Intro to Art The Introduction to Art course introduces the student to the basic fundamentals of art through explorations in various media. Projects are based on the elements of art and the principles of design. Students will have experiences in drawing, painting, sculpture, art history and printmaking. The class is a pre-requisite for many other art classes. A materials fee is required.

Students begin the class by doing a variety of quick design exercises. In this particular exercise the students create a very fluid line design and add color to it in a way that demonstrates that they can effectively use and blend color.

In this exercise the students use inter-related shapes to create mazelike patterns. Color and shading adds dimension and interest to the work.

In this exercise a strong linear design is created. Gradual shading is then used to give the piece a sense of form.

Drawing skills are developed through several specific drawing assignments that are done as homework. Students draw from life – starting with one simple object. The second assignment is a group of objects put together as a still life and the last piece is a close-up of one or more objects. From here students do additional work of their own choice.

The drawing unit focuses on working in a variety of distinctive styles. Contour line drawing is one of these styles. It is done as exercise in connecting the right and left sides of the brain. A variety of subjects and approaches have been done for this work.

Calligraphic style drawing is done with a fine liner brush Calligraphic style drawing is done with a fine liner brush. This approach allows for intricate brushwork and very well defined details.

Gesture style drawing is done as a warm up for life drawing. The students work loosely and freely depicting the person as a quick gesture. The intent is to depict the person’s proportion and body position, but, not create a highly detailed or finished drawing.

As a final life drawing the students may draw a person as a cloaked figure showing good use of shape, form, space and value. They work in charcoal and use the full range of values from black to white. As a final touch they enhance their work by adding an imaginary background of interest.

Doodle drawings allow for very expressive and creative responses.

Using animals or nature as subject matter is a natural choice for print- making. Minnesota artist Betsy Bowen was used as inspiration for this printmaking experience. Students were shown many of her prints to use as a point of reference. They then thoughtfully worked in her style to define the subjects that they chosen to do.

Color theory is studied by creating a color wheel and a variety of color charts. The charts allow the students the opportunity to mix colors to create tints, shades and neutrals. This reference is very important as the students move forward doing other paintings.

Landscape paintings may be done as either a watercolor or an acrylic. The students learn several key concepts as they work on these pieces. They learn to work: from the background to the middle ground to the fore ground, from the light areas to dark areas and from the large areas to the small areas. They also focus on the effective use of composition, color and contrast as they practice a variety of new brush techniques.

Ceramics may be the media of choice for the sculptural form that the students create in this class. Here puzzle boxes were done as a decorative and functional form.

Students study the work of a famous artist. They then work “in the style” of that artist. They also write a brief report on the artist and their work. They share both of these things with the rest of the class.