Lesson 5.1.2

02:00

Classroom Expectations

• Be kind
• Ask questions
• Raise your hand to unmute
• Have fun!

Warm Up Activity:

Lesson 5.1.2

photo collage

01:00

Photo Collage

A collage is the assembling of different colors, textures, shapes, and materials to create a new concept. A photo collage is a visual image summary where similar photographs are placed artistically in a single frame. When you put multiple photographs together, a strong association between each photo is created, and you can emphasize the story or idea you are trying to convey. The technique of photo collage involves combining full or partial (edited) photos onto a digital medium or surface. Photo collages generally have an overarching idea or theme. The digital medium has made collage activity easier and more comfortable for artists. Photo collage is a great visualization tool that can aid in visual thinking. . Photo collage can help associate and make connections between ideas that may not be visible at first glance.

Photo Collage Techniques

Color and contrast, balance and proportion, shape and patterns, materials, and other principles of design that you have learned before can help you create a collage for different needs and purposes.

Papier Collé or Paper Collage

Papier collé is a French term that literally translates as "pasted paper." This technique is one of the oldest methods of collage, where any printed or decorative paper is torn into pieces and then glued onto a surface. Picasso's early collage works included papier collé. What makes this collage technique unique is the exclusive use of paper to make the collages. Since paper is a tangible material in the physical world, in the digital world, this type of collage is usually achieved by using paper-like textures and overlaying them on digital images, adjusting the color to make it look vintage, and adding borders to simulate the edges of paper cutouts.

Photomontage

Photomontage is the technique of producing a whole new collage, often called a composite image, from fragments of pictures. Photomontages are abstract collages that use photos, pictures, or images in such a way that the new image created is a composite image with a theme, but the origins of the cutouts may be unknown or unclear. Look at the example image on the right. Each cutout in this composite image probably has a different origin. The cutouts together create an abstract photomontage collage with a theme. With plenty of digital software available, it is now a popular technique for creating collages.

Photo Mosaic

Photo mosaic is a big image collage composed of many smaller whole images. Look at the example image. The picture of the woman is made up of tiny pictures of makeup materials to give it a portrait effect.

Photo Manipulation

You have learned about this technique before. Photo manipulation is simply editing an image to add elements like shadows and textures or to correct colors, contrasts, and proportions. Photo manipulation is an essential component of collages because, in a digital environment, photos are often manipulated for use in photo collages.

00:30

collage layouts

part 2

Photo Collage Layouts

The arrangement of images in a certain manner can be defined as the layout of a photo collage. The arrangement of images depends upon the choice of images and the final intention of the collage. There are many layouts from which an artist can choose; they can be broadly classified into grid layouts and free-form layouts.

Grid Layout

A grid is defined as a series of lines that cross each other to form multiple squares or rectangles. In this style, photos are arranged in rows and columns, which act as an individual frame for each photo. Rows and columns can be of any shape or size. The photos might completely fill the grid pattern or fit inside individual frames and vary in size and hierarchy to show emphasis on certain photos. Individual photos in a grid collage may or may not overlap each other.

Free-Form Layout

As the name suggests, free-form collages do not have a rigid structure. If you want to overlap your photos, cut and rearrange them or add graphics or textures in any non-sequential arrangement, and then you can choose the free-form layout for your collage. The free-form layout is used for collages that are more abstract in nature. Sometimes in free-form collages, the original image's source might be obscured when looking at the overall photo collage.

Steps for Creating Digital Photo Collages

Step 1: Determine the purpose and theme of your collage before beginning. Think of the final intention of your collage artwork. Step 2: Find images related to the theme, idea, or purpose you have in mind, and gather them in one place. Step 3: Group the images based on attributes like color, shape, contrast, ideas, and products. For colors, you can go with multiple colors or hues and tints of color based on the emotion and mood of the collage and the color theory you learned.

Steps for Creating Digital Photo Collages

Step 4: Decide on the background of the collage, the orientation of the collage, whether it should be portrait or landscape, and the layout. Step 5: Sketch the composition, and create a framework for the final collage. Step 6: Check whether the framework is solving the purpose and an association is made between the purpose and your collage.

Steps for Creating Digital Photo Collages

Step 7: Understand how to layer the photos and whether they should overlap to create the maximum visual impact Step 8: Start putting the photos together, and make the collage using the software tools available.

00:30

photo collage, IRL

part 3

Collage as a Tool

Collage has become an essential tool for fashion designers, architects, business people, and graphic designers to visualize a project. It allows them to present an accurate and eye-catching depiction of an idea or proposal that the designer can easily alter to a client’s specifications. Collages are more impactful than simple photographs or drawings.

Fashion

Collage is usually the medium of choice for fashion campaigns and catalogs. Observe the collage on the right. It uses a free-form layout. Photomontage and photo manipulation are used to give the collage an abstract look.

Food

Collages for products and ideas displayed usually give clients details before using a product. The food industry often uses collages to make the food appealing and to show variety. Observe the photo collage arrangement on the right, which can be used for the cover design on menu cards or web advertisements. Photo manipulation is minimally used here. The layout is grid style with overlapping photos.

Interior Design

Collages of modern interiors can show variations in design and colors very effectively. In the interior design industry, collages are typically used on brochures, flyers, and websites to showcase the range of products and styles available. Observe the collage on the right. Photo manipulation is used to splice the image, and the grid layout gives the collage a seamless look to display a variety of colors and options offered on the products.

Travel

Collages have been used popularly in the travel industry, especially in travel magazines, to showcase the different landscapes and attractions a tourist can see and visit at their destination. Observe the collage on the right resembling a travel diary, showing different landscapes from Utah. The collage is a loose grid structure with overlapping photos and minimal use of photo manipulation.

Krita activity

part 4

“Celebrate Life” Collage *Optional*

Read the directions and complete the activity in Krita. Your theme for the collage you will be creating today is “Celebrate Life.” Press on the download button for each of the example image attachments (on page 10 in edio) and save them to your computer. Remember where you save these files as you will need them to create your collage.

“Celebrate Life” Collage *Optional*

• Open Krita and create a new artboard with the dimensions mentioned in the video (A4) and the orientation of your choice.
• Start by adding the photos you downloaded to the artboard. You can choose to use all the photos or some of them based on your preference. Choose the “Insert Many Layers” option.
• Use the Transform Layer tool (Ctrl + T) to resize the images.

“Celebrate Life” Collage *Optional*

• Use the Transform Layer tool (Ctrl + T) to resize the images.
• Use the Move tool to position your images. Arrange the layers in sequence, and use the Transform Layer tool (Ctrl + T) to rotate the images if needed.
• Optional: Add a background by using the fill (F) or color gradient (G) tool.
• Choose “Save As” to save your artwork in the .jpeg and .kra format. Name your file in the following format: FirstName_LastName_TravelAdventuresCollage
• Share your work with your teacher.

Next Time: Pixel Art

see you next time!

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