Design I Syllabus for 2013-2014
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Instructor Information

Office Location

CUB 007

Office Hours

Summer 2026 office hours by zoom or special appointment 

Course Information

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Course

ARTS-1311-001 Design I

Prerequisites

Course Description

Emphasis on two-dimensional design, including the fundamental elements and principles of line, color, texture, shape, space, form and unity.

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Department Expectations

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 2 lec, 4 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks


REQUIRED TEXT: David A. Lauer and Stephen Pentak, Design Basics, 8th edition
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012
ISBN-10: 0495915777  ISBN-13: 9780495915775

Supplies

SUPPLY LIST:

•    14” x 17” pad of Bristol Board (I prefer the “vellum” surface)

•    “Notesketch” notebook (in bookstore)

Student Performance


EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:                    ACGM pg 234

1. To demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.

2. To understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within an historical and social context.
3. To respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.
4. To engage in the creative process or interpretive performance and comprehend the physical and intellectual demands required of the author or visual or performing artist.
5. To articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.
6. To develop an appreciation for the aesthetic principles that guide or govern the humanities and arts.
7. To demonstrate knowledge of the influence of literature, philosophy, and/or the arts on intercultural experiences.

SPECIFIC COURSE OUTCOMES:
Students will:

    
1.    Communicate ideas verbally and visually by using design vocabulary
    
2.    Express original ideas creatively through design elements and principles
    
3.    Demonstrate a working knowledge of design skills and principles
    
4.    Develop critical thinking skills
    
5.    Present work for grading in a professional manner, as directed by the instructor
   
6.    Participate meaningfully in critique
    
7.    Maintain a professional and respectful attitude
    
8.    Maintain classroom facilities and shared supplies

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

CIVILITY: Disruptions and/or any behavior that the instructor considers inappropriate will not be tolerated and will result in dismissal from the class. Every student deserves and will receive the respect of others. Every student is expected to be involved and engaged with other students and the instructor. NO HEADPHONES OR PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES ALLOWED.

Grading Criteria

GRADING POLICY:
5 Projects: 50%, or 10% each
10 exercises: 50%, or 5% each
Attendance WILL IMPACT YOUR GRADE; see policy below
Late projects are given half credit, but will only be accepted ONE WEEK past the due date.

GRADING SCALE:
Because design is more subjective than many other fields, it is important to understand some of the broad areas of the assessment of artworks. Projects will be evaluated according to three major areas:

Composition/Technique
4 = A: Dynamic use of the elements and principles of design
3 = B: Effective use of the elements and principles of design
2 = C: Acceptable use of the elements and principles of design
1 = D: Ineffective use of the elements and principles of design

Concepts/Ideas
A: Ideas are highly inventive, innovative and effective
B: Interesting ideas and concepts
C: Ideas are standard but acceptable
D: Ideas are stereotypical with little effort at discovering or expressing personal visual language

Work ethic/ Presentation/Craft
4: Dynamic work ethic and professional presentation
3: Energetic working method and effective presentation
2: Minimal energy applied to work, lackluster presentation
1: Lack of enthusiasm, careless presentation
This system corresponds to that of the GPA. Essentially these 3 areas of each project or exercise will be assessed as
A = EXCELLENT
B = GOOD
C = AVERAGE or ADEQUATE  
D = POOR
F = FAIL

Numerically, this system would be expressed as:
A=12 points
A-=11 points
B+=10 points
B=9 points
B-=8 points
C+=7 points
C=6 points
C-=5 points
D= 4 points
F=3 points or less

Attendance

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\ ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is CRITICAL to your success in this course.Please note that Amarillo College allows only 2 absences for any reason, with the consequences of missing additional classes to be determined at the discretion of the instructor. Therefore:

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  • \ STUDENTS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for signing their own name on the attendance sheet in class.  (The instructor is not responsible for students’ failure to sign the class attendance sheet!)
  • \
  • \ FAILURE TO SIGN THE ATTENDANCE SHEET RESULTS IN AN ABSENCE. NO EXCEPTIONS
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  • \ I will allow 5 absences without penalty. The 6th absence will lower your final grade by one letter. Each subsequent absence will result in an additional letter grade deduction.
  • \
  • \ Students are responsible for keeping up with their own absence totals. Upon request, and outside of class time, students may inquire as to the number of absences they have.
  • \
  • \ Late arrivals and early departures may be counted as absences.
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  • \ If you have extenuating circumstances that impact your ability to attend class, please contact me ASAP. 
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Calendar

COURSE OUTLINE

LINE UNIT: (readings from Chapters 1-7)
•    Line exercise 1: Analogs (see handout)

•    Line exercise 2: Line Hunt
Look around the room, noticing how edges and objects create a wide variety of lines. Using your mark-making tools, "follow" these lines to create pages of exploratory linear elements.
Instructor will demonstrate.
Supplies: Graphite, charcoal, Sharpie
Bristol Board, spray fixative

•    Line exercise 3: Design Principles in Cut lines
This exercise uses linear elements cut from construction paper to experiment with picturing design principles.
Preparatory information: Powerpoint with student examples, class discussion, instructor demonstration
Supplies:
Black and white construction paper, scissors and x-acto knife, ruler, gluestick

LINE Project: Linear Abstraction
Using tracing paper, you will combine linear elements harvested from the "analogs", "materials exploration" and "line hunt" exercises into at least 4 thumbnail compositions which demonstrate pairs of design principles.  After discussing and assessing these with your peers and the instructor, one of these compositions will be enlarged and rendered on bristol board.
Supplies:
graphite, charcoal, Sharpie, erasers
Bristol Board, tracing paper, notesketch
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Composition/Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
•    Use of Materials
•    Work Ethic/Presentation


VALUE UNIT (Chapter 12)
•    Value exercise: create a 6-part value scale in graphite. Template provided.

VALUE project: Value Portrait
In this project, you will re-create an image using black-and-white paper with text or pattern. The amount, size, and font of the text (or pattern type) will help create varying values. Try to match the values in your image with your source image as closely as possible. You may also add graphite or charcoal overlay on the papers. When complete, please mount the image to black mat board or foamcore.
Background information: Chapter 12, Powerpoint with student examples, Class discussion
Supplies:  
An image to work from:  a close-up photograph of a face (human or animal) with something in the background
NEWSPAPERS, magazines, Xeroxed paper (any black and white paper with writing or patterns)
Scissors, X-acto knife, glue stcks
Optional: drawing pencils (Ebony, 2B and 4B, or any soft graphite pencils—you may also use charcoal)
Bristol Board, matboard
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Adherence to original value scale/Visual Interest
•    Use of Materials
•    Work Ethic/Presentation


SHAPE UNIT (Chapter 8, and references to Space, Chapter 10)
•    Shape Exercise 1: Expressive Shapes
You will create a series of shapes that express specific qualities. Handout/template provided.
 
•    Shape Exercise 2: Storytelling Shapes
In response to Molly Bang's book "How Pictures Work", we will use simple shapes to tell a sequence in a story.
Class discussion and demonstration
Supplies: Construction. scissors/x-acto, gluestick

SHAPE Project A: Text Becomes Image
Select a sentence or phrase from a poem, song or book (but keep it secret!)
(This must be written on the back of your matboard at critique)
Using cut paper, create a collage utilizing geometric and organic shapes that is "inspired by" or illustrates your phrase. Part of your assessment will be how effectively your image conveys your idea.
Background information: Chapters 8 and 10, handout and discussion, Powerpoint with student examples
Supplies:
Construction paper, scissors/x-acto, gluestick, Bristol Board, matboard
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
•    Design Communication
•    Work Ethic/Presentation

