Beginning Drawing

Northeast High School

Beginning Drawing Course

Instructor:  Mrs. Elsener                                                                                                                              Room: 204

Email: melsene@lps.org                                                                                                                              Term: 2012-2013

Website: http://wp.lps.org/melsene/

 

Availability: I will be available Monday, Wednesday and Thursday every week to help after school. Please let me know ahead of time if you plan on coming in and working on a project. Also, starting in September I will be sponsoring Art Club the first and third Wednesday of every month from 3:15-4:30. I also have plan during periods 4 & 5 throughout the week, but I may not be in my room.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

~Thomas Merton

Course Description:

This course is designed to learn the basics and foundations of drawing from observation as well as creating original design. Drawing is a learned skill like any other and can be accomplished by anyone. Students will use a variety of materials to accomplish these goals.

 

Course Objectives/Goals:

  1.        I.     The student will use the language of visual arts to communicate effectively.
  2.      II.     The student will apply creative and critical thinking skills to artistic expression.
  3.     III.     The student will create art using a variety of tools, media, and processes safely and appropriately.
  4.     IV.     The student will understand the global, historical, societal, and cultural contexts of the visual arts.
  5.      V.     The student will understand the interdisciplinary connections and life applications of the visual arts.
  6.     VI.     The student will use critical analysis to generate responses to a variety of prompts.

 

HIGH SCHOOL ART Expectations:

  1. Be on time – be in your assigned seat or completely inside this room or else you are will be counted as tardy and have to fill out a tardy form.
  2. Be prepared for class and ready to work.
  3. Participate in class discussions and critiques – be constructive and positive.
  4. Be respectful – to teacher, classmates, and materials. Ex:  listen while I am talking or another student is talking. Use school appropriate/professional language.
  5. Work diligently on your art project during class every day.
  6. Use of materials – don’t waste and clean up the materials you use.
  7. Use original design. You will use some resources, but it is important not to use copyrighted work without permission.  No promotion of drugs or alcohol or anything that could be viewed as derogatory towards any group or individual (we will talk more about this later in the semester).
  8. Be safe with materials and use them as instructed.
  9. Be responsible – sleeping, goofing off and not working in the art room are unacceptable. If you are having difficulties for some reason, please come talk me.
  10. Be creative and enthusiastic, making art can be amazing, frustrating, enlightening, and mind-blowing, life changing, etc. Take advantage of the fact that high school will probably be the last time you will get to use art materials for free. You are at a time in your lives that is very exciting, you are independent thinkers, you have a lot to contribute to the world, and you are our next innovators. At Northeast we care very much about all of our students and we are excited to see what you can accomplish in high school and beyond.

 

Procedures:

  1. Begin class by coming in and looking at the board or overhead for bell work.
  2. You will be told to do something: take out your sketchbook or a piece of paper and sketch quietly for the first 5-10 minutes of class, answer a question, or another activity to do during this time period.
  3. I will give instruction during the first 5-10 minutes of class and let you know what activities we will be doing that day. You are expected to sit quietly and listen to instruction at the beginning of class. Please wait to ask questions until I am finished giving instructions.
  4. You may sharpen pencils only after I am done giving instruction for the day, otherwise you need to be in your seat.
  5. You will be given either 5 or 10 minutes to clean up depending on whether we are using dry or wet media and I will give you the go ahead to start cleaning up.
  6. You must be seated by the end of class and I will dismiss you. You may not leave when the bell rings until I have told you that you are good to go.
  7. You may use the restroom during class, but you will need to wait until after I have given instruction for the day. You will need to use the sign in/sign out sheet as well as having me sign your planner in order to leave the room for any reason. Only one student at a time will be allowed to leave to use the restroom.
  8. When I need your attention during class during studio time, I will address the class as “Ladies and Gentleman”-this will be your cue to be quiet and listen for instruction. This is important so you don’t miss instruction and in the case of emergencies.
  9. If you miss a day of school, it is your responsibility to see me to make up the work. You will be asked to work on the current assignment and then makeup your missing work accordingly.

 

*****If you do not follow classroom expectations and procedures or the 3 B’s you will be asked to fill out a STOP CARD and/or TARDY CARD, this may result in parent/guardian contact, conference with parent/guardian, conference with administrator, lunch detention, etc. However, I believe most issues can be solved by talking or taking a few minutes to assess the situation. If I have put a STOP CARD on your desk you will need to fill it out, sign it, and return it to me. You may be asked to stand outside of the classroom door and wait until I am ready to talk with you.

