Art

An introductory course with a focus on art theory and exploration with a variety of media to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork. Students will explore artmaking through art history, materials studies and the basics of the elements and principles of art and design.  This course functions as a prerequisite to Drawing 1 and Painting 1 and is highly recommended to 9th grade students who have a desire to take more courses in 2D art.

Successful completion of this course may be used to fulfill the high school art or music graduation requirement.

Drawing 1 is an introductory course to observational drawing and different drawing media. The focus of this course will be on improving your technique and skills. We will use a wide range of drawing materials like graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, and pastels to accurately render objects from observation.

This course builds upon the foundational skills learned in Drawing l and focuses on creating original works of art. We will learn about different movements in Art History and idea generation.

Painting 1 focuses on color theory and materials exploration. Students will learn about color mixing and application of different painting media, like watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paint. We will practice and experiment with different techniques.

Painting 2 is an advanced painting studio course. Students will be expected to respond to prompts through chosen paint mediums and create original works of art.

In school, students will learn the basics of composition and what makes a photo “good”.  At home, students will complete a series of open-ended assignments with a school provided camera. Students will learn about manual camera functions to reflect their desired outcome.  Please note that this course has a required at home component.

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

Printmaking is a level l art course that offers an introduction to different printmaking techniques. We will explore a variety of techniques, like linoleum block printing, woodblock printing, cyanotypes, monoprinting, and more. Students will create projects using basic art principles. 

Advanced 2D Design is the culminating class for the 2D course of study. The focus will be on the creation of original works of arts and deeper exploration of 2D artmaking techniques. Students will end the course with a portfolio assessment.

Ceramics 1 is a clay-based course where students learn the basics of Ceramics in a structured, cohesive way. Students will explore the depths of handbuilding projects and glazing throughout the semester that build necessary skills to continue further in the 3D track of our art program. They will learn the sculptural foundation of handbuilding with clay (slab, pinch, and coil), work with multiple types of glazes and techniques, and will get a brief introduction to bisque and glaze firings.

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

Ceramics 2 directly builds upon the foundational clay skills gained from Ceramics I. In this course however, students will be enhancing their clay knowledge and skills through mastering the Potter's Wheel and trying out more challenging and exploratory glazing methods.  Students will also get a closer look into more specific processes in Ceramics like assisting in kiln firings, developing their glazing skills and attempting new glazing techniques, and making both simple and advanced forms on the Potter’s Wheel.

Sculpture 1 is an introductory 3D course where students will learn the basics of designing and creating sculptures of various mediums. Students who enjoy working with their hands and trying out exciting, new art mediums to work with will like the setup and content of this course. In Sculpture I, we will cover more surface level types of sculpture creation such as paper, wire, found objects, and cardboard sculptures and learn how to adhere different materials together in a purposeful way.  Most of the projects in Sculpture 1 will be smaller scale.

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

Sculpture 2 builds upon the general skills and experiences gained in Sculpture 1. This course will focus on more advanced types of sculpture creation such as working with wood, wearable art, plaster, and more in order to create more refined sculptures.  Students will work with more encompassing concepts and techniques, in addition to having more creative freedom to come up with their own unique solutions to artistic problems.  The projects made in this course will be larger scale.

In this class students will explore the basics of fiber art and design.  Students will learn about the history of pattern making and fiber art and how these can be both decorative and meaningful. In this class students can expect to create artworks involving different dyeing techniques, textile painting, weaving and the application of the principles of design. Students will explore and implement various techniques in class and are expected to plan and design some ideas outside of class.  Please note that this course may require work outside of class.

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

Advanced 3D Design is the culminating class for the 3D course of study. The focus will be on the creation of original works of art and a deeper exploration into 3D artmaking techniques. Students will end the course with a portfolio assessment.

Digital Art 1 is an introductory class to professional design programs Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop with a focus on learning the basics of digital techniques, tools and how to incorporate elements of art and design digitally. Students will complete a variety of assignments that build their digital skills and explore creative graphic and fine arts projects. Projects will incorporate students' individual creativity and how to apply “traditional art methods” in the digital art world.  This class is completed exclusively on Mac Computers and will require certain planning assignments to be completed outside of class.  Please note this class may require work outside of class.

This course builds upon the skills learned in Digital Art 1 and focuses on students interested in advancing their knowledge/skills in creating digital art. Students will examine more complex and unique approaches to creating digital art, including graphic design. Students will complete digital artworks that explore design principles that show strong understandings of media, color, design, layout and solve for creative problem prompts using digital solutions. Further emphasis will be placed on the connection between “traditional art methods” and their newer digital counterparts.  This class is completed exclusively on Mac Computers and will require certain planning assignments to be completed outside of class.  Please note this class may require work outside of class.

Cartooning explores the history and development of cartooning & illustration and how to create characters and visual stories. Students will get an introduction into different cartooning and illustration drawing styles, creating characters, storyboarding and developing visual stories, and different cartoon and illustration types including political, comedic, and anecdotal. Students will be creating both digital and traditional drawn out projects throughout the course.  Please note this course may require work outside of class.

Animation explores the history and development of animation from puppeteering, stop-motion and claymation to digital 2D and 3D animation. Students will get an introduction into the basics of how animation works and how to create a “moving story”. Students will analyze animated movies and shows to see how different animation styles function to be applied in their own animated projects and shorts. Projects in this class will be completed by hand and digitally using Adobe Animate as we move through the course.  This class' digital components are completed exclusively on Mac Computers using Adobe Animate.  Please note that this course may require work outside of class.  

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

In Fashion Design students will learn and apply the elements of basic fashion design. Students will explore design foundations of color theory, elements of design and trend forecasting as they relate to fashion.  Students will be introduced to croquis drawings both digitally and by hand, will explore garment design and create their own designs, along with learning digital pattern making for printing on fabric.  Emphasis on researching historical and contemporary designers, styles and movements will be explored through at home assignments.  This class' digital components are completed exclusively on Mac Computers using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.  Please note that this course has a required at home component.

Successful completion of this course can count toward the one credit art or music graduation requirement.

3D Digital Art explores the field of 3D CAD softwares and using laser cutters and 3D printers through an artistic lens. Students will receive an introduction into 3D design software Rhinoceros3D and Adobe Illustrator to create unique projects with the intention of having their work printed into physical artworks. Students will explore how creating digitally opens new avenues in art and where design challenges arise along with discovering solutions to these challenges.  This class' digital components are completed exclusively on Mac Computers using Rhinoceros3D and Adobe Illustrator.  Please note that this course may require work outside of class.

Advanced Multimedia is the culminating class for the multimedia/digital course of study. The focus will be on the creation of original works of art and a deeper exploration into both digital and multimedia artmaking techniques with an emphasis on combining multiple mediums in one artwork. Students will end the course with a portfolio assessment.