Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
in-person studio art class
Design is a form’s visual appearance, message, and purpose and a primary way that we as humans make sense of ourselves, each other, and the world, it encompasses many types of activities and crosses many disciplines. Every day we interact with countless forms of design as we process information, organise objects, and filter opinions, design is both expression and communication.
This course is an introduction to two-dimensional design in which we will breakdown and analyse the visuals of our media saturated world. It is a class in which it is essential to be open-minded and engaged with exploring new ideas. Curiosity is key here and students should think of the class as a laboratory. Assignments will have specific challenges and limitations built in for students (individually and as a group) to respond to with design principals.
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to design fundamentals such as balance, unity, line, shape, texture, color and
more.
2. The student will be able to develop personal design concepts and creation of original works of art.
3. The student will be able to identify and analyzing specific characteristics and elements in a design-based
work of art.
4. The student will be able to analyze the process, materials, history and life of the artist concerning a
particular piece or artifact.
Students are required to purchase a number of supplies to complete this course. Supplies are to be purchased from Blick (or equivalent art store) or big box store (Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc). Typical materials used in this class are:
Graded graphite pencils
Ink pens
kneaded and pink pearl erasers
Gauche paint
Brushes
A mixing palette (an old dinner plate works well)
A jar for water (pickle jar etc)
Scissors, glue, tape, x-acto knives and cutting mats
A mixed media pad with pages no smaller than 8.5”x11”
Some of these supplies will be provided by the college. During first class the instructor will disclose what is to be provided and what is to be purchased with a more detailed materials list document, this will also be uploaded to Blackboard.
Textbooks
There are no assigned textbooks for this course. Any and all readings will be provided by the instructor as PDF digital documents and uploaded to the courses Blackboard.
This course is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in 2D Design principals. Through a combination of lectures, assigned projects, class exercises, and video screenings, students will develop their vocabulary and understanding of line, shape, colour, composition, rhythm, texture, weight, and gestalt. Students in this class will explore ideas, processes, and history that enable them to grow technically and conceptually in their understanding of both applied (graphic design) and non-applied (fine art) 2D design.
Oral communication skill development
Design students will need to defend aesthetic decisions made in the completion of their projects through a critique process. Critiques will allow the student artist to verbalize thoughts and ideas that they used in the creation of their work, while group discussion will develop a student's vocabulary to analyse the work of their peers. Students will also be questioned on their aesthetic results. Talking about one’s own work helps the artist justify decisions and pinpoint areas needing improvement.
Critical thinking skill development
Critical thinking in the studio arts involves decision making. The use of aesthetics, technical and presentational skills will be used to complete each assignment. This course is developed to inspire creativity, learn design techniques, and discuss aesthetic decisions. Activities that teach these skills include demonstrations, lectures, projects, testing, and critique.
Week 1 - Syllabus and material acquisition assignment
Week 2 - Introduction to 2D Design principals and minor project 1
Week 3 - 2D Design principals continued, and in-class exercises
Week 4 - Lectures and class assignments on colour.
Week 5 - Introduction to major project 1 - flip books
Week 6 - work days, class exercises
Week 7 - College, and major project 1 critique. (Westheimer Peace Symposium, Tues 6th & Wed 7th October)
Week 8 - No Class Tuesday 13th October (in-service professor development day). Design and the state - Introduction to major project 2 (part 1) currency, work days
Week 9 - major Project 2 (part 2) counterfeiting and modifying, workdays
Week 10 - Project 2 critique
Week 11 - assignment of minor project 2 (presentations)
Week 12 - Design practitioner presentations due
Week 13 - Introduction to major Project 3, Design brief - speculative public intervention
Week 14 - major Project 3 work day. No Class Thursday 26th November (Thanksgiving Break)
Week 15 - major project 3 work days Week 16 - Last regular class: Tuesday December 8th.
Week 17 - Design final “exam”/ Project 3 critique on Tuesday December 15th 10:15am-12:15pm.
A 90-100% Completion of all assignments at a consistent superior quality, technically and conceptually proficient. Strong participation in class.
B 80-89% Completion of all assignments, above average work, solid participation in class.
C 70-79% Completion of all assignments, mandatory participation.
D 60-69% Not all assignments completed properly, indifferent, with no noticeable improvement.
F 0-59% Failure of all the above.
The main projects of the class this semester will be graded taking into consideration: the students’ technical proficiency, apparent effort, conceptual underpinning, and fulfilment of the projects’ individual goals and challenges.
The final class grade will be a result of a combined grade from submitted main projects and participation in project critiques (80%) and the participation in class exercises (20%). Project grading and feedback can generally be expected within 1 week. Late work is not accepted.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance records will be kept by means of a sign-in sheet for every class meeting. It is the student’s responsibility to sign in at the beginning of each class. Up to three absences will not affect the course grade, four absences will result in a course grade reduction of one full letter grade. The course grade will
drop by one letter for every absence after three. In the event of an absence students are responsible for all missed information and class work and for coming prepared to the next class.
See the current student handbook for the college’s attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences. Two tardies are considered one unexcused absence. Tardy is defined as in excess of 5 minutes. You will be considered absent if you arrive more than 15 minutes after class start time or if you leave early without making arrangements to do so.
During lectures, group exercises, and critiques: no cell phones, laptops, tablets or personal audio equipment are to be used by students. However, during instructor designated ‘studio work days’, where students work on individual projects, students are permitted to use personal audio equipment with headphones. ‘Studio work days’ are set aside for students to work on their projects in class - Participation is mandatory and you will be required to show up on time and stay throughout the entire class unless excused by the instructor.
Civility and academic honesty
Everyone should be referred to by their chosen name, the correct pronunciation of their
name, and their chosen pronoun. Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment which is conducive to learning- Respect the space, respect the tools, respect each other.
In order to assure that all students have an equal opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from using cell phones, reading non-class material, sleeping, or engaging in any other form of distraction or disruption.
Students are to be aware of their responsibility as makers and for what they put out into the world, work that is dangerous to themselves, to others, or derogatory to their peers will not be tolerated.
Class AI policy
The use of AI is not permitted in any form in this class and is considered a form of academic dishonesty. This includes but is not limited to: using AI in the generation of final artworks, the generation of preliminary works, designs, or idea creation, and the generation of writing or presentations. Any use of AI will result in the student receiving a failing grade (e.g. 0/20) for the project.
See the current Student Handbook for the college's Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Food and drink
Food is not permitted in the classroom. Water bottles, tea, and coffee are permitted provided they have a lid. Tobacco products, alcohol, and other substances are not permitted in the classroom.
Other studio policies
Please clean up after yourself. This is a shared space, never leave wet paint on your chair or work surface. Make sure all dirty rags/used paper towels are disposed of at the end of class. Do not leave your work unattended, make sure it is taken away at the end of class or stored correctly in a designated space.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |