Introduction to Drawing

This course is an introduction to drawing, focusing on basic drawing and observation skills, and is intended to serve as a foundation for further study in the Art Department. More generally, it is an introduction to issues and ideas common to all art making, and is an opportunity to explore different ways of seeing and experiencing the world. The focus of Intro Drawing is somewhat narrow and very deep. In order to give you a full experience of a particular method, from imagination to intention to execution, you will learn an observational method of representational drawing. With goals extending far beyond mere imitation, this convention of drawing is a means towards organizing the visual world and towards self-expression. It continues to inform the visual world of western culture to this day, and is an excellent model for the study of issues of representation. It is also, maybe primarily, a place for your imagination. Like all conventions of drawing this method is but one among many sophisticated traditions in the history of art throughout the world and we will consider it a means and not an end. Drawing, like most things, is fluid and flexible, and both you and drawing will be different by the end of this course.

Drawing projects and assignments will include a wide range of subject matter including still-life, landscape, the figure, and some forays into abstraction, and will involve a variety of materials. You will work with gesture, line, shape, value, space, and composition. You will participate in frequent critiques. The importance of critiques (of looking at and talking about work as a group) and of your participation in them cannot be overemphasized. Critiques are a primary method of examining one's assumptions about one's work. They are an opportunity to see through other people's eyes, and to share your own seeing. They are a chance to try and wrap language around the highly elusive experience of perception and emotion. They will inform not only the way you analyze but also the way you imagine, by continuously presenting new ways of looking at things. In addition to critiques there will be discussions, the illustration of concepts through slides and demonstration, extensive homework, a fair amount of reading and discussion groups, and some writing, but mostly there will be drawing. You will be encouraged and expected to develop and express your own ideas through vigorous and ongoing work in the studio.

Course requirements and grading

This course will be extremely demanding. The minimum requirements of this course are that you come to class and work hard. As your success will depend on how much practice and feedback you get, attendance is essential. Therefore, there are no excused absences without a letter from the Dean's Office. Missing class will dramatically affect your grade and you will be dropped upon your third unexcused absence. Because success in studio art courses is directly related to how much time you spend practicing, there will be a drawing session every Tuesday evening, from 7-10, beginning in the second week. You are required to attend 5 of the 13 Tuesday sessions this semester (you will get extra credit for attending more). There will be six to eight hours of homework weekly. Late homework will be penalized one letter grade for each class it is late. You must attend the mid-semester and final critiques to pass the class, and late finals will not be accepted. Homework will be due at the beginning of class each Monday, at which point we will generally have a group critique to discuss the work. I will then give additional written comments (in which I will often advise that you make revisions to improve your drawings) and return your work to you on Wednesday. You may revise your homework and re-submit it for a new grade on Friday. You must keep all of your drawings, signed and dated, for the mid-semester portfolio review. After the mid-semester group critique, I will meet with each of you individually and discuss your progress and your standing in the class. If you need more feedback than this, you can meet with me at any time to find out how you are doing.

It is important that you be clear about the requirements and understand that you are in control of your performance and therefore your grade. It is also important that you understand that my only concern is what you can learn in this class. So, I encourage you to work hard, stay on top of your work load, and be demanding of me.

List of Supplies