New Project: 1 Pt Perspective Digital Collage

Today’s essential question: How can I design an interesting interior space?

Today we will begin our 1 Pt Perspective project. You will have the option of either creating a realistic interior space or a surreal/fantasy interior space. We will research various interior design styles and fill out a Google Slides Presentation with a “mood board” of the look we hope to achieve.

We will start with the blank room template below and turn it into an interior space of our choosing.

Blank room template:

I have purposefully not provided the high-res version of the room template today to force you to spend all class on your project planning post. No one should be working in Photopea!

Option 1: Surrealist 1 Pt Perspective Room

Surrealism is an art movement that began in the 1920s. It sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images. Juxtaposition is the act of positioning two or more things side by side or close together. In surrealism, juxtaposition entails making the ordinary look extraordinary through the way images are combined.

Here are some surrealist examples that would meet project requirements:

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Option 2: Interior Design in 1 Pt Perspective

You may want to consider, but are not limited to, spaces such as a dream bedroom or dorm room, an art studio, a coffee shop or restaurant, a music venue, or a store. Here are some examples create by past students that meet project requirements:

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Project Requirements (for both options):

• Created in Photopea from the provided blank room template
• Includes a minimum of 12 different images
• Floor and walls have been covered with texture or altered in color
• Contains a light source (lamp, fireplace, windows, etc)
• Follows one point perspective
• All objects in the room go together to create a cohesive style
• High Quality Craftsmanship
  • No pixelation
  • Background cleanly removed
  • Images photographed from appropriate angles
  • Lighting matches up
  • Scale and proportion makes sense

Today we will:

• Research potential interior design styles or surrealist concepts we may use in our project
• Fill out a Google Slides Presentation with a “mood board” of the look we hope to achieve

Creating Unity though Repetition

Today’s essential question: How can I create unity through repetition in my Afrofuturism collage?

Unity occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.

Here some in progress examples of Afrofuturism collages created by SOTA students. How are the artists creating unity throughout their collages?

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Creating our Afrofuturist Self-Portrait Collage in Photopea

Today’s essential question: How can I use the Photopea app to create my Afrofuturist self-portrait digital collage?

Today we will begin creating our Afrofuturist self-portrait using the free app Photopea. We will combine a MINIMUM of 10 images and will spend four classes on this project.

How to start your self-portrait collage in Photopea

1. Go to Photopea.com. Click “Open from Computer.”
   
   Locate your selfie with the background removed and open it in Photopea.

How to place more images in Photopea

1. Make sure you have already removed the backgrounds from the images you would like to place
2. Import the first image you would like to use in your collage by selecting “File -> Open & Place”
   

How to Move Objects

1. Use the move tool to drag objects around the canvas.
   Make sure you are on the correct layer or you might accidentally move things you do not want to move! (The layer you are on will be a darker shade of gray than the other layers in the layers palette on the lower right side of the screen.)

How to Make Objects Smaller or Rotate them

1. Go to Edit-> Free Transform to scale and rotate objects as necessary
   Note: Do not make objects larger. This will cause them to pixelate and become blurry.

How to Duplicate Objects

1. To duplicate an image, Go to Layer-> Duplicate Layer:

How to save your images:

1. Click File -> Save as PSD (This will automatically save your image with layers to your downloads folder)
2. Upload the PSD to the Google Classroom Assignment

Removing the Background from our Selfie in Photopea

Today’s essential question: How can I use the Photopea app to remove the background from my selfie?

Today we will remove the background from our selfie using the free app Photopea. DO NOT use Remove.bg, as it will shrink down the size of your selfie.

How to start your self-portrait collage in Photopea

1. Go to Photopea.com.
   Click “Open from Computer.”
   Locate your selfie and open it in Photopea:
   
2. Select the Eraser Tool .
   Erase the background. (Hint: this will go more smoothly if you use a mouse.)
   You can adjust the size of the eraser tool using the options at the top of the screen:
   

How to save your images:

1. Click File -> Save as PSD (This will automatically save your image with layers to your downloads folder)
2. Upload the PSD to the Google Classroom Assignment

Afrofuturist Self-Portrait Collage

Today’s essential question: How can I create a self-portrait collage inspired by Afrofuturism?

