Photo51

© bill agee 2011, all rights reserved / Seurat is still excited to run to dinner after 14 years. Picasso watches leisurely in the background and Gucci will amble in shortly.

FESTIVAL OF ARTS THIS SUMMER / For those of you who would like to see the art show on the Festival of Arts grounds in Laguna Beach and get free tickets send me a Stamped / Self-Addressed / Return / Envelope. I will send you two tickets per request. If you need more, send me an email and i will do what I can.

For those who don't know this show, there are 140 artists... no its not the sawdust festival.. that's a second rate show down the street. Just kidding about that.. it's a good show also, just different... more crafts, toe rings, glass blowers, stuff like that. The Festival of Arts is the King of the Laguna Beach summer art shows and now in it's 80th year.

Here is the Festival of Arts website link... http://foapom.com/ Click on the "exhibitors" link.

Just a note, I am showing paintings and maybe a few photographs this summer. We have a sales booth there so Artists don't have to be there all day all summer and I won't be coming down except for 2 or 3 times a week unless the summer starts to swing. Good music on the grounds... look at the schedule on the website... every night about 6-8 and saturday afternoon Jazz concerts...

Email me if you have any questions about the show... Parking is the issue in Laguna.. I can email you a map of the neighborhoods that are close to the festival and you can walk down.. Bring quarters to laguna as the meters are 25¢ every 15 minutes downtown and in the canyon. MeterMaids are relentless so don't go over the time unless you want to pay $30+ for a ticket... It think some of the meters are smart ones now and take credit cards, but I am not totally sure.. I park in the neighborhood where there are no meters and walk....

I am teaching Tuesday nights starting in the Fall ... Tuesday August 23 is my first day of class... Only one class for me from now on... Photo 160. The intermed / adv Color shooting class. It will make you a much better photographer. Don't sign up unless you had the beginning photo shooting class …. photo 50... or you have been shooting digital or film for a for a number of years with a SLR type camera.

NO SLACKERS POLICY is my new mantra for class. I am not interested in anyone signing up for class who is going to be constantly arriving late and leaves early or misses a lot of classes. Don't sign up if that's your M.O. It annoys me and it keeps people out who really want learn the material but are unable to signup. We cover a lot of ground and the class is programmed to make you a significantly better photographer in 16 weeks. Trust me...it works! Ask any serious person who has taken it. Some of my best students sign up to take it again. We only have 24 regular seats / stations in the Village 32.2 classroom. It's in the portable down on the lower campus... same machines as this semester in TAS 227....large 27" iMacs. Great Screens. Also the 3800 printers... top quality printing. I had a great class in Photo 160 this semester. 26 people out of 30 finished the class. Nine of the 14 students in the Student Art Show this spring were current or former students of mine. You can still take the class up to 4 times like any art class... that is unless the rules get changed this summer. I know the tuition will be higher. I don't think I need to remind you that California is broke and getting broker each day.

Have a great summer and watch out for the tornados and the tsunami.

Posted by bill agee at 4:52 PM | Permalink

As you can tell, I love Wexler's digital collages. That's why I show them to you so often. They are realistic, imaginative, humorous and extremely well done. I don't think anyone is doing it any better today on the internet. His level of achievement is certainly something to aspire to. I love these silly/serious looking cows! They always make me laugh.

THIS IS THE LAST REGULAR CLASS OF THE SPRING 2011 SEMESTER.... 5PM TO 9:50PM

BURN DISK IN CLASS... or bring a disk burned at home... THIS MUST BE READABLE ON A MAC SO TEST IT IN THE SCHOOL MAC. All 8 assignments with ALL LAYERS INCLUDED.

LABEL FILES: seat #_firstName_2ltrsLastName_51S11_assign#-image#.psd.

EXAMPLE
31_bill_ag_51S11_8-1.psd,
31_bill_ag_51S11_8-2.psd. ... etc

++++NO JPG FILES AS THEY DON'T RETAIN LAYERS.

