This book documents the work done this semester for ART 261, a course intended to strengthen visual and conceptual aspects of image-making in terms of communicating meaning. Throughout the semester, we explored the creative process through the study of one object, from research, idea generation, production and presentation. The course provides a foundation for developing effective visual communication in any of the applied art fields (including graphic design, animation, illustration and user-interface design).
For the first half of the semester, we focused on image-making using primarily traditional and experimental media. We responded to a variety of prompts, focusing on elements and principles of design and gestalt, trying a variety of media and styles. We used photo references of our object from a variety of viewpoints and looked at work from other artists and designers that could inspire us to adapt and expand into different styles. We were encouraged to take risks, and to record each step of the process. For this portion of the course, we created a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional work focusing on visual aspects. This section of the book documents the work chronologically including thumbnails and other preliminary work, sketches, finished work, revisions and it ends with the final six renderings that show a range of viewpoints, media, style and technique.design).
In the second half of the semester, we focused on exploring conceptual possibilities, connected to either denotative or connotative meanings associated with our object. We utilized the creative process from research (analyzing our object), through brainstorming techniques, idea generation through revisions and production of final roughs. The final images were rendered as roughs rather than finished artwork, the focus on successfully conveying the concept, with strong composition and consideration of the balance between the obvious and the ambiguous, rather than on finished visual form.