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ART M20 / 2-D Design / Erika Lize / Fall 2013

Exercise #4: VALUE, Inf luenc ing Cul ture Due: March 28th

Culture: The beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people.

Counterculture: The culture and lifestyle of those people who reject or oppose the dominant values andbehavior of a society.

Subversive: (as in subversive activities) Actions that are meant to promote overturning or uprooting thestructures of authority.

IntroductionWith our projects this semester we have looked at several different aspects of, and purposes for making art. Line was anexample of art that focused on a demonstration of technical skills; Shape was art as a form of personal representation andreflection; Texture used art as both decoration and representation; and in this Value project we will be creating art with theintention of influencing culture. We will begin this project by studying the life, work, and graphic style of artist ShepardFairey. Fairey is an artist whose work has touched many aspects of todays culture. His roots are in the street artcounterculture where he worked in a guerilla style. Through the years his work has been transformed and he has worked his

way into the mainstream. We will consider this progression and the implications it has had on his both his artwork and hismessage.

Project DescriptionIn the creation of your culture-influencing image, you will be painting a portrait of someone using only a value scale fromblack to white. The image you select will be cropped to create an interesting composition within an 8 x 10 format. You willemulate Faireys graphic style of working by applying a cutout/posterize type filter from photo manipulation software to yourimage to flatten it into shapes of different values. You must include text in the image, considering the message that will becreated through the combination of this figure with a single word or phrase. Once you have modified your image digitally, youwill paint the portrait in acrylic paint. The final step of the project will be to make copies of your painting to give away to your

l h i i

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l t t th iti

For this project we will be working from a digital image, so you can crop and scale your image digitally. Consider cropping inon the face of your subject to create an interesting (if not psychological) composition. Think about how the text will fit inwith the image (will it be separate or overlapping?) and consider the value (lightness/darkness) of the text in relation to the

image. Think about how you can make the strongest composition with the combination of elements.

Step 3: Transferring your image and painting itAfter you are happy with the final image, transfer it to your surface using transfer paper.

Before you begin painting, you should have your design completely transferred to your surface. You will be painting theportrait using only black and white paint, and creating a range of values between the two. You must have a minimum of 6values in your painting. Start with creating a value scale on the back of your surface, with 9 gradations. As always,make sure you have the right tools for the project. In this case, small brushes will be critical. Work slowly and carefullyyour

final piece should look smooth and clean. Be sure to fill in all areas so there arent any white spots or pencil marks. You willhave to paint over the entire surface two or three times.

Step 4: Copies for the critiqueFor the critique you will bring your original painting, as well as copies of your piece to share with your classmates. In the spiritof sharing our images with a larger audience, we will start by giving them to each other. Higher quality images can be createdon copy machines at places like Kinkos rather than using the machines on campus. Sign your name to the back of each ofyour copies before the critique.

Supplies: Mars Black and Titanium White acrylic paint (Liquitex Basics line or craft type paints are thin and will requireadditional layers of paintbe warned), a variety of small paintbrushes, a palette, water container, rags/paper towels, transferpaper, 8 x 10 illustration board or canvas board.

Vocabulary:

Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a surface. Value Scale: A range of grays that are presented in a mathematically consistent sequence. Achromatic: A color scheme that uses black, white and grays, no color. Chiaroscuro: The use of light and dark to imply depth and volume in a painting or drawing.

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Digital Image Preparation for Value Project

If you do not have Photoshop on your computer, you have access to this software in the Mac lab in theCommunications building. You could also download (for FREE!) GIMP off the internet, which is verysimilar to Photoshop (not as fancybut did I mention that its FREE!?).

Depending on your skill/comfort level with your photo manipulation software you may use alternateordering of these steps. This is a place to start.

1. Desaturate your image (turn it black and white), then play with lightness and contrast.Photoshop: Image/Adjustments/Desaturate, then Image/Adjustments/Brightness-Contrast or Levels.GIMP: Colors/Desaturate, then Colors/Brightness-Contrast.

2. Scale/Crop: Set crop tool to 8 x 10 ratio, and use this automatic shape to guide you. Photoshop cropicon: GIMP crop icon: . In GIMP you have to check the Fixed Ratio box.

3. Apply the filter to flatten your image, make sure that you have a minimum of 6 values in youre thescene. Photoshop: Image/Adjustments/Posterize. GIMP: Colors/Posterize.

4. Add and manipulate text. Both Photoshop and GIMP use this kind of icon for adding text:

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