Kensington Woods High School

Digital Art 1 Name: KWoods Community Project – Subject Planning

Today I would like you to plan, in your sketchbooks, for your portraits. We will review these plans together in class as well as go through some technical demos to help you be execute your plans this week in class. If you finish this assignment before the end of class, please work on (in this order):

1. Work you may owe me – see MiStar! 2. Uploading/updating your Photo a Day (due next Thursday, today should be photo #19! Make

sure to label what date or day each photo is!) 3. Your artist selection for the Independent Research Project (see my website)

PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS HANDOUT CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MISS SOMETHING!

STEP 1: Here are your groups, your characteristics and subjects. I still reserve the right to change your final subject(s) if you cannot justify the subject fitting the characteristic well enough after this assignment (some of you were not specific enough in the first brainstorming assignment). Dominic & Ian – Family – Ms. Morton and Josh Bradbury

Nate & Ivan – Inspiration – Mr. Muennix and Nick Matthews

Theresa & Megan – Empathy – Mrs. Leffert and Grant Holback

Victoria & Michael – Trust - ???? Please pick one adult and one student not listed here

Jackie & Riley – Willing – Ms. T. Brown and Mrs. Custer (although if you have another student idea, it

might be nice to feature a student here – Trent is being used by another category)

Kimmy & Tempest – Open-Minded – Evan Ruth and Mrs. Pratt

Lou & Sydney – Teamwork – Tempest Streetman and Mr. Palmer

Gina & Emma – Know teachers like friends – Mrs. McDermott and Aubrey Wauford

Damien & Ashly – Caring – Mr. Ferguson and Jackie Poma

Nick & Sam – Technology – Trent McCarty and Trevor Leffert

STEP 2: Decide who will be responsible for each subject. The subject is who you are photographing. Before class tomorrow (not during class today!), ask the subject if they would be willing to be in a portrait for your class. Explain to them the project and how you see them representing the characteristic. Be nice, not aggressive :o) If they refuse, it’s okay, it’s their right and we will choose another subject for you!

STEP 3: Label a page in your sketchbook “Portrait Planning”. Include the name of your subject and the characteristic at the top of the page. You and your partner will do this separately, about your individual subjects, but please consult each other about your decisions and if you get stuck! Answer the following questions about your subject in your sketchbook. You may refer to your previous brainstorming sheet, as some of these are revisiting some of the brainstorming you did with your partner earlier.

1. Define your characteristic. What does it “look like” and “sound like” at KWoods? What does it not “look like” and “sound like”?

2. Describe how your subject represents your characteristic? Talk about specific things they do, say or think.

3. What visuals (colors, symbols, places, pictures, objects, etc.) come to mind when you think about your characteristic?

4. What visuals (colors, symbols, places, pictures, objects, etc.) come to mind when you think about your subject?

STEP 4 Sketch your plan for your portrait. Every decision you make should help establish how your subject represents your characteristic. Refer to your answers above as idea starters. You can even do a mind map if you are stuck! You and your partner will do this separately, about your individual subjects, but please consult each other about your decisions and if you get stuck! In your sketchbook, draw how you would like to photograph your subject. Where you can’t draw how you would like to make it look, include detailed notes to describe your plans. Please do this sketch in a detailed fashion and use color. I am not grading your drawing skills, but I do want to understand your vision. Make sure you include the following things in your sketch and/or description:

1. Your composition (the placement or arrangement of visual elements in your photograph) – will you show just your subjects face, whole body, waist up, etc.? What angle will you take the photo from? What else will be in the picture besides your subject? See below for more ideas to consider.

2. What will your subject be doing (an action, looking at the camera, etc.)? 3. The background – will it be in front of the backdrop? In a certain location? 4. Will you use any props? 5. Lighting (we will talk more specifics about lighting this week) See info below for ideas – will it be

natural or studio lighting? What angle would you like to use? What mood will it create? Will it be colored or white?

6. Small, medium or large depth of field (amount of photo in focus)? See info below. 7. Fast, medium or slow shutter speed (shows or freezes motion)? See info below. 8. Color, black and white or somewhere in between? 9. Additional effects/elements? Layers? Colors? Symbolism? Consider some of the portrait

examples we saw – examples are up on the website. If you are inspired by a particular portrait or technique, print it and include it with your sketch.

Composition Things to consider when thinking about composition

Lighting Natural lighting refers to using sunlight/natural light as your light source. Available light refers to using whatever light is around (like fluorescent lights in the classroom) as your light source. Studio lighting refers to when you use lights and flash with a backdrop. We will talk more about this in class this week. Below are examples of what studio lighting looks like using lights from different angles around the subject (side and top/bottom, etc.)

Depth of field Depth of field is the amount of the photo that is in focus. It is controlled by the f-stop/aperture (we will talk about this in class this week). A small depth of field is demonstrated in the f2.8 photo. A medium depth of field is demonstrated in the f11 photo. A large depth of field is demonstrated in the f32 photo.

Shutter Speed Shutter speed is how long the opening in the camera (aperture) stays open to let in the light. A longer time lets in more light and therefore shows motion, where a shorter time lets in less light and therefore freezes motion