Art

RECOMMENDED ART COURSE SEQUENCE

ART

90903W STUDIO ART

(Grade 9,10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

Studio Art is a course for students that are interested in exploring different types of art media. In this class students will work with materials such as paint, pen and ink, paper cutting, oil pastels, and much more. They will get to know how to use different tools and techniques dealing with the variety of materials. There will be major projects to showcase their skills such as abstract artwork, negative space painting, and cutout portraits. The class is designed to develop personal expression while exploring these art forms. 

90930W  STUDIO ART AROUND THE WORLD

(Grade 9,10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

Students will study various arts and crafts derived from different cultures.  Projects will consist of drawings, paintings, and sculptures such as Native American Sand Art, Aboriginal Dot Paintings, African Tribal Masks, and Chinese Landscapes. Students will complete artistic worksheets to practice each medium before beginning the Summative Project. Art projects are graded using a detailed rubric.  This course is perfect for the creative beginner.

90904W  DRAWING I – THE STUDY OF FORMS

(Grade 9,10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

Designed for beginners, this course is for students who want to learn the fundamentals of drawing.  The course begins with a review of the Art Elements learned in the Foundations of Studio Art.  Seeing and responding to forms such as spheres, cubes and cylinders are the core of the curriculum.  Gallery Assignments, Aesthetic issues of Art Criticism, Current Events in regards to the illustrator, and Art Media analysis are ways in which Common Core and Reading Apprenticeship strategies are applied.

90907W  DRAWING 2 – THE STUDY OF SPACES AND FACES

  (Grade 10,11,12) (1.0 Elective Credit)

  (Prerequisite:  Drawing 1)

Designed for artists, this course is for students who want to learn more of the fundamentals of drawing.  The course begins with a review of the Art Elements learned in the Foundations of Studio Art and Drawing 1.  Seeing and responding to spaces such as natural, industrial, and urban landscapes are the core of the curriculum.  Students will master Formal Perspective through Architecture and Interior Design.  Seeing and responding to the figure with gestural and contour techniques are also a major component of the course.  Students will analyze the proportions of the face in regards to portraiture.  Gallery Assignments, Aesthetic issues of Art Criticism, Current Events in regards to the illustrator, and Art Media analysis are ways in which Common Core and Reading Apprenticeship strategies are applied. 

90922D  ADVANCED DRAWING DUAL ENROLLMENT-HONORS CREDIT

(Grade 11,12) (1.0 Elective Credit)

  (Prerequisite:  None, nominal per credit cost)  

This course is designed for the academic student looking to broaden their dual enrollment transcript or the advanced drawing student.  Students will continue to develop a variety of foundation skills including the drawing of forms, spaces, and figures.  This course requires the ability to write and discuss major topics from our visual culture.  The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards (ISBN: 0-87477-424-1) is a required reading for the course.  Gallery assignments, aesthetic issues of art criticism, current events in regards to the illustrator, and art media analysis are ways in which Reading Apprenticeship strategies are applied.

90912W  CARTOONING 1

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

Cartooning is telling a story through a picture or series of pictures that show the passage of time.  In this course, students will gain the skills necessary to create their own original characters, comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels.  Methods and techniques from Western superhero comics and from Japanese anime will be examined.

90913W  CARTOONING 2

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  Cartooning 1)

This course is a continuation of the cartooning class, and is for students who want to create characters and illustrate their own stories for comic books, graphic novels, and animation.  We will be creating our own superheroes, humorous characters, caricatures, and political cartoons, as well as illustrations and concept art that could someday be used in video games, television and movies.

90919W  PAINTING 1

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

  (Prerequisite:  None)

This course will guide the student through the medium of acrylic paints with inspiration coming from the study of artists throughout history.  Students will explore various art genres, such as realism, surrealism, and abstract art, and develop numerous painting techniques, such as brush strokes and blending.  Students will use these methods to create original and unique portraits, landscapes, and still life compositions.  Students will complete artistic worksheets to practice various techniques before beginning the Summative Project.  Art projects are graded using a detailed rubric.   

90921W  PAINTING 2

(Grade 11,12) (1.0 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Painting 1)

Students who have completed Painting 1 will transition to heavy body acrylics and canvas while working on improving artistic skills and exploring advanced techniques and methods needed to create an impressive acrylic painting.  Students will be expected to master blending techniques using value and color and create paintings which are personally expressive, unique, and stylized.  Students will complete artistic worksheets to practice various techniques before beginning the Summative Project.  Art projects are graded using a detailed rubric. 

90924W  WATERCOLOR PAINTING 1

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

This course will guide the student through the translucent medium of watercolor.  Students will explore and develop the handling and control of watercolor processes and learn numerous painting techniques and methods needed to create a successful watercolor painting.  Learn how to apply washes such as wet-on-wet, graduated washes, resist, and brushwork texture.  Students will utilize these methods to create still life, landscape, and portrait compositions effectively.  Students will complete artistic worksheets to practice various techniques before beginning the Summative Project.  Art projects are graded using a detailed rubric.

