syllabus • spring 2011

Life Drawing I • Spring 2011
Micheels Hall 287

ART 301-001
Monday/Wednesday/Friday • 10:10 am –12:10 pm

ART 301-002
Tuesday/Thursday • 11:15 – 2:20 pm


Amy Fichter
Associate Professor
Applied Arts 306B

Office hours:
Mondays, 12:10 pm – 2:10 pm
& by appointment
ext. 5335
fichtera@uwstout.edu


Final Exam Dates:
Friday, May 13, 8:00 – 9:50 am (ART 301-001)
Friday, May 13, 2:00 – 3:50 pm (ART 301-002)

PreRequisites
Students must have completed Drawing I (ART 100) and Drawing II (ART 200) before participating in Life Drawing I (ART 301).

Course Objectives
Through participation in Life Drawing I, you will:

•Understand and use a structural approach to drawing
- Perceive three-dimensional form and translate this form to the two-dimensional picture plane

- Comprehend a subject’s planar make-up and correctly prioritize primary and secondary planes

-    Use a linear, as opposed to painterly, approach to drawing the figure, including value


• Develop a working knowledge of artistic anatomy through lectures, drawings, and clay modeling
- Draw a structural representation of the human figure utilizing long axis, cross contour, and muscle attachment lines

- Demonstrate anatomical understanding through drawing anatomical landmarks

- Build a convincing and well-crafted clay model of the muscles important for drawing

• Refine your mark-making skills and ability to make and understand how line creates a sense of space on the picture plane.
- Practice gesture drawing and contour drawing separately, in order to, ultimately, achieve a synthesis of the two

- Become aware of your own kinesthetic sense and its ability to teach yourself about the body and about drawing


• Communicate effectively about the drawing process via writing, blog posting, image sharing, class critiques, and one-on-one critiques with the instructor.
- Keep a class blog that will serve as space for posting images, text, responding to other students, and reflecting upon your learning in the course

- Be responsible to yourself and the other students in the class for having meaningful class discussions and becoming better artists through those discussions


Evaluations & Expectations
• I expect you to complete:

- In-class drawings. (30%)
- Homework drawings. Homework will be graded on the quality of the drawing and the demonstrated understanding of the topics covered in that particular assignment. (25%)
- Assigned clay building on your Maniken, both in-class and for homework. Maniken assignments will be graded on the quality of clay building, accuracy of form and attachments, and completeness of work. (25%)
- Blog assignments/weekly reflections. (20%)




Field Trip
There is a mandatory field trip for this class. The date will be announced within the first few weeks of the semester. You must make arrangements with other professors and/or work obligations to be gone from 8:00 am - 5:30 pm on this day. Please email me the names and email addresses of other professors you have on that day and I will send a note for you. I can also give a hand-written note if necessary. The only cost of the field trip for you will be food.


Attendance
It’s important that you are in class—for access to the model, to hear comments I make, and to experience drawing in a studio setting. The class happens because all of you are here working together.
Let me know via e-mail if you can’t make it to class.
Rely on your classmates to show you drawings and notes you may have missed.
After 3 absences, your grade will be lowered.
After 7 absences, you will fail the class.

Grading Policy
Your grade will be based primarily on your final e-portfolio in which you showcase your learning over the semester and best examples from the class. This e-portfolio will include gesture drawings, long drawings, images of your maniken, and written reflections.


A mid-term e-portfolio will be graded to give you an idea of your standing in the class at that point.


Your grade will also be affected by such “subjective” qualities as these:

1. are you present?
2. in mind as well as body?
3. open to suggestions?
4. helpful in class discussions?
5. awake during lecture time?


For most of the semester I am your coach/advocate. I will encourage, support, and challenge you in order for you to become a better artist.

During midterm and final grading (and in other critique sessions), my role shifts from advocate to judge. It is then my job to give you a fair and accurate gauge of where your work and class participation fit within the standards and expectations of the university and of the larger art & design professional community.

Save and document all your drawings from the semester.

Materials
Newsprint 18" x 24" or 24” x 36”
Canson "Biggie" white drawing paper (Biggie pad) 18” x 24” or larger
Strathmore drawing pad, 80 lb. (24 sheets, I think) *OPTIONAL
Drawing board
Clips
Charcoal/Charcoal pencils
Conte/Conte pencils
X-acto knife with extra blades
Sandpaper (medium grit)
Pencil sharpener
White plastic eraser
Clic eraser (refillable)
Masking tape
Clay tools

1.    Paring knife [http://www.amazon.com/NorPro-Norpro-923-Paring-Knife/dp/B000HEFC3O]
2.    X-acto knife
3.    Kemper ribbon tool [http://www.dickblick.com/1/1/42395-r2-kemper-ribbon-tools.html#photos]
4.    Cutting board [http://www.tiger-cub.co.uk/epages/es109259.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es109259_shop/Products/301081]
5.    Flower clay roller (kemper) [http://www.nationalartcraft.com/images/sub-0625-02.jpg]
6.    Clay gun (kemper) [http://www.nationalartcraft.com/images/sub-0625-03.jpg] *optional

Atlas of Human Musculature in Clay (volumes 1 – 5), Jon Zahourek, ed. Kenneth Morgareidge, Zahourek Systems, Inc., 1994.

In addition to the texts, each student will be checked out a half Maniken for his/her use during the semester. The Manikens are property of UW-Stout Instructional Resources Services. You are responsible for the Maniken checked out to you. If any part of the Maniken is missing, lost, damaged, etc., the student will be financially responsible to replace it through IRS.

Videos
World Famous Lectures on Artistic Anatomy & Figure Drawing
Robert Beverly Hale

Lecture 1 Rib Cage 78 Minutes
Lecture 2 Pelvis 81 minutes
Lecture 3 Leg 74 minutes
Lecture 4 Foot 72 minutes
Lecture 5 Shoulder Girdle I 77 minutes
Lecture 6 Shoulder Girdle ll 68 minutes
Lecture 7 Arm 76 minutes
Lecture 8 Hand 80 minutes
Lecture 9 Head/Skull 80 minutes
Lecture 10 Head and Features 97 minutes

These are available for checkout in the library.

Art Education Artifacts
The course objectives of this course meet:
• Wisconsin Standard 1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches.
• UW Stout School of Education Domain 1a: Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy.
• Wisconsin Standard 9: The teacher is a reflective practitioner.
Portfolio Artifact: best work as determined by student and professor
• Art education students will be required to reflect in writing on this artifact.
• Art education students will be required to upload papers and digital images of their studio works into their e-portfolios.