+DRAG INDIVIDUAL FILES INTO A SINGLE FOLDER ON DESKTOP
+LABEL FOLDER: yourname_51S11
+USE BILL AGEE'S HANDOUT WITH INX HOW TO BURN DISK ON YOUR CLASSROOM MAC.

HINT: to duplicate a file on the desktop, hold down option key, click on file, drag and drop... this will create a duplicate. You can do the same with a complete folder of files...

+++ IMPORTANT: Note that in this class, I want my copies of your files to be reduced to 150 dpi files because with lots of layers, the files can become very large if you leave them at 300 DPI The 150 size keeps the files large enough for me to review in detail on a computer, but won't substantially reduce my limited storage space.

+++BRING SLEEVE TO PROTECT DISK from scratching or preferably a SMALL ZIPLOCK BAG WORKS JUST FINE.

+++YOU WILL HAVE FROM 5PM TO 7:15PM TO WORK ON YOUR FINAL ASSIGNMENT AND PREPARE FILES TO BURN ON THE DISK. FINAL CRITIQUE WILL LAST SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 7:30 AND 9PM.. YOU MAY CONTINUE PRINTING DURING THE CRITIQUE AND AFTER THE CRIT IS OVER I WILL BE HERE UP TO 10PM.

I WILL ALSO REVIEW ANY PORTROLIO PICTURES THAT I HAVE NOT YET SEEN. THESE ARE REQUIRED AND PART OF YOUR FINAL GRADE... HOWEVER, I DON'T KEEP THEM... I JUST CHECK THEM OVER BEFORE THE END OF CLASS.

Posted by bill agee at 11:20 AM | Permalink

WHAT TO DO IN CLASS THIS WEEK / You should all know this by now...

1. FINISH UP YOUR FINAL SELF-ASSIGNED PROJECT... for next weeks final critique. This is your #1 goal for this weeks class. You will have a couple of hours next week to burn disks and finish up, but try to get everything done this week if you can.

2. SHOW ME YOUR PRINTED PORTFOLIO... I want to sign off on all that work with the exception of the last project which you can print up next week. Remember, you will keep all your prints as a portfolio of your work.

3. WE WILL GO DOWN AND SEE THE PRIZE WINNERS IN THE STUDENT ART EXHIBIT. Tuesday is the big night and we will go down at 6:40pm again to hear the music and also hear who won the prizes... which will be announced at 7:15pm.

4. PREPARE YOUR FILES WITH THE PROPER CODING. Start to prepare your files this week to burn on a disk for the final crit, next week on May 10th. You will also need a zip lock bag to put it in unless you have a disk case. I don't want scratched up disks I can't read.

I will have a handout for you on how to burn a disk on your class macintosh. If you choose to burn it at home, you must be sure to test it on the class machine to make sure I can read it on my mac.

Posted by bill agee at 11:59 AM | Permalink

5:15 PM, STUDENT SHOW GALLERY VISIT / We will go down between 5:15 and 6:15 pm this coming Tuesday, April 26th and see the STUDENT ART SHOW. You will also get a chance to vote for your favorite works for prizes that will be awarded the next week on Tuesday May 3rd. THE TAS 227 CLASSROOM WILL BE LOCKED DURING THAT 1 HOUR VISIT.

TONIGHT, WORK ON YOUR FINAL ASSIGNMENT / Only two more weeks left to finish this final assignment #8 and to get all your files in order. We will have a FINAL CRIT / #8 in two weeks on Tuesday on May 10th. Remember, this final project is yours to choose. I don't get involved. Do a project in Photoshop that you want to do. One suggestion I mentioned in class last Tuesday... your own digital xmas card…. Others have chosen to do a final collage project. I will be spending my time helping your complete your assignments.

TUESDAY, MAY 3RD / the week after this, is the final working session and we will devote ALL the time to completing your final projects and any other ones that are due. PLEASE COMPLET ALL PRINTING OF YOUR INKJET PORTFOLIO THIS DAY AND SHOW ME YOUR WORK. It goes rapidly, but some of you have waited until the last minute.

