Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Supply list
Students are required to purchase a number of supplies to complete this course. Supplies can be purchased from Blick online (or equivalent art shop), or from a big box store (Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc).
Typical materials used in this class are:
Graded graphite pencils
India ink
Charcoal
Shading stumps
kneaded and pink pearl erasers
A hardbound sketchbook with pages no smaller than 8.5”x11” of at least 100 pages
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.
Objective
Through a programme of lectures, assigned projects, group critiques, video screenings, and the development of a sketchbook portfolio, this course is designed to teach students the beginning concepts of fine arts drawing. This class will discuss ideas, processes, and thoughts to develop drawing skills. We will examine the elements of line, composition, value, and texture in a variety of media and surfaces. This class will examine our subjects through gesture, contour, and observation. The student will grow technically and conceptually and grow their understanding of the drawing practice.
Oral communication skill development
Drawing 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 drawings, 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 new drawing techniques, and discuss aesthetic decisions. Activities that teach these skills include demonstrations, lectures, projects, testing, and critique. Drawing will teach critical thinking through observation, preparation, and completion. Guidelines for drawing will be discussed and evaluated throughout the semester to assess the students’ developing knowledge of creative problem solving.
Sketchbook
Sketchbook assignment of minimum 2 drawings per week. Subject matter, media, and technique are to relate to that week’s exercise or current project. Each drawing will be one full page in the sketchbook and should represent at least 30 minutes of
Semester schedule (subject to change)
Week 1 - Syllabus, assignment of flat file drawers. Introduction to course materials, graphite, contour, and experiments.
Week 2 - Sketchbook work and reading assignments.
Week 3 - Introduction to value, still life drawing.
Week 4 - Perspective, assignment of Project 1.
Week 5 - Project 1 critique. Introduction of vine charcoal, gesture drawings.
Week 6 - Assignment of Project 2: American pastoral, charcoal season (group projects)
Week 7 - Project 2 studio work and project development days. (Westheimer Peace Symposium, Tues 6th & Wed 7th October)
Week 8 - No Class Tuesday 13th October (in-service professor development day). Project 2 critique.
Week 9 - Introduction to ink drawing 1, in-class exercises.
Week 10 - Introduction to ink drawing 2, the Chicago Imagists, watch ‘Hairy Who?’ documentary.
Week 11 - Project 3 ink assignment.
Week 12 - Studio work and project development days
Week 13 - Work days
Week 14 - Project 3 ink critique and hand-in. No Class Thursday 26th November (Thanksgiving Break)
Week 15 - Assignment of Project 4: Dealers Choice. Studio work time.
Week 16 - Last regular class: Tuesday December 8th.
Week 17 - Drawing “exam” / Project 4 Critique on Monday 14th December 1:00pm-3:00pm.
Grading scale
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 four 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 studio class exercises and completion of the sketchbook portfolio (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, but during designated studio work days students may take a snack break in the hallway or the designated breakroom. Drinks - water, tea, coffee etc are permitted in designated areas of classrooms 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 charcoal dust or wet ink on your stool/table. 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 the 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 |