This course will give the student a working knowledge of two-dimensional composition in a variety of mediums as applicable to the admissions requirements of all Visual and Performing Arts Bachelor programs. This is a foundational class and an invaluable introduction to the principles of design. All students who take higher level art courses are required to complete the course.
Juniors and seniors are able to take the course for college credit through St. John's University, and the course is an in-depth study of the principles of design at the college level.
Rhythm and Movement
Students began their semester by learning the principles of design - or the guidelines for creating professional-level compositions. Their first mini project was to create a piece using rhythm and movement, guiding the viewer's eye all across the page. They used repeating patterns to create a strong repeated rhythm, and paths to create visual interest and movement.
Proportion, Balance, and Variety
Students began their semester by learning the principles of design - or the guidelines for creating professional-level compositions. Their second mini project was to create a piece using proportion, variety, and balance. They created a symmetrical repeating pattern and tried to create variety within that strong sense of stability. Some students did this with color, with varying their shapes, or with linework.
MAIN PROJECTS
Once students have learned how to use the principles of design, or the guidelines for creating professional quality works of art, they put them to use in original compositions in a series of large projects over the course of the semester. They begin with classwork, learning the rules of abstraction and perspective, then move through many revisions towards compositions, value studies, and finally - paintings!
This series of paraline perspective drawings was done by Michelle Regan, and shows the progression a project will take towards its finished, completed form.
Organic Abstraction
The students did a series of main projects, beginning with Organic Abstraction. They learned about the rules of abstraction, and worked on hand drafting studies of their various organic objects. This strengthened their skills of observation as well as their drawing practice. Then they did a series of composition studies, value studies, and revisions towards their final composition. Their final paintings are a synthesis of the principles of design, working to represent their organic object in an abstract way.
Geometric Abstraction
The second project students worked on was Geometric Abstraction. They learned about the rules of abstraction, and worked on hand drafting studies of various methods of creating geometric shapes. Then they did a series of composition studies, value studies, and revisions towards their final composition. Their final paintings are a synthesis of the principles of design, working to represent a flowing composition with geometric shapes.
Paraline Perspective
Students worked to represent shapes with depth in space, based on a rule system of using parallel lines. This project represents abstract space, not realistic in the same way as one point or two point perspective. They learned the rules of paraline perspective, and they did a series of composition studies, value studies, and revisions towards their final composition. Their final paintings are a synthesis of the principles of design, represented in paraline perspecive.