Digital Tools for Artists
Tom Stevens, Instructor
Ability: All
Tuesdays, 9:00-Noon
January 12, 2010 to April 27, 2010
Supply List
Laptop (Mac or PC), Photoshop Elements 5 or higher, Digital Camera.
This practical hands-on workshop covers all the skills and tools artists need to compete in today's digital environment. Explore shooting and manipulating images for art studies as well as effectively photographing your art. Learn how to keep track of all your images through automated naming and processing and how to prepare your images for the Internet and print publications. Web site options, CD submissions, and e-mail imaging will also be covered.
The sixteen three-hour sessions are sequential, so you will be building skill sets each week on the base of what you learned the previous week. We do field studies for landscapes and still life set ups and shots. We then build and assemble all of the pieces that will comprise the reference material for your project. The course content also concentrates on Composition, Design, Color Perception, Painting Foundations, Elements and Principles of Art, Armatures, Notans, as well as Value, Line and Color Studies.
Special Note: You must know how to use your laptop to open software. No digital camera or Photoshop Elements experience required. No other versions of Photoshop will be taught in this workshop. It is possible to miss a session or two and not fall behind.
For more information or to register for this class please call The Art Student League of Denver at 303.778.6990, fax your request to 303.778.6956, mail your registration form to 200 Grant St., Denver, CO 80203 or visit us during our office hours so that one of our knowledgeable registrars may help you.
Questions?
membership@asld.org
So... What would Da Vinci do?
In every generation of artists there are those that imitate the past... and then there are those who build on the past and proceed to invent the future. Were Brueghel, Da Vinci, or Monet alive today, what tools would they be using?
This sixteen-week workshop is an opportunity for you to leverage today's tools to your best advantage as a fine artist.
If you don't know most of the answers to the following questions, then this hands-on, 48 hours, of applied fun is for you:
Studio and field techniques and technologies: What are the best modern tools to effectively lay the groundwork for my next painting or sculpture?
Affordable Tools: Is all this technology beyond my budget? How do I pick the right tools at the right price? Will my choices leave me behind next year? How do I figure out whom to believe? How do I make choices in future years?
Accurate color sampling: How do I preserve the moment and its unique colors for future reference as I work on a long-term painting project?
Painting sketches: Did I get that angle right? Is that hand too big for the face? Did I over-paint my drawing? Am I sure my minds eye isn't deceiving me? Do I understand the image in three dimensions?
Color correcting and accurate printing: How do I ensure that I get the reference images I want, from the digital camera to my screen and then, from my printer? Am I in control of the process?
Design the composition: How do I re-arrange my composition's elements to get that "just right" visual effect? If I move that object, how is the lighting affected? Am I starting out where I want to be?
Taking pictures of art for web, portfolio, and publication: Do the techies talk circles around me? Am I paying for things I might easily and automatically do myself? Should I also copyright my digital prep work? Do I feel like a victim?
Workflow: How do I manage, process, label, and later find all those hundreds of great digital pictures I've taken for possible painting references? With all this information how do I find the one thing I want when I want it? Am I afraid I own a huge digital shoebox?
And much, much, more...
This is a class that de-mystifies the digital universe for us artists and empowers us to use every tool at our disposal to express our personal creativity.
Digital Studio
Instructor: Tom Stevens
Ability: All
Tuesdays, 1:00 to 4:00
January 12, 2010 to April 27, 2010
This course is designed to support your projects. Enroll month by month based on your needs. If you are designing a brochure, submitting a CD, planning a web site, or making an artistic statement and need help, then Digital Studio is for you. Bring your laptop, your software, and your willingness to learn and we will work through your problem. This class is especially beneficial to students who have taken the Digital Tools for Artists program. It is also a great place to test the waters before committing a semester to the Digital Tools for Artists program.
Supply List
Laptop and your software
Materials Fee
None
Special Note: Ability Level: If you have not studied with me before, drop in for a free assessment of your digital skill sets before signing up. Maximum class size of eight students, so enroll early.
For more information or to register for this class please call The Art Student League of Denver at 303.778.6990, fax your request to 303.778.6956, mail your registration form to 200 Grant St., Denver, CO 80203 or visit us during our office hours so that one of our knowledgeable registrars may help you.
Questions?
membership@asld.org
My classes are offered twice per year, in the Fall and Winter
FAQ's
Q: I don't know how to use a computer. Will you teach me?
A: No. You need to know how to find your way around your computers operating software (i.e. find the file you are looking for, know how to open software and generally navigate within its environment). I will be teaching specific software that relates directly to the business and creation of your art.
Q: Do you provide equipment and software?
A: No, I recommend you bring a laptop computer no older than 4 years since manufacture. Either Mac or PC is OK. You will have to invest in a specific software program (Photoshop Elements 5 or above) and have a digital camera. Current versions of the software are 6 for the Mac and 7 for the PC.
Q: Can I use my regular computer? I don't own a laptop.
A: Yes, if you are willing to haul it into class. There is enough electrical capacity in our classroom.
Q: I don't own a digital camera. What should I buy?
A: I will suggest good choices in both low and medium price range in our first session.
Q: I have another version of Photoshop can I use it?
A: No. Photoshop Elements Version 5, or a higher version are, the only software versions you may use. Other versions of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements have different features. Some are very much more complicated and some do not have the capabilities of the versions taught.
Q: I have a computer but don't own Elements what does it cost?
A: Price varies but you can find it for under $100.
Q: I have an earlier version of Elements, what will it cost to upgrade?
A: $79.00 as a download from the Adobe web site.
Q: I have a copy of Photoshop (Versions 1 to 9 or CS or CS2, 3 or 4), can I upgrade to Photoshop Elements?
A: No. You will have to purchase Photoshop Elements as a new product.
Q: Is there a trial version of Photoshop Elements?
A: Yes. You can download a Thirty Day Trail version from the Adobe website. The course lasts longer than thirty calendar days so if you aren't completely sure this is for you, you can download the trial version to start the class with until you decide.
Q: I will eventually want to upgrade to Photoshop CS4, why do I have to buy Photoshop Elements?
A: Should you decide after mastering PS Elements that you want to move up to CS4 the price of CS4 will be adjusted by Adobe. Under current Adobe guidelines you will get $100.00 off of the $600.00 program.
Q: Why don't you teach Photoshop CS4?
A: Almost anything that an Artist would wish to do is in Photoshop Elements. Photoshop CS4 is a robust, complex program for professional photographers who process hundreds of images per day. Its high cost ($600.00) would make it prohibitive to many art students who wish to use digital tools to assist them in developing their art. I do teach it to students under special circumstances where it is required but not as a part of this program.
Q; Do I need to take all the classes? Can I skip a couple and come back?
A: If you must miss one of the sessions I can probably catch you up. Missing more than one may be frustrating for you. In this case you may want a private session to catch up.
Q: I think I am a pretty sophisticated computer user can I skip the Intro class and take the advanced class?
A: No. We have tried this before and it ends up frustrating you, me and especially the other students. These courses focus on very specific skill sets for artists and the process is cumulative.
Q: Is there other software we will use?
A: Yes. We will download that software for a free trial so there is no need to purchase it. I will explain how in class.
Private Instruction
Contact me through this web site for details.
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