CC2, Week 12: Sketching Type, Part 1

For this week's exercise you may use a ruler. In each case, replicate as accurately as possible all the lines and letterforms in each of the three exercises.

Hour One: Draw the grid, then the letter forms on the same grid.

Hour Two: replicate these layouts as shown on one page in your sketchbook.



This week's sketchbook assignment: Go to the website of one of your favourite products, services or organizations and take a screenshot of the site homepage. In your sketchbook, draw all of the elements in the style of comprehensive sketching you practiced in this week's in-class exercises. Submit both the screenshot and your sketch to the Week 11 Sketchbook dropbox by the start of next week's class.

ISA #2 (CC 1, Week 10)

Your second Independent Study Assignment will take place next week, however you can begin immediately if you prefer. It would be advisable to not wait until that day to begin!

The assignment is to redesign the cover of an existing video game. Your new design must incorporate a montage of figures and heads. For example, here is an existing video game cover...



There are four parts to your 2nd Independent Study Assignment:

1.) a page of rough, exploratory sketching (Goes in the Week 10 Sketch dropbox)



2.) a minimum of four thumbnails (Goes in the ISA #2 dropbox)



3.) a full size pencil comp (Goes in the ISA #2 dropbox) NOTE that the design is now a montage of figures and heads.



4.) a jpeg of the actual existing video game box cover (Goes in the ISA #2 dropbox)



You must submit all pages to the dropbox(es) PLUS the existing image - four files all together - in jpeg format only - do NOT zip your files

CC2, Week Nine, Composition continued

Orient your sketchbook page in portrait format (vertical), draw four small vertical rectangles across the top of the page.
Study these illustrations. Sketch a thumbnail version of each one in the four small rectangles.

Now draw four larger vertical rectangles in the remaining space on your page. Choose one of the four images and imagine this image is the visual for a magazine cover. Sketch four different thumbnail compositions for a magazine cover in the four new rectangles. Using greeking, add a header, a footer, three story headlines and a UPC rectangle.


This week's sketchbook assignment: Choose your favourite of your four magazine cover thumbnails. On a new page in your sketchbook, draw a full-size comp of the design you chose. Use a tracing paper overlay to explain in writing and with diagrams why your improved composition works. Describe how you have applied the principles of composition studied over the last four weeks.

CC1, Week Four: Independent Study Assignment #1

You will be redesigning the current candy package below, maintaining the Valentine's Day theme.



Step 1.

Begin by doing some rough exploratory sketching (as we did in class when you were redesigning Valentine's cards) to familiarize yourself with the visual and typographic assets you may be using in your candy package redesign. Here's an example of a well done rough work sketchbook page. This was done by a Semester 1 student last year.


(Note how the whole page is filled with both picture and type sketching, exploring many different elements of the potential design. This page received full marks.)


This stage constitutes your sketchbook assignment for Week 4. Rough sketching should done in your sketchbook, scanned or photographed and saved as a jpeg and then uploaded to the Week Four Sketchbook drop box.


Step 2.

As we practiced in class, prepare a page in your sketchbook with the usual 1" border and your name between guidelines in the lower right corner.

Subdivide the page into four quadrants with an approx. 1/4" gutter (a double line) between the quadrants. Sketch four unique designs - one in each quadrant. Again, here's an example of some well done thumbnail sketches from the last group of students...





Step 3.

Prepare another page as usual with a 1" border and your name between guidelines in the lower right corner.

Choose what you feel is your strongest thumbnail design and create a full size pencil comp on this page. See the rubric in the ISA #1 dropbox to review my expectations for full marks. When done, take a picture or scan this page, save as a jpeg and upload it into the ISA #1 drop box.

Here's an example of a well done pencil comp from the last group of Semester 1 students...



All three pages must be in the correct drop boxes by the start of our usual class time during Week Four. You have one additional week to hand the assignment in late - at an automatic penalty of 20%.

CC1 Week 4: Drawing Animals Using Basic Shapes

Using basic shapes, follow the construction methods shown below to sketch the various simple cartoon animals...



Next, choose a favourite animal, find photo reference of it, then try sketching a simplified cartoon version of it using Ed Emberly's method from the examples above.

Week 14: ISA #3:Henna Tatttoo Billboard

You are designing a billboard for a local tattoo shop or salon that offers Henna Tattoos.. The subject of the design is the shop's Christmas promotion.

The headline is "Christmas Decorations!" (if you choose a different seasonal holiday, replace "Christmas" with the name of the other seasonal holiday)

Your billboard design must include the name of the shop, their logo, their phone number, website and street address. NOTE: We are simply using these shop names as a framework for the assignment. You should make up everything else if necessary. Create a fake logo, website address, etc. since they probably don't exist.

There are many tattoo shops (Google "tattoo shops near me") and several henna salons in the Hamilton area to choose from at this link It doesn't matter if the shop is a real one, however, you can also make up the shop name and info if you prefer).

Also include the line "Gift cards starting from $100"

Your visual elements must include (but are not limited to) one face (or part of a face), one (or more) hands. You may include other parts of the figure or any other props, scenery, decorative elements that suit your design concept. Your design must include elements that suggest a Christmas (or other seasonal) theme.

* To inspire your creative thinking, here are some examples of work by Al Parker, Mike Ludlow and Dorothy Monet in class.

Submit the following:

1.) a page of rough sketching* (show basic shape construction, stickman skeletons, facial proportioning, etc. as well as typographic exploration).


This one page goes in the Week 13 In-Class drop box. Use the naming convention LPeng_ISA03_Brainstorms.jpg (replace my name with your own).

* NOTE: Meaningful exploration/sketching of type faces/styles is also required to get full marks on this section.

Submit the next page described below, to the Week 13 sketchbook drop box:

2.) A page of thumbnails (4 minimum) correctly oriented and the correct proportion for a billboard. Use the naming convention LPeng_ISA03_Thumbs (replace my name with your own).

Submit the next page described below, to the ISA #3 drop box:

3.) Your full-size pencil comp showing image area for a billboard-shaped ad, guidelines for all typography, construction for all visual elements. Use the naming convention LPeng_ISA03_Comp (replace my name with your own).

Week 13: Sketching Type

Hour One:

You will need your sketchbook. Work either vertically or horizontally.

Divide the page into nine equal spaces.

You may use a ruler to draw the grid that divides the space into nine equal sections.

Now look for man-made objects in your surrounding environment that contain letterforms. NOTE: Do not simply copy a letterform alphabet from the internet - any images copied from online sources will receive a zero.

Draw one letterform in each space. The page should look something like this:

After drawing the object in line, use pencil shading to add values to each letterform composition. Complete the 9 letterforms during hour one of this week's class.

Hour Two:

Read this article about Herb Lubalin.

Google Image Search Herb Lubalin's logo designs.

Look specifically for "Beards" , "Mother & Child" , "Families" and other Lubalin "typographics"

Choose one of the letterforms you found and sketched during Hour One. Design a "typographic" logo that visually describes the subject in which you found that letterform. (Eg., if you found the letterform in a door, design a "typographic" logo for the word "Door."


Week Thirteen Sketchbook Assignment: Take a picture of someone else's typographic and redesign it. Submit both their version and your version to the Week Thirteen Sketchbook dropbox.