Lesson video

Mixed-media digital art: combining traditional and digital skills, for Art and Design unit Foundation workshops: developing skills.

Hello, my name is Ms. Badrou.

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is: I can combine traditional and digital methods to create a mixed-media artwork.

Our keywords for this lesson are: mixed-media, layering, and composition.

Let's explore each keyword in turn to find out what they mean.

Mixed-media: using more than one artistic medium in a single artwork.

Layering: placing different visual elements on top of each other to create depth and complexity.

Composition: the arrangement of visual elements within an artwork.

So, those are our keywords for this lesson: mixed-media, layering, and composition.

Our lesson outline for mixed-media digital art: combining traditional and digital methods, has two learning cycles.

So let's begin with the first one: exploring mixed-media.

How might using both traditional and digital media change the process of art-making? Pause here for a moment and have a think about this question, and think about what you can come up with.

"I enjoy making art by hand as it feels more real, but I can control the process more digitally," says Laura.

"Having more ways of making art available allows me to feel creative in new ways," says Sam.

"Being able to undo or edit elements digitally helps to take the pressure off," says Alex.

Mixed-media means using more than one medium in the same artwork.

For example, combining collage, paint and photography.

By combining materials, styles and methods, mixed-media opens up more creative possibilities for artists to experiment with.

Working with traditional methods allows for hands-on engagement with physical materials to explore visual outcomes in a tactile environment.

Digital tools allow editing, layering, and new visual processes and effects.

Together, mixed-media expands creative possibilities, generates new ideas, and allow for new modes of expression.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

What does the term "mixed-media" mean in art? Is it: A: Using only pencils and paint? B: Editing photographs digitally only? Or C: Combining different artistic mediums in one artwork? Or D: Using textures without color? So, pause here for a moment and think about this question and your answer.

We'll resume together again shortly.

Okay.

What do you think? Let's take a look.

And the answer is C.

Mixed-media means combining different artistic mediums in one artwork.

Many artists experiment with different combinations of mixed-media.

Sonia Boyce merges photography, drawing, collage, and digital installation, demonstrating the versatility of mixed-media and how it can be used to explore culture, identity, and memory.

Mickalene Thomas integrates photography, digital editing, and hand-applied materials, like paint and rhinestones, creating richly layered works that combine traditional and digital practices.

Artworks can be scanned or photographed, then imported into a digital art software.

This makes it possible to integrate analog textures and marks into a digital composition, as well as manipulate, adjust, and add new layers to them.

Here, textures from a handmade watercolor painting were digitized and layered with a photograph of a tiger.

Notice how analog and digital media compliment each other and create something new.

Digital scans of an artwork should be done at the highest quality possible to improve the quality of the final artwork.

A flatbed scanner set to at least 300 DPI, dots per inch, records a level of high detail.

If a scanner is not available, or the artwork is too large or 3D, then a photograph can be created.

Photograph artworks under even, natural lighting for the best results.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding with the following question.

Why might an artist scan or photograph a traditional artwork before editing it digitally? A: To copy it exactly and avoid making changes.

B: To share it online only as a digital composition.

C: To make the image a black and white composition.

D: To integrate analog textures and marks into a digital composition.

Pause for a moment here and think about your answer to this question, and we'll resume again together shortly.

Okay.

What do you think? Let's take a look.

So, the answer is D, to integrate analog textures and marks into a digital composition.

Let's bring our focus and attention to Task A.

Number 1: Create a range of textures through drawing, painting, or other traditional materials.

Part 2: Digitize this work using a scanner or camera.

So, pause the video here to undertake this practical task, and resume when you are ready.

Let's come together to look at feedback for Task A, in which you were tasked to create a range of textures through drawing, painting, or other traditional materials.

You might have said: "I made this combination of textures," say Lucas, "by using charcoals, inks, watercolor paints and spray paints.

I scanned them in, made the image black and white, and increased the contrast so I could see the textures more clearly." Okay.

Let's bring our focus to our second learning cycle, which is, applying mixed-media techniques.

Let's continue.

With a scanned artwork, digital software provides a range of different tools for creative experimentation and editing, such as: Layers let you stack, rearrange and edit specific elements.

Adjustment tools can alter an individual layer or the whole image, editing qualities like opacity, contrast and brightness.

