Digital Drawing (10 credit points)

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Some digital arts experience or other art and design practice desirable.

Special Information

Essential materials you will need to bring to the first class:

• An image to work from; a found or taken photograph which inspires you or some of your own images or artworks
• a USB memory stick (over 5G)

Materials and equipment provided for students as part of the course and included in course fee:

• The course is taught in a lab equipped with up to date computers accompanied with A4 and A3 scanning facilities.

Materials and equipment available for purchase during the course:
(Estimated cost: £5-£50 depending of usage and prices)

• Access to printing facilities within the university is available by crediting the account associated with your library card (provided shortly after registration)

Essentials Materials and equipment students will need to provide themselves:
(Estimated cost: £0 depending on usage and prices)

• Source material from students interests and practices to work from. This could be in the form of digital files (.jpg or .psd) or in any format that we can scan (drawings, sketchbooks, cuttings).
• A memory stick on which to save your work as space on the network is limited.

Additional recommended materials and equipment students can provide:

N/A

Content of Course

The course teaching is delivered over weekly class sessions totalling 27.5 hours. Depending on the specific timetable of the occurrence of the course, this will either be delivered over ten weeks of 2.75 hour class sessions, eleven weeks of 2.5 hour class sessions or five weeks of 5.5 hour class sessions. Over the class sessions the course will cover:

• A short presentation on the work of artists working with Photoshop
• tutorial based around polygonal lasso and paint bucket
• a tour of the interface will be provided. Images for the tutorial will be sourced from the internet.
• focus on how the image is comprised in terms of layers
• explore the remaining lasso tools as well as magic wand. A starting point for the session will be provided with pens and paper as well as scanning.
• introduce the brush tool as a way to further develop the compositions
• Explanation will be provided on all settings and palettes associated with this tool.
• Specific techniques for students’ own developing a practice using students’ own source material.
• create brushes and managing custom brushes
• Introduction of Layer masks
• Editing the content of photos in terms of brightness / contrast and hue
• using layer masks in combination with adjustment layers to apply changes selectively
• Applying techniques creatively and developing students’ own visual vocabulary.
• sizing images and different modes of interpolation and extrapolation (adding or removing pixels)
• The function of Smart objects.
• vector functionality using the pen tool.
• Working with vector content (paths)
• Stroke and Fill Paths, vector masks, shapes and Text.
• Applying effects and Filters to objects.
• Presentation, printing techniques and the potential for vectors to programme machines such as vinyl cutters and cnc routers.
• group critique to share students’ findings and new techniques within the course

Teaching method(s)

This course will be based and delivered in specialist design studios or workshops and will typically include a range of practical exercises, introductions to techniques, processes and concepts, and set projects which lead to more focused and personal exploration. Each week, students’ progress will be monitored and supported by the tutor who will negotiate and agree a ‘directed study plan’ for work to be undertaken out with the class hours each week. This will include researching a range of suggested artists or designers and their associated movements to engender a contextual awareness of the discipline being taught as well as how to annotate and evidence this within a sketchbook and practical outcomes.

Teaching will include practical demonstrations, one to one tuition, group discussions and critiques.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, through attending classes and engaging in directed and independent study, students should be able to:

RESEARCH

• Research and explore a range of art and design practices which exploit the use of digital media.

PRACTICE

• extend the creative possibilities of drawing and processing images using digital imaging software

PRESENT

• develop an individual visual language using Photoshop as a tool

Sources

Core Readings

Essential

BAUER, P., 2008. Photoshop for Dummies CS4 , Hoboken NJ; Hoboken
DEJEN, J., 1983, Computer Images ; The State of the Art, London: Thames and Hudson
BIRD, T., 2001, New masters of Photoshop, New York: Friends of ED
Crawford, M., 2007, 500 Photoshop Hints and Tips, Hove: RotoVision

Recommended

LIVINGSTONE, M., 1990, Pop art: A continuing history, London: Thames and Hudson
HOCKNEY, D., 2012, David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, London: Thames and Hudson
2001, Jeff Koons, Easyfun Ethereal, Deutsche Guggenheim
COOKE, L., 1994, Julian Opie, London: Thames and Hudson

Web Sources

Specific Web resources will be determined by course tutors.

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided.

Assessment

Details of the Art and Design assessment requirements can be found on the short course website. Please click on the following link for more information: Submission and Assessment Information

Studying for Credit

If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.