Photoshop Mini Lessons: Day 2

Today’s essential question: What are some ways to remove the background from a Photoshop file?

If you feel like you understand Photoshop well, consider becoming a student leader and help teach your classmates how to do the mini lessons. (Notice that I said teach, not do their projects for them!)

Today we will continue our Photoshop mini lessons. These tutorials will teach us how to remove the background from an image in Photoshop, how to combine multiple images into one Photoshop file, and how to use the transform tool to scale and rotate an object. We will complete both the veggie and kitten tutorials, save a Photoshop version of our file and a png of each tutorial to our username, and post the PNG to our blogs. You must create a new blog post that contains the work you did today in order to receive participation points.

Links to the resources we will use today:

Kitten Dress Up Tutorial (teaches us how to combine multiple images into one Photoshop file, and how to use the transform tool to scale and rotate objects)

Completed kitten dress up tutorial

• Click here to view the step-by-step-instructions for the kitten dress up Photoshop tutorial. (If you do not have this file open and cannot tell me what step you need help with, I will not help you.)
• Click here to download the kitten dress up Photoshop file.

Veggie Tutorial (teaches us how to use a variety of tools to remove the background from an image)

Veggie tutorial starter file

Completed veggie tutorial

You should open the .PSD (Photoshop file) you created last class and finish the tutorial.
In order for it to be considered complete, it must meet the following requirements:

• the background needs to be removed from the tomato, broccoli, onion, and mushroom
• you must have duplicated at least one of the vegetables
• you must have transformed the copy of the vegetable you duplicated by scaling and rotating it
• you must add a shadow to at least one of the vegetables

Click here to view the step-by-step instructions for the veggie Photoshop tutorial. (If you do not have this file open and cannot tell me what step you need help with, I will not help you.)

Click here to download the veggie Photoshop file ONLY if you cannot find the Photoshop file you worked on last class. This means you will have to start over, so only do this as a last resort.

Bonus Tutorial: Kitten in a Box (teaches us how to make an object look like it is inside a container)

Finish early? Complete this tutorial to learn how to Photoshop a kitten into a box.

Kitten in box tutorial starter file

Completed kitten in box tutorial

• Click here to view the step-by-step instructions for the kitten in a box tutorial. (If you do not have this file open and cannot tell me what step you need help with, I will not help you.)
• Click here to download the kitten in a box tutorial starter file.

Today we will:

• Complete the kitten dress up tutorial. Save your file to your username as both a photoshop (.psd) file and a .png file.
• Complete the veggie tutorial you started last class. Save your file to your username as both a photoshop (.psd) file and a .png file.
• If you have time, complete the kitten in a box tutorial
• Create and publish a new blog post with the following:
  • a png of your completed veggie image
  • a png of your completed kitten dress up image
  • a png of your completed kitten in a box image (if you got that far)
  • a paragraph describing how you create each image. Include any challenges you faced, and how you worked through those challenges.

Race Against the Clock: Project Prep

For the first part of class, we will work together and race against the clock to see how quickly we can get the entire class to accomplish the following items:

• email Ms. Lawson the link to their blog
• publish their first blog post
• have their silhouette photo taken

Student who are all caught up will be student leaders.  Each student leader will partner with someone who is behind and help them complete the missing tasks. As soon as Ms. Lawson verifies that the class has completed the three items listed above, she will stop the timer and we will gather at the Smart Board to learn how to use Photoshop.

Here are the tasks that need to be completed, along with the students who need to complete each task:

Email Ms. Lawson (2013045@rcsd121.org) the link to their blog:

• Danny (also needs to publish his first blog post and have his photo taken)
• Colin (also needs to publish his first blog post)
• Jamila (also needs to publish her first blog post and have her photo taken)
• Karen (also needs to publish her first blog post and have her photo taken)
• Jaden (also needs to publish his first blog post)

Publish their first blog post:

• Avery
• Nea (answer questions)
• Carleton
• Keyerra
• Sylena
• Danny
• Colin
• Jamila
• Karen
• Jaden

Have their silhouette photo taken:

• Danny
• Logan
• Jamila
• Karen
• Keyerra

Student Leader Job Responsibilities

Student Photography Leader (1 person)

• Take silhouette photos of students on list against Smart Board background
• Bring Ms. Lawson camera once all students on list have been photographed

