Meeting Time & location: T/R 2:20 - 4:10 pm
Professor: Jessye McDowell
Email: jpmcdowell@smcm.edu (response time within 36 hours M-F)
Office: Montgomery Hall 140B
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1-3 pm (Email to set up an appointment; Zoom appointments available upon request.)
Class Website: https://sites.google.com/smcm.edu/character-animation-template/home
Google Classroom Link: https://classroom.google.com/c/NzUxMTAxMjU0Mjgw?cjc=l2m4bpu
This advanced studio art course will grow students’ facility with the tools of a contemporary animation workflow, with a focus on character design and animation. Lectures, readings, and screenings will build students’ understanding of animation history, principles, and techniques, and facilitate the exploration of form, method, and content in time-based art production. Projects include character design, gesture and movement animation, and walk cycles.
Prerequisites: ART 214: Introduction to Digital Art or ART 247/ ART 233: Introduction to Animation with a grade of C- or better.
+ All readings will be posted on the class website. Recommended reading:
Preston Blair's Cartoon Animation
Eric Goldberg's Character Animation Crash Course
The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams
+ We will be using the free, open-source software OpenToonz, augmented by the Adobe Creative Suite for this class. The applications are accessible for use in the classroom.
+ Drawing tablets will be issued to students at the beginning of the class, to be returned by the summer session's end.
+ Recommended for use in the Mac lab/ classroom: External hard drive or thumb drive. Mac-compatible and AT LEAST 64 gigs recommended. These are available at Best Buy, Target, and are available online as well.
+ Sketchbook for taking notes on in-class presentations, and for pre-visualization, sketches, and process notes
+ Headphones/ earbuds
+ Anything necessary for work on the current projects. Being unprepared will be counted as one late attendance.
++ Note: Lost files or technical disasters are not viable excuses for late or incomplete work. Those issues are part of the intrinsic nature of working with digital media and should be anticipated in your work practices. It is the student’s responsibility to bring/ have any items necessary for work on the current project.
A Note on Engaged Learning: This class is a studio course that is longer than classes in the standard matrix, so we will not have the Engaged Learning Hour assignments that you have in other classes. You will still have homework assignments and out-of-class learning, but our in-class studio time replaces this requirement.
By the completion of Art 346 students will:
+ Create digital artworks that effectively communicate through a coordinated use of form, content, and process.
+ Execute basic art making techniques in digital media, including visual research.
+ Employ productive art-generating practices relevant to digital media.
+ Create digital artworks that demonstrate an artistic point of view.
+ Explain the expressive effect of an artwork through visual analysis.
To achieve successful completion of this course, the student will:
Convey movement through images
Articulate aesthetic goals and find ways to express them through movement
Gain understanding of historical and contemporary approaches to animation, and incorporate that understanding in analysis of a variety of animated films, as well as in student critiques
Develop a workflow through pre-visualization and testing, to compose moving imagery
Grading: A standard scale will be used. A >94; A- 90 - 93; B+ 87 – 89; B 84 - 86; B- 80 – 83; C+ 77 – 79; C 74 – 76; C- 70 – 73; D+ 66 – 69; D 64 – 66; D- 60 – 63; F 0 - 59
A Consistently superior work in all respects including concept, craft, creative problem-solving, and interaction with peers and instructors
B Above average work, based on the above criteria
C Average work; meets the standards and goals of the assignment
D Below average work; does not display initiative to explore the assignment, and does not meet a majority of assignment stipulations
F Inadequate work/ progress, based on the above criteria as well as failure in timeliness and preparation for final presentation of work
FA Failure due to absences (6 or more)
Grades will be based on completion of all tutorials, exercises and assignments, creative and technical level of projects, time commitment and willingness to take creative risks, and effort to challenge oneself artistically, conceptually and technically. There is no extra credit in this class.
Grades will consider the following:
Commitment and curiosity: do you produce the highest quality work you can?
