Parting Lines

Thursday, June 29, 2017 - 5:00pm to Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 5:00pm
Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery, 285 Dundas Street West
Website: 
https://continuingstudies.ocad.ca
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 2321
Parting Lines Poster

TYPE AND IMAGE STUDIO: ZINES - POP-UP

Thursday, May 11, 2017 - 5:00pm to Thursday, May 18, 2017 - 5:00pm
Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery, 285 Dundas Street West
Website: 
https://continuingstudies.ocad.ca
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 2321
Zine Poster

Portraits - CONTACT Photography Festival

by Nino Ardizzi
Thursday, April 27, 2017 - 5:00pm to Thursday, June 8, 2017 - 5:00pm

Part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Portraits is a group exhibition exploring portrait photography by OCAD U Continuing Studies students. It features a wide range of subject matter.

Please join us for the opening of Portraits on April 27, 2017 from 5-7pm at 285 Dundas Street West.

Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery, 285 Dundas Street West
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 2321

Continuing Education Information Session For Alumni

Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 10:00pm to 11:30pm

Since the spring of 2008, OCAD students can combine a minor with a major program of study.

Minors enable students to pursue a secondary field of study within their undergraduate program without compromising their major field. Each minor program entails 3.0 - 5.0 credits of coursework that does not overlap with the core requirements of the major.

This same opportunity is now also available to OCAD Alumni in two ways:

1) Alumni who have completed a BFA or BDes degree or an AOCA/AOCAD diploma may enroll in a Postgraduate Certificate Program. This is a credit certificate at the undergraduate level that mirrors the minor, but is taken outside of the undergraduate degree program. Some credits from the BFA or BDes program - but not more than 50% of certificate requirements -- may be applied toward the certificate, depending on how long ago the courses were taken.

2) Alumni who are currently enrolled in a degree completion program for the BFA or BDes at OCAD may opt for a minor in addition to the Liberal Studies courses required to top up the diploma. Some of these Liberal Studies requirements may be applied to the minor.

Most of minors (subject to space availability) will be available to Alumni as Postgraduate Certificate Programs as of Winter term 2008/09 (January - April 2009). Please see the OCAD web site under Minors (www.ocad.ca/minors) for a full list of current minors programs.

Please RSVP to Rachelle: rdickenson@ocad.ca or 416-977-6000 Ext. 402

Venue & Address: 
Room 284 100 McCaul St., Toronto, Ontario
Cost: 
Free

Earth, Sea, and Sky

Andrea Woermke, Sphere, Sheet metal and steel rods, 2016
Thursday, July 7, 2016 - 1:00pm to Thursday, September 8, 2016 - 11:00pm

A group exhibition exploring nature by artists from fibre, sculpture, and video courses in Continuing Studies at OCAD University. Landscapes, seascapes, flora, and fauna are featured in a wide range of media.

July 7 - September 8, 2016

Join us for the closing reception on Thursday, September 8, 5-7 pm.

Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery, 285 Dundas Street West, Mon - Fri, 9 am - 5 pm
Website: 
http://continuingstudies.ocad.ca
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 2321
ESS Poster

Light and Shadow

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 1:00pm to Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 9:00pm

Light and Shadow is part of the CONTACT Photography Festival and features works by artists who have completed photography courses in Continuing Studies at OCAD U.

Opening: Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 5:30-7:30pm

Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery, 285 Dundas Street West, Mon-Fri, 9-5
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 2321
Photograph of a woman by Kristin Lay

Contours

Angular Stool by Julia Lorimer
Thursday, March 17, 2016 - 1:00pm to Thursday, April 21, 2016 - 9:00pm

Contours is a group exhibition featuring works by artists who have completed the Chair Design and Fabrication course in Continuing Studies at OCAD University. 

March 17 - April 21, 2016

Join us for the closing reception on Thursday, April 21, 5-7 pm.

Venue & Address: 
Continuing Studies Gallery at OCAD U 285 Dundas Street West Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
Website: 
http://www.ocadu.ca/continuingstudies
Email: 
continuingstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x2321
Contours Poster

Five trends in comics and graphic novels

In recent years, the media have rung the death knell of publishing but, surprisingly, there is a wealth of graphic novels being published.

The biggest trends in comics

  • Digital platforms are looking for creators of compelling content.
  • Comics are being used as an accessible and engaging literacy tool.
  • Universities are finally recognizing the merits of the comics medium as literature, and as research and educational tool.

How to start your own comic or graphic novel

An emerging cartoonist doesn’t have to rely on a large publisher to have their work printed these days.

  • You can begin a blog and use social media to create an audience.  
  • Crowd funding can be used to publish your work (e.g., Kickstarter, Indiegogo).

The comics medium is flourishing because of self-publishing, smaller publishers, and an insatiable reading audience’s search for stories told by creators outside the mainstream media.

 

Fiona Smyth teaches a Comics and Graphic Novels course at OCAD U's Continuing Studies. She is also a Toronto-based painter, illustrator and cartoonist. Smyth's first graphic novel, The Never Weres, was published by Annick Press in 2011. A collection of her Exclaim comics, Cheez 100, was published by Pedlar Press in 2001. She illustrated Cory Silverberg's Kickstarter-funded picture book What Makes A Baby in 2012, re-released by Seven Stories Press in 2013.

