Workshop Learning Resource 5 Spreading the Word, Sharing an Image Creating Stickers. Logos and Spray Painting Stencils

Overview: Continuing from last week, image manipulation skills in GIMP. Learning how to use the Trace Bitmap function in Inkscape to create stencils. Stencils created can be used to spray paint participants' designs on the laptops. Looking at other designers' work on the web.

1. Use the week3_resources_gimp.pdf we used last week to continue creating images.

2. To create stencils you need an image which has an outline which is easy to cut out and it is also useful to think about which parts of the image you want to cut out.

You can use this process for an image you have created yourself or a Creative Commons licensed image you have found on the internet.

First, open Inkscape from the Graphics section of the Applications menu

Open an image file in Inkscape: File—Open

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Next, click on Path in the tool bar and in the drop down menu you will see the Trace Bitmap function. Clicking on this will bring up a box:

The "Brightness cutoff" Threshold will effect the black vs white component of your image, and the "Edge detection" Threshold will give you an outline image like the ones below. The higher the number, the thicker the lines.

Click on the image in the main Inkscape window. In the Trace Bitmap box, by pressing the Update button, you should be able to see a preview of the effect changing the Brightness cutoff and Edge detection will have. When you are happy with the image in the preview window, press Ok.

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The file is ready to print, but you may want to reverse it before cutting out sections and spray painting your laptop.

In the Trace Bitmap window click the Invert Image box. This will give an image like the one below.

Click on Update, and then Ok – the image in the main window will now be reversed. Next, go to the main File menu and use "Save as" and save the image as a pdf file.

Your image is ready to print.

Before cutting out, think about how the paint you want to use is going to work with the stencil. You may need to test them using spray paint and to do a few test stencils first before getting it right.

3. Take a look at what other artists and designers are doing. People are making what is called non-standard media for artistic and activist purposes – eg Banksy, Adbusters. www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm www.adbusters.org Does their work give you any ideas for what you can create?

4. Are there any ideas you'd like to express in your images? Let's talk about what might be possible.

5. One can create larger A4 size designs or smaller ones to fit onto stickers. Importing

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6. Last week you uploaded some of the images you manipulated in GIMP to the ZDLT blog. If you'd like to upload your stencil designs just let us know.

7. There are 3 sessions left in this course. Is there anything you particularly want to do or learn to do? Tell us and we will see what is possible.

Conclusion: Using Inkscape is an easy way to manipulate an image to print out and use as a stencil. We have taken a look at other artists' and designers' work, talked about what kind of work you might create and you have uploaded designs to the web. We've talked about what else you would like to do on this course in the timw we have left

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