guys and gals come to life!

Below are some GIFs that were turned in. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results.

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

by Kaitlyn Upton: angry, fly, whiskers ^

by Josie Goodman: squishy cheeks, joyful, upside down ^

by Mary Emily Moore: big eyes, broken-hearted, eat ^

by Ques Nevels: grumpy, webbed feet, skate ^

by Meredith Morris: tentacles, mellow, float ^

by Ashley Rude: curious, climb, short legs ^

by April Porter: webbed feet, anxious, float ^

by Gerald Wicks: excited, climbing, long tail ^

by Ryan Guillory: horns, exercise, lazy ^

by Brittany Riland: mad, long arms, swing ^

by Laura Leigh Hicks: squishy cheeks, afraid, smell flower ^

by Olivia Ketchum: happy, sharp teeth, read ^

by Morgan Helton: beak, sleepy, read ^

Design I // Texture

January 20, 2017January 17, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For Design I’s fourth project, we focused on texture. Students collected an assortment of black and white textures including…
• found (photography, magazines, books)
• rubbed (charcoal rubbing of physical texture on paper)
• created (using a range of mediums to invent a texture).

Then they collaged and glued them together into a quilt block pattern of their choice. They had to be precise and mindful of their workmanship. Since they were working with a grid and pattern, slight mistakes would be noticeable.

Below are some of the composition sets that were submitted. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

ashtyn-carpenter_texture — by Ashtyn Carpenter

karleigh-harfst_texture — by Karleigh Harfst

marykatherine-swindoll_texture — by Mary Katherine Swindoll

meghan-norman_texture — by Meghan Norman

melissa-sones_texture — by Melissa Sones

Intro to Computing // Impossible Reality

January 18, 2017January 12, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For my students’ first Photoshop project, I wanted them to think outside the box and create an “Impossible Reality”. They had to gather their original photography and make new photos as needed to compose their surreal image. The main artist of inspiration was Eric Johansson. He is an incredible Photoshop artist, but also kind enough to post photos and videos to demonstrate his entire process, which is great for beginners to see. Like Eric, they needed to produce an image that tricks the eye to appear realistic.

Below are some examples that were turned in. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

section1_bryce-sheasby_impossible-reality — by Bryce Sheasby

section1_hannah-livingston_impossible-reality — by Hannah Livingston

section1_kaitlyn-upton_impossible-reality — by Kaitlyn Upton

section3_brittany-riland_impossible-reality — by Brittany Riland

section3_gerald-wicks_impossible-reality — by Gerald Wicks

section3_olivia-ketchum_impossible-reality — by Olivia Ketchum

section4_alice-hanson_impossible-reality — by Allie Hanson

section4_anngray-flowers_impossiblereality — by Ann Gray Flowers

section4_canaan-griffin_impossible-reality2 — by Canaan Griffin

section4_ques-nevels_impossible-reality — by Ques Nevels

Design I // Balance

January 16, 2017January 17, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For Design I’s third project, we focused on balance. Students constructed 4 compositions based on the following options of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and pattern. Their theme had to be inspired by the lyrics of a song or poem of their choosing. The medium used to depict these shapes was black construction paper, and good craftsmanship was emphasized. They also had to implement the elements and principles of design in their work. Some students even accepted the challenge of making 3D pop-up elements.

Below are a few of the composition sets that were submitted.

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

hayden-hunt_balance_georgiaonmymind_raycharles — Song: “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles; Design by Hayden Hunt

megan-henry_balance_poorunfortunatesouls_thelittlemermaid — Song: “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from Little Mermaid; Design by Megan Henry

meghan-norman_balance_awholenewworld_aladdin — Song: “A Whole New World” from Aladdin; Design by Meghan Norman

Intro to Computing Art // OMG American Gods

January 14, 2017January 12, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For students to refine their skills using Adobe Illustrator’s Pen Tool, my students accepted the challenge of the OMG project, as in “Oh my gosh, this is so challenging and time consuming!” But the effort is well worth the outcome.

In the past the theme has been to recreate a movie scene. This semester to mix things up, the theme was to recreate a god or goddess in modern society. Students researched Greek, Roman, and Aztec mythological figures to learn about their core characteristics, and brainstormed how to apply them in our current culture.