TUESDAY, MAY 10TH / THE LAST SESSION / THE FINAL CRIT/ PLUS ANY PRINTS TO SHOW ME IF NOT SHOWN ON THE WEEK BEFORE / BURN A FINAL DISK and hand it in at the end of class...All 8 assignments with ALL LAYERS IN TACT. Burn at 150dpi so files are not so big. You can keep your originals at 300 dpi if you like. YOU WILL HAVE 2 HOURS TO WORK ON ALL THIS BEFORE WE START THE FINAL CRIT AT 7:30PM. You will need to show assignment #8 AND ANY OTHER ASSIGNMENTS YOU HAVE NOT YET SHOWN IN CLASS..

NOTE: I HAVE A HANDOUT ON HOW TO BURN A FINAL DISK IN CLASS. BRING AT LEAST TWO DISKS IN CASE YOU MESS ONE UP...PLUS YOU MAY WANT TO MAKE ONE FOR YOURSELF. ALSO HAVE A ZIPLOCK BAG OR A CD CASE TO PUT THEM IN. YOU CANNOT TURN THEM IN WITHOUT SOMETHING TO PROTECT THEM AS THEY WILL SCRATCH AND MAKE THEM IMPOSSIBLE TO READ.

TUESDAY, MAY 17TH / FINALS WEEK ....Hopefully none of you will not have to come in during finals week on tuesday, May 17th between 5 and 7pm. That is the last day you can turn in your work for credit and is there for students who missed the final critique on May 10th and didn't have all their files together to turn in that night. The preferred time to turn it in is the week before on May 10th, our final full class and final critique.

LABEL AS FOLLOWS / seat #_firstName_2ltrsLastName_51S10_assign#-image#.psd.

EXAMPLE
17_bill_ag_51S11_5-1.psd,
17_bill_ag_51S11_5-2.psd. ... etc
NO JPG FILES AS THEY DON'T RETAIN LAYERS. REDUCE THE SIZE OF YOUR LARGE .PSD FILES TO 150 dpi.

BURN DISK WITH ALL IMAGES ON THIS FINAL NIGHT, You need to test the disk on your mac in class BEFORE YOU TURN IT IN to make sure my mac can read it. IF I CAN'T READ IT, THEN YOU WON'T GET CREDIT FOR THE CLASS.

SHOW FINISHED PRINTS OF ALL ASSIGNMENTS / you don't have to show the last assignment #8... since you may not have it finished. However, you can print them on your final night next week so you have a complete portfolio. I don't keep them. They are for you, but I look them over to see how well you made them.

Posted by bill agee at 9:12 AM | Permalink

The artwork for inclusion in the 2011 student show has been selected by faculty members. Full Time faculty got 40 votes and part time faculty got 20 votes...There are only part time faculty currently teaching in the photo department....

PICK UP ARTWORK NOT SELECTED / Entrants need to go to the gallery on the following dates and times and pick up any work that was not selected for the show. Probably the easiest thing to do is pick up your work Tuesday and Wednesday before you come to class. There are a few spaces for pick-up only parking around the gallery traffic circle in the green zone and plenty of student parking down in the big parking lot down the hill toward the Mall.

Pick Up times for works not selected for the show:

Mon. April 18 10 – 4 pm
Tue. April 19 12 – 8 pm
Wed. April 20 12 – 8 pm

**PLEASE NOTE: the gallery is not responsible for work not picked up.

This year awards will be selected by YOU the students in our second “Student Choice” awards. You will have a week to review the work on display and vote before the AWARDS to be announced at 7:15 pm at the Artists Reception/Awards “Potluck”ceremony held on Tuesday, May 3 from 6 – 9 pm with food, music, awards, and fun.

This means that you need to come in and vote for your favorites the following hours and dates: Monday, April 25 – Saturday, April 30th @ regular gallery hours: Mon., Tue., Wed., 12-4; Thur., 4-8; & Sat. 10-2.

SPECIAL FOR OUR CLASSES / Bob Rickerson, the gallery director and I talked last week and he will meet both my classes between 5:30 and 6 to let our two evening classes vote on Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25th. You can either go directly to the gallery at that time or we will walk down from the classroom at 5:15 together

…NOTE THAT THE CLASSROOM TAS227 WILL BE LOCKED BETWEEN 5:15PM AND 6:15PM WHILE THE CLASS IS VISITING THE GALLERY ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, APRIL 24TH AND 25TH. Class will resume at 6:15.

