Design Integration Laboratory

Architecture 610

Project One -- Painting Architecture

Objectives

Exercise basic painting skills with Adobe Photoshop.

Explore computer-based architectural rendering.

Procedure

Find a color architectural image you like in a book or magazine you own or can borrow which expresses the spirit or feeling you would like to achieve in your current design studio project. In contrast to the operational focus of the programming investigations you've been working on, this image should be concerned with exploring and expressing somewhat abstractly the emotional/aesthetic/psychological sense of place you will work toward in your actual building design.

Using Photoshop, render your chosen image carefully by hand on the computer. Start your painting at a resolution of about 400 pixels by 500 pixels, vertically or horizontally oriented --if the image is too big, you will not have time to render it in detail, and if it's too small, there won't be room for detail.

As you render the image, experiment with different tools for drawing natural and man-made forms which may occur in your chosen image. Notice which tools and techniques work best for each. (Use "undo" liberally!) Explore the creative potential of Macintosh painting as you would any new media.

When you've completed your rendering and saved and backed-up your work, print a copy on the laserwriter printer at 283 Lawrence Hall to hand in. This printout will not capture the vividness of your painting on screen, but the image should be recognizable. Finally, you will hand in the actual color painting over the network, so your instructors can see the real thing.

To Hand In

1) Grayscale laserwriter printout with your name, the date, and the assignment printed on the front using the Caption option under Page Setup.

2) Print a second copy to bring with you to studio.

3) Hand in your file electronically, as will be described in class next week.