Abstraction with Digital Pixels

Notes

Teacher-facing slide. Use before class to open the lesson plan, student materials, Fractal Studio, and any links needed for today. This slide can be skipped when presenting to students. Decision Points: Will you demonstrate how to use the Fractal Pixel tool or will you use the slides? How will students access the URL (e.g., email it to them, Post it in Google classroom…) Will you have students retrieve computers for the second half of the lesson at the beginning or during class? How will you help students remember their passwords from the week before to login (e.g., reminder to check email, look up names on a list, find piece of paper I gave you last week)

Say

Today we’re continuing our Pixels & Possibilities expedition. Yesterday, we created pixel art by hand. Today, we’re going to take those same ideas into a digital environment.

Say

Look at the three characters on the screen. Which one gives you the strongest ‘pixel vibe’? Take about 90 seconds to make a quick sketch of the image you think best represents pixel art. You don’t need to make a perfect copy. Focus on the features that make it feel pixelated. Then turn to someone near you. Which image did you choose, and what made you choose it?”

Do

Listen for observations such as: visible squares stair-step edges chunks of color fewer details sharper edges rather than smooth curves Use student language to transition into the discussion of abstraction and resolution.

Say

Yesterday, we learned that pixel art requires us to decide which parts of an image are most important. Thumbs up when you recognize the character. Here are some early sketches made while developing the character that became Sonic the Hedgehog. Even before creating the digital version, the artist was experimenting with the basic shapes and features that would make the character recognizable. What features seem to stay important across these different sketches?

Do

Invite 2–3 observations. Draw attention to overall shape, head, eyes, spikes, body proportions, and other recognizable features.

Say

Lets compare the drawing with the version that appeared in a video game. The artist had to translate the character into a limited digital space made from pixels. That means some details had to change or disappear. But even after simplifying the image, we can still recognize the character. Yesterday, when you turned an image into paper pixels, you had to decide what to keep and what to leave out. There’s a name for that process: abstraction. Abstraction means simplifying something by focusing on its most important features. Artists and computer scientists both use abstraction to make complex ideas easier to work with. That is abstraction: keeping the information that matters most while leaving out some details.

Say

Take a close look at these two versions. What are two to four differences you notice? You can use the word bank if it helps. Think about the edges, the amount of detail, the shapes, and the way the colors are grouped. Close with…Have you ever zoomed to much into an image and it loose like the Sonic on the left? Pixelation occurs when the individual pixels of an image become visible, usually because the image is enlarged beyond its original resolution. Pixelation demonstrates how image quality depends on the number of pixels available. Pixel artists frequently zoom in to edit individual pixels and zoom out to evaluate the overall composition.

Do

Invite students to call out observations. Possible responses include: one has larger visible squares one has more detail one has smoother curves one has more stair-step edges colors are grouped into larger chunks features such as the eyes or spikes are represented differently Pixel Sonic: d8svp22-ef3ed0bc-b43e-474a-bb78-c2a6f5461033.png (293×349)

Say

Which of these images is the most abstract? [Pause for students to vote] As the number of pixels decreases, the artist has fewer squares available to represent the image. That means more details have to be removed or simplified. When there are less detail we call that An important point: more abstract does not mean worse. It simply means that the artist is representing the idea with less visual information.

Do

Ask students to hold up finger to vote to support interactive discussion. Invite a few students to share their thinking and why. Identify which features still allow them to recognize the most simplified image. Reinforce that abstraction involves making purposeful choices about what information to keep.

Say

The number of pixels used to represent an image is connected to its resolution. A lower-resolution image uses fewer pixels, so each pixel has to do more work. There is usually less room for detail. A higher-resolution image uses more pixels, which gives the artist more opportunities to show smaller details. Higher resolution does not automatically make artwork better. It simply gives the artist more visual information to work with. It also means that we, the viewer have more information to interpret. Close with– today you are going to use a tool to create digital pixel art inspired by some of our work yesterday.

Do

Use the two images on the slide to visually compare the larger squares on the left with the smaller, more numerous squares on the right.

Say

Before we start creating, I’m going to show you how to enter Fractal Studio and use the tool. Then, you will explore and create yourself. You’ll use the login information from last week when you took the student survey.

