Studio Art

Welcome to the art studio! This year-long introductory course is designed for absolute beginners with zero prior art experience. Over the next year, we will demystify the creative process by breaking it down into manageable, step-by-step skills. 

In the first half of the year, students will learn the absolute fundamentals of drawing, shading, and color mixing. In Semester 2, students will take those skills and apply them to advanced mediums like painting, printmaking, and 3D sculpture, discovering how to bring their own unique ideas to life. 

Year-Long Learning Milestones

By June, studio art students will be able to:

• Apply the 7 Elements of art: Intentionally use line, shape, form, value, color, texture, and space.

• Demonstrate Muscle Memory: Control pencil pressure, blend smoothly, and paint cleanly without muddying colors.

• Brainstorm Collaboratively: Move past their first idea by creating mind maps and thumbnail sketches.

• Talk About Art Confidently: Critique artwork using a supportive, structural framework (Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Judge).

• Exhibit Workspace Autonomy: Manage, clean, and store their personal tools and shared studio spaces independently.

Semester 1: (Weeks 21–40)

Unit 1: Line, Shape, & The Sketchbook Habit (Weeks 1–5)

• The Goal: Overcoming the fear of the blank page and building muscle memory.

• Key Exercises: Blind contour drawing, upside-down drawing (brain training), and line weight variation.

• Major Project: The Personal Icon Zentangle — A graphic ink drawing featuring a silhouette of an object that represents the student, filled with intricate, high-contrast patterns.

Unit 2: Value, Form, & Shading Illusion (Weeks 6–10)

• The Goal: Making flat 2D drawings look like solid 3D objects.

• Key Exercises: 5-step value scales (pencil & colored pencil), sphere/cube shading, and shadow mapping.

• Major Project: The Dramatic Candy Wrapper — A large-scale colored pencil rendering of a single, crinkled piece of candy, focusing on shiny highlights and deep cast shadows.

Unit 3: Perspective & Spatial Architecture (Weeks 11–14)

• The Goal: Understanding how to draw realistic depth and buildings.

• Key Exercises: Horizon lines, vanishing points, 1-point and 2-point box structures.

• Major Project: The Surreal Room — A 1-point perspective drawing of a bedroom or hallway, but with a surreal twist (e.g., the floor is water, or the windows look into outer space).

Unit 4: The Color Wheel & Mixing Mechanics (Weeks 15–18)

• The Goal: Demystifying paint and understanding color psychology.

• Key Exercises: Mixing a full color wheel using only primary colors, tint/shade charts, and neutral mixing.

• Major Project: The Split-Complementary Self-Portrait — A stylized portrait painting using a specific, limited color scheme to express a clear mood.

Semester 2: (Weeks 21–40)

Unit 5: Texture & Printmaking Foundations (Weeks 19–23)

• The Goal: Exploring tactile surfaces and the magic of multiples.

• Key Exercises: Textural ink hatching, frottage (texture rubbing), and safe foam or linoleum carving basics.

• Major Project: The Nature Texture Suite — A series of 3 hand-pulled block prints focusing on biological textures (fur, feathers, scales, or leaves).

Unit 6: Advanced Painting & Composition (Weeks 24–28)

• The Goal: Learning how to guide a viewer’s eye through a canvas using focal points and layers.

• Key Exercises: Canvas preparation, underpainting, glazing layers, and rule-of-thirds composition templates.

• Major Project: The Reimagined Landscape — An acrylic landscape painting based on a student photo, altered to look like a specific historical art style (e.g., Impressionism or Expressionism).

Unit 7: Form in Space — 3D Sculpture (Weeks 29–33)

• The Goal: Translating concepts from flat paper into the physical, three-dimensional world.

• Key Exercises: Wire armature building, cardboard slot-construction, and clay modeling basics.

• Major Project: The Cardboard Reliquary — A low-relief or freestanding sculpture made entirely from recycled cardboard, exploring texture, geometric assembly, and balance.

Unit 8: The Capstone & Gallery Exhibition (Weeks 34–40)

• The Goal: Reflection, presentation, and celebrating growth.

• Key Exercises: Writing a simple 3-sentence artist statement, selecting their top 3 pieces from the year, and framing/matting work.

• Final Capstone: The Studio Reflection Portfolio — Students curate a mini-exhibition of their best work, accompanied by a written reflection detailing their technical journey