Next week you MUST:
-have your final assignment printed 11 x17 in color!
-have all finished assignments posted to blog, tagged with your name!
-have all finished assignments printed, black & white, 8.5 x 11, stapled together, name on every page!
-bring in all, ALL sketches!
Week 12 Assignment-Nov. 30
For this assignment you will be taking your interior/lair concepts to final. Your design should be in full color and should utilize the skills and techniques we covered in class to create a believable, engaging space. Remember to consider narrative elements when designing your spaces. You should have 11"x 17" (or larger) prints to hang for crit in addition to your blog post. Also make sure to bring your sketchbook, as I will be checking your shape language exercises!
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Week 11 Assignment- Nov. 16
This week you will be creating sketches for a concept depicting an interior space. You may use your character from the last assignment, another character from that grouping, or your creature from earlier in the semester to inspire the design. The focus of this assignment is visual storytelling, so think about how the elements and object present in the scene can tell the viewer about your character.
Decide on a character (email Sean your choice!) and complete 5 interesting sketches to show in class next week.
Week 10 Assignment- Due Nov. 9
For this week's assignment you will be completing a full color concept of the exterior of your character's home. Keep in mind the issues we discussed regarding your thumbnail sketches when completing your design. Please bring good quality 11 x 17" prints in addition to posting your finished piece to the blog.
Also: Here is the link to Paul Richard's THUMB WAR page for those who missed it or just want to continue beefing up their thumbnailing skills (which should be everyone!)
Final Reminder! Greg collected any work that was left hanging in the Fox 3rd Floor Gallery after last week's class, so if you forgot and want it back, let him know.
Week 9 Assignment- Due Nov. 2
This week you will be creating TEN (10!) thumbnail sketches for EACH of the following caetgories:
1. Ancient Teleporter for a Wise-cracking Wizard
2. Poisonous Overlord for a International Super Spy Organization
3. Radiocative Melee Weapon for a Shock Rocker
4. Incendiary Beast of Burden for a Child Genius who uses household items.
5. Elegant Key for a Bounty Hunting Steampunk Werewolf
Try to fit each set of ten thumbs on a single page (5 pages total). Make sure to have prints/original sketches to hang for next week!
Week 8 Assignment- Due Oct. 26
Continue developing thumbnails and sketches for your character's home. Additionally, make the necessary adjustments to your colored character design based on the feedback you received in our crit. Post your best three sketches and your revised character design to the blog.
Week 7 Assignment- Due Oct. 19
This week you will be gathering visual research and beginning rough ideas for an exterior scene of your character's home. You should have AT LEAST two 11x17" pages of reference with 6-8 images per page. Make sure to do period-relevant research to inform your design! Also, begin generating thumbnails for your character's home. Bring your printed pages of reference and your printed (or traditional) sketches to show in class!
Have a great fall break!
Week 6 Assignment-Due Oct.12
This week you will be taking your black & white character design to a finished color concept. Make sure to address any changes we talked about in class, and include all relevant call-outs of props, patterns, etc. Make sure to have a good-quality, full-color, 11"x17" printout in addition to your blog post for next week's class!
Week 5 Assignment- Due Oct. 5
Choose one of the following 5 characters: Sherlock Holmes, Don Quixote, Beowulf, Aladdin or Athena. Research historical clothing relevant to your character's original time period, as well as documents, props, etc. to inform the design of your character. The focus of this assignment is specifically on costume design. Keep in mind the concepts of shape design we discussed in class. Your design should be black & white, and printed (preferably at 11x17) for class next week, as well as posted on the blog, as always.
Take your sketchbook to either the Walters Art Museum, BMA, B&O Railroad Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the National Aquarium, or the Fire Museum of Maryland. Fill AT LEAST five pages of your sketchbook with observational drawings done at whichever museum you visit. Make sure to bring your sketchbook to class!
Week 4 Assignment- Due Sept. 28
Create at least three color keys based on ONE of the descriptions below of the Sacred Tree. The images should capture the atmosphere of your chosen description and should be focused on establishing the light, color and mood of the scene rather than details and finished rendering. Also, before you begin designing your color keys, it can be useful to gather some visual reference to see the many different sizes and shapes trees can have.
Version 1: The sacred tree, twisted and gnarled with age and barely hanging on to life, stood alone on that ancient hilltop as a reminder of what once was, while all around it, death slowly crept in. And though the outlook was bleak, something about it seemed hopeful, defiant, urging me to press on and not give up. It seemed to be the last thing remaining that still had a soul.
Version 2:The sacred tree, strong and proud with age and bursting with life, stood alone on that ancient hilltop as a reminder of all that is great and good about our world. But although it was a shining example of the beauty and perfection of nature, there was also something eerily sinister about it, as if it was mocking my insignificance in its world. I did not wish to remain there any longer for fear of being overwhelmed by that feeling of unworthiness.
As always, make sure to post your work to the blog before next week's class!
*ALSO: If you can't get enough of concept art, make sure to stop by the INCUB8TE gallery opening this Friday (Sept.23) from 5-7:00pm in the Gateway to scope some rad pre-production work created by myself and seven other MICA artists!*
Week 3 Assignment- Due Sept. 21
Design a kitchen for a CG update of the Jetsons. You should include counter tops, cabinets, a refrigerator, a sink, a toaster, an oven, a mixer, a light source and chair(s). The individual appliance designs should populate a single image! Keep in mind the narratives that objects can tell when creating the different elements for your kitchen. What are the core functions of familiar kitchen tools that could be exaggerated or modified to fit a retro-futuristic world? Also, make sure your designs stay true to the whimsical and aesthetic tone of the source material.
The final image should be completed in the form of a black and white drawing. Your drawing may be isometric or in perspective, but perspective drawing is preferred.
Week 2 Assignment- Due Sept. 14
Part 1- Start by doing some visual research to help inform your creature design. Compile your research in photoshop on two 11" x 17" pages with 8-10 images per page.
Part 2- Choose one of your creature thumbnails to develop into a finished black and white design. Make sure to have a printed copy of your finished image for class next week. When working on your design, keep in mind the intended audience these monsters are being designed for. Remember, these creatures are intended for a mature audience and emphasis should be placed on grotesque and horrific traits. Steer clear of designs that could be seen as "cute" or "kid-oriented."
Your finished black and white creature AND your visual research pages must be posted to the blog before the next class!
Week 1 Assignment- Due Sept. 7
Along with the 30 monster thumbnail sketches you did in class, you must complete 10 additional thumbnails of the same monster for this week's homework. Keep in mind the design issues we discussed today in class when approaching your new designs.
Once you have completed all 40 thumbnails, pick the best three or four to post to the blog. Remember, two of them must be designs chosen by Sean during last week's class.
ALL WORK MUST BE POSTED ON THE BLOG TO RECEIVE CREDIT!