Do

Demonstrate the login process before asking students to log in themselves.The lesson plan recommends demonstrating the tool before students begin independently, particularly for students using it for the first time. The next 5 slides can Distribute or direct students to their assigned Fractal Studio URL, login names, and reference material from yesterday to create or . Demonstrate or play the video of the interactive walkthrough BEFORE students login. The interactive walkthrough is also included in the Pixel Art Inspiration Deck for independent review. Remind students how they should access that deck.

Say

Once you enter Fractal Studio, you’ll see several creative tools. Today we are using the Pixel Art tool. Later in Fractal, you’ll get opportunities to explore the Algorithmic Art and AI Art tools, but today our focus is pixels.

Do

Demonstrate selecting the Pixel Art tool.

Say

Here is your digital canvas. Each square acts like a pixel.Remember each pixel is only one color. To create, choose a color from the palette and then select the squares you want to fill. Once you are done save your work so we can review it later. Today, you’ll create two versions of an image, so make sure you save the first one before changing or starting your second version.

Do

Demonstrate or use the animated slide to how selecting a color placing pixels changing colors saving an artwork Consider having students watch the full demonstration before they begin clicking in the tool.

Say

If you want a little more structure while learning the tool, you can choose the Paint by Number pathway. This still allows you to experiment with choices such as color and resolution, but it gives you more guidance about where pixels can go.

Do

Briefly demonstrate how to access the Paint by Number option. Remind students that choosing this pathway is always an option, not a lower-level assignment.

Say

What if you want your artwork to include more detail? You can change the size of each pixel. A grid with smaller squares gives you a higher resolution. That means you have more pixels available to represent details. A grid with fewer, larger squares gives you a lower resolution and usually requires more abstraction.

Do

Demonstrate changing the resolution/grid size.

Say

If you run out of room, want to try a different resolution, or decide you want a fresh canvas, you can begin a new artwork. Remember to save anything you want to keep before starting over.

Do

Demonstrate starting a new artwork or changing the canvas as appropriate.

Say

You have a couple of ways to approach today’s activity.You can make your own pixel artwork, either by recreating your paper artwork from yesterday or creating something new. Or you can use the Paint by Number option and experiment with changing the colors and resolution. Choose the pathway that helps you explore today’s big idea: how the number of pixels changes what an image can communicate.

Do

Help students choose a pathway based on interest, confidence, and readiness. Students may work independently or collaborate with a partner while still creating and saving their own artwork

Do

Teacher-facing divider slide to help gauge lesson pacing and highlight the transition into the main activity. The activity is designed for approximately 25 minutes. This slide can be skipped when presenting to students.

Say

Your goal is to create two versions of the same image.First, create a more abstract version using a lower resolution or fewer pixels. Save that version.Then create the image again using a higher resolution or more pixels. This version can include more detail. Save that version too. You can recreate yesterday’s paper artwork or choose something new from the inspiration collection. Your challenge is to make both images recognizable even though they use different amounts of visual information.

Do

Have students log in and begin working. Keep this slide projected during work time. Circulate and ask questions such as: What is the most important feature of your image? What did you remove in the lower-resolution version? How did adding more pixels change your image? Could someone still recognize it with even fewer pixels? What details became possible once you increase the resolution? Encourage students who finish early to: experiment with another resolution change the color palette create an original artwork begin the Artist Interview Give students a 5-minute warning before transitioning.

Say

Pair up with another artist and compare your work. Choose one or two questions from the screen.You might talk about what you kept or removed, patterns you notice, how the number of pixels changed your representation, or whether you preferred working on paper or digitally. Make sure both people have a chance to explain their artistic choices.

Do

As students finish the task early, transition to this slide for students to pair up with a nearby classmate. Encourage students to compare both their lower- and higher-resolution versions when answering. If time is limited, select one question for the whole class to discuss rather than using all four.

Say

Let’s put today’s ideas together. A pixel is a square of a single color. Pixel art is digital art created by arranging pixels to form images. All the images and graphics we see on computer screens are built from pixels. And today we saw that when artists have fewer pixels available, they generally have to use more abstraction. They have to decide which information matters most. More pixels can give us more detail, but more detail does not automatically make one artwork better than another. These are different artistic choices.

Say

Throughout Fractal, we’ll occasionally take a short Pit Stop.A Pit Stop is not graded. It is a quick chance for you to reflect on what you understand and for us to see whether there is anything we should revisit. This one is only a few questions. Complete it independently.

Do

Distribute the paper Pit Stop or share the digital form. Allow approximately 2–3 minutes for completion. If class time is limited, the lesson plan identifies the Pit Stop as optional.