Posted by: mfreema @ 8:35 am
The end of the semester is quickly approaching. Below is a list of what you will need to submit for your final project and CD.
All Work must be submitted to me personally or placed in Patrick FitzGerald’s box by 5:00 Wednesday, April 30th. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Work to be submitted:
- Printed high photo quality versions of your 3 Page Spread of panels
- A PDF Process Book (This does not have to be printed)
- Archive of Original Files on CD
Below is a detailed description of what should be on the CD:
Create a folder with your name on it on the CD.
Inside that folder, create the following folders:
- Final Panels
- Process Book
- Archive
- Miscellaneous (Optional)
Inside the Final Panels Folder include the following:
- Flattened full resolution versions of your 3-Page Narrative (ready for print) at least 6″ x 9″ at 300ppi
- PSD versions of your 3 Page Narrative with layers intact (at least 6″ x 9″ at 300ppi)
Inside the Process Book Folder include the following:
A .pdf process book that gives the pitch for your narrative and development process. It should include the following content on separate pages:
- Title Page
- Written Pitch for your story
- Reference/ Inspiration Images
- List of Major Story Beats
- Environment Sketches
- Character Silhouettes and Character Design Process
- Character Turnarounds
- Storyboard Thumbnails and Color Studies.
- Final Three Page Layout of Finished Panels
In the Archive Folder include original high-resolution files for all work submitted in the Process Book.
These files should be organized in sub-folders with the following names:
- Pitch
- Reference
- Environment
- Character Design
- Storyboards
- Final Panels
On Monday, I will give a short tutorial on organizing your Process Book layout with Adobe Indesign to create the .pdf. If for any reason you are unable to work with Indesign, you can also use layer comps to create the PDF in Photoshop as previously shown in class. I urge you to have your content for the process book ready for Monday. It will not take more that 30 minutes to create the PDF in InDesign if you have everything already in organized in folders. You can also easily update it, if you need to make changes. Text should be in a .doc file or Text Edit File. We will discuss printing on Monday and Wednesday as well.
Storyboard Panel Layouts: Due Monday, March 31st
Complete the layout for your storyboard panels in three pages. Each page should have approximately five panels. Sketch out the story and create quick value comps of them on a separate layer. When you are finished with the first pass of your story layout, look at how your story flows and eliminate, add, or revise panels as needed. These drawings along with your completed turnarounds are due on Monday, March 31st.
Monday and Wednesday we will be working to create color versions of your thumbnails and finalize revisions on your storyboard layout. The final color comps will be due on Monday, April 7th. The size of your completed panels will be 6.5″ x 9″ at 300 dpi but for your comps and layouts you can work at 1/2 or 1/4 of the final size.
MONDAY, MARCH 10th
Due Wednesday
For homework you should revise the value studies that you have created in class by considering effective lighting strategies and value lighting considerations. For instance the “1,2, 3 read” that we discussed in class, the angle of surfaces in relation to the light source, light fall-off or decay, reflected light, ambient light, and specular light should all be considered. Also each of your images should include cast shadows that clearly indicate the position of your light source. I will be posting extra examples on-line soon.
In addition, start creating the first pass of thumbnails or variations of the primary characters for your narrative. Before you begin drawing, read the pages 19-48 in Digital Character Design and Painting and consider them in development of your character.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12th
Turn in your final primitive value studies. These should be completed print resolution renderings (at 300 DPI). We will discuss sizes for these in class.
Due Monday, complete your second pass of character designs in the form of silhouettes and value sketches. You will present these to me individually in class.
MONDAY, MARCH 17th
Turn in all primitive value studies.
Complete the color versions of the primitives after we discuss light and color in class.
Begin working on color turn-arounds of your character.
WEDESDAY, MARCH 19th
Class work-day. Make revisions on color primitives and continue working on print-ready character sheet and turn-arounds for Monday, March 24th.
MONDAY, MARCH 24th
Plan all panels for the pages of the including shot designs, value comps, and color scripts. These should be completed and presentation ready for Monday, March 31st.
These are the Lynda.com videos that have been assigned so far:
•Ilustrator CS3 One-on-One: The Essentials
Chapter 7
Due Monday 1/28/07
•Photoshop Channels and Masks: The Essentials
Chapter 2
Due Monday 2/4/08
assets, patterns, brushes, and alphas example #1
assets, patterns, brushes, and alphas example #2
Channels and Masks and Building with Assets
For our next assignment you will be creating an environment that is inspired by one of the descriptions below. The environment will be created in black and white using primarily patterns, masks, and silhouetted shapes. You will be exploring alpha channels, vectors, custom brushes, selection tools and basic blending modes. Rather than beginning with sketches of the environment you will construct the environment from ready-made elements. Using and adjusting carefully selected pre-made components can help to create continuity in your designs as well as allow you to build very complex images in a short period of time.
Environment Descriptions:
• Cute and Cuddly
• Eerie
• Graceful and Serene
For the initial part of the project you will you will develop several elements so that you have a library of assets. Do not worry as much about the final image yet. Work on creating assets that have characteristics that convey the description that you chose from above. Remember creating assets is a part of the design process. Try to create well designed assets since they will affect the outcome of your final image.
These are the assets that you will need. However, you are welcome to create and use more.
5 Texture brushes
5 Shape brushes
5 Photographic textures
5 Vector shapes
5 Compound Shapes/ and textures ( shapes and textures that are an intersection, subtraction, or addition of two or more elements)
5 Alpha channels of patterns that you create
5 Shape silhouettes saved as alpha channels
Create a tool preset that contains all of your brushes. Organize them with the shape brushes first and then the texture brushes. Create a folder for your original alphas.
Create a folder with your original photographs and your images that are prepared for black and white patterns.
All of your vector shapes should be on a single illustrator page.
Save your Compound Shapes as an alpha Channel along with the other channel images