SHAPE Project B: In the Cubist Style
This project addesses shape along with a discussion of space.
Cubism is one of the most influential art movements of the Twentieth Century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who co-founded the movement, shocked many of their contemporaries by breaking visual conventions that many viewers took for granted.
For example:
·       confusion between figure and ground
·       broken outlines and implied lines
·       multiple viewpoints
·       the use of collage and text
·       (Analytic Cubism) subdued color
We will use a still life image as our "starting point", which we will draw in class. You will work into the drawing with solid colored paper and collage elements, and perhaps charcoal as well.
Your image will emulate the qualities of Cubism as described above.
Background information: Chapters 8 and 10, handout and discussion, Powerpoint with student examples, instructor demo/basic drawing instruction
Supplies:
Construction paper, scissors and x-acto, gluestick, pencil, charcoal, eraser, Bristol board and matboard
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Adherence to Cubist style
•    Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
•    Work Ethic/Presentation

TEXTURE UNIT(Chapter 9)
•    Texture exercise 1: Emulation
In this exercise, you will choose 3 photographs of textured surfaces and attempt to emulate them as precisely as possible.
Supplies: pencil. charcoal, eraser

•    Texture exercise 2: Frottage
You will create 5 or more pages of rubbings, utilizing textures found on campus and elsewhere. These pages will be used to complete your texture project.
Supplies: Tracing paper, graphite stick (provided) or black crayon

TEXTURE project: Still life with Texture
This image will be produced by making a contour drawing of a still life, and then filling the drawing in with texture obtained by rubbings.
Step one: contour drawing on bristol board
Step two: make rubbings on tracing paper of textures found on campus, filling full pages with textures
Step three: cut out the shapes to correspond to the contour drawing, and glue them in.
The goal is to create both an effective value scale and visual variety. Additionally, because texture is one the indicators of space, you will pay attention to this element as well.
Background information: Chapter 9, Powerpoint with student examples, discussion, basic drawing lesson with instructor demonstration
Supplies:
tracing paper, graphite pencil or black crayon, scissors/x-acto, gluestick, tracing paper, Bristol Board, matboard
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
•    Use of textures/Sense of space
•    Work Ethic/Presentation

•    Pattern exercise: Pattern designs
Using the template provided, create 6 different patterns in colored pencil. Utilize the principles of design to make the patterns interesting.
Class discussion and demonstration

PATTERN project: Inspired by Klimt
This project will be a contour drawing that is filled in with patterns. Your image will be chosen from the following:
    A “plein air” image
    A contour drawing of objects
    A contour drawing of a face (human or animal)
(The instructor will approve your image)
Your image may be traced (though I encourage you to draw your own image; discussion of copying and originality in class)
This image may utilize color.
For context, we will examine the work of Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
Background information: Chapter 9, Powerpoint with student examples, handout and discussion
Supplies:
pencils, colored pencils or sharpies, Bristol Board, matboard
Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
•    Use of patterns/Originality
•    Work Ethic/Presentation

COLOR UNIT (Chapter 13)
•    Color Exercise: Color Wheel
The construction of a color wheel is meant to teach the basics of color theory, color mixing, the handling of acrylic paint, and the use and care of brushes
Supplies: Acrylic paint (provided), paintbrushes, Bristol Board

COLOR project: Pop of Color
This project, which is inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, will utilize an image of your choice, repeated four times, and rendered in four color schemes:

Color schemes to choose from:
Monochromatic: the use of only one hue. The hue can vary in value, and black or white may be added to create various shades or tints.
Analogous: the use of colors that are located adjacent on the color wheel.
Triad: the use of three colors spaced equally apart  (includes the primary colors: red, yellow, blue, the secondary colors: green, orange, violet, and the tertiary colors: blue-green, yellow-green, blue-red, orange-red, blue-violet, red-violet)
Complementary: the use of colors that are located opposite on the color wheel.
Split-complementary: utilizes one color and two others that are equally spaced from its complement.
Double-complementary: utilizes two sets of complementary colors
Neutral: includes brown, tan and gray, which are made by mixing complementary colors together.
Color Discord: Color discord schemes are created by using colors widely separated on the color wheel.
(Achromatic color schemes consist of gradations of black and white; but this is not an option for this project)

Background information: Chapter 13, Powerpoint with student examples, lecture and discussion

Areas of Assessment:
4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total
•    Accuracy of the 4 chosen color schemes
•    Use of materials
•    Work Ethic/Presentation

Additional Information

STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

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Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM