COURSE REQUIREMENTS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Attendance and Class participation are worth 40% of the course grade.
• Demonstrated attendance, execution and participation determine the final grade. 
• For example: 
• Student’s attendance/participation will determine whether they receive the higher or lower of the mid-term or final course grades if they are academically on or near the border (between) grades. 
• FYI – Any act of dishonesty, including plagiarism and cheating, in academic work constitutes academic misconduct and is subject to disciplinary action.

ATTENDANCE: 

Regular attendance and punctuality at all classes are required. Other than complying with school regulations, you must be in class most of the time. I allow three excused absences.

If you have transportation, scheduling or other life circumstances that will adversely affect your attendance whether once or several times, please let me know ahead of time if it is possible.

Course Attendance Policy (more information in class)

• Attendance is randomly taken
• Students lose 1-grade point per noted absence 
• Tallied absences are deducted from Course Grade

If I feel you have lost interest in this course, due to your lack of consistent attendance, I will withdraw your name from the class roster. Therefore, it’s better for you to let me know what’s going on before I withdraw you rather than after. This class requires your full attention and participation. If the cause of the absence is excusable, I may (at my discretion) arrange for the student to make up for the missed work.

OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will, by progressive studio assignments, and from observation & imagination develop an understanding of:

• Value Relationships 
• Linear Relationships 
• Proportion  
• Linear Perspective

Students will also experience that nearly anyone can learn to draw or improve current drawing skills and learn to look at the world with a more intelligent eye!

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will, as the result of fully applying their attention, leave this class with:

• A basic introduction for study in any 2 dimensional field of art
• Learn a variety of technical approaches while using different Achromatic drawing mediums such as graphite, charcoal, conte, and (possibly) ink 
• Observational experiences in various subject areas such as still-life, interiors, nature study, landscape and abstraction

COURSE TOPICS

In this class we'll be focused on:

• Looking versus Seeing 
• Better bio-mechanics means better drawing 
• The Seven T’s to Better Drawing

1. Teacher - When the student is willing, the teacher appears (a Zen Proverb).  Listen, don’t think.  The first stages in learning to draw require no thought.  Paying close attention to the teacher’s instructions and following them is crucial.  If you doubt this rule – refer to Rule Number Two – Trust.
2. Trust - You need to totally trust the teacher and the method in order to succeed regardless of your previous experience(s) even if/when the method is unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
3. Time  - The more time invested; the better the outcome. There are no short cuts.  Proper instruction requires a specific time investment. It is sequential and is related to past, present, or future instruction.
4. Tools - Remember, the human body is a machine and a tool.  Specific outcomes require specific tools.  The actual mark-making tool is an extension of the hand and the mind
5. Talent - Get it out of your head - you don’t need talent to be creative.  The term talent is overrated. Everyone has a natural ability, aptitude or capacity for success.  The ability to listen and follow instruction is the only talent you need
6. Technique - I don’t know where people got the idea that a successfully executed drawing is all about the technique.  It’s a system not a style and beginning students have no need for technique. 
7. Temperament - Drawing is much, much more than it appears.  Anyone can draw but not everyone will.  Students must have or develop a proper level of patience in order to learn to listen and follow instruction.  Above all, they must trust themselves and the teacher.  They must also devote the time necessary to learn and advance.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The catalog description:
This course offers an introduction to basic drawing concepts including line, value, texture and structure. Students develop skills in visual perception and pictorial composition through drawing processes that are both analytical and inventive.

The Art Department’s description: 
Drawing 1 is a basic course designed to encourage the student to develop an understanding of the basic pictorial concepts such as design, line, value, and structural relationships. The major area of concentration will be in drawing and observation. The emphasis is on the enhancing of the student’s understanding of these fundamental concepts rather than emphasizing the development of facility in various mediums.

My description:
This course offers students an opportunity to look at and see the world quite differently. Why do we draw? Why do people like to draw? Why do people think they may enjoy drawing? For everyone it’s different. For some, it is a process and although they may not realize it, this process can assist them to better understand and perhaps see the world around them. It also is a great way to learn problem solving by forcing themselves to use the right side of their brains.

To many, drawing represents the simplest form of joy because it represents in a mot simple way that they've achieved some level of personal satisfaction or, perhaps even self-actualization. Chef Gusteau from the Pixar movie Ratatouille believed that, “anyone can cook!” So, why wouldn’t the same hold true for drawing. Welcome to the course and remember what Picasso said, “…Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”