Student Blog Leaders

• Pair up with a student who is behind and help them with the following tasks
  • Help students who were absent set up blogs
  • Help students on email list email Ms. Lawson (2013045@rcsd121.org) a link to their blogs
  • Help students on first blog post list publish their first blog post AND verify that the post was published by clicking on the student’s name from the “Student Website” list
  • Once the student is all caught up, notify Ms. Lawson and add them to the list of student leaders

Student Leaders:

• Dynasti
• Omarion
• Eysha
• Kyneisha
• Logan (AFTER taking silhouette photo)
• Eh Tha
• Tyrelle
• Kevion
• Hsa Doe
• John

Part 2: Veggie Tutorial: Removing the Background in Photoshop

The veggie tutorial will teach us how to use a variety of tools to remove the background from an image in Photoshop

• Click here to view the step-by-step instructions for the veggie Photoshop tutorial. (If you do not have this file open and cannot tell me what step you need help with, I will not help you.)
• Click here to download the veggie Photoshop file.

Today we will:

• We will work together and race against the clock to see how quickly we can get the entire class caught up on their blogs
• Learn how to remove the background from an image in Photoshop
• Create a new blog post with the following:
  • A PNG of our completed veggie tutorial
  • The answers to the following questions:
    • What was easy to do in Photoshop?
    • What was difficult to do in Photoshop?
    • What would you like extra help with?

Save

Setting Up Our Class Blogs and School Gmail Accounts

Today we will set up our Google Drives and blogs. By the end of this class you should:

• set up your class blog
• email Ms. Lawson the link to your class blog from your school Gmail account
• publish your first blog post
• have a classmate take your silhouette photo

You must email Ms. Lawson the link to your blog and publish a blog post today in order to receive participation points.

Part 1: Setting up a WordPress account

1. Click here to set up a WordPress account. (This will be your Foundations 1 class blog.) You may choose any free template you like, but keep in mind that you will need to post both text and images, so you should pick a template that supports both of these requirements well. Use your school Gmail address (890….@rcsd121.org) – you will have to verify your email in order to publish blog posts.
2. Log into your school email account, open the email from WordPress, and click on the link to verify your email address.

Part 2: Logging into your district Gmail account

1. Click here to log into your district Gmail account. Your username will be your student ID # @rcsd121.org.) Ex. 8123456@rcsd121.org, and your password is your district computer password. (Your district gmail account has unlimited storage space and will give you access to DropBox, which is a great free way to back up your files.)
2. Email Ms. Lawson (2013045 at rcsd121.org) from your district Gmail account. You will not receive credit if you email me from another email client. Your email should include:
   1. Your first and last name
   2. A link to your WordPress blog. For example, “Stephanie Lawson – My blog URL is SOTAfoundations1.wordpress.com.”

Part 3: Publishing your first blog post

Publish your first post by clicking on this icon at the top of your WordPress screen
Include the following:

1. Post an image by following these steps:
   1. Go to images.google.com
   2. type in what you are looking for (ex. “cutest kitten in the world”)
   3. click on the image you want to download
   4. control +click -> save images as
   5. save the image to your desktop
   6. Click on the “add media” button
   7. Click on “upload files”
   8. Click on “select file”
   9. Select the image you want to insert
2. Copy and paste the following questions and answer them:
   1. Describe your previous experience with computer art.
   2. Whose is responsible if the computer crashes and your project disappears? What will happen?
   3. How will you back up your work? (hint: blog, Google Drive)
   5. What are some images that represent you that you could put in your silhouette project?
3. Click “publish” at the bottom of the screen to publish your post.

If you have time, set up the “About” page on your blog.

Need help? Please follow the following process:

1. Check the blog
2. Ask two classmates
3. Still stuck? Raise your hand and Ms. Lawson will help you as soon as she is available.

If you finish early, help your classmates set up their blogs, set up the “About page” on your blog, or finish your self-portrait.

Today we will:

• set up our class blogs
• email Ms. Lawson the link to our class blogs
• publish our first blog post
• take our silhouette photo

Selecting & Editing Our Self Portrait Reference Photos

Today’s Essential Question: What makes a good self-portrait?

Here are some completed student self portraits. How have the artists made them interesting and expressive?

Today we will select (or take) a reference photo to use when drawing our self-portraits. Make sure the photo has been taken from far enough away that you can see your entire face, and also that the photo is not crooked.

Good reference photo:

Bad reference photo:

How to Edit your Selfie in Photoshop

Follow the instructions in this handout.

How to Upload your Selfie to your School Google Drive and Share the File

1. Click here to log into your district Gmail account. Your username will be your student ID # @rcsd121.org.) Ex. 8123456@rcsd121.org, and your password is the same password you used to log onto the computer.
2. In the top right corner of the screen, click on the icon with all the squares.
   Several options will pop up. Select the “Drive” icon.
   
3. Click “New,” then select “File Upload” from the options that pop up.
   
4. Locate the file on your computer and upload it.
5. Click on the person icon in the top right hand corner of the screen.
   
6. Type “Stephanie Lawson” into the contact section and my email should pop up. (If it doesn’t, type in the email below) and then hit the “Send” button:
   

Today we will:

• Select a reference photo to use for our self portrait (or take one in class).
• Edit the reference photo in Photoshop according to the instructions in this handout.
• Upload our edited reference photo to our school google drive account and share the file with Ms. Lawson. Ms. Lawson will print the photos tonight. If you do not share your reference photo via Google Drive by the end of today’s class, you will have nothing to work from next class!
• Finish the following worksheets and place the completed worksheets in your folder:
  • Face value shading
  • Beyonce portrait shading
  • Mystery grid drawing

Save

New Project: Op Art

For our next project, we will create an optical illusion that looks 3D, based on a type of art called Op Art. This project will also teach us how to shade realistically and blend colored pencils. Here is a finished project example:

Radial Symmetry

This project contains radial symmetry. Radial symmetry is a type of balance in which parts of an object or picture radiate regularly from a central point. Radial symmetry appears in both natural and man-made objects. Here are some examples of radial symmetry:

Color Schemes

In this project, you will either use a complementary color scheme or an analogous color scheme.

Complementary colors

Complementary colors are opposite colors. They are directly across from one another on the color wheel.
The arrows in this color wheel connect a pair of complementary colors:

Here are some images that contain complementary colors:

Analogous Color Scheme

Analogous colors are similar colors. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel.
The arrows in this color wheel connect a set of analogous colors:

Here are some images that contain analogous colors:
  

My teacher project example uses an analogous color scheme, because blue and green are similar colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Op Art

Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op art works are nonrepresentational (meaning that they are not realistic representations of subjects). Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns, or of swelling or warping.

Here are some examples of Op Art by the Artist Bridget Riley:

Project Requirements:

• Radially symmetrical design fills 12×12″ paper
• Contains 4 word sections and 4 blob sections.
  • Word and blob sections should alternate, as in my teacher example.
  • One of the word sections should be your first or last name.
  • The other 3 word sections should contain words that describe your interests or personality
• Creates the illusion of a 3-dimensional image through colored pencil shading
• Uses one of the following color schemes: complementary or analogous
• High quality craftsmanship

 

Save

Save

Save

New Project: Cartoon Self-Portraits

For our next project, we will create Manga-style cartoon self portrait paintings.

Today we will use the FaceYourManga website to create our reference image.
Next class we will begin drawing our cartoon self-portraits on the foam core.

Part 1: Design an avatar of yourself

1. Go to the FaceYourManga website.
2. Click the “Create” button at the top of the screen. 
3. Walk through the steps to design all the aspects of your avatar.
   

Part 2: Take a screen shot of your avatar using the snipping tool

1. Open Snipping Tool by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Snipping Tool, and then, in the list of results, click Snipping Tool.

2. Click the arrow next to the New button, select Free-form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Window Snip, or Full-screen Snipfrom the list, and then select the area of your screen that you want to capture.

3. After you capture a snip, click the Save Snip button in the mark-up window.
4. In the Save As dialog box, enter a name for the snip, choose a location where to save the snip, and then click Save.

Part 3: Post your avatar to your blog

1. Create a new blog post.
2. Insert the image of your avatar.
3. Write a few sentences describing why this avatar describes your style or personality.

Next class we will begin drawing our cartoon self-portraits on the foam core.

Adding a Frame

Today’s essential question: What details can I put in a custom frame to make my project even better?

Here are some examples of frames that might go well with some of our projects:

New York City Frames

Alice in Wonderland Frames

Beach Vacation Frames

Today we will:

• brainstorm ideas for a custom frame that will coordinate with our project
• begin drawing our custom frame

New Project: 3D Environment

For our next project, we will use foam core create a 3D environment with a distinct background, middle ground, and foreground.

