Course title

Pre-requisite

Course description

Elements of Design: Course Description and Syllabus

Intended Grade Level: 9 - 10
Length of Course: 2 Semesters
Credit: 1(Students choose either Fine Art or Practical Art credit)
1 college credit (ART 100) can be earned through dual enrollment with Scottsdale CC. ($50.00 class fee.)

This course is designed as an introductory course for Painting and Drawing; Printmaking; Computer Graphics Design; Photography and Digital Design. Students will focus on the elements and principals of design to create a variety of compositions. Assignments may include poster design; fabric design; automotive design; portraits; illustrations; and ad design. Students will work with a wide range of mediums including gouache; tempera; ink; graphite; colored pencils; printmaking; photography and computers. In addition; each assignment will include an art historical context. Students will also participate in critiques on a regular basis.

Students will explore visual communication as it applies to careers in art; design; advertising; photography; and museum. Students will learn technical skills with traditional drawing and painting mediums as well as learn the basics of the Adobe software programs: Photoshop; Illustrator; and In Design. This course is a prerequisite for Graphic Design Fundamentals; Digital Design Fundamentals and Photography Fundamentals.

Overview of Lessons

Each lesson is organized to include lecture; art historical context (including those beyond the European tradition); sample of assignments; criteria; demonstration and practice. Students are shown examples of existing artwork by a variety of artists that relate to the particular assignment. The students analyze the artwork to determine; technique; medium and meaning. Students are provided with vocabulary and explanation of terms pertaining to each lesson. Students begin each project with a concept (thumbnails) and end with a product. Each lesson is concluded with an in-class critique. Students organize their work in professional portfolios that include both thumbnails and final product. The following are brief descriptions of each lesson including the design element or principle; medium and art historical context.

Lines in Structure Part One Students will find an interesting example of architecture and render the building or structure in a highly stylized form emphasizing the simple lines of the structure.
Line; balance
Pen and ink
Bauhaus; Walter Gropius; Marcel Breuer Le Corbusier

Lines in Structure Part Two-Color Students will recreate their line drawings of architecture and apply color using flat stokes in large sections.
Line; balance
Pen and ink
Bauhaus; Walter Gropius; Marcel Breuer Le Corbusier

Lines of Emotion After studying the qualities of line; the students will create a series of non-objective compositions using only line to reflect specific emotions.
Line; balance; unity
Photoshop
19th Century Expression Edvard Munch

Organic vs. Geometric Shapes and Positive vs. Negative Students draw organic shapes in a variety of sizes on to white paper. On top of the organic shapes students draw geometric shapes in a variety of sizes. Using black ink; students paint in sections alternating black and white at every line that crosses through the shape.
Shape; balance; pattern
Pen and ink
Native American Art

Holiday Icons Using pathfinder and shape tools in Illustrator students create a selection of holiday icons.
Shape; line; color; pattern; contrast
Illustrator
Northwest Pacific Coast; Formline

Little Black Square Students repeat the little black shape to create compositions that illustrate balance; movement and rhythm. Students are encouraged to use a variety of sizes of the black square to better understand visual weight.
Shape; movement; rhythm; balance; contrast
Illustrator
Suprematism and Constructivism Kazimir Malevich

Color Wheel Students review the color wheel and create a twelve part color wheel with hue; tint; and shade. Students view a film about Hans Hofmann and consider his use of color and layering. They experiment with the concept of 'push and pull' by using warm and cool color schemes in a tracing of organic and geometric shape drawing. Students view finished artwork with 3D glasses.
Color; value
Tempera
Abstract Expressionism; Hans Hofmann

Computer Generated Gradients Students create gradients for each hue on the 12 part color wheel.
Color; value
Photoshop and Illustrator
Op Art; Victor Vasarely

Text and Color Students will select font that reflects both geometric and organic shapes and combine these with color to create a strong composition. Students can create their name or use random letters.
Line; shape; color; balance
Photoshop and Illustrator
Typography Design; Giambattista Bodoni; Neville Brody

Textured Squares (Squared) Part One: Students create a grid of nine 2?x2? squares and fill them with implied texture. Part Two: Students create a grid of nine 2?x2? squares and fill them with texture in both Illustrator and Photoshop.
Texture
Colored Pencil; Photoshop; Illustrator

Computer Cubist Students create a cubist inspired composition that incorporates textures and shapes.
Texture; shape; balance
Photoshop; Illustrator; or Gouache
Cubism; Picasso and Braque

Fabric/Wallpaper Design Students will create a pattern for wallpaper and repeat the design.
Pattern
Illustrator
Arts and Crafts Movement; William Morris

Advertisement Students will select advertisements from newspapers and evaluate them for composition; message; readability; etc. Students will then recreate the ad making improvements.
Shape; line; contrast; balance; unity
Photoshop; Illustrator; InDesign
Propaganda Art from WWII; Common Techniques; James Montgomery Flagg; Contemporary examples

Greetings From?Students will create a greeting card that balance images and text and utilizes a simple color palette.
Shape; color; line; balance; unity
Photoshop; Illustrator; InDesign
Pop Art; Roy Lichtenstein

T-Shirt Design Students create a design for a T-shirt inspired by ancient Egyptian and Aegean art. Students will print their design on transfer paper and use a press to adhere design to the t-shirt.
Texture; line; shape; color; balance; unity
Photoshop; Illustrator
Ancient Near East and Aegean

CD Cover Students will create a CD cover for a local band.
Color; Unity; Balance
Photoshop; Illustrator; InDesign
Graphic Design; Storm Thorgerson

Car in 2pt Perspective Students will use the technique of 2 point perspective to draw an automobile.
Space
Graphite
Renaissance; Giovanni Battista Piranesi; Masaccio

Value ball Students will use a white ball and draw it in graphite representing highlight; lowlight; reflected light; core shadow and drop shadow. Then the student will create a circle shape in Photoshop; fill it with color and create highlight; lowlight; reflected light; core shadow; and drop shadow using the dodge and burn tools and other lighting filters.
Value-
Graphite
Baroque; Chiaroscuro; Caravaggio; Gentileschi; Rembrandt

Photoshop Car Students will scan their drawn automobiles and open them in Photoshop. Students will add color and light and shade in Photoshop to create a metal texture effect for the car. Students will also create a gradient background.
Value; texture
Photoshop
Futurism; Giacomo Balla

Portraits Students will take portraits of each other using the studio and Rembrandt lighting.
Value-Digital Camera;
Photoshop
Photography; Dorothea Lange; Cindy Sherman

Warhol Part One Students will use their portraits and alter it in Photoshop creating a Warhol-like portrait.
Color; value; unity
Photoshop
Modern Art; Andy Warhol

Warhol Part Two-Painted Students will use the Warhol portrait as a reference and create a painting of it using gouache on Bristol board.
Color; value; unity
Gouache
Modern Art; Andy Warhol

Movie Poster Students will create a movie poster using the ?S? curve layout to create movement.
Line; shape; texture; color; space; balance; movement
Photoshop
Design; Saul Bass

Kinetic Sculpture Students will create a a hanging mobile inspired by Alexander Calder
Movement; shape; line; color.
Sculpture; Metal; acrylic paint; wire;
20th Century Art; Kinetic Sculpture; Alexander Calder

Linoleum Block Prints Students will create a line block print using nature as their subject matter and utilize the design composition and balance of Japanese artists.
Line; shape; texture; balance
Linoleum blocks; ink
Japanese Wood Block Prints; Edo Period

Portfolios Students will create a professional portfolio of their work.

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Approved

Approved competency code

• FIAR
• 1 year of Fine Art

Approved date

Online / Virtual