Introduction to Digital Art

Subtitle: Basics of Art & Design with Adobe Creative Cloud
Author: Kristen R. Kennedy
Editor: Kelsey Smith

About This Book

This book was created with help from a special grant (a gift of money) called FIPSE, which comes from the U.S. Department of Education. This money helps make textbooks better and more affordable. However, the ideas in this book are not official rules from the Department of Education, and the government has not officially approved everything in it.

This book uses something called a Creative Commons license. That means anyone can copy, change, or build on this book — even to make money from it — as long as they give credit to the original creators and share their new version using the same kind of license. If you use parts of this book somewhere else, you should say it came from the College of Lemoore, in Lemoore, California.

Some pictures and information in this book came from other places with different rules, and those parts are not included in this sharing license. Also, some work made by students is used with special permission. That student work cannot be copied or shared outside of this book.

About the Pictures: The images in this book are either free to use, in the public domain (meaning nobody owns them), or used under "fair use" rules, which allow small amounts of copyrighted work to be used for teaching. Some pictures were made by students and are used with their permission. If you own a picture in this book and did not agree to have it used, you can contact the author at kristenkennedy@whccd.edu to have it taken out.

Cover Art: The cover picture was made by an AI (artificial intelligence) art program called DALL-E 4.0.

How AI Tools Were Used to Make This Book

Several computer programs powered by artificial intelligence (computer systems that can "think" and create) helped make this book:

• ChatGPT (versions 3.5, 4, and 4.0) helped organize the chapters based on what students needed to learn. It helped make the writing clearer, cut out repeated ideas, and suggested extra details. It also helped create the source lists (called MLA citations) and the glossary (a list of important word meanings). It also helped format the practice activities.
• DALL-E 4.0 created original AI-made pictures for the book.
• Grammarly AI checked the grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and helped make the writing clearer, shorter, and stronger.

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Table of Contents

Preface

• About This Textbook
• Authors' Intentions
• How to Use This Textbook
• Our Educational Philosophy
• Acknowledgments

Foreword

Chapter 1: The Digital Art Revolution

• Learning Objectives
• Introduction to Digital Art
• What is Digital Art?
• Evolution of Digital Art
• Cultural Significance of Digital Art
• The Creative Process in Digital Art
• Evolution of Digital Art (continued)
• The Contemporary Digital Art Scene
• Conclusion

Chapter 2: Digital Art Foundations

• Learning Objectives
• Introduction
• Digital Art Studio Set-Up
• Exploring Digital Art Software
• Adobe Cloud Software
• Interface Metaphors
• Exploring Digital Color Management and Color Profiles
• Resolution
• Conclusion

Chapter 3: Web Wizards & Digital Sources

• Learning Objectives
• Introduction
• Legal and Ethical Considerations
• Image Search on the Web
• Advanced Search Techniques
• Copyright & Licensing Your Work
• Appropriation

Chapter 4: File Organization for Creatives

• Learning Objectives
• Introduction
• Digital Art Asset Management
• Best Practices for Storing and Sharing Files/Data
• Conclusion

Chapter 5: The Digital Design Process

• Learning Objectives
• Introduction
• The Concept and Design Process
• Ideation in Digital Art
• Compositional Elements and Principles of Design
• Compositional Concepts of Design
• Compositional Techniques
• Visual Hierarchy in Design

Lesson 1: Vector Graphics (Adobe Illustrator)

• Vector Assignments
• What is Logo Design?
• Gestalt Theory in Relation to Figure-Ground Studies
• Quick Tool Tutorials: Vector Graphics in Adobe Illustrator
• Additional Resources
• Vector Graphic Exercises
• Portfolio Project: Reimagining a Popular Logo with a Humorous Twist

Lesson 2: Digital Photography (Lightroom)

• Photography Assignments
• What is Photography?
• History of Photography