Composition, Part 4 (CC2, Week 10)

Orient your page in portrait format (vertical) draw your one inch image area border and neatly letter your name in the bottom right hand corner as usual. Divide the image area into four equal quadrants. Leave a half inch gutter between each quadrant.

Study these illustrations. Choose one.

In the top left hand quadrant, redraw the image you chose as a simplified thumbnail sketch with grey tone values.

Now imagine this image is the visual for a magazine cover. In the top right hand quadrant, add the magazine title. Using greeking, add a header, a footer, three story headlines and a UPC rectangle.

In the bottom left hand quadrant, redraw the composition. Use all the original elements but attempt to improve the composition.

In the bottom right hand quadrant, explain in writing and with diagrams why your improved composition work. Describe how you have applied the principles of composition studied over the last four weeks.

Composition, Part 3 (CC2, Week 7)

Turn your sketchbook to vertical format. Draw your 1" border and sketch five equal thumbnail shapes as indicated below. Read the paragraph under each example, then replicate the image. Use grey markers if you prefer.


On a new page sketch five equal thumbnail shapes as indicated below. Read the paragraph under each example, then replicate the image. Use grey markers if you prefer.



On the third page, sketch five equal thumbnail shapes as indicated below. Read the paragraph under each example, then replicate the image. Use grey markers if you prefer.



Choose only one of the two linear thumbnails below. Read the description explaining why the composition is weak. Redesign the composition, first by exploring possibilities by way of 4 small thumbnail sketches near the top of your sketchbook page, then by completing a larger sketch in the remaining space on the same page. Use values. You may make any adjustments you feel are needed to the positions and relationships of the figures in the composition (i.e. moving arms, legs, the distance between them, etc.) but keep in mind the implied interaction between the figures (i.e. they are looking at/talking to each other). Maintain that aspect of their interaction in some way in your redesign.



This week's sketchbook exercise:

Review the movie posters at this link, choose one and sketch it (roughly) in your sketchbook. Indicate with words, arrows, circles, and other shapes etc. why the poster you chose is compositionally working well.

Composition Part 2

Instructions: Turn your sketchbook to vertical format. Sketch four thumbnail image areas. Study the image below. Thumbnail sketch it as is in the top left image area. Then, using what we've learned today, try reformatting it three other ways while maintaining the qualities of balance, scale, movement and values. You may add the grey values with your grey markers instead of shading with pencil if you prefer. 

This week's sketchbook assignment: choose three objects from around the house and arrange them in an environment. Sketch them in a composition that demonstrates all the strengths of balance, scale, movement and values. Include some typography in your design so the composition becomes the home page of a company or organization website. For instance, if you choose toiletries, it could be home page for Bed, Bath & Beyond... if you choose sports equipment it could be the homepage of the NHL or the Olympics.

CC2, Independent Study Assignment #2

Here's a can of kid's pasta I designed...

Here's what the linear looked like.

Your image area should be roughly 7.5" x 3.5"

Design a label for a kids pasta of your own, but choose some sort of subject matter you would NEVER find on a kids pasta can label. Do not simply redesign an existing label you found on the Internet or at the store. You may come up with your own character or characters or use an existing property - even if it's not a typical kid's cartoon property.

For instance, you could design "Breaking Bad" pasta or "Game of Thrones" pasta or "Grand Theft Auto" pasta.

Your design must include at least one figure (it does not need to be a full figure - you may crop or draw a close-up view), a close-up of a head, and a 2-point perspective environment. Notice that you must figure out a way for the environment to repeat at the two ends so that the scene appears continuous when the label is glued around the can.

Although it's not shown on my linear, you must include all typographic elements. Buy a can of kid's pasta at the store for reference of company logo, nutritional info, ingredients list, etc.

Make sure you include the title of your product and include all other type elements in your pencil linear.

Note: we do not meet for class next week. Use our class time to do one page of brainstorm sketches:

... one page of four thumbnail sketches (indicate values):

... and one page of your final pencil comp (indicate values):

Use the following naming conventions: LPeng_PastaCanBrainstorms.jpg LPeng_PastaCanThumbnails.jpg LPeng_PastaCanComp.jpg (replace my name with your own)

Here are few more examples of well done assignments by students in a previous year:

Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your files. Late submissions (one additional week) will receive an automatic 20% penalty

Week Five Independent Study Assignment (Semester 1)

Once you've selected a cereal box from your Google Image search, open it in Photoshop. Use Image>Mode>Grayscale to remove the colour.

The window below will appear. Click 'Discard'.

After converting to Grayscale, you may need to adjust the size of the image to fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of printer paper. Use Image>Image Size...

Change the Height to 10 inches. If "Constrain Proportions" is checked, the Width should adjust automatically. Make sure the Width is around 7 inches. If the Width is wider than 7 inches, reduce the Height to 9 instead of 10 inches.

Print out the existing cereal box cover and tape a sheet of tracing paper over it. Follow the instructions outlined in the News section on our eLearn course page.

Drawing Animals Using Basic Shape Construction

Drawing All Types of Faces