VAFA111 Drawing Basics

Department of The Arts: Visual Arts

I. Course Number and Title
VAFA111 Drawing Basics
II. Number of Credits
3 credits
III. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester
IV. Prerequisites
V. Other Pertinent Information




Weekly homework required outside of class is generally 5 hours.

VI. Catalog Course Description
VII. Required Course Content and Direction
  1. Learning Goals:

    1. Course
    2. Students will:
      2. create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface (i.e. using techniques such as the system of linear perspective or the analysis of light and form);

    3. Core (if applicable)
    4. Category I:
      Creative Expression
      Students will:
      1. create a unique, personal, finished product appropriate to the medium.
  2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

    Throughout the semester, students practice representational drawing of simple geometric objects, simple organic objects, three-dimensional space, and light on form. Specifically students use mostly pencil (and perhaps also charcoal and other traditional black and white media), to explore:
    2. line as used to describe form and volume;
    3. light as it affects the perception of form;
    4. value and tone;
    5. proportional relationships of all things in their context;
    7. linear perspective as it applies to landscapes.

  3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

    1. Course
      3. Students' portfolios are assessed for the aesthetic quality and progress.

    2. Core (if applicable)
    3. Student assessment in Creative Expression is based on the mastery of in-class drawing exercises, the timely completion of problem-based drawing assignments, the presentation of these drawings in accordance with professional standards, the demonstrated use of appropriate vocabulary in an oral critique of a work of art, and on the overall aesthetic quality of the student’s work based on the media, the subject, the composition, and formal qualities such as scale, perspective, line, shape, value, texture, and tone.

VIII. Teaching Methods Employed
