Rancho Graphics

Design a Skateboard Deck

 

There are going to be MANY components to this project. This will not be a project that we work on for a week and its finished. This is a long-range project that will take a significant amount of time however there will be benchmarks along the way so you can track your progress. DO NOT FALL BEHIND.

This project will constitute a large portion of your semester grade so please, take it seriously.

 

Your deck should include things that inspire you, have influenced you, that make you happy, make you smile, have helped to make you who you are today, will help make you who you will be come in the future, etc. This needs to be a very personal project.

 

Such as: If I am into anime, I might make an anime character out of myself in the style of Naruto. I might include symbols of other things in my life like a piano if I play the piano, or a couple of piano keys, perhaps worked into the bakcground where they don't overshadow my main character image but they are there all the same. I might include cheese if I love cheese and have it cleverly around my deck in some fashion, or I might give something the look/texture of cheese but its something else entirely. Do you see where I'm headed with this? Think OUTSIDE the box. WAY outside.

 

1. Sketches

The first portion of this project entails you using paper and pencil or pen. In your Design notebook, make 20 rough sketches of your idea/s for your deck. "I don't have 20 ideas" -- not yet you don't, but you will. Remember, this project needs to be personal. Include little things from your life in  your sketches. Not everything you sketch will you incorporate into your final piece but its a good start toward finishing.

 

2. Template

A template for the skateboard has been created and uploaded. Please USE THIS so your skateboard deck is the proper size, shape, etc. for when we print them and apply them to the physical skateboard decks. You will notice on the template that there are guides around the outside and inside of the deck. Your design must extend to the largest set of guides. This will be our trim line. The inner-most guides denote the "safe zone" where all of your important information will go.

 

SOMEWHERE along an edge inside the "safe zone" I would like for you to put the copyright symbol, your name, first and last as well as the year. Don't make it stand way out and just in 11pt type.  "Option" and "G" will get you © on the Mac.

 

3. Implementation

This project needs to emcompass your knowledge base up to this point. This will include Photoshop and Illustrator. For this project, we will establish workshop days where we learn those pesky things like skintone shading, the gradient mesh tool and more.  On Workshop Days, please plan to devote your entire attention to the presentation so you maximize our classtime to the fullest. We will plan to do 1 Workshop per week so you will be learning new things weekly that you can and likely should, incorporate into your skateboard deck.

 

4. Naming your file/s for submission

Please remember that you must label your files correctly. Period, First Name, Last Name and name of project. i.e. "P2-EnglebertHumperdink-Sk8boardDeck.ai"

 

5. Written component

This is required. You need TWO items here
A. An Artist Statement: This is where you tell the viewer what it is they are looking at when they are viewing your deck. You need one good, solid paragraph explaining the symbolism behind everything included on your deck.

B. A summary of your experience: This is where you explain to me what you learned --new skills, new techniques, etc. -- you explain the difficulties specifically that you had, how you overcame them, and your overall learning experience. This should be no less than a 5 paragraph paper done in ALA style.

BOTH written components should be free of grammatical errors, spelling and punctuation errors and should be written for maximum impact to your audiences.

 

6. Design Team Reviews

Instead of having just two people critique your work, we are going to have entire class periods dedicated to 4 people's critiques. As such, we will have 9 days of critiquing. Each table will critique their members with the exception of the Pink Table which will split and each member will join another team for critiquing so all teams should have 9 people. Your team will review your design, verbally. You will answer questions and they will provide you with feedback. Things that you can use, such as "Did you think about..." not "Hey man, that's cool" because compliments are great but they are not a critique. You will make suggested changes and you will have multiple design team reviews prior to production.

 

7. Benchmark Assessments

This is a long-range project. We will have benchmark assessments to insure everyone is learning. This means that there will be times when I come around and give each of you a sills assessment. You will stop what you are working on, open a new window and we will have a short test where I ask you to perform some basic tasks for me and you show me you are able to accomplish these tasks. This is how your mid-term grade will be determined.

 

8. DUE DATE

Personally I think a good due date for this project is in February so we will have time to apply the prints to the decks and make them perfect in time for our art show this Spring that Rancho will have. Additionally our class will have its own art show at either North Las Vegas City Hall or at my gallery. Location TBD and wil be based on availability.