Documentation

Required Reading:

Documenting Your Work

Why we’re doing this:

We will develop our professional skills by practicing digitally archiving our work. It is important to learn how to create effective high-quality photos/videos of your work because it will not only prepare us for the basic requirements of being an arts professional, it is also a skill that will help you in any field.

What’s required:

  1. After each project, you will post documentation images on your class blog
  2. Scan or photograph your work (I recommend scanning whenever possible – it’s faster and higher quality). The files must be 300dpi and at least 7 inches on its short edge. If you are scanning, make sure the color settings are set correctly for an accurately colored scan (do a test scan to see if it is working), or if you are photographing, make sure the lighting is even and/or that you are color-correcting in Photoshop. The images you submit must look like your original artworks. If your work is time-based, record it using video.
  3. Be sure to crop the images to include only the artwork (no spiral bindings or space beyond the page). You are responsible for all the information at Documenting Your Work.
  4. You will upload your files to your class blog as a single post. Name the post “Project _____ Documentation”
  5. You will submit a link to your blog post on Canvas as a part of your project reflection.

GRADING

  • Photographed/scanned from a level angle (no slanted edges because you are above/below the drawing as you shoot), Lighting is even, images are sharp
  • Color is accurate in comparison to the original piece & Good contrast (not over-manipulated via filters/adjustment layers)
  • Pages are cleanly cropped (no spiral bindings or backgrounds showing), 300dpi & at least 7 inches on the short side

Scanning:

Visit the VML, Star Store labs, or the library to use their scanners. Ask for help if you need it.

How to COMBINE multiple scans into a single image (if your sketchbook doesn’t fit nicely on the scanner):

  • Scan both halves of the drawing (make sure your scanning a lot of overlapping area so the computer can match the scans). Keep both files open.
  • Follow the directions in this video (it can take a little while to load):http://screencast.com/t/ccgj289X

EXAMPLES OF GOOD & BAD:

I scanned this sketchbook page (this would get an “A”):
This is what the student turned in (this gets an “F”):

This image is poorly lit, poorly cropped, crooked, it has a date/time stamp (NEVER turn on your date/time stamp when documenting artwork).  Additionally, the file was mis-labeled.