Courses

2013 PreCollege Courses

Morning classes: Monday–Thursday, 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Afternoon classes: Monday–Thursday, 1:30 pm–4:30 pm

Courses listed as morning and afternoon are offered twice, and are not full-day classes.

Expressive Line and Life Drawing (morning and afternoon)

Working with a model, traditional and nontraditional still lifes, and on individual projects, you will address issues of composition, the use of light and dark, and mark-making. This class aims to help you work from observation to interpret what you see, allowing your drawing to reveal its history of creation and changes. Pencil, charcoal, ink, ink wash, watercolor or gouache, and collage are all possible materials.

Painting and Permutations (morning and afternoon)

Embracing risk-taking and experimentation, you will explore the limitless material and conceptual possibilities of painting. You will produce oil paintings that stress effective visual organization, originality, and craftsmanship, and synthesize your ideas into a completed body of work. Formal course critiques assist in developing strong skills both in the evaluation of your own artwork and in analyzing formal composition principles. Modern and postmodern movements will be introduced as a means for contextualizing studio work.
 

Black-and-White Photography (morning and afternoon)

Capture the magic of West Coast photography and the influence of artists such as Ansel Adams (who founded SFAI’s Photography Department), Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Lewis Baltz, and many more. Photographic field trips, extensive darkroom work, gallery and museum visits, and class discussions will form a dynamic environment for creating new work with technical and historical understanding of the medium.
Prerequisite: basic introductory course in photography. Students must provide their own 35mm SLR camera that allows manual control of shutter speed, aperture, and focusing.