They photographed themselves, friends, or family as their models. Then they used that photo as a template to make a vector illustration in Adobe Illustrator. Tiny solid shapes make up the entirety of the photo to make a realistic representation. They spent about three weeks on the project. The process is like creating a digital painting! Below are some examples that were turned in. I also included the outline imagery of a couple illustrations to show the number of shapes that were created to make up the compositions. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results! These illustrations are sure to blow your mind!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

Americangods — Huitzilopochtli by Moesha Wright

screen-shot-2017-01-12-at-10-34-26-am — (Outline of shapes)

screen-shot-2017-01-12-at-10-33-19-am — (Outline of shapes)

Section1_Kaitlyn-Upton_Poseidon copy — Poseidon by Kaitlyn Upton

03_April_Porter_Aeolus — Aeolus by April Porter

aphrodite [Recovered].ailast — Aphrodite by Bethany Smith

Section3_Gerald-Wicks_Dionysus — Dionysus by Gerald Wicks

section03_maryemily-moore_Karpo — Karpo by Mary Emily Moore

Section3_Parker-Webb_Hephaestus — Hephaestus by Parker Webb

Section4_Canaan-Griffin_GodnessHekate — Hekate by Canaan Griffin

S4_morgan_helton_demeter — Demeter by Morgan Helton

Design I // Shape

January 12, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: For Design I’s second project, we focused on geometric and organic shapes. Students constructed 3 compositions: 1 for all geometric, 1 for all organic, and 1 for a combination of geometric and organic. The medium used to depict these shapes was black construction paper, and good craftsmanship was emphasized. They also had to implement the elements and principles of design in their work.

Below are some of the composition sets that were submitted. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

anna-terry_shape_combo — Combo by Anna Terry

anna-terry_shape_geo — Geometric by Anna Terry

ashtyn-carpenter_shape_combo — Combo by Ashtyn Carpenter

ashtyn-carpenter_shape_org — Organic by Ashtyn Carpenter

caroline-fitzwater_shape_combo — Combo by Caroline Fitzwater

elise-sears_shape_geo — Geometric by Elise Sears

hayden-hunt_shape_combo — Combo by Hayden Hunt

hayden-hunt_shape_geo — Geometric by Hayden Hunt

megan-henry_shape_combo — Combo by Megan Henry

megan-henry_shape_geo — Geometric by Megan Henry

megan-norman_shape_combo — Combo by Megan Norman

megan-norman_shape_org — Organic by Megan Norman

melissa-sones_shape_combo — Combo by Melissa Sones

melissa-sones_shape_geo — Geometric by Melissa Sones

Intro to Computing Art // Creature Cartoon

November 21, 2016May 8, 2017brittanyspencer1 Comment

Fall 2016: In Intro to Computing, students learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. In the past, their first project was creating an illustration based on an idiom in Illustrator. It was time to retire that project for awhile and try something new that challenged fresh ideas. This semester, I teach 3 sections of Intro to Computing for a total of about 40 students.

I am proud to admit that this new project was something I conceived on my own! For Creature Cartoon, each student pulled words out of separate bags– one for a physical trait, one for an action, and one for an emotion. Then they had to illustrate a unique creature that accompanied all those traits successfully in Illustrator.

After receiving their words, students brainstormed and submitted a series of thumbnails of their ideas, which were then narrowed down to their top three when I visited them in class one-on-one. Those three were turned into well-drawn comps that were drawn with Sharpies and Micron pens, and critiqued by their entire class. The best drawing was scanned into Illustrator, and vector shapes were placed on top. The focus of this Illustrator project was learning the Pen Tool and conducting organized layer management.

For even MORE fun, my students turned their illustrations into animated GIFs when we started the Photoshop segment. See how the GIFs turned out HERE.