Demonstrated comprehension of technical tools
Your level of participation in discussions, critiques, and written assignments
Your technical and conceptual growth over the course of the semester
+ Creative Projects (50%) are designed to allow students the opportunity to apply the tools and techniques of animation in projects that build in complexity. Thus, the assignments are meant to allow students to learn and experiment with new tools, while also foregrounding creativity in approach and aesthetic considerations. Students will be assessed on their willingness to take creative risks, and to challenge themselves artistically, conceptually and technically. Process is a key part of these projects, and will be assessed via supporting & work-in-progress assignments in the Technical Assignments & Exercises category.
Note: All Creative Projects will be evaluated according to this rubric, which evaluates work in the following categories: Following instructions, Creative Thinking, Design, and Research & Development.
+ Reading & Writing Assignments :: (25%) This category includes reading & writing assignments, including some assignments that require you to watch animation on your own time. Unless otherwise directed, all of your written assignments will be turned in via your blog. Despite the online venue, writing should follow the same formal rules as assignments submitted in any other class. This means that stream-of-consciousness writing, cursing, and colloquialisms should be eschewed in favor of complete sentences and thoughtful reflection. Each creative project will have (at least) one work-in-progress deadline, and Work-in-Progress assignments are included in this category.
+ Technical Assignments & Exercises :: (25%) This category includes in-class demos and homework assignments that demonstrate new skills and allow students to practice. Some of these assignments will be graded out of 1 point: if all instructions are followed, the point is granted; if only some instructions are followed, a percentage is granted.
Each project will have at least one work-in-progress assignment, which will be graded out of 50 points in this category.
You are also required to attend at least one life drawing session, and record/ reflect upon your experience in a blog post. Drawing is an essential component of any animation style, and the more of these you can attend, the better! Attendance will be taken at these sessions, and you'll receive 15 points extra credit for each additional session you attend.
+ Late Work :: Late homework is (almost)* always accepted, but points will be deducted. Late homework that is turned in the week it was originally due will have five points deducted. Five additional points will be deducted each week the homework is late, up to five weeks (25 points).
Attendance in all class meetings from start to finish is required for all classes. Per the College Attendance Policy, you are allowed to miss two classes without penalty; there is no need to inform the professor, and you are fully responsible for all material covered during class.
assignments and projects are still due even if you are not in class, unless you provide valid documentation.
To be counted as present, you must stay for the entire class period. I always allow a 10-minute break around the middle of the class period.
Arrival or departure more than 15 minutes late/ early counts as 1/2 absence.
For each absence beyond two, 2.5 points will be deducted from the final course grade
6 or more absences – for any reason – will automatically result in an F for the course.
Should you have a true emergency, contact me as soon as humanly possible—ideally before class. I will do what I can to help you catch up. That said, understand that while getting sick, having roommate problems, insomnia, fighting with your person, missing lunch, and needing to study for a big test are more or less stressful things, they do not constitute an emergency.
Communication:
Most course materials will be accessed via this website. The exceptions to this are that I will use Google Classroom for grading and announcements.
It is your responsibility to regularly check your email and/or the Classroom course for announcements, and to stay apprised of assignment due dates on the class schedule here on the website. We all need to work together to stay on top of deadlines!
Please check your email daily, and communicate with me about anything that might affect your ability to succeed in the class.
We will be working with technology a lot in this class. However, this does not mean that use of social media, phones, or email for non-class-related purposes are allowed; they are most explicitly not allowed. I will see how this goes, and if I notice too much phone use, I will implement the practice of collecting phones at the beginning of class and returning them at the end. You’ve been warned.
