Computer Graphics Challenge

Submitted by: Ann Carol Goldberg, art teacher in Rochester, New York.

My Commercial art students are learning Adobe Photoshop and Freehand on Power Macs. They of course, get caught up in color. To reinforce the use of black and white, the lesson went like this, and was very successful. Challenge-create an image in Photoshop using three elements, working in grayscale only.

Concepts Covered

• Geometric shapes

• Text an additional item of your choice, such as a scanned image or drawn image. You may apply filters or effects to create a black and white finished product which was printed on a Techtroniks printer.

The students had the whole 2 ½ hour session to complete the task and all did quite well. Many went on to try new ideas and completed several examples during the rest of the week.

Resources

Adobe Photoshop can be bought at the Amazon Adobe page.

Other graphics software:

• CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 Education Edition - The student edition is here

• Corel Painter 11 Education Edition

• PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio

• Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium Student & Teacher Edition - Get the entire Adobe suite with Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, InDesign, and Photoshop at the Amazon Adobe page.

• MAGIX Photo & Graphic Designer

Toulouse-Lautrec Posters

Submitted by: Unknown author

Title: Too-Loose Posters

Objectives:

1. Students will review the works of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, focusing primarily on the works of his advertising posters.

2. Students will view current full page ads and posters and compare those with Toulouse-Lautrec.

3. Students will design and sketch out a poster that will advertise something from the present. Silk screening is an optional media.

4. Students will then paint (or print) the poster in the style of Toulouse-Lautrec.

Procedure:

An introduction to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec should precede this lesson.. Review his bright, painterly brush strokes. Concentrate on posters he made for the ballet, opera, and night life. You can see more on Lautrec in the elementary drama lessons section.

Students will then begin making posters advertising events in their school or that take up a social cause. Hopefully there is a school play or concert and students can also use them to promote a school event. Students may choose from a variety of media from air brush to silk-screening.   Materials Images of works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Oil Paint and/or Acrylic Paint Sable Brushes Canvas Panels Optional: Screen Printing Units Screen Printing Ink large Posterboard X-acto Knives Transparency Film for screens Resources Screen Process Printing: A Practical Guide - This step-by-step guide is complete with photos, illustrations, charts, and trouble-shooting tips. Screen Printing Kits - These are the perfect kits for learning screen print techniques on paper, cardboard, wood, and Fabric. Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril Jardin Print Le Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901). The Photographer Sescau, 1894. Lithographed poster. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901). Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret 1892. Lithographed poster.