LIFE DRAWING I SYLLABUS
Materials / Course Objective / Grading / Course Outline
1. Instructor Name: _Doug Jaques
Course Name and Number: ARTS 2323 Life Drawing I
2. ARTS 2323 Life Drawing I
Detailed study of the human form. Emphasis on rendering, mood, expression,
and skeletal and muscular structure.
PREREQUISITES: ARTS 1316 Drawing I or departmental approval
3. Required Texts/Materials:
Required Text: The Human Figure by David K. Rubens
Suggested Reading:
Constructive Anatomy by George Bridgman
Bridgman’s Life Drawing, by George Bridgman
Figure Drawing by Nathan Goldstein
The Human Figure, by David K. Rubens is available in the ACC bookstore
on the ground floor of building 4000.
The Library is on the second floor of building 1000 at NRG. It has a fairly
good collection of art and anatomy books.
I would recommend visiting the downtown branch of the Austin Public Library,
or the UT Fine Art Library, for a really in depth collection of art books.
Materials
1. Tackle box
2. Charcoal – (hard, soft, medium)
3. Charcoal paper – white and gray
4. Drawing board
5. Graphite pencils – 3B, 4B, 5B,6B, powdered graphite
6. Kneaded eraser (large)
7. Chamois (optional)
8. Single edged razor blade (optional)
9. Hand pencil sharpener
10. Conte crayons – black and white, brown optional
11. One pad 18" x 24" Strathmore drawing paper, white
12. One pad 18" x 24" newsprint
13. An assortment of markers, fine to medium point, permanent and water soluble
14. Spray fixative
15. Watercolor brush, Chinese bamboo
16. Water container
17. Water soluble drawing ink
18. Drawing pen (optional)
19. Sharpened stick
20. Clamps for holding paper
21. Masking tape (optional)
22. Portfolio, cardboard
4. SCANs Competencies (not applicable)
5. Instructional Methodology
Teaching will be done by the following methods:
1. Demonstration – The instructor will demonstrate concepts
and technique by drawing in front of the class..
2. Hands on teaching – The instructor will make the rounds, working with
each student, giving constructive criticism, and doing individual demonstrations.
3. Discussion – The instructor will illustrate the technical and expressive
aspects of life drawing by showing examples of his own work, and the work
of other artists. Students will be encouraged to participate in group discussions
and critiques as time allows.
4. Individual Discussion – The instructor will guide students individually
by giving technical advice and suggested reading and research which would
benefit individual students.
5. To alternate a gestalt, gestural approach to life drawing with a methodical
approach, this is to insure that the student will draw with energy and accuracy
6. Course Rationale
The purpose
of Life Drawing I is to provide each student with specific drawing media experiences
and to build basic perceptual skills in terms of drawing from the human figure.
The student will review basic knowledge of the elements of art: line, value,
shape/volume, texture and color to lead to their deliberate manipulation for
different types of spatial illusion, compositions, and expressive meaning.
The human body is marvelously complex and expressive. Excellent figure drawings
may Be either very involved or very simple and always convey a sense that
the represented form is alive. This course is directed towards giving the
student a structured approach to drawing the human figure ,which will serve
as a foundation for his or her personal interpretive approach.
· Students
will demonstrate knowledge of the bone structure of the human skeleton and
the body’s muscle structure by drawing and by quizzes on the nomenclature
of anatomy.
· Students will be able to draw the human figure accurately displaying normative
proportional relationships of the body’s parts to the whole.
· Students will depict the figure in a variety of poses using foreshortening
(linear perspective).
· Students will draw the figure so that the illusion of volume is achieved
through a variety of shading techniques, such as, graduated continuous tones,
cross contour lines, and cross hatching.
· Students will convey gesture, the illusion of expressive movement, when
drawing the figure spontaneously in very brief periods of time.
· Students will simplify, exaggerate, or distort visual elements and normative
proportions to interpret expressive qualities of the figure.
· Students will evoke mood through the expressive use of drawing materials.
· Students will present their completed work in a professional manner.
v Objectives/Outcomes established by the instructor:
Students will alternate gesture drawings with long methodical studies . The aim is to enable the student to draw spontaneously, energetically and accurately
8. Course Evaluation/Grading System
All grading will be done on the point system:
Drawing assignments submitted for grading will be evaluated as follows:
| Understanding of concept and objective of the assignment | 10 points |
| Use of tools and technique | 30 points |
| Accuracy of human structure and proportions | 30 points |
| Three dimensional illusion and foreshortening | 10 points |
| Expressive qualities of drawing: -good line quality -life like quality |
10 points |
| Work performance in class | 10 points |
Work performance in class is based on the instructor’s observation and record of the student’s personal performance in the following areas:
1. Attitude, demeanor – courteous, respectful, teachable,
considerate of other students’ needs for concentration
2. Attendance, punctuality, and handing in work on time.
3. Participation in class projects and discussions.
4. Conduct – Helping to create an atmosphere conducive to creativity
and keeping the workspace neat.
Work will be handed in for evaluation three times during the semester. In addition three anatomy tests will be given and two pages of hand studies and two pages of foot studies will be submitted for grading
The Final grade will consist of:
All in class work
75%
Anatomy tests and studies of hands and feet 25%
9. Course Policies:
· Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes. If a student misses class for any reason, he or she is responsible for making up the work missed in class. After three absences the instructor may withdraw a student from class. Absences do lower the grade. Attendance will be taken ten minutes after class begins. Three late arrivals equal one absence.
· Withdrawal
After three absences, the instructor may withdraw the student.
The instructor may withdraw the student or suggest to the student that he
withdraw for the following reasons:
If the student falls far behind in the exercises, for any reason
If there is an extreme language barrier between student and instructor
If the instructor finds that the student has insufficient understanding of
the course prerequisite.
· Incomplete
I do not give incompletes
Office
of Students with Disabilities
·
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical
or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable
accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus
where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged
to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.
Course Outline
| Week 1 | Discussion of syllabus. Drawing from model |
| Week 2 | Draw – front, back, side views of model. Draw corresponding
views of skeleton. |
| Week 3 | Draw three views of the head and corresponding views from the skull. |
| Week 4 | Test on muscles of the torso. Gesture drawing with pencil,
conte, and charcoal. Master drawings |
| Week 5 | Begin shading exercises using conte crayon and charcoal.
Master drawings |
| Week 6 | Continue volumetric drawing using mass lines to give the
illusion of form through linear shading, cross hatching and cross contour lines. Pencil, pen, charcoal, and conte. Master drawings. Drawings due for grading. |
| Week 7 | Gesture drawing. Exploring pen and wash techniques on watercolor
paper. Master drawings |
| Week 8 | Explore chairoscuro with charcoal or conte on grey charcoal
paper heightened with white conte. Long pose. |
| Week 9 | Test on muscles of the arm. Gesture drawing. Studies of
the hand. Studies of the foot. |
| Week 10 | Gesture drawing using continuous tone and drawing
using a shading stump and powdered charcoal. Drawings due for grading |
| Week 11 | Gesture drawings. Long pose using powdered graphite and
pencil on good quality drawing paper |
| Week 12 | Detailed drawing of the head in charcoal on grey paper heightened
with white conte. |
| Week 13. | Test on muscles of the leg. Contour drawings. Value drawings.
Combined contour and value drawings. |
| Week 14 | Long pose using choice of materials. |
| Week 15 | Long pose using choice of materials. Drawings due for grading. |
| Week 16.. | Students choice of poses and materials. Compute and discuss grades |
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