 

Weekly/Daily Routines:

The first few weeks we will be working on our observation and drawing and painting skills. There will be daily activities that will help you develop your skills as an artist.

Mondays- Introduction to project/skill/materials/artists. This will be a time to learn and practice skills as well as brainstorm ideas and experiment with materials.

Tuesdays- Brainstorming and preliminary thumbnail sketches should be completed by today and you will begin working on your project.

Wednesdays-studio time to work on current weeks project and midweek critique (pair-up share, written reflection, individual critiques)

Thursdays– Studio time, working on details and nearing completion of project.

Art Talk Friday – Some Fridays will be spent finishing up assignments and we may clean up early so the last 10-30 minutes can be spent talking and writing about art. This is also a day to finish up past work as well as a time to work on independent projects.

 

*If you finish a project early-reference the assignment rubric so you are meeting all criteria expected. Everyone is capable of this and I expect you to do your best work. If you are done then you will be allowed to free draw, ask to work on another project, look at art books “how to draw” books and possible colleges that have fine art programs, free draw. Use your time wisely in class.

 

 

Evaluation:

You will be graded on bell work, work habits in class, studio projects, daily drawing assignments, group critiques, an artist report (written and visual) and tests.  I will collect work at the end of the week, but I will be grading your work while you are working on your project and when it is finished. All assignments can be re-done or re-worked for a better grade-however; you may be docked points for work that is excessively late.

 

Grading:

A                  90-100                            C                  70-74

B +                    85-89                                    D+                  65-69

B                       80-84                                    D                  60-64

C+                   75-79                                    F                  59 & below

 

Supplies needed:

  • Pencil or other writing utensil
  • Planner
  • All other art supplies will be provided and some may be checked out to take home and work on a project depending on the materials. You must consult me before anything can be taken out of the art room.

 

Semester Plan:

Week 1: Intro to class, pre-instruction drawing.

Weeks 2-8: Foundations of drawing- the building blocks for projects in weeks 9-19.

Weeks 9-19: Independent projects given on a weekly basis for final portfolio. You will also be required to do one visual and written/oral report on an artist or time period in art.

 

Mediums: graphite, colored pencil, marker, pastels, oil pastels, printmaking, painting with tempera, painting with watercolor, collage, digital art, ink, aluminum, etc. (note-materials are subject to change depending on availability and supplies)

 

Miscellaneous:

*Food– I love food, but food and art materials do not mix. Many of the materials we use are harmful if ingested, even in small amounts. Please do not bring food into the art room for your own safety and the safety of others with food allergies (and so we are not overrun by mice and cockroaches).

*Music– I love music, but as you may know, everyone has different opinions about music and that is awesome, but you may not want to listen to my music and I may not want to listen to yours. Headphones and other electronic music devices will not be allowed especially during the first 4-6 weeks of class. However, there may be times when I may allow you to listen to music (on headphones) while you are working on an independent project. This means, that you need to listen to instruction and you must ask permission to listen to music during open studio time. You will need to ask everyday even if I said it was fine the day before. If at anytime, this privilege becomes a distraction, interrupts instruction, distracts another student, prevents progress on your own work, then I will ask for the device to be put away or it may be taken away and given to your administrator. Music and art often go together and I love to listen to music while I work so I understand that you may like this as well.

*Cell phones and other Electronic Devices- I understand that cell phones may be like a third appendage for many of you, they are a common part of everyday life in your world and in many work environments. However, they are not to be used during class time for texting, calling or anything else.  If you receive an emergency call or text from a parent or guardian, please show me and I may let you respond. Please ask your parent or guardian to contact you through the office the next time. If cell phones become a problem, they may be taken and given to your administrator for the remainder of the day.

*Art Club- Art club will be held the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month starting in September. You will have the opportunity to work on independent projects, create a college portfolio, start an Etsy site or other entrepreneurial  goals/websites, work with materials we don’t get to use in class and participate in art shows during the year.

 

 

 

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.”

~Carl Sagan

 

 

“If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”

                                                                                                                                                  ~Carl Sagan