Amazing what a little creativity on the whiteboard can do. Our first year students worked in groups to brainstorm a story idea and then went about recreating the tale visually, capturing each moment with a digital camera. The 300+ frames were stitched together to create the final animated productions. The votes were close, but one emerged as the class favorite. Which one do you think it was?
Halloween was the perfect time for the first-year students in Sean Thorenson’s Digital Illustration class to create a series of seasonally appropriate ‘masks’. Using symmetry and only two spot colors, this assignment demonstrated the challenge of designing with limited color as well as the efficiency of the reflect tool. We have a lot of scary-good talent in this year’s group! Here are just a few of the illustrations from the classes.
After four weeks of analog illustration, our Graphic Design and Communications students opened Adobe Illustrator today — many for the first time.
I remember my first time launching the program — 28 years ago. Just a few things have changed about Illustrator since its inception in 1987. For one, the splash screen.
The unofficial covergirl of this vector workhorse was always a creative incarnation of Botticelli’s famous painting ‘Birth of Venus’. She graced the launch of the app up until Adobe went the way of the Creative Suite in 2003.
If you’re a designasaur like me, you probably remember these images.
Among the many basic production skills covered in the first semester, digital illustration students are currently busy working with vectors in Adobe Illustrator. In a recent assignment they were to create Halloween-inspired two-color illustrations using symmetry and transformation tools to simplify construction. They’re constantly applying the creative process to implement and refine their productions while adding to their mastery of the application. Below are just a few of this years’ creations. Happy Halloween from all of us in GDC!
©Marcus Taken Alive
©Alyza Yasenchack
©Kylie Susag
©Tyler Betts
©Carlee Gifford
©Bethany Reitan
©Shane Spilker
The first year Digital Illustration students recently completed an analog assignment where they were pushed to illustrate an object using different illustration styles and traditional mediums. For many it was an experimental voyage into trying something new. For others it was continued practice in an area they already excel. Below are just a few of the images captured from this assignment.
‘Moth’ by Alysha Yasenchack
‘Key’ by Marcus Taken Alive
‘Flower’ by Kylie Susag
‘Cactus’ by Emily Schumacher
‘Coffee’ by Bethany Reiten
‘Pup’ by Taylor Lemer
‘TV’ by Jamaika Lee
‘Cactus’ by Carlee Gifford
‘Lighter’ by Tyler Betts
‘Cap’ by Michaela Ahrendt
The North Dakota chapter of the American Advertising Federation, AAFND or AdFed, recently held its annual awards show – the Addys – in Fargo. BSC Graphic Design and Communications students competed in the juried competition against other students of two and four year institutions represented in the district.
This year, seven BSC sophomore students won nine awards for their outstanding demonstrations in design and photography. MiKayla Pfaff won a Gold Addy for a digital illustration of a gold pocket watch. Josh Schaefbauer won a gold for his studio photography piece entitled ‘Let’s Drink’. Parker Bachmeier won two Silver Addys for his personal stationery design and a poster design for the BSC Theatrical Production of ‘The Foreigner’. Brandon Veen won a Silver Addy for his poster design for the BSC Theatrical Production of ‘How I Learned to Drive’. Aaron Bechtle won a Silver Addy for his studio photograph entitled ‘Coffee Delight’. Jessica Edinger won two silvers for her studio photographs entitled ‘Spice Your Life’ and ‘Drink’. Larree Janssen won a Silver Addy for her photography ‘Dragonfly’.
All Gold Addy Award winners are automatically forwarded for judging at the District 8 Addy Competition that will take place in Green Bay, WI on March 23.
The GDC graduating class of 2017 won a Gold Addy for the sixth edition of PROOF Magazine, an all student designed and produced publication. Since 2012, PROOF magazine has collected three Addy Awards. The seventh edition of PROOF is currently in production.
Several Graphic Design and Communications graduates were also part of award-winning projects this year. Rob Burke, Jamie Vetter, Caleb Hauff, Nathan Long and Jade Neumann were among the alumni honored with Addys as well. Neumann, a 2017 graduate, was awarded two Silver Addys. One for the ‘Shortcuts’ Poster Design and the other for ‘Create’, an illustration. Long, a 2016 graduate now attending Moorhead State University, shared in a Gold Addy for a web site design for ‘The Fargo Project’. This entry also received the only ‘Best of Digital’ Student Award. Burke, 2009 graduate and owner of Yarn Media, received 3 Gold Addys and 1 Silver for his cinematography and editing work. Vetter, also a 2009 graduate, netted four Addys – a Silver with co-creator of the Shortcuts Poster, Jade Neumann, and three Addys as part of his work with Agency Mabu. Hauff, 2014 graduate and co-founder of Threefold, shared in over ten awards – four Gold Addys, five Silver Addys and the only Best of Show given this year.
Congratulations to all award winners and all of the students that entered. Because the Addy is universally recognized by the creative industry as a signature achievement, receiving one is great validation for the professional and creative work produced by our GDC students.
MiKayla Pfaff’s digital illustration of a gold pocket watch received a Gold Addy.
Josh Schaefbauer’s Moscow Mule in ‘Let’s Drink’ captured a Gold Addy.
Parker Bachmeier’s personal stationery package received a Silver Addy.
Bachmeier also received a Silver Addy for his poster for ‘The Foreigner’.
Brandon Veen received a Silver Addy for his ‘How I Learned to Drive’ play poster.
A Silver Addy was awarded to Aaron Bechtle for his ‘Coffee Delight’ photo.
Jessica Edinger won a Silver Addy for her ‘Spice Your Life’ photo.
Larree Janssen’s up-close-and-personal photo of this dragonfly won a Silver Addy.
Nathan Long (2016 graduate), won a Gold and Best of Student, Digital for his collaboration on ‘The Fargo Project’ web site.
The Silver Addy Award-winning Shortcuts poster was a joint effort between Jamie Vetter (2009 graduate) and Jade Neumann (2017 graduate).
Jade Neumann’s illustrated ‘Create’ design won a Silver Addy.
The first year students recently completed one of the most time-consuming and technical assignments of the first semester: the vector product illustration. Success of this particular assignment hinges largely on the reference image as well as the quality of the path construction. Sampling colors and building custom gradients contribute greatly to achieving photorealism.
Patrick Hammersmark
Meggan Decoteau
MiKayla Pfaff
Witney Nielsen
Josh Schaefbauer
Courtney Emmil
Jackson Murphy
Freshmen students recently completed their first vector drawings using Adobe Illustrator and the pen tool. These illustrations were based on an earlier analog assignment where they needed to visually depict a hink pink, or two-word rhyming riddle and render it in ink. The original drawings were scanned and placed into Illustrator so that they could trace over them using the vector drawing tools they’ve learned over the past several weeks. See if you can guess these hink pinks riddles.
The first year students in Sean Thorenson’s Digital Illustration class recently executed their first original vector drawings. Using a scanned image of their hand drawn inking, the pen tool and a lot of patience, the students created this motley crew. This image may appear to be inked, but it is a 100% digital vector creation.
Kevin Tong is a freelance illustrator living and working in Los Angeles. He is well known for his striking limited edition, screen-printed posters commissioned by major bands (The Black Keyes and Bon Ivers) and major movies such as Gravity, UP and Wall-E. Kevin will spend all day at Bismarck State College talking to art and graphic design classes during the day and will give an evening presentation discussing his work and creative/artistic process. The evening presentation is free and open to the public.