Below are some illustrations that were turned in. All have aspects to be improved upon for their portfolio, but overall I was very pleased with their results!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

section1_andrea-osby_creature_joyfulshellsmellflower_marley-01 — by Andrea Osby: joyful, shell, smell flower

section1_ashley-rude_creature_curiusclimbshortlegs_sticky-01 — by Ashley Rude: curious, climb, short legs

section1_austin-smith_creature_bashfulantlersupsidedowngiraffaconstrictor-01 — by Austin Smith: bashful, antlers, upside down

section1_hannah-livingston_creature_boredtalkingonphonesharpteeth_wesleye-01 — by Hannah Livingston: bored, talking on the phone, sharp teeth

section1_kaitlyn-upton_creature_angryflywhiskers_melvin-01 — by Kaitlyn Upton: angry, fly, whiskers

section3_april-porter_creature_webbedfeetanxiousfloat_sail-01 — by April Porter: webbed feet, anxious, float

section3_bethany-smith-creature-surprisedflybeak-geegle-01 — by Bethany Smith: surprised, fly, beak

section3_brittany-riland_creature_madlongarmsswing_uggo-01 — by Brittany Riland: mad, long arms, swing

section3_christopher-gates_creature_singshortlegsgiggle_songster-01 — by Chris Gates: sing, short legs, giggle

section3_gerald-wicks_creature_excitedclimbinglongtail_scansorialsaurus-01 — by Gerald Wicks: excited, climbing, long tail

section3_laurahicks_creature_squishycheeksafraidsmellingflowers_beedo-01 — by Laura Leigh Hicks: squishy cheeks, afraid, smell flower

section3_maryemilymoore_creature_bigeyesbrokenheartedeat_fuzzler-01 — by Mary Emily Moore: big eyes, broken-hearted, eat

section3_olivia-kethum_creature_happysharpteethread_triroceros-01 — by Olivia Ketchum: happy, sharp teeth, read

section3_ryan-guillory_creature_hornsexerciselazy_grumbalodile-01 — by Ryan Guillory: horns, exercise, lazy

section4_alice-hanson_creature_longarmscalmunicycle_granola-01 — by Allie Hanson: long arms, calm, unicycle

section4_anngray_flowers_creature_maneboringsmellflowers_flowerchild_ai-01 — by Ann Gray Flowers: mane, bored, smell flowers

section4_josie_goodman_creature_squishycheeksjoyfulupsidedown_wild_chimahusky-copy-01 — by Josie Goodman: squishy cheeks, joyful, upside down

section4_meredithmorris_creature_tentaclesfloatingmellow-01 — by Meredith Morris: tentacles, mellow, float

section4_morgan-helton_creature_beaksleepyread_karen-01 — by Morgan Helton: beak, sleepy, read

section4_ques-nevels_creature_grumpywebbedskate_solestealer-01 — by Ques Nevels: grumpy, webbed feet, skate

section4_sarah-ferguson_creature_sadjumpingshell_sheela-01 — by Sarah Ferguson: sad, jumping, shell

section4_taylor-knight_creature_bigearsbashfuleating_rosie-01 — by Taylor Knight: big ears, bashful, eat

UPDATE: See GIFs created later during the semester here.

Design I // Line Explosion

November 19, 2016January 17, 2017brittanyspencerLeave a comment

Fall 2016: My Design I class is a sweet group. I have 15 girls and 2 guys. (Where are the creative major guys these days?!) Most of them are Interior Design majors, but I also have a few representing Fine Art, Photography, and Floral Management.

For their first project, we focused on line and the psychological meanings of straight and curvy line work. Students chose 1-3 adjectives to illustrate using line, creating a “line explosion.” The medium used to depict these lines included Sharpies and Micron pens of different thicknesses, and good craftsmanship was emphasized. They were to also implement the elements and principles of design in their work.

Elements: line, shape, mass/form/volume, space, value, color, texture, time/motion.
Principles: balance, rhythm, repetition, unity, variety, size/scale/proportion, emphasis/focal point.

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

anna-terry_line_fluffyprickly — by Anna Terry: fluffy, prickly

caroline-fitzwater_line_confusion — by Caroline Fitzwater: confusion

elise-sears_line_mellowawkward — by Elise Sears: mellow, awkward

karleigh-harfst_line_violentdeepwrinkled — by Karleigh Harfst: violent, deep, wrinkled

marykatherine-swindoll_line_noisywhimsical — by Mary Katherine Swindoll: noisy, whimsical

megan-henry_line_frustratedgrouchy — by Megan Henry: frustrated, grouchy

megan-norman_line_angryaggressive — by Megan Norman: angry, aggressive

ashtyn-carpenter_line_exciteddeepmighty — by Ashtyn Carpenter: excited, deep, mighty

Self-Branding Studio // Spring 2016

November 14, 2016November 17, 2016brittanyspencerLeave a comment

I had the privilege to teach Self-Branding Studio again for Spring 2016. It was formerly called Advanced Computer Studio and was blogged about under this name in the past. However, I think Self-Branding Studio is more telling of what the class is about. These students are non-graphic design majors that want to focus on professional practice, and determine a “brand” for themselves to create personal designs for a logo, business card, resumé, and portfolio website. It is a helpful way to prepare upperclassmen for graduation.

This was by far the most diverse group of students I’ve ever taught in one class. They were all strong entrepreneur types! We had 9 students representing painting/computer science, landscape architecture, concept art, painting, photography, digital art, and business majors with a minor in art. Their career goals were even more diverse! More on that to come….

GUEST ARTISTS & BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Due to the number of differing majors and goals, there was not enough time to interview each guest as a class as done in semesters past. So this semester I assigned for the students to interview their chosen artist or business professional outside of the classroom in-person, by phone, and/or by email to get the answers they personally were curious about. They turned in their email conversation proof of determining an appointment time or plan to visit, their list of questions, and final notes from their time together. Then we took time to discuss as a class the high points of what they learned in their conversations.

FINAL STUDENT BRANDING DESIGNS

Students completed a personal assessment of writing exercises to determine how to brand themselves, and in turn designed their own logo, business card, resumé, and portfolio website. I am featuring the strongest work below.

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

Candace Moreau // Painting & Computer Science // http://candacemoreaux.com
Candace is a multi-talented girl with many interests. She’s working on her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with minors in Art, Piano, and French. She envisions herself to be a website coder by day, and freelance artist by night. For this class, she wanted to focus on her painting business. The watercolor turned out beautifully for her logo. To add a fun spin to her last name, she decided to add an X to turn Moreau into Moreaux.

DaVartay Miller // Landscape Architecture // http://glamourresidential.wixsite.com/homes
DaVartay is a big-hearted guy with a dream to flip houses and use them to build a positive community for families who are going through hard times. His Glamour Residential homes would provide quality, safe, cheaper housing to get them through their temporary tough season. The goal would be to provide other services to the families to help them rise above their situation and be able to comfortably move out and move on to even better things.

HuShawn Rambo // Concept Art // http://www.doperambo.com/
“Rambo” is a colorful guy that wants to pursue a career in Concept Art. To illustrate his many abilities, he developed the acronym DOPE to stand for Designing Objects and People for Entertainment.

Justin Gandy // Landscape Architecture
Justin wants to pursue a fashion design career, particularly in the contemporary urban clothing genre with his line Omni. He wants to offer quality goods at quality prices.

Ki’erre Dawkins // Painting & Digital Art // http://kd2767.wixsite.com/kierredawkinsart
Ki’erre is a skilled guy in painting and digital art. He wants to run his own artist studio one day!

Becca Chastain // Business major with minor in Art
Becca and her sister have the ambition of opening their own bakery together called Wells Bakery– a family name that is no stranger to being used for other family businesses. Becca is an experienced baker and has many creative ideas to set their bakery apart from potential competition with what they can offer. She envisions a family-friendly bakery by day, dessert and alcohol bar by night.

Sydney Van Leigh // Photography // http://sydneyarmer1.wixsite.com/mysite
Sydney is a gifted photographer that explores fashion, gender and style– particularly focusing on androgyny. She decided to go by her beautiful first name and two middle names to build her brand

Taylor McGhee // Fine Art // http://naughtpandachan.wixsite.com/naughtpandachan
Taylor is pursuing her dream of being a video game YouTuber under the name Naught Panda Chan, as well as an artist. She’s hoping to spread laughter and happiness to those who watch her videos.