“How creative can you be?” Professor Patric Lawler challenged his Art 262 Foundations in Digital Art class. The “iPose” exhibit, featured through February 6 in room 202 of the Lowman Student Center Gallery, is their response.
According to the Sam Houston catalog, the purpose of this three credit introductory course is to educate students to create art using a computer. The course covers digital software and techniques while incorporating personal creative expression. For this specific assignment, Lawler asked the class to create a life-size self-portrait and design a board game using Adobe creative software.
These students put their wits to the test and a brilliant display of talent is the result. The board games lining the tables of the exhibit not only display a unique design, but the instruction manuals for the rules of the game and necessary folds in the board for proper storage. Themes of space shuttles and Winnie the Pooh cause the observer to smile as the personalities of the students are illustrated. Erin Branch’s anime game is among these designs of self-expression.
Drawing the eyes of the passing people, the self-portraits of all the students reflect each individual’s style and interests. Christopher Zillox transformed himself into the red and black, rectangular portrait in the center of the exhibit. Lauren Tribe’s portrait is located to the far right of the exhibit, a series of small photographs and images forming her body. Nathiel Pacini presented a thought-provoking portrait as he shows himself gazing above, on bended knee with hat in hand. Through the assignment, the students gained greater skills in creating computer art, as well as a better understanding of themselves as they looked within for inspiration.
“My first impression of the assignment was that it was going to be lame, but once I actually got into doing it, I started to enjoy it,” Tribe reflects. She spent hours of class time working on her project using Photoshop, her own photographs, and referencing outside sources to create the “ink-splattered” effect.
For students who desire to be educated in the creative Adobe software, as well as a course to challenge their creativity, Digital Art 262 is the place to be. “I came into the class not knowing how to use a lot of the programs we covered throughout the semester. I learned a lot,” Tribe says. “If anyone wants to dig into graphic design and digital animation, I recommend they take this class.”