Vector Self Portrait

Create a digital illustration of a self-portrait (selfie) on an 8”x10” canvas, and upload it to a Google Sites portfolio page.

Project Idea

{| class=”wikitable” |+ Overview |- ! Driving Question | How can I use the elements of art and design to express my identity and emotions in a self portrait? |- ! Learning Goals |

  • Apply the fundamentals of basic color theory in a series of simple design projects;
  • Analyze professional and peer level designs for use of color theory to enhance audience understanding.
  • Utilize formatting techniques including primary format requirements, design format for print and web, resolution print and web
  • Use Adobe Illustrator to create vector graphics by using the pen, shape, gradient, and direct selection tools.

|- ! Project Summary | Students will create a self portrait in Adobe Illustrator |- ! Major Products | Self Portrait Illustration |- ! Making it Public | Students will publish their works to a portfolio website and share their work out to classmates in the form of a gallery walk. |- ! Key Project Documents | [[General Rubric for Individual Projects | Rubric]] |}

Project Path

Ideation

To come up with ideas that are meaningful to you, start by generating a number of concept statements by doing some freewriting about:

  • observations you have been making about life
  • observations you have been making about human behavior
  • a feeling you have been feeling and why you might be feeling it
  • an issue you are passionate about
  • something that does not sit well with you

Organize (File Management)

  1. Ensure that Google Drive for Desktop is syncing to your computer.
  2. Create a Project Directory (Folder) in your Google Drive Google Drive/My Drive/Digital Design/YYYY-MM PROJECT NAME
  3. Try to keep all of your project files for this project together, so your work is not interrupted due to technical issues.

Storing all your files in the /Downloads folder in your computer is a BAD idea. If any of these files are lost/deleted you will have to reconnect them. Put them in your project folder directly. This will also be helpful in the event of any computer issues.

  1. In your project directory, maintain subdirectories for every category of resource you will be using.
YYYY-MM Project Name
📁 Graphics
📁 Sketches
📁 Photos
📁 Notes
  1. It’s also good to include directories for related files
📁 Project Files
📁 Exports

Reference Photo

[[File:ref_vector_portrait.jpg|thumb|left|200px|An example of a reference photo]]

Take a medium close-up or close-up photo of yourself

  • Medium Close-Up Falls between a Medium Shot and a Close-Up, generally framing the subject from chest or shoulder up.
  • Close-Up Fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a person’s head/face. Framed this tightly, the emotions and reaction of a character dominate the scene.

As you take the photograph of yourself, consider the following questions:

  • What strong identifiers such as age, attire, cultural connections, mood/expression would you like to emphasize?
  • What is being expressed by your pose (frontal, profile, or partly turned)?
  • Where are you looking?
  • Are you establishing direct eye contact with the viewer?
  • Are your eyes downcast?
  • Are you looking at other subjects within the artwork?
  • What is the color scheme, and how will it influence what I am trying to communicate?

Outline

[[File:nobackground_vector_portrait.png|thumb|left|200px|Initial Linework]] [[File:Project_settings_vector_portrait.png|thumb|right|200px|How to configure your project settings]]

  • Open the photograph of yourself in Adobe Illustrator and create the linework of your main subject.
    • You should feel comfortable using the pen and shape tools at this point. If not, review the concepts learned in the pen and shape tool exercises in class.
  • You may find it helpful to create the outline of your shapes before adding colors to your design. (Use fill color: none)

Add Detail

[[File:outline_vector_portrait.png|thumb|left|200px|A version with a woodland background]]

  • Begin to integrate middle and background imagery
  • Images used to create the background do not have to come from the original image background
  • Consider repeating, copying and flipping objects to create texture in the background

Color

[[File:final_vector_portrait.png|thumb|left|200px|A recolored version of the artwork]]

  • Determine your color scheme. What mood would you like to convey with your use of color?
  • [https://color.adobe.com/ Explore color palette generator tools at Adobe]
  • Limit your color scheme to a predetermined complementary scheme ** [https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/recolor-artwork.html Recolor Your Artwork using Illustrator’s Recolor tools.]

Publish your work to your Google Sites Portfolio

  1. Create a new page on your Google Sites Portfolio to catalog your work.
    • Your work should be exported in a web-safe format in a manner that allows for the work to be embedded without requiring Google Drive permissions
  2. Your work should be accompanied by a detailed project description
  3. Submit the published portfolio page to your LMS (Schoology)