ART 170 - Drawing Foundations

This introductory studio course approaches drawing as the basic building block for every medium of visual art, from painting to sculpture to film and beyond. Through a combination of observational drawing, rendering architectural spaces by hand, and intuitive mark-making, students will develop foundational technical skills related to spatial and figurative representation while also experimenting with expressive drawing styles. Class will consist of various studio exercises, critiques, field trips/drawing “in situ”, analyzing the drawings of other artists, and discussing writers’ texts on drawing. While we will begin working with pencil, charcoal and pen, over the course of the semester we will expand to include watercolor, mixed media and other materials. Our study will also begin to consider drawing in the expanded field and across surfaces, as a practice that can build spaces and trace relationships with a simple line. Students will be expected to do studio work both in and outside of class. All skill levels welcome: this course is intended to support beginners in becoming more comfortable with drawing and to cultivate a sense of playfulness in more technically confident students.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I - Arts, Literature, & Philosophy
Instructional Method: Studio
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Notes: Enrollment limited to 18. Registration priority is given to intended / declared art majors.
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).