Here is an example of a finished project:

Here are the pieces of the project before they were glued together:

Project Requirements:

• Illustrates an environment with a clear theme that creates unity throughout the piece
• Contains 3-4 pieces of foam core to create a clear background, middle ground, and foreground
• Creates the illusion of distance through proper use of overlap, scale/proportion, and aerial perspective
• Use of shading to create a clear light source and illusion of 3-dimensional form
• Your original concept. NO copyrighted characters.
• High-quality craftsmanship

Background, middle ground, foreground

The foreground, middleground, and background in a composition are generally divided into three planes. The foreground of a composition is the visual plane that appears closest to the viewer, while the background is the plane in a composition perceived furthest from the viewer. The middleground is the visual plane located between both the foreground and background.

As objects come forward in space, towards the viewer, they appear larger. As they recede into the background, their scale gets perceptually smaller.

Aerial Perspective

Aerial Perspective is the technique of representing more distant objects as fainter and more blue.

Project Steps:

1. Create a concept sketch. Include:
   1. The items your environment will contain
   2. Which items will be in the background, middle ground, and foreground, respectively
   3. An appropriate light source and color scheme
2. Draw your background, middle ground, and foreground on 3-4 separate sheets of drawing paper (you may choose to create two middle ground layers)
3. Color each piece realistically with colored pencils. Remember to shade!
4. Cut each piece out
5. Use rubber cement to adhere your drawing to the foam core
6. Use an x-acto knife to cut out your pieces
7. Use rubber cement to adhere your middle ground piece to your background piece, and then to adhere the foreground piece to the middle ground piece

Today we will:

• create a concept sketch of our environment
  
• on separate pieces of paper, sketch the items you plan to include in the background, middle ground, and foreground
  

New Project: Op Art

For our next project, we will create an optical illusion that looks 3D, based on a type of art called Op Art. Here is an in progress example. Notice the analogous color scheme:

Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op art works are abstract, with many better known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns, or of swelling or warping.

Here are some examples of Op Art by the Artist Bridget Riley:

Project Requirements:

• Abstract design fills 9×9″ paper
• Contains at least 10 “blobs”
• Creates the illusion of a 3-dimensional image through colored pencil shading
• Uses one of the following color schemes: complementary, analogous, or triadic
• High quality craftsmanship

 

Color Schemes

Today’s assignment will check your understanding of various color schemes.

Today we will:

• Discuss each color scheme below
• Fill out the color scheme handouts
• Test our chosen color scheme on the practice paper

Complementary colors

Complementary colors are opposite colors. They are directly across from one another on the color wheel.
The arrows in this color wheel connect a pair of complementary colors:

Here are some images that contain complementary colors:

Analogous Color Scheme

Analogous colors are similar colors. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel.
The arrows in this color wheel connect a set of analogous colors:

Here are some images that contain analogous colors:
  

Triadic Color Scheme

A triadic color scheme is a set of three colors that are evenly spread apart on the color wheel.
Two examples of triadic color schemes are the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and the secondary colors (orange, green, violet). The arrows in this color wheel connect a set of triadic colors:

Here are some images that contain a triadic color scheme:

Today’s Assignment:

Create a new blog post. Copy and paste the questions below (everything in blue) into your post, and fill them in.
You must submit a completed blog post in order to earn participation points for today’s class.

Complementary colors

What is a complementary color scheme?

List the complementary color pair for each color (I have done the first two for you)
Red & Green
Red-Orange & Blue-Green
Orange & _____________
Yellow-Orange & ___________
Yellow & ____________
Yellow-Green & ____________

Complementary colors are often used for sports teams and holidays (ex. red and green for Christmas).
Why are complementary colors appropriate for these situations?

Upload 3 photos of different complementary color schemes (Do NOT use any of the photos I have posted!)

Analogous Colors

What is an analogous color scheme?

List the analogous colors for each listed color (I have done the first two for you)
Red-Violet, Red, Red-Orange
Red, Red-Orange, Orange
___________, Orange, ___________
___________, Yellow-Orange, ___________
___________, Yellow, ___________
___________, Yellow-Green, ___________
___________, Green, ___________
___________, Blue-Green, ___________
___________, Blue, ___________
___________, Blue-Violet, ___________
___________, Violet, ___________
___________, Red-Violet, ___________

What type of mood do analogous color schemes create?

Upload 3 photos of different analogous color schemes (Do NOT use any of the photos I have posted!)

Triadic Colors

What is a triadic color scheme?

List the other colors needed to create a triadic color scheme for each provided color (I have done two for you)
Red-Violet, Blue-Green, Yellow-Orange
Red, ___________, ___________
Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Violet
Orange, ___________, ___________

What type of mood do triadic color schemes create?

Upload 3 photos of different triadic color schemes (Do NOT use any of the photos I have posted!)