Art Basics Course

Visual Arts. Open to everyone.

Learn Visual Arts the smart way with Visual Arts courses at CCE, the University of Sydney.

This art basics course will allow you to put theory into practice and develop your artistic competency by learning the ‘rules’ to art. Working with the elements and principles of design, participants will learn perspective, how to draw illusions, create powerful designs, utilise value and imply texture, understand colour schemes and the colour wheel and practice drawing the face. This art basics course will allow participants to develop techniques through a variety of mediums including ink, colour pencil, pastels and paint. There are no prerequisites.

Content

The Art Basics course engages participants in the following:

Introduction

• Theoretical underpinnings and stages of artistic development.
• Elements and principles of design are defined and practiced.
• Master artworks are analysed in relation to the elements and principles of design.
• Colour theory packets are distributed.
• Visual Diaries and course materials are discussed.

Line

• The aesthetics of line are defined and analysed.
• One-point perspective (horizon line, vanishing point, orthogonals) and various other methods are practiced in order to achieve a three dimensional appearance on a two dimensional surface.
• Participants develop a line design utilising at least one vanishing point.

Shape

• Organic, geometric, asymmetrical and symmetrical shapes are defined and analysed within the context of fine art.
• Contour drawing exercises are practiced.
• Repetition, reverse repetition, overlap repetition, reverse overlap repetition, mirror overlap repetition and emphasis overlap repetition are practiced by utilising a single asymmetrical shape.
• Participants develop a shape design.

Texture and Value

• Texture and value are defined and discussed by viewing a variety of images including cartoons, photographs, material objects, and fine art.
• Value charts utilising hatching/cross-hatching, smudging and stippling techniques are practiced.
• Circles are shaded to become spheres through the indication of a light source.
• A ‘Texture Monster’ is rendered through rote activity.

Colour

• Participants use watercolours to create a warm and cool colour weave.
• Discussion of how humans see colour.
• Subtractive and additive colour wheels are defined.
• Participants paint a colour wheel using only the three primary colours.
• Participants work with shades and tints to paint a value chart that demonstrates the gradation of a single colour.
• A variety of colour schemes are outlined and discussed while the colour theory packet distributed in the first session is analysed in further detail.

Self Portraits

• Discussion and image viewing of portraiture in fine art over the centuries.
• Critical junctions and tangents are defined.
• Participants engage in rote activity to learn the basic ‘rules’ to drawing the human face.
• A self portrait is developed utilising soft chalk pastel on a black canvas.
• Hand-outs supplement the lesson with further detail.

Unity – All Elements and Principles of Design

• Participants engage in a ‘recipe’ drawing/painting activity.
• Discipline-based art education is defined and discussed.
• Participants are invited to share thought processes.
• Images are viewed and discussed.

Future Directions

• Contemporary trends in Visual Arts (sustainability, technology, juxtaposition, shock art, political art).
• Videos demonstrate new methods and techniques
• Participants engage in further illusion study.
• Famous fine art is analsyed through discussion on the elements and principles of design.
• Suggestion for further practice is offered.

Intended Audience

This art course is suitable for all skill levels, but is tailored to the needs of beginners.

Before the course

Please bring an A3 (or larger) visual diary to Session 1. Your tutor will then speak with you regarding the other supplies required from Session 2 onwards (cost of total supplies is approximately $50).