In this course, beginning students learn to connect eye with hand as they develop their perceptual skills and are introduced to basic drawing techniques and materials. The course focuses on line, value, sighting and measuring, composition, linear and atmospheric perspective and expressive mark making. Students learn to articulate forms in space, with an emphasis on drawing from observation Note: Students should bring an 18’’ x 24’’ drawing pad, drawing pencil, and kneaded eraser to the first class.

This course is for the student preparing to apply to a fine arts degree program. The instructor works with the student to develop basic methods and skills in drawing and oil painting, with the goal of producing portfolio-quality work. Emphasis is placed on drawing from real objects in natural settings. Students learn the importance of careful observation and articulation of volume, space, tonal value, light and compositional clarity. Lessons also focus on observational color, and how color changes from light to dark, warm to cool, and bright to dull.

Grades 9-12: This course deals with the figure as a system of shapes and investigates the use of light to develop and render forms that construct the figure. Students explore tone and value to create and define the form of the figure within the space it exists. Perceiving the figure as positive and negative shapes and issues of proportion and anatomy are addressed. Using traditional drawing media, students work from the model in different interior settings to apply learned rendering techniques in developing figure drawings while establishing a convincing illusion of space in their compositions.

Grades 9-12: This course uses the mouse and various software programs to simulate effects similar to those achieved in dry and wet media by artists and illustrators. This course is intended for students who have a basic understanding of the computer drawing toolbox (paintbrush, pencil, lasso, eraser, etc.) but would like to learn how to manipulate images and apply unique effects available in Adobe Photoshop. Working in a Mac lab, students work from imagination, memory, selected imagery, and observation to create unique computer generated compositions. Students design graphic images using montage and other special effects.

Grades 9-12. This course is designed to build upon, expand, and heighten students’ concept of drawing. Using both conventional and unconventional drawing tools, students investigate mark-making and use of color as it relates to the development of symbolic and expressive form. Gesture and line quality are carefully considered as powerful means of expression. Working from observation, imagination, music, dreams and memory, students become comfortable thinking outside the box when it comes to their own creative possibilities.

Grades 9-12: In this course, students hone observational drawing skills using a variety of 2-D media and specific subject matter such as still-life set-ups, objects, natural forms, and the surrounding landscape and/or cityscape. Students learn numerous skills and techniques for representational drawing by focusing on and capturing what they see using value, shading and contrast to create a sense of form. Composition is emphasized as students make purposeful decisions about how to organize space within a 2-dimensional picture plane.

Grades: 9-12. Beginning with an understanding of compositional principles and the basic function, features, and possibilities of the digital camera, students learn to create and print digital images. From a variety of prompts intended to tap into students’ interpretation and experience of the visual world around them, students collect imagery around campus, in their daily lives, at home, and outdoors. As the course progresses, the class explores the Adobe Photoshop program as a tool to refine images and explore options in manipulating imagery for expressive purposes. Note: Students must bring their digital camera to each class.

Grades 9-12. This ten-day class is open to high school-aged students and covers basic jewelry-making techniques. Students explore the foundation skills of piercing, filing, polishing, finishing techniques, cold connections, and wire working. Demonstrations and hands-on instruction combined with slide presentations and an historical introduction to the world of art-jewelry give students a well-rounded experience in jewelry making as an art form. leave the class with several finished pieces of their own creation. Note: A basic tool kit is provided for students to use for the duration of the course. Due to the cost of metals, a materials fee may apply.

Grades 9-12. For students who have experience drawing from life and would like to learn more about the unique qualities of oil paint. Used as the primary medium throughout the history of painting, the versatility, and richness of oil paint have allowed artists to capture moments in time, events, and likenesses in ways that no other medium can. students work primarily from life using a combination of still-life, portrait, and landscape to develop skills in utilizing cohesive color schemes using specific oil painting techniques—underpainting, glazing, smooth application of color, impasto. Note: Students will use solvents in this course. Due to the use of oil pigments, a materials fee for this course will apply.

Grades 9-12. The art of bookmaking was once a craft limited to written books. Today, artists use creative and inventive approaches to construct and bind books that tell stories, hold images, or become a journal to hold memories and ideas. The holding form of the book is as artful as the content within. In this class, students explore the book as both an art object as well as a personal and symbolic holding form for written and visual narrative. Students learn techniques for making accordion books, scrolls, bound journals, and much more. Careful consideration is given to the paper types and form chosen to match the overall intent and structure of the book.

Grades 9-12. This fun yet intensive course is designed for super-motivated students who want to learn creative video making. Students are idea-generators, scriptwriters, prop creators and actors in this exciting production. Fundamentals of video making are learned through exercises in writing, shooting, and editing. In addition, students learn how to plan a complex project, research a subject, create a storyboard and work as a member of a production team. Reviewing and discussing the work is an ongoing part of the program. Students work in small groups to produce their final projects.

Grades 9-12. Bolton Hill and the MICA Mount Royal Campus are the subjects for on-site studies of the urban scene. Students explore drawing and painting techniques in making sketches from observation. Using a mix of quick gestural drawings and more detailed sustained pieces, students will learn how to capture not only the realistic elements in the urban landscape, but also the essence or feel of the places and scenes they use as subject matter. Their sketches and other visual resources become the foundation for more finished compositions created in the studio.

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