Introduction to Drawing with Grayscale | Fall

In Introduction to Drawing, students will be taught the fundamental drawing skills that will help them set a firm foundation to build upon. These skills are complementary to skills taught in both Drawing with Color and Introduction to Portraiture and are meant to support those. Students will be taught a range of approaches both traditional and contemporary with familiar mediums such as graphite, charcoal and conte so that the student can focus on the the grey scale before learning color. Students will create Master copies, render objects, create still lives, and observational drawings from life. In this course, students will be encouraged to explore original ideas, themes, and concepts in their work. Through demonstrations, personal instruction, and exercises, students will explore different subjects/compositions, textures, papers, and application techniques suitable for each unique medium.
Students will be encouraged to practice exercises taught in class and may need to work outside of class to complete projects.
Along with hands-on studio work, students will participate in regular class critiques, creating a forum for the group to constructively collaborate and discuss creative outcomes. Individual artist statements will be required with most finished pieces of work, giving students another opportunity to articulate their interpretive intent and their understanding of process and design concepts.
Students can also expect ongoing dialogues about art in history, the Christian imagination in relationship to faith and the arts, and the role of the arts in the Church. The hope of the instructor is that through engagement in the class, students will be brought to a deeper appreciation of the visual world and the creative love of its Maker.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

Teaching art online is a unique learning experience to navigate. If at all possible, buy the version of supply linked below. I can help students navigate obstacles more effectively when we are all using the same materials. If you have any questions regarding supplies, please feel free to email me.

Beginning Drawing Atelier by Juliette Aristides ISBN-: 978-1580935128
Any kind of sketchbook (minimum size 8″x10″): We will use these for exercises and notes. If you already have one that you use, that will do!
Document camera (such as Ipevo), or equivalent
Pad of SMOOTH newsprint (link)
11×14” drawing paper pad (link)
Drawing pencils (link)
2-3 Conte à Paris Pierre Noire B pencils (link)
Soft vine charcoal (link)
Kneaded Eraser
Pencil sharpener
Drawing board
Self portrait mirror
Cardstock
Craft knife or scissors
piece of 8x10 plexiglass or similar

OPTIONAL COURSE MATERIALS:

Spray Fixative
Painter’s tape
EpocCam (link) is an app for the iPhone that turns your phone into a document camera. Ipevo has an app for Android phone (link), but I have not used it. Paired with a tension arm like this (link), and you have a very affordable alternative to a dedicated document camera. It will automatically link to Zoom.

Sara Silkwood holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Syracuse University. Sara has several years experience teaching in a variety of areas including college level, church-run camps, Classical schools and privately. She also serves as the fine arts teacher at Valor Preparatory Academy. Currently, Sara works out of her home studio in Waco, Texas where she lives with her great dane-lab mix, Oberon. She spends her free-time backpacking, reading and illustrating her own stories. [email protected]

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

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First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.

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This registration will be finalized when the student's placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.