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Open Toolkits

Open Toolkits

OERs composed by MA Contemporary Art Theory Students

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  4. Pop Into Character: Create Your Own Movie Poster

Pop Into Character: Create Your Own Movie Poster

Introduction

overview:

This open toolkit guides learners in using photo-editing digital tools (Xingtu) to create a pop art-style movie poster featuring their favorite film character. Through this process, learners can deepen their understanding of the characteristics of pop art and movie posters while enhancing their proficiency with photo-editing digital tools.

objectives:

  1. This open toolkit will help learners understand the creative style and fundamental characteristics of pop art, as well as the basic elements of movie poster composition.
  2. During the creative process, learners will use photo-editing digital tools to enhance their proficiency with such tools, while fostering their innovation and creativity.

Expectations：

I believe everyone has a favorite movie character and dreams of creating a unique poster for them. Through this learning experience, participants can embark on an initial exploration of the interdisciplinary fusion of art and film, sparking new possibilities for visual expression that combine the two. Additionally, by learning and practicing poster creation with photo-editing digital tools, learners can effectively develop their photo-editing skills and foster creative thinking.

 

materials

A mobile phone or tablet with  Xingtu (醒图) installed.

 

Open Toolkit —Step 1: Select a Movie Character (1 min)

Choose a movie character you like, and either find a picture of the character or try to recall their distinctive features from memory.

 

Open Toolkit—Step 2: Learn About Pop Art Style (3min)

“Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the United Kingdom and the United States during the mid- to late-1950s…The movement presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular and mass culture, such as advertising, comic books and mundane mass-produced objects.One of its aims is to use images of popular culture in art…It is also associated with the artists’ use of mechanical means of reproduction or rendering techniques”(Wikipedia, last modified 16 November 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art).

 

Familiarize yourself with the basic characteristics of Pop Art:
  • Use highly saturated colors
  • repetition of images
  • dots, lines, and grids

 

Look at examples of Pop Art posters for inspiration, focusing on how they use color, texture, and typography.

 

A pop art-style illustration of a retro robot head, presented in a 2x2 grid with four vibrant color variations: red, green, yellow, and blue backgrounds.

Author:Roland Molnár Source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandakiroland/8141682790

An AI-generated pop art portrait of a blonde woman, with dot patterns used on her face, neck, and background. The image features vibrant colors, such as bright reds, yellows, and blues, enhancing the pop art effect.

Author:bingman666 Source:https://www.deviantart.com/bingman666/art/Pop-Art-1006625113

A pop art-style collage with colorful halftone patterns forming the letters "POP ART," accented with dotted textures. The image includes iconic pop elements such as a Campbell’s tomato soup can, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and a yellow banana, with bold black and white text below reading “by Andy Warhol.”

Author:gustavocavalari Source:https://www.deviantart.com/gustavocavalari/art/POP-ART-by-Andy-Warhol-79066545

 

Open Toolkit—Step 3: Plan Your Design (3min)

Envision the details of the poster：
  • the  position and size  of characters and the title
  • elements such as dots, repetition, and lines
  • the primary color scheme
*Here are some examples of movie posters:
A vintage movie poster for Too Hot to Handle with the title in bold red, blue, and yellow text at the center. Above the title are the names "Clark Gable" and "Myrna Loy" in black, while illustrated portraits of the main characters appear at the bottom.

Official movie poster for Too Hot To Handle (1938), directed by Jack Conway.

A black-and-white movie poster for The Generation of Evil. The upper half shows a group of formally dressed people standing together, while the bold white title is centered in the middle. Below, their reflection is tinted red, adding a dramatic effect.

Official movie poster for The Generation of Evil (2022), directed by Emilis Velyvis.

An animated movie poster for Sprite Fright. Five characters with shocked expressions stand in the foreground, illuminated by a flashlight. The title, Sprite Fright, appears in bold red jagged letters at the bottom, with glowing purple mushrooms and a dark tree in the background.

Official movie poster for Sprite Fright (2021), directed by Hjalti Hjalmarsson and Matthew Luhn.

 

 

Open Toolkit—Step 4: Create Your Poster (10min)

 

You can make two different movie posters with Xingtu, and the two methods differ starting from step 3!

Step 1: Find a photo of your favorite movie character and import it.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

 

Step 2: Go to the “滤镜(Filters)” section and select “新中式.” Here, you’ll find ready-made filters that align well with the characteristics of pop art. Apply them to create 4, 6, 9, or more variations of the image.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Method1—Step 3: Click on “拼图(Collage)” to combine these images into a grid.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Step 4: Select “文本(Text)” to add any words you’d like on the poster, and design the font, color, and placement to your preference.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

And you’re done!

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Method2—step3: Find a suitable background image and import it.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

step4: Click “导入图片(Import Image)”, select the image we created in step two, then click “智能抠图(Smart Cutout)” and move the character to a suitable position.

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

step5:Select “文本(Text)” to add any words you’d like on the poster, and design the font, color, and placement to your preference(Same as in the first method).
step6:Click “涂鸦笔(Doodle Pen)”, choose your preferred brush and color to embellish the poster (Dots better reflect the pop art style).

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Done!!

This image is an original design created by Yufan Wang licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Open Toolkit—Step 5: Share and Reflect (3min)

Show your poster to your classmates and discuss:
  • Why did you choose this character?
  • What did you learn about the pop art style and movie poster design through this activity?
  • What challenges did you face during the process?
Share your work on a collaborative platform or social media to showcase your creation, and leave feedback on others’ work.

 

Pop Into Character: Create Your Own Movie Icon Poster © 2024 by Yufan Wang is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Pop Into Character: Create Your Own Movie Poster / Open Toolkits by Kneel, Mulholland: Drive! is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

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