Exercise #1: Pixel Art (ASCII & Raster)
Find an image of a celebrity or politician that has no copyright restrictions. It might be easiest to locate an example through "wiki commons". I will be using Abraham Lincoln as the in-class example. Find an image that is at least 1200px in the largest dimension (or larger).
Use your downloaded image for this entire Exercise:
1. ASCII
Upload the image to an "image to ASCII converter" that you can find online.
this is one example:
text-image.com
Convert the image (preferably with the ASCII option)
Take a screen shot using the following command: shift option 4
then click and drag across your ascii image. The new screenshot should appear on the desktop (or in the downloads folder). Move and Rename the image file to a folder for this exercise.
2. Working in Photoshop
- Open your image and rename the Background layer: Original
- Create a copy of the Original layer.
- Convert this layer using Pixelate > Mosaic. (find the point where you just begin to lose the image to abstraction). Name this layer Mosaic.
- Copy the Mosaic layer and use Stylize > Find Edges. Change the blend mode to Multiply. Lower the Opacity.
Name this layer Find Edges. - Copy the Original layer > Convert to Smart Object and use Blur > Gaussian Blur. Rename layer: Blur
- Experiment with Blend Modes and Layer Order on each until you achieve an interesting product.
*(You might also want to experiment by making copies of existing layers and adding another filter to it.) - Finally, you can add a color layer (Layer > Adjustment > Solid Color
and change its Blend Mode (shift +/-) also change the opacity settings
SAVE AS:
lastname_e1-mosaic.psd (this is the image from Photoshop saved with all layers)
lastname_e1-mosaic.jpg (Save AS, and change the format to jpg)
3. Working with Low and High Resolution
- Open the Original high resolution image file.
- Save AS: lastname_e1-lowres.jpg
- Menu Bar > Images > Image Size > Change the height to 200 px (maintain proportions)
Save Work As:
Images:
lastname_e1-ascii.png (this is the ASCII file)
lastname_e1-mosaic.psd (this is the image from Photoshop saved with all layers)
lastname_e1-mosaic.jpg (Save AS, and change the format to jpg)
lastname_e1-lowres.jpg (Image size is 200px height)
lastname_e1-original.jpg
(simply rename the original file to this)
Place all images in a folder:
lastname_e1
As you are working, keep a back-up either a Cloud Account or USB or External Hard Drive
When completely finished:
- Place in your CSUSM Google Drive and share with me (rhwalker@csusm.edu)
- OR Zip the folder, attach to an email to me from your CSUSM email account
Artist Links:
Georges Seurat - interesting interactive interface
Chuck Close @MoMA
Vuk Cosic - ascii Moving Images / ascii History of Art for the Blind
Vik Muniz - Pictures of Color 2002 / Pictures of Magazines 2003
Ian Wright
Melvin Galapon
Troika - Hardcoded Memory 2012
Daniel Rozin
Text References (these are referenced by the lecture):
M.E. Chevreul, "The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colours", 1855.
Leon Harmon, "The Recognition of Faces" 1973. (JSTOR)
Searching for Images with No Copyright Restrictions:
Google Image search (use "tools", usage rights: "Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification")
and "more tools": show sizes. Find an image that is more than 1200px. Copy the actual large image and not the thumbnail. Thumbnails are small and will have a generic name such as "downloaded.jpg" or "images.jpg". You want to instead click on the thumbnail to then download the larger version.