Part Time Study Program
Fine Art Foundation Program 2009 - One Year Program
| Units: | Monday: General Drawing & Painting & Art History |
| Wednesday: Life Drawing & Studio Practice | |
| Duration: | 1 year part time (2 days per week x 32 weeks) |
| Class size: | Maximum 12 students |
| Cost: | $1500 per term - Materials not included |
| Teacher: | Anita Mertzlin/Lara Piterman/John Derrik/Toni Senese/Dena Lester |
Course Description
This course will provide participants with a body of work to aid entry into a wide range of creative based tertiary education programs such as fine art; design; illustration; animation; visual arts, fashion etc. This course is also designed for those who are interested in pursuing their own personal artistic development. The course will begin with a strong emphasis on technical skills where students will complete various set projects. This will lead to a more personal approach in later stages to evoke individuality and originality for all students.
General Drawing & Life Drawing
These units will provide students with the skills, techniques and processes necessary for creative drawing. Students will learn the fundamental skills needed to produce observational and interpretive drawing. It also aims to develop skills in the use of various media and techniques, and in the capacity to understand and control the chosen medium. Participants will receive training in the following principles: line and tonal variation, form and shape, space and composition, structure, texture, colour and perspective. Participants will also learn to work and control the following media: charcoal, graphite, pastels (oil and dry), conte, acrylic paint, gouache, ink and collage.
Painting
The purpose of thisunit is to provide students with the skills and processes necessary to produce finished paintings leading to articulate bodies of work. Students will learn to use and understand a range of painting materials and media such as oil and acrylic paints, watercolour and mixed media. Students will learn various painting techniques and colour mixing to achieve desired effects. This unit will provide participants with the fundamental design and painting principles such as composition, balance in colour, shape and line, movement, dynamics and expression. Students will learn the process of visualizing and will learn to demonstrate their own personal expression and vision.
Art History and Visiting Artist Lectures
Students will learn about major art movements and will be given comprehensive information about current contemporary art. This knowledge will be used to inform their work and aid completion of set projects. In this unit students will study aspects of art history and have visiting lectures by practicing artists.
This unit will be held on Monday afternoons and will be open to students from other programs in the school.
Studio Practice
Each Wednesday afternoon students will work on individual projects that are designed to encourage independent practice and creative thinking. In the earlier terms of the year participants will be given specific painting exercises, but as the year develops students will being building a body of work that represents their area of interest.
This body of work will be used for university interviews or as a foundation for personal practice.
Students will also receive 1 individual tutorial review each term to mark their progress.
The group will also use a number of these session as an opportunity to visit gallery exhibitions with their teachers where discussion about what they are observing will lead to a greater understanding and articulation of what they are viewing.
Structure of Program
Programs will run on Mondays between 9.00am - 4.30 pm and on Wednesdays between 9.30 am and 4 pm. Terms are held in 8 week blocks that correspond to school terms. As this course is not accredited by any external government body we are able to concentrate the study program into what we believe are the essential elements that develop art practice. This will enable students to undertake other activities such as work while studying with us. We believe that in these two full days, students will achieve enough to realise a solid and impressive body of work.
Outcome
Students who complete the year at Art Encounters will receive an internal certificate of graduation. However, the main outcome will be in what each student learns. Each person will leave with an ability to draw and paint realism, and understanding of self expression and a foundation in the understanding of art history, artists practices and contemporary art processes.
