Art classes Albany NY

A ART 105 Beginning Drawing (3)
Drawing encompasses all the visual disciplines; it will be taught as a way of thinking and planning for other fields of creative endeavor. Drawing is a way of seeing, thinking, and feeling through making marks. Students will be exposed to objective drawing techniques with an emphasis on two-dimensional design.

A ART 110 Two-Dimensional Design (3)
The principles of two-dimensional design and composition intended primarily as a preparatory course for all other courses concerned with the two-dimensional approach.

A ART 115 Three-Dimensional Design (3)
A problem-solving introduction to the principles and elements of three-dimensional design. Demonstrations and implementations of equipment, methods and materials encourage students to develop their interpretive and technical facility, while solving problems that deal with form, space, structure, scale and volume. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 144 Fundamentals of Photography and Related Media (3)
Photography and related media have moved to the center of nearly all aspects of artistic practice. In this foundational course, the convergence of photography the related media that inform and are informed by it (including video and digital media) are explored through hands-on projects and readings designed to increase students' aesthetic and technical vocabulary. Students are also introduced to the work of significant contemporary artists who work with photography. Course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 205 Life Drawing (3)
A studio course for students with one semester of drawing experience. This course offers extended opportunities to draw the human figure. Emphasis will be placed on the underlying conceptual structures of perceptual relationships. Students will be asked to master the description of bodily forms deployed in a coherent pictorial space. Prerequisite(s): A ART 105.

T ART 210 Experiments in Visual Thinking (3)
Experiments in Visual Thinking is an idea-oriented course in which students learn how to think and communicate visually. Through individual and group projects, students will work toward developing an expanded visual vocabulary while learning how to visually convey their ideas and interests. Rather than start a project by determining the discipline to work within (painting, game design, landscape architecture...), we will begin each assignment by exploring a list of interests, issues, and concerns that are both relevant to the student and the contemporary world: the self, the environment, network culture, globalization, just to name a few. Each student will be asked to translate the topic into a visual outcome. Through a continual exchange of technical and conceptual feedback, each student will create a series of finished projects that illustrate their ability to think visually and act upon that thinking.

Class time will be devoted to lectures, class discussions, presentations, demonstrations, work time, and critique. Equally, this course will explore the expanded role of a visually creative person in the 21st century, not only focusing on the traditional role of creator, but also on the contemporary roles of facilitator, manager, and collaborator. Open to Honors College students only.

A ART 220 Beginning Sculpture (3)
The course work involves representing and interpreting the human form in 3-dimensions, developing eye/hand coordination, and understanding the importance of proportions and relationships. Working from the live model, students learn about the characteristics, potentials, and limits of water-based clay (terra-cotta, when fired), the need for and construction of an armature, and the techniques of modeling full-scale and proportional-scale representations of the male/female form. Final project includes a self-portrait exercise and an inventive transformation. Visual presentations and demonstrations supplement students' first-hand experiences. Prerequisite(s): A ART 115 or permission of instructor. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 230 Beginning Painting (3)
An introduction to the language of painting through studio practice. Students will work toward mastering the skills of color mixing as they apply to painting from life. This course stresses the discipline of perceiving the optical effects of light and color in nature and translating them into a pictorial space. Prerequisite(s): A ART 205 or permission of instructor.

A ART 240 Contemporary Etching (3)
In this class, students will be introduced to etching as both a historical and contemporary medium of expression. Projects will explore drawing and printing with line, tone, and texture via the traditional techniques of hard and soft ground etching, drypoint, and aquatint. Additionally, students will learn to integrate digital imaging in the creation of their intaglio prints. Assignments will address issues of representation, abstraction, cultural critique, and personal expression. Prerequisite(s): A ART 105 or permission of instructor. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 241 Silkscreen Printmaking (3)
This studio art course introduces silkscreen printmaking, also known as serigraphy, as a contemporary medium for exploring the “democratic multiple, ” and the artistic and cultural legacy of Pop Art and Andy Warhol. Students will use stencils, photo-mechanical exposure, and water-based methods to combine drawing, photography, digital design, color, found images, and collage into complex images. Projects will be printed on paper and other surfaces. Prerequisite(s): A ART 105 or A ART 110 or permission of instructor. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 244 Beginning Photography and Digital Imaging (3)
An introduction to Photography as fine art; covers traditional chemical-based black and white as well as digital techniques and image- making skills. The convergence of traditional photography and digital media is explored through hands-on projects and readings designed to increase students' aesthetic and technical vocabulary. Students are also introduced weekly to the work of significant contemporary artists who work with photography. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.

A ART 250 Introduction to Digital Imaging (3)
An introduction to the technical and theoretical issues of the computer in the visual arts. The convergence of photography and digital media is explored through hands-on projects and readings designed to increase students’ aesthetic and technical vocabulary. Topics covered include basic scanning and manipulation of photographic imagery through raster-based graphics programs, and fine art digital printmaking, as well as an introduction to web graphics. Prerequisite(s): A ART 244 or one studio art course and permission of instructor. Effective Fall 2013 and beyond, course fee applies. Consult the Schedule of Classes.