Studio Arts

ART ENRICHMENT: Empowering Creativity

Grade 9 - 12

AR45 – ½ Elective Credit

Art Enrichment is a one-semester course with a focus on creative exploration and analysis. The only prerequisite skill required for success is a willingness to engage in the artistic process.  Students are provided the time, space, structure, and support to explore a wide variety of media through self-selected projects. Students document their efforts each day, reflect on their progress, and set short-term goals to improve their expressive abilities. Peer and teacher feedback is given through informal critique exercises. Historical and contemporary artworks are discussed and critiqued to build both a wider visual vocabulary and a better understanding of the elements and principles of art and design.

CARTOONS COMICS AND KIDS BOOKS: "Give your brain a shake and see what comes out"

Gary Larson "It's never to late to have a happy childhood" Berkley Breathed

Grades levels 9-12

AR36HY - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

Prerequisite: None

Students will have the option to create a children’s picture book, or a collection of comics or cartoons. The instructor will work with students to help them develop their own unique illustration style and voice. Each student will work toward a final goal of creating and self-publishing a book of their own. The instructor is the co-author and illustrator of the children’s picture book ‘A Spark in the Dark’ and the co-author and illustrator of the cartoon ‘Shark Cove’.

DRAWING AND DESIGN : Elevating Skills, Igniting Imagination

Advanced Techniques

Grades 9 - 12

AR44 - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

Drawing is an essential skill in an artist’s toolkit. This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental principles and techniques of drawing. Through a series of exercises and formal drawings, students will explore concepts such as line, shape, form, value, texture, and composition. Emphasizing observational drawing, students will develop their skills in accurately representing the world as they observe it to be. This course encourages experimentation, creative expression, and critical thinking, as students learn to communicate ideas, emotions, and observations through the visual language of drawing. This course may not be repeated. Interested students should move on to Drawing and Design II

DRAWING AND DESIGN II: From Line to Life   

Grades 10 - 12

AR46 - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Drawing and Design 

Building upon the foundational skills learned in Drawing & Design I, this course challenges students to refine their technical abilities while expanding their creative expression. Students will deepen their understanding of composition, perspective, and value through more complex observational studies and imaginative projects. Emphasis will be placed on developing a personal artistic voice as students experiment with a wider range of media, techniques, and conceptual approaches. Through sustained drawing exercises and independent projects, students will enhance their ability to communicate ideas visually with confidence and intention.

HONORS PORTFOLIO

Grade 12

AR40 - 1 Elective Credit - Full Year

Studio Art is recommended as a prerequisite

Honors Portfolio is a full year course offered to students in grades 11 and 12 who have a strong commitment to art and may want to prepare for a post high school art education. Students should demonstrate prior knowledge and strong foundational skills. While working in a variety of media, students are encouraged to develop a personal style, self-evaluate their work and the work of others in group critiques and ultimately prepare a portfolio. A strong emphasis is put on developing personal style, self reflection and refining technical skill.

PAINTING: "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together" Vincent Van Gogh

Grades 9 - 12

AR86 - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

Before we can paint we must learn how to see. This class will teach students to identify and recreate the colors they see in a painting. They will learn how light affects shadows and how color changes across form. Students will be taught color mixing from primary colors and brush application through a series of observational   studies. As skills are acquired, students will be asked to develop subject matter of their own. Students will be developing a visual vocabulary through collage to collect imagery that speaks for them. When weather permits, we may be taking our paints outside.  This class is open to all students and may be repeated.

PRINTMAKING I

Grades 9 - 12

AR60 - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

This course introduces students to the art of printmaking, exploring a variety of traditional and contemporary techniques used to create multiple original works of art. Students will learn fundamental processes such as relief printing, monoprinting, collagraph, and stencil printing, while developing an understanding of composition, texture, and layering. Emphasis will be placed on craftsmanship, experimentation, and creative problem-solving. Students will also gain an appreciation for the historical and modern significance of printmaking as an artistic medium across cultures while exploring prints by the world’s great artists. This course may not be repeated.  Interested students should go on to Printmaking II.

PRINTMAKING II

Grades 9 - 12

AR69 - ½ Elective Credit - ½ Year

Prerequisite: Printmaking I

Expanding on the techniques learned in Printmaking I, this course allows students to refine their skills and explore more complex, printmaking processes. Students may experiment with advanced techniques such as intaglio, screen printing, reduction prints, and mixed-media approaches while developing their own artistic voice. Emphasis will be placed on personal expression, craftsmanship, and conceptual development as students create a series of prints that demonstrate technical mastery and creative innovation. Through independent projects and research into historical and contemporary printmakers and methods, students will gain a deeper understanding of printmaking as a fine art form.  This course may not be repeated.  

STUDIO ART : Explore, Create, Express.

Grades 9 - 12

AR10 - 1 Elective Credit - Full Year  

Studio Art is a full-year course offered to students in grades 9-12 that provides students with a wide variety of experiences to explore various artistic mediums and concepts. This course serves as an introduction to fundamental techniques and principles of visual arts. Through hands-on projects, students will develop a strong foundation in art-making, creative problem-solving, and visual communication. Emphasizing a mix of traditional and contemporary approaches, topics covered will include observational drawing, printmaking, sculpture, collage, painting, and more. Students will engage in experimentation, reflection, and collaboration to cultivate their artistic voice while building essential skills for future endeavors. This course encourages self-expression and the development of a lifelong passion for the arts. This course may not be repeated.

A.R.T. Art Relaxation Techniques: create a canvas of calm

AR24- ½ Year, ½ credit

Grades 9-12; no prerequisites

This one semester fine art course is open to students in grades 9-12. Students will engage in techniques and practices proven to reduce stress and anxiety. They will create art in a low pressure atmosphere and learn to embrace the art making process. Students will maintain a visual journal and engage in a variety of abstract, non representational and expressive art lessons.  Projects include drawing, painting, collage, mandalas, Zentangles, acrylic pouring and more.  Classroom routines and expectations are centered around the concept of art making as means of reflection and relaxation. Students will complete the course having learned how art techniques can be utilized in their daily lives in order to reduce stress.

YEARBOOK PRODUCTION

YRBK - 1 Elective Credit - Full Year

Grades 9 - 12

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of journalism, photography, graphic design, and digital publishing while producing the Nauset Tides yearbook. Students will collaborate in teams to create a professional-quality publication that captures the school year through storytelling, imagery, and creative layouts.  

HONORS YEARBOOK PRODUCTION

YRBKH - 1 Elective Credit - Full Year

Grades 11 - 12

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Yearbook Production and approval of instructor

This course allows students the opportunity to increase their contribution to and control of the content and design of the Nauset Tides yearbook. Students will apply skills practiced in Yearbook Production to lead collaborative design teams in creating a professional-quality publication that captures the school year through storytelling, imagery, and creative layouts. Students earning honors credit will be expected to dedicate additional time outside of class to provide coverage of a wide variety of school events and ensure that publishing deadlines are met.