When Dr. Bugajska-Bigos invited me to be a part of the International Art Project devoted to Andy Warhol, I was thrilled. Since Warhol was a revolutionary in modern art, developing new techniques and styles as technology progressed, I thought his work was perfect to use as a means of exploration in 3D computer graphics. And I also took this as an opportunity to teach about Andy Warhol and his art in relation to the effect of social media on pop-culture.
Andy Warhol died 30 years ago, but his visions and commentaries about society are even more valid than they were in 60s and 70s . With billions of images uploaded daily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., his predictions of mass media enveloping culture are truer than he could have ever imagined. His ultra-colorful images, often multiplied and filtered, blurred the line between art and everyday life; something that social media continually perpetuates. Along with the accessibility to tools that make it easy to create, the internet has allowed for an instant global sharing system that has the power to turn anybody into an “artist”.
Inspired by Warhol’s Pop-Art, I developed the idea of this blur in my Digital Fine Art class. I asked my students to think about how Warhol manipulated simple images in order to expose and critique the consumption of society.
After exploring his ideals and philosophy, I had the students take photos of their own faces. We then uploaded the images to Photoshop, and using the Polygonal Dispersion technique, we broke up the faces (as well as the background) into a random array of polygonal shapes.
As a final project we converted the portraits into 3D forms; multiplying and layering them, while varying contrast, color, and gradient in the background.
POLYGONAL 3D (LOW_POLY) SELF-PORTRAIT WITH SKIN DISPERSION (EXPLOSION) AND 3D ANDY WARHOL INSPIRED ARTWORK
Objectives:
Conceptual Objective:
The students will manipulate various geometric polygonal figures in order to create a unique 3D self-portraits inspired by the art of Andy Warhol.
This lesson will have three different steps:
- Polygonal Face and Polygonal Landscape
- Skin Dispersion/Explosion
- 3D Warhol Project
Learning Objective:
The students will explore how to:
- use Polygonal Lasso and Filters
- create a geometric shape with a flat color field with an average color
- create unique Gradients
- create 3 D objects using PS6/CC
- create Warhol inspired 3D compositions
- take make an “explosion”/dispersion effect of their skin/hair/body
- Starting up on composition
- naming layers
- making sure the background is blur (Iris or Tilt)
- shifting and changing skin pieces
- learning PEN TOOL
- The Importance of a correct selection
- Creating LOW_POLY selections from a center point
- Breaking Self-Portrait to various Triangles and Polygonal Geometric shapes
- Learning about different shades and skin tones
- Polygonal Lasso Tool
- Grid
- Rulers
- Adding to and subtracting from selections
- Edit_Fill
- FILTER_BLUR_AVERAGE
- Repeating Filter functions with Ctr+F
- Making difficult selections with the Refine Edge future
- Using the Pen Tool to select an area of an image
- Converting a path to a selection
- Filling in polygonal selection with gradients
- Creating unique gradients
Correlated Objectives:
- Art History: CUBISM and Andy Warhol
- Science
- History of Photography
(d) Instructional Activity:
The teacher will demonstrate how to use 3D panel on Photo-shop. The teacher will also introduce the students to Andy Warhol artwork. The students than use their own Polygonal Self-portraits (with the skin explosion /optional) to create an artwork inspired by pop-art creator Andy Warhol. The students with use: cubes, soda can, hats, rings, and cylinder shapes.
- Assessments:
The students will be assessed based on their citizenship/participation
Self-reflection: (to be verified after class)
EXAMPLES of 3 STEP PROCESS:
- Polygonal Landscape and Polygonal Self-Portrait:
- Skin Dispersion/Explosion:
- 3D Warhol inspired project:
Students’ works:
