Using a Projector for Art

Art projection is an invaluable educational aid in the art room. Use it to help students develop drawing skills. For special events and displays, project and enlarge images and lettering to create giant banners, posters, and stage backdrops.

Projectors are available in all types, shapes, costs, and makes. Recognizing the need for a projector and making the right choice is a very important decision. The right projector can greatly increase and improve productivity and creativity.

With so many projectors on the market, the decision can be a difficult one. Here are some considerations to make your choice the right one.

Why a Projector?
Projectors primarily do one thing; they project an image of something onto a work surface for tracing, scaling, and viewing. This allows the teacher to size, view, or lay out a particular design or composition with incredible speed and accuracy, while still maintaining creative integrity and control. The image can be reproduced exactly or can be used merely as a proportioning or layout guide to aid in the creation of a new design. With roots as far back as 1000 AD, the projector allows a teacher to be more productive, efficient, and creative.

Choosing a Projector
You must first determine what your needs and limitations are. Below are some considerations to help you get on the right track:

* How much do you want to spend?
* Do you want the image projected onto a tabletop, vertical surface (i.e. canvas, easel, wall etc.), or both?
* What is the maximum size of the original copy that you want projected?
* Do you want to enlarge the original, reduce it, or both?
* To what size do you want to enlarge or reduce?
* Do you want a portable or stationary projector?
* What are the ambient or room lighting conditions?
* Can the lights be turned off?
* What are the size limitations, if any, of the room you will be using?

Once the above needs have been thought out, you can begin to shop around and ask the right questions.

Here are some other features to consider:

Copy Size
Look for a projector with a copy area that will accommodate the bulk of your copy needs. Usually, projectors with larger copy areas are more expensive. The largest copy area available in opaque or art projectors in today's market is approximately 10.5 inches square.

However, there are always ways to get around a projector that has a small copy area. For example, if the projector is top loading, the original can be moved around and projected in sections or you can simply reduce the original copy on a copy machine to fit the available copy area and enlarge as needed.

Lighting
Projectors come equipped with either a halogen or incandescent lighting system.

Halogen offers a very bright white light, which is excellent for use in reproducing photographs and/or highly detailed images. Although superior performers, halogen bulbs are expensive to replace, hot, and usually only available from the manufacturer. Be sure to ask for replacement bulb costs, and, if purchasing, buy a spare. There are a couple of cautions with halogen bulbs. Do not jolt the projector while it is in use or still hot, and do not touch the bulbs with your hands. This will either blow the bulb or shorten its life.

Incandescent bulbs used in projectors are the same as those used in the home, but are a larger wattage and provide photo quality lighting. Though they are not as bright as halogens, they produce an excellent image, and they are both inexpensive and readily available at local camera and some hardware stores.

Lens
The lens is where the construction of any projector begins. Generally, the more elements the lens has, the better the resulting image and greater the cost. Try to get a projector that has a multi-element lens. However, it is most important that the lens be precision ground and designed specifically for the projector.

Mirror
Be sure the projector you choose features a front surface mirror. Front surface mirrors have the reflective coating applied to the front of the mirror instead of the back. This type provides the sharpest and brightest image.

This article is courtesy of Artograph, www.artograph.com.