Syllabus
AR 201, Introduction to Computer Art
Albertus Magnus College
Jerry Nevins, Professor
Email me
Phone: 773-8546, office
Office: 203 Aquinas Hall
Fall Semester, 2007
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Course Overview:

The computer has become an essential tool for anyone working in the fields of design, photography, videography, illustration, architecture, industrial design, animation, and multimedia and web design. This course will explore many facets of making art using computer hardware and software. The core of this course will be to explore the state of the art dital tools contained in Adobe's Creative Suite 2. We will begin with Adobe Photoshop. Using appropriated images we will learn to make selections, tonal and color control, output to the laser printer and the hi-resolution ink jet. We will explore image making using a digital camera, a flatbed scanner, and online capture using "appropriated" images. Next we will turn to Adobe Illustrator and begin work with vector art. Next we will explore page layout using Adobe's InDesign and try our hand at web page design with Adobe's GoLive. As time permits, we will try our hand at open source software for fractal rendering and raytracing.

This is a working studio class and through demonstrations and hands on work you will learn to solve visual problems using windows based software. This "hands on" experience is the key to success in this class. The primary evidence for progress in this class will be a portfolio of 12-15 pieces illustrating concepts learned.

This is a working studio course. The emphasis will continue to be on your projects that you will work on in class.

Topics to be covered include:

Windows 2000 operating system review
Introduction to Adobe Photoshop CS2
Selections, clones, serial imagery
Tone and color adjustment
montage, compositing
Printer output/ Creative controls
Introduction to InDesign
Introduction to GoLive
Introduction to Illustrator
Fractal Art
Vector drawing
Digital Painting
Digital Design
Scanners/Displays
Electronic Color
Printing
2D Animation
Design for the World Wide Web
Types of Scanners
Resolution/gamma/color correction/masking

Academic Expectations:

Attend all classes, care about your work, make progress in the medium, help and cooperate with your classmates, take risks, make mistakes. Your grade will be based on a portfolio of 15 pieces due at the end of the session. As this is a workshop class, good attendance is assumed. Missing class will lower your grade.

Important Web Resources

: Museum of Computer Art
Virtual Training Co's Adobe training movies
Lynda.com's free online training Movies
Computer Arts in the UK
Artpromote... Links to Computer generated art, fractals and more

Suggested Reading:

Wucius Wong, Principles of Two Dimensional Design
- Designing with the Computer

Linnea Dayton, Jack Travis, The Photoshop WOW! Book,

Luanne Seymour Cohen, Russell Brown and Tanya Wendling, Imaging Essentials.

Michael Sullivan, Make Your Scanner a great Design and Production Tool.

Gosney, Odam and Benson, The Gray Book, Designing in Black and White on Your Computer.

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