Office of Accessibility Services (OAS):
SMCM is committed to providing access to the learning and living experience to students with disabilities and disabling health conditions. If you have received a letter from the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS), which outlines the academic accommodations to which you are entitled to and you want those accommodations to apply to this course, you MUST share your letter and meet with me to review that letter. If you suspect that you have a learning or living need related to a disability or disabling health condition that could benefit from accommodations, you should contact the Office of Accessibility Services, who can help you learn more about how to proceed. Email: adasupport@smcm.edu
Office of Student Success Services (OS3):
The Office of Student Success Services (OS3) connects students to the resources, activities, services, and programs that can help students be successful, thrive, and persist to graduation. OS3 provides free tutoring services and academic coaching (strategies for time management, getting organized, overcoming procrastination, note-taking, test-taking, study skills, sleep and stress management, etc.) with professional staff and Peer Academic Success Strategies (PASS) Specialists. You may make appointments by emailing PASS@smcm.edu. To request tutoring for a specific course, email tutoring@smcm.edu. For any other help call 240-895-4388, stop by Glendening 230, or email os3@smcm.edu.
The Peer Academic Success Strategies (PASS) Specialists are part of the academic support network for students. We know that sometimes, students respond differently to advice given by peers than that which is given by administrators. The PASS Specialists are trained in a variety of academic approaches and can help students learn how to effectively and efficiently: review course syllabi, read textbooks, take notes in class and from textbooks, manage their time (including how to avoid procrastination), get organized, prepare for, take, and follow-up (or debrief) from exams, and talk with professors and academic advisors. Students can schedule individual meetings with PASS Specialists by calling 240-895-4388.
Tutoring is free for a wide variety of courses offered at SMCM. Chemistry, International Languages and Cultures, Math/Computer Science and Physics manage their own tutoring requests and tend to use Teaching Assistants (TAs) to assist with scheduled recitations (study sessions). Most other requests for tutoring are handled by the Office of Student Success Services (OS3) and can be requested by emailing tutoring@smcm.edu. Tutors are available for many 100- and 200-level courses. For upper-division courses, OS3 will try to recruit tutors on an as-needed basis. (Students interested in becoming a paid tutor should contact Twinkle Raheja (traheja@smcm.edu).
Wellness Center: Health Services and Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
A growing number of students are experiencing mental health challenges to varying degrees. Doing what you can to stay ahead by wisely taking care of yourself will be a key to succeeding academically. Sometimes mental health challenges can affect your ability to complete required work. For example, a particular assignment might trigger anxiety for you in ways which were not anticipated. Or, maybe it becomes difficult to attend class due to mental health challenges. In any of those cases please come and talk with more or send me an email. I’ll listen and do what I can to help. The sooner you share your challenges with me, the better prepared I am to assist you. I am one of many people here at SMCM who care about you and your welfare. For further support, the Wellness Center provides numerous confidential health and counseling services including same day/next day connections to counseling by calling 240-895-4289 or emailing the Director at jljolly@smcm.edu.
To learn more about Wellness Center Services please go to their webpage at https://www.smcm.edu/wellness/
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct:
St. Mary's College of Maryland is committed to helping create a safe and open learning environment for all students. If you (or someone you know) have experienced any form of Sex Discrimination, know that help and support are available. Sex Discrimination means exclusion from participation in or being denied the benefits of any education program or activity on the basis of sex, including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy or related conditions. Sex-Based Harassment is a form of Sex Discrimination that includes the following types of conduct: quid pro quo harassment, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
The College strongly encourages all community members to take action, seek support, and report incidents of Sex Discrimination to the Title IX Office. Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, I am required to disclose information about such Sex Discrimination to the Title IX Office.
If you would like to talk to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, you can contact SMCM Wellness Center (240) 895-4289.
For more information about reporting options and resources at St. Mary's College of Maryland and the community, please visit the Office of Title IX Compliance and Training.
SMCM Code of Student Conduct
I support the SMCM Code of Student Conduct, including the policies on academic honesty and misconduct, which states, in part: “St. Mary’s College of Maryland is committed to the ideals of honesty, personal integrity, and mutual trust. Academic integrity is a responsibility of all students, members of the faculty, and administrative officers. All students are expected to uphold the highest ideals of academic integrity throughout their career at St. Mary’s."
Students who commit acts of academic misconduct are subject to in-class penalties imposed by the instructor and to a hearing before the Academic Judicial Board with possibilities of additional penalties. You are responsible for understanding and complying with the SMCM Code of Student Conduct.