How to become a fashion photographer

In my years in the fashion industry, I've learned a lot both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

Here are some things I've learned about fashion photography:

1. Fashion is one of the most exciting and creative types of photography you can actually get paid for.

2. The wilder your concepts, the more fun the production can be for a team. We make insane sets sometimes, for just one shot!

3. The reward of working with gorgeous clothing, shoes and accessories from world-famous designers every day is pretty special.

4. Sticking to your creative vision is key, but also being able to work collaboratively makes all the difference.

5. When that magical moment happens on set, where everything falls into place and you really know why you're doing this job, it's worth all the work.

6. Make sure your models are happy and fed. You can see an unhappy energy in photos instantly.

 

Thinking of becoming a fashion photographer?

If you want to be part of this world, here are my four tips:

1. Be nice! Be easy to work with, open to other's ideas, yet firm in what your vision is. No one wants to work with someone who can't roll with the punches.

2. Have a very concise vision for your portfolio. Don't have landscapes, and dogs, and people and cars. Curate your portfolio for the editor you are going to meet. Make sure your work reflects the brand of the magazine.

3. Constantly make more work. Even if you're not being hired to shoot, do creatives. Even my biggest photographers still do creatives to keep them moving forward.

4. Think outside of the box. Shooting in a studio all the time is easy. Going to a location and pushing yourself to learn lighting in an outdoor setting will take you leaps and bounds above the rest.

 

There's a lot of work that goes into the post production for your photos.

Here are my tips for making your photos look as great as possible:

1. If you're not a good retoucher, hire someone to do it for you. Retouching is a huge thing in fashion. If it's not done well, your work suffers.

2. Learn lighting. No great fashion photographer has ever made it by just shooting in natural light. Take courses on lighting, rent lighting and try everything until you can master that perfect light.

3. Use great lenses. You can rent professional lenses for about $40 per day. There is no reason to use your kit lens when you have all those amazing lenses to try out.

4. Make sure your images are tack sharp (unless you're going for a dreamy look). Images that are soft or out of focus are unusable for print in our publication. Make sure you know your f-stops, shutter speeds and focusing before you get into shooting with models.

5. Be excited about your work. You won't sell me on your work if you don't believe in it. Be passionate, and know who your influences are, because you will be asked who inspires you!

 

Erin Seaman teaches Introduction to the Business of Fashion Photography at OCAD University's Continuing Studies. She has been working in the photography industry for over 15 years, and has gained extensive knowledge in both film and digital backgrounds through her experience working and shooting in a commercial environment. Erin has owned her own studio, shot for a large range of companies such as Calvin Klein, the Globe and Mail, HELLO Canada and Toronto Life. She holds a BFA from OCAD U and is photo editor at FASHION Magazine.

 

Why isn’t fashion taking part in the wearable tech revolution?

By Robert Tu, founder of MeU, a wearable technology company
 

Wearable tech is a hot topic these days, especially with the release of the Apple Watch. Most devices on the market today, however, are focused on fitness, health or gaming, and most are not considered fashion pieces (with the exception of the Apple Watch). So what about fashionable clothing and wearable tech? When are we going to see that?

There are companies that are exploring fashion and wearable technology. Most of them are embedding LEDs in textiles, such as Cute Circuit in the UK, which makes video dresses for celebrities and other high-end clients. There’s also Switch Embassy, which is developing a social t-shirt whereby it can display tweets, photos and other social media data on your shirt. And, finally, there’s MeU, which has developed wearable digital signage for advertisers and experiential marketers.

Getting the average consumer to adopt this kind of clothing has proven difficult. One of the major reasons is social acceptance. People are not yet ready to wear flashing lights as a fashion statement. And even if they were, the price of these products is not accessible to the average person.

This is because the fashion industry and the tech industry are from two completely different worlds. Getting them to collaborate to make an affordable product will take time because they need to learn each other’s cultures, customs and processes. Another major challenge is the product life cycle of the two industries. The fashion life cycle is seasonal, whereas hardware electronics is annual and we haven’t found a way to resolve these two differences.

That being said, a recent announcement by Google and Levi’s sounds promising. Google recently announced a partnership with the iconic jean company: Levi's will make clothing out of Google’s new smart-fabric material. The possibilities are interesting. You could answer your phone by swiping on your sleeve, or take a selfie by touching your pocket.

It will be a while before you see fashionable clothing with embedded technology at your local clothing store. But it will happen. It’s just a matter of when.

You can learn more about wearable tech — and make your own — by registering for Robert Tu’s Introduction to Wearable Media course through OCAD University’s Continuing Studies.

 

 

Robert Tu is a graduate of OCAD University from the Graphic Design program. He also has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo, and worked as an engineer for a number of years before transitioning into business development at IBM. Since graduating from OCAD U, he founded MeU, a wearable technology company that is developing socially interactive clothing. As a designer, entrepreneur and engineer, Robert is interested in exploring the way we perceive clothing and how wearable technology can change our behaviours and interactions with each other and our environments.

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