Photoshop for Artists & Calligraphers

with Trish Meyer

Location: African American Performing Arts Center, 310 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM (see note below re free parking*). Map

Dates: 3 days – Thursday–Saturday, JUNE 12–14, 2014

Times: Thurs/Fri: 10:00am – 5:00pm; Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm

(Setup time Thursday 9AM – 10AM; we may need to be out by 4pm on Saturday.)

For Registration information, please see sidebar to the right >

Description

Adobe Photoshop CC is a powerful tool that can expand the creative possibilities available to you as an artist and calligrapher. This class will demystify the major sections of Photoshop important to artists and calligraphers, as well as how to get images into and out of the computer (scanning and printing).

The instructor Trish Meyer has many years of experience using Photoshop professionally and creatively. Rather than learning “magic spells” that may only work in special cases, you will learn the fundamentals and best practices for using Photoshop in a variety of tasks from entering a show to creating printed materials featuring your art for websites and print marketing. This will be a small class (6-10) and all attempts will be made to answer your particular workflow and requirements.

What you will learn:

• using Adobe Bridge to view, organize and batch rename files
• understanding pixels, file sizes, and resolution
• working with Image Modes: grayscale, RGB, CMYK
• understanding file formats (PSD, TIF, RAW, JPEG, PNG)
• best practices for scanning your calligraphy or line drawings vs. color images
• understanding anti-aliasing (bitmap versus grayscale)
• exploring the Photoshop interface, tools, and panels
• cropping, straightening, and transforming images
• using Image Size to change size and resolution
• making selections using various tools and features
• using Image Adjustment for color correction
• retouching images and removing artifacts
• using Layers for compositing (stacking) images
• understanding transparency, layer masks, and alpha channels
• compositing calligraphy (or line drawings) using selection tools
• compositing calligraphy (or line drawings) using alpha channels
• creative uses for blending modes
• using the Type tool
• adding layer effects to text or calligraphy (glows, bevels and drop shadows)
• benefits of the Pen tool for creating paths and masks
• preparing images for websites and art competitions
• introduction to the Camera RAW workflow (check if your digital camera can be set to RAW)
• comparison of pixel-based compositing versus vector illustrations
• requirements for commercial printing
• discussion: printing on unusual papers or grounds
• discussion: printing your artwork; dye vs. archival inks

Prerequisites: All Levels welcome; no prior Photoshop experience is required but you should know how to open and save files and perform other basic tasks, plus, a belief in your ability to learn new things and a knowlege that you are smarter than a five-year old...

Recommended Reading:

• Book: Photoshop CC: Essential Skills: A guide to creative image editing by Mark Galer and Philip Andrews (Focal Press). Amazon link:
  Photoshop CC: Essential Skills: A guide to creative image editing
• Or any Photoshop CC book that says it covers the "essentials" and is not aimed for "painters" or "photographers".

About Your Instructor

Trish Meyer is a founder of Crish Design, one of the first studios to create major-release film opening titles using desktop tools. Along with her husband Chris, she is the co-author of the best-selling books Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects and After Effects Apprentice. As an Adobe Influencer, she has taught motion graphics at many conferences including Adobe MAX and the HOW Design Conference, as well as directly to clients such as CNN and Scripps Networks.

Trish also creates training materials for lynda.com, and designs websites for artists and galleries using Dreamweaver and Wordpress. Previously, Trish had an extensive career in print first as a magazine art director for music technology magazines before running her own desktop publishing and consulting business. She is a mixed media artist who has dabbled in calligraphy for the past decade, studying with Denis, Brody, Yves, and others. She is represented by The Gallery ABQ, New Mexico. Her website is a prime example of the cobbler's shoes...

* Parking

Enter via the NM Expo San Pedro entrance between Lomas and Central. As you enter the driveway, it is the first buiding on the left, right by the entrance. It has its own parking lot which is NOT subject to parking fees for NM Expo events; if there is a parking attendent, ell them you are going to the African American Arts Building parking lot, then turn left. The classroom is on the ground floor, right side of lobby.