Here are some examples of projects that would receive As (it is ok to hide your face if you are self-conscious):

Project Requirements:

• Created in Photopea/Photoshop from at least 20 images (at least 5 different images that can be repeated)
• Includes a photo of yourself (can be a baby or childhood photo)
• Includes objects that symbolize your past, present, and future
• Includes colors that represent you (including at least one neutral)
• Objects have been carefully arranged to show unity throughout the piece
• Good craftsmanship – backgrounds have been neatly removed, objects are not pixelated or distorted

Featured Artist: Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell was an assemblage artist. He created boxed assemblages by filling shadow boxes with found objects and covering them with a glass pane. Cornell tried to create visual poetry by combining beautiful everyday objects he found in bookshops and thrift stores. His pieces used the surrealist technique of irrational juxtaposition, or combining objects that would not naturally go together in order to create a new meaning. Here are some examples of Joseph Cornell’s assemblages:

Photopea Steps: Gift Assemblage Digital Collage

Today’s essential question: How can I use the Photopea app to create a digital collage of my gift assemblage?

How to create a digital collage in Photopea

1. Download the empty gift box of your choice from Google Classroom
2. Go to Photopea.com. Click “Open from Computer”
3. Go to your downloads folder and select the empty gift box to open it in Photopea.
4. Import the first image you would like to use in your collage by selecting “File -> Open & Place”
   

How to Move Objects

1. Use the move tool  to drag objects around the canvas.
   Make sure you are on the correct layer or you might accidentally move things you do not want to move! (The layer you are on will be a darker shade of gray than the other layers in the layers palette on the lower right side of the screen.)

How to Make Objects Smaller or Rotate them

1. Go to Edit-> Free Transform to scale and rotate objects as necessary
   Note: Do not make objects larger. This will cause them to pixelate and become blurry.

How to Add a Drop Shadow

1. In the layers palette on the lower right side of the screen, select the “eff” button and select “Drop Shadow” from the drop down menu:
   
2. You can then adjust the drop shadow using the sliders in the box that pops up:
   
3. To keep the light source consistent, copy the layer style by right clicking on the layer with the drop shadow and selecting “Layer Style -> Copy”:
   
4. Then click on the next layer on which you would like to add the drop shadow to select it.
   Right click and select “Layer Style -> Paste” to paste the layer style onto this layer:
   
5. Continue pasting the Drop Shadow layer style onto the remaining object layers.

How to save your images:

1. Click File -> Save as PSD (This will automatically save your image with layers to your downloads folder)
2. Upload the PSD to the Google Classroom Assignment

Grouping through proximity, alignment, and background shapes

Today’s essential question: How can I use background shapes, proximity, and alignment to group like objects together to make my design more scannable?

Proximity means that things that are related should be nearer to each other, and things that are unrelated should be placed further from each other.

Alignment is a design principle that refers lining up text or graphics on a page. A design with poor alignment will look cluttered and unfinished. But aligning elements on the page will organize your design and make it easier to read.

Designers often use background shapes to group like objects together. Notice the difference:

How have the student examples below utilized background shapes, proximity, and alignment to reduce visual clutter?

Design Principles: Overlap & Movement

Today’s essential question: How can I incorporate overlap and movement into my design?

Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through a work of art, often directing the eye to the focal point.

Overlap helps establish visual hierarchy by creating the illusion of depth and making shapes either dominant or subordinate.

Compare the two images below.
How does the image on the right use overlap and movement to create a stronger design?

More examples of cereal box designs that incorporate overlap and movement:

How to Add Text in Photopea

Today’s essential question: How can I add text to my cereal box in Photopea?

Method 1: Using the Text Tool

1. Click on the Text tool
2. Press the mouse and drag it to draw a rectangle, then release the mouse.
   After creating the new Type layer, you can start typing:
   
3. You can change the font, size, color, and alignment using the type toolbar at the top of the screen:
   

Method 2: Importing Text as a Graphic (only use this for headings NOT body text)

1. Go to dafont.com.
2. Click on any font you are interested in, type the name of your cereal into the preview box, and take a screenshot.
3. In Photopea, click File -> Open & Place
4. Scale the image until it is the size you want it to be. Make sure you hold down the Shift key and scale your text from the corner so it doesn’t distort!
5. Rasterize your layer (Layer -> Rasterize)
6. Click and hold on the Object Selection Tool until the Magic Wand pops up:
   
7. Select the Magic Wand
8. Click on one of the letters to select it. Hold down on the shift key and select the remaining letters.
9. Change the color (if desired) by double clicking on the Color Swatch at the bottom left screen.
10. Select the Brush tool
11. Paint your letters the desired color.
12. Deselect the text. (Select -> Deselect)