Basic Drawing 01A:003:001 The University of Iowa, School of Art and Art History Fall 2013, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30 – 10:20 am 1609 Studio Arts INSTRUCTOR Instructor: Brian Prugh Email: brian-prugh@uiowa.edu Office Address: 1826J Studio Arts Office Hours: M 12:20 – 2:20 pm, T/Th 8-8:30 am
Course Supervisor: Sue Hettmansperger Email: sue-hettmansperger@uiowa.edu Office Address: 1624 Studio Arts Office Phone: 319.335.0246
COURSE DESCRIPTION In much the same way that writing essays helps us learn to think, drawing from life helps us learn to see. In this course, drawing will be taught as a way of articulating vision; the purpose of this class will be to acquire a set of tools that allow you to see more deeply and to develop the complexity and integrity of your drawings as documents of visual experience. The course will cover a range of concepts, including line, form, composition, value, and space. We will discuss and engage with various systems of “rules” surrounding these concepts, always testing them against visual experience and with the recognition that one must know the rules of the game in order to effectively break them. The acquisition of a formal vocabulary with which to discuss drawing is an essential element in the development of a subtle visual understanding. The course will make use of texts from artists, art historians, and other sensitive visual thinkers to help you think critically about the visual concepts presented in class. We will also consider images from art history, video segments about living artists, and selections from film, music, and poetry to consider cross-connections between drawing, the visual arts, and other artistic endeavors. Perhaps the most significant goal of the course is to use drawing as an entry point into a consideration of the broader human concerns central to the arts and humanities.
IN-CLASS WORK In-class work will involve engagement both with visual concepts and with different ways of creating drawings. Students are expected to use techniques described in class, even though they may at first seem unfamiliar, difficult, or counter-productive. Drawing techniques described in class are aimed at giving the student greater expressive flexibility, but often take some adjustment and acclimation (and some bad drawings) before their expressive possibilities are realized. Please keep all in-class work, as a selection of in-class drawings will be turned in with the midterm and final portfolios. In-class assignments will be graded based on intensity of work, engagement with concepts presented and the medium used. Steady work throughout the class period is expected: please ask for guidance if you get stuck, lost, or just do not know where to take the drawing.
ATTENDANCE Due to the nature of this course, in which concepts are presented in classroom demonstrations and individual instruction happens during each class period, attendance at all classes is essential and mandatory. Three or more absences will result in a penalty of one letter grade; six or more absences will result in failure of the course. Three tardies are equal to one absence.