Posted by bill agee at 1:47 PM | Permalink

This will be a short post. Busy week and a busier weekend. You know the drill by now so I will keep it to the essentials.

TYPOGRAPHY CRITIQUE / will be next Tuesday at 7:30pm. You will have until 7:15 pm to complete this assignment. Remember, some of you were sitting around thinking about doing a very complex assignment...Just get something done. Simple concept executed well beats a complex project half done. Without exception, I want everyone to have their work labeled properly and in the file folder no later then 7:15pm. Some of you have gotten into the habit of waiting until the last minute. You need to do the best you can do on this job with the time that you have been given. I don't expect you to put 40 hours into this project. If you stay in class and do your work, you will be fine.

These illustrations on this page are a few student examples from last semesters class....

THIS WEEKEND, START PLANNING YOUR CONCEPT FOR YOUR FINAL ASSIGNMENT #8 / A PROJECT OF YOUR CHOICE / Try to make this an interesting project by using a bit of imagination. More creative and imaginative projects get higher grades. A nice collage project, a brilliant retouch, a creative recolor job… etc… all will do the trick. Those that are finished early this coming week can start working on the final assignment in class. Also you need to go back and look to see if you need to work on or add to any of the back assignments. Anyway, we are coming quickly to the end of the semester... We only have three weeks left of regular class. Keep the momentum going and you will do just fine. Most of you have been doing well for the earlier part of the semester and I don't expect that to change in these last weeks. Be sure and keep printing your assignments.

LAST WEEK OF REGULAR CLASS / TUESDAY, MAY 10TH. Here is a list of things you need to have completed for that day.
1. Show me your portfolio of printed images of all assignments. They can be in an envelop or an inexpensive letter size portfolio folder. You may show me prints for Assignments # 1-7 a week early and print #8 this last week. This is your portfolio and you get to keep the prints. I just need to see that you printed them.

2. Assignment #8 / on the front printing computer and ready for final critique at 7:15 pm along with any other assignments you haven't shown to the class.

3. CD / DVD of all assignments in Mac readable format labeled correctly and adjusted. They need to be UNFLATTENED, WITH ALL LAYERS. You may reduce the size to 7" long dimension at 150dpi (instead of 300 dpi so they will all fit on the single Disk... Remember you need to test this disk in class to make sure it's readable on a mac…. If I cannot read it on my mac, your grade is in jeopardy.

NOTE ON FINALS WEEK / TUESDAY, MAY 17TH. / 5 - 7 pm / If you turned in all your materials on MAY 10TH, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND THIS CLASS. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE FINISHED FOR THE SEMESTER. This is only for people who somehow fail to have their work ready on MAY 10TH.

JUST REMEMBER, I WILL ONLY BE HERE FOR TWO HOURS THAT ON MAY 17TH.. BETWEEN 5 AND 7PM...

Have a great weekend.

Posted by bill agee at 6:31 PM | Permalink

Just thought I would toss up a few examples I saw recently on the internet. You may have seen them as they have been around a few times... however they are better than most of the photoshop junk I see coming around...like kitties with wings or a dogs head on a snake... completely bizarre stuff...

At least these are mostly humorous and imaginative...and imagination is what designers and artists use when they finally get past all the mechanical training that is involved with art.

Come in with some really imaginative projects, professionally done and your grade will go up as we finish the final few laps of the semester. You should start to think about what you are going to do for assignment #8 even as we are just starting to work on #7 the typography project.

Remember to bring some magazines in to use as a visual template if you are intending to do a parody for assignment #7. Typography will be a nice change of pace for you.. as it's both practical and easy to learn. Be sure to read as much of the information as you can on the site that I linked on page 2 of the handout I gave you last week.

Now here are the pictures I wanted you to see.

All images © Erik Johansson 2011, all rights reserved

Posted by bill agee at 10:12 AM | Permalink