90925W  WATERCOLOR PAINTING 2

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Watercolor Painting 1)

Students will work on improving watercolor skills learned in the Watercolor Painting 1 course while learning new advanced techniques and methods needed to create an impressive watercolor painting.  Students will be expected to master blending techniques using value and color while also including convincing texture and details.  Students will paint subject matters including still life, landscapes, and portraits which are expressive and unique.  Students will complete artistic worksheets to practice various techniques before beginning the Summative Project.   Art projects are graded using a detailed rubric.

90932W  CERAMICS 1 – POTTERY

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

In this course, students will design and create functional utilitarian objects in clay.  We will create objects using all of the major construction techniques including pinch, coil, soft and hard slab, and the pottery wheel.  Each major project will be reinforced with art history, art criticism, and aesthetics.  It is recommended that students take this course before taking Ceramics 2.

90934W  CERAMICS 2 – CERAMIC SCULPTURE

(Grade 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  Ceramics 1 – Pottery)

In this course, students will design and create ceramic sculptures using the major construction techniques including pinch, coil, soft and hard slab, the pottery wheel, and direct sculptural methods.  Each major project will be reinforced with art history, art criticism, and aesthetics.  It is recommended that students take Ceramics 1 before taking this course.  

90935W  CERAMICS 3

(Grade 11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  Student must earn a minimum average of 85% in both Ceramics 1 and 2)

This course is designed for students with advanced skills working with clay who are looking to deepen their knowledge of ceramics. Students will continue to build upon the foundational skills learned in Ceramics 1 and 2. Using these skills, they will design and create a body of work in their own style. This process will help students feel ownership of their creations as well as taking important steps to true mastery of the medium. To assist in this process, students will be researching historical as well as contemporary potters for inspiration. All projects will be graded via rubric and reviewed through group critiques.

90938W  DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY 

(Grades 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit) 

  (Prerequisite:  None)

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to photographic composition, camera basics, and digital image editing.  Students will study the history of photography, learn about the Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, understand and demonstrate concepts of photographic composition, and edit their images with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.  This course is an excellent choice for those students planning to major in art, graphic design, desktop publishing, video, communications, or just want to create a more aesthetically pleasing photograph. 

90940W  INTRO TO ANIMATION 

(Grades 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

  (Prerequisite:  None)

Animation is an art form that has been around for over a century. In the past decade it has been considerably prominent in many fields most noticeably in that of the entertainment industry.  It is a rapidly growing and constantly changing field and includes people with backgrounds ranging from visual arts to science and computer programming.  Animation is a method in which rapid sequences of still images are manipulated to create the illusion of motion.  There are many methods to do this.  In this course we will experiment with different media from traditional hand drawn flipbooks and clay sculpted stop motion to computer rendered projects.  We will explore the history and evolution of this art form.  Students will gain knowledge of the principles of animation and apply it in their work.  They will be involved in learning how to plot, script, storyboard, present, and create animations.  The class will consist of demonstration, viewing of related works, hands on experimentation and critique. 

70714W  GRAPHIC DESIGN

(Grade 9,10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

(Prerequisite:  None)

This course is your introduction to graphic design, which is all about visually communicating ideas and messages. To show you just how relevant this is, graphic design is all around you, appearing in the logos on your clothes, the posters in the hallways, the apps on your phone, and the packaging of your favorite snacks. As a designer, you'll learn to take a client's message and translate it for a specific audience. We'll focus on the essential elements of a great design: how to effectively use typography (type), engaging imagery, and what designers call "whitespace" to create aesthetically pleasing and impactful visuals. While the course will be primarily digital, we'll also explore some traditional art concepts to build your creative foundation. You'll master the "how-to" of design, learning to arrange these elements to clearly convey a message. A super exciting part of this class is that you'll use your new talents to create real-world graphic design materials for our school, seeing your work showcased for everyone to enjoy. Get ready to turn your creative ideas into powerful visual communications! 

90944W  DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION 

(Grades 10,11,12) (0.5 Elective Credit)

  (Prerequisite:  Student will have successfully completed at least one of the following courses: Graphic Design, Intro to Animation, or Digital Photography) 

This hands-on course teaches you to create viral-worthy content for real-world impact across a variety of social media platforms. You will learn the entire process, from strategic planning and finding your audience to mastering the technical skills of shooting, editing, and graphic design. Students will explore all key content formats—text, image, audio, and video—while learning essential lessons on online ethics and copyright. A core component of the class involves collaboration to produce practical projects, focusing on creating content about our school. You will rotate through essential production job roles, giving you valuable teamwork and portfolio experience. By the end of the semester, you will have a strong digital portfolio and an opportunity to turn a social media hobby into a marketable skill for your future.