Visual Arts

In this course students use dry mediums, charcoal, soft pastels, pens, scratchboards, and inking to create projects. Students begin the class by focusing on improving their drawing skills by learning how to break down objects into basic shapes. Next students are introduced to values and tones by using charcoal to create grayscale still life artworks. The following two units, students focus on color, blending colors, and creating textures by using soft pastels to make a color still life drawing and an animal drawing. Next students improve their technical skills by creating artwork with stippling. They focus on values and precision in mark making.. Following this, students use subtractive forms of mark making to create an artwork from a scratchboard. Finally students do subtractive methods on a relief carving block to create printed images.

Students use wet mediums and focus on their painting skills. For the students' first three projects, they work with watercolors. With this medium, students practice mixing colors, layering paints, creating atmospheric perspective, and continue their study of color theory. They create a still life, a landscape, and an animal painting in watercolor. Next, students are introduced to gouache, which is used to create a flat graphic pattern design project and an impressionistic landscape project. Following this unit, students begin using acrylic paints to create an animal painting and learn how to create realistic textures through paint. In the final project, students use multiple media to create a finished piece. For this project, students demonstrate their drawing skills by creating a loose drawing of a cathedral and applying watercolors for tones and values. 

Prerequisites:

• Visual Art I. 

Art III students are challenged to go to the next level by focusing on portraiture. Students do eye, mouth, noise, and face studies. They will practice these in each of the following mediums: charcoal, soft pastels, pen & ink, watercolor, and acrylic. At the end of each medium's facial feature study, they will create a portrait drawing. For their final project, they must create a self-portrait using acrylic.

Prerequisites:

• Visual Art II

Students in this course explore the beauty of glass with an introduction into traditional stained glass window making and kiln formed glass. Students will learn to design and create their own pieces of glass art. Each consecutive course builds on previous skills. Additional costs may apply.

This class can be taken multiple times. 

This hands-on course is an introduction to the creative process of product design that covers orthographic and isometric drawing, modeling, prototype development, and reverse engineering. Students visualize and create 3D designs. Students will become familiar with woodworking and the proper handling of related tools. 

This class introduces students to the ancient craft of working with clay. Students will experience hand-building techniques, including pinch, coil, and slab. Wheel throwing is introduced with expectations for basic levels of achievement, including cylinder, bowl, and plate forms. As the semester progresses, experimentation with basic techniques will lead to more freedom and individual creativity. Informal group critiques and instructor demonstrations will reinforce student learning. Clay works created in this class, whether functional or sculptural, will be enjoyed for a lifetime.