Digital brushes can be used to add texture or more detail.

Selection, transform and crop tools allow you to manipulate a layer or the overall composition.

Textures in artworks made through painting, drawing, printing, or through other traditional art-making techniques can be scanned separately and then combined digitally and developed further to create layered artworks.

Changing opacity or blending mode for each layer in a digital artwork will reveal different relationships between elements.

Digital brushes can be used to mimic the effects of traditional materials, or you can use adjustments to exaggerate the textures to develop atmosphere and mood in the artwork.

To arrange elements into an effective digital composition, you might consider principles like balance and contrast.

How effectively have balance and contrast been used in this artwork? Pause here for a moment and reflect upon this question: what do you think? To create balance or contrast, you might consider use of color and space.

You might incorporate composition techniques like the "rule of thirds," "the golden spiral," or a geometric or abstract one.

Applying compositional techniques makes digital artworks more visually engaging.

Okay.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

What does layering allow an artist to do in digital software? Is it: A: Create depth and flexibility by stacking images or textures? B: Flatten all elements into one background? C: Erase mistakes automatically? Or D: Permanently merge all edits? So, pause for a moment here and think about your answer to this question, and we'll resume together again shortly.

Okay.

What do you think the answer is? Let's take a look.

And the answer is A, create depth and flexibility by stacking images or textures.

A common misconception of digital art is that it lacks the creativity or authenticity of traditional methods.

In reality, digital tools expand, rather than replace, traditional forms of creativity.

Artists can blend hand drawn, painted, or textured work into digital layers to achieve unique results, or print and alter digital artworks and photos by hand.

There are many ways you can approach experimenting with traditional and digital mixed-media processes.

Artworks or textures made through traditional methods can be digitally combined, enhanced, edited, or added to.

A photograph can be digitally drawn into, or printed out and painted onto.

Digitally made artworks could be printed, cut, glued, and collaged into a new composition.

Artists might use Augmented Reality, AR, technology to overlay digital animation onto a physical artwork.

By incorporating digital technology, there are a range of approaches artists can take to exhibiting mixed-media art.

Jenny Holzer blends traditional text-based art with digital projections and LED installations, demonstrating how analog ideas can be powerfully transformed using new media.

Nam June Paik pioneered video art, fusing traditional artistic practices with new digital and electronic media, showing how technology can extend the possibilities of mixed-media art.

The choice of source material can act as a driving force which motivates the approach artists take to mixed-media processes.

Maurizio Anzeri stitches directly onto found vintage photographs, combining traditional textile embroidery with photographic imagery, bridging tactile craft and digital-era visual culture.

Ben Hecht layers landscape and ocean photography through processes, painting and drawing.

His work shows how traditional mark-making can coexist with photographic and digital imagery to create new meanings.

Okay.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

True or false.

"Digital art is less creative than traditional methods of art making." Is this true or false? So, pause for a moment here and think about your answer and why, and we'll come together again shortly.

Okay.

Let's take a look.

What do you think? The answer is: false.

And why might this be? Digital tools expand, rather than replace, creativity.

Artists can blend hand-drawn, painted, or textured work into digital layers to achieve unique results.

Let's bring our focus to Task B.

Experiment with your chosen combination of traditional and digital media techniques to create a hybrid mixed-media artwork.

Pause the video here to undertake this practical task, and resume when you are ready.

Let's come together and focus on feedback in response to Task B, in which you were tasked to experiment with your chosen combination of traditional and digital media techniques to create a hybrid mixed-media artwork.

You might have said: "I made this mixed-media landscape composition by painting directly onto a printed photo," says Sofia.

"I then scanned it in digitally and adjusted the levels to increase the contrast and make it more vibrant." We have now arrived at our summary for mixed-media digital art: combining traditional and digital methods.

Traditional and digital methods can be combined in art to create a range of mixed-media visual outcomes.

Analog and digital media can be merged effectively by using layering and composition principles.

Textures and surfaces can be used in digital media to create images which look handmade.

I hope that you have thoroughly enjoyed this lesson, as much as I have enjoyed teaching it, and I hope that your portfolio and your vision expands further, looking at both analog and digital methods to create new visual outcomes.

Okay.

Until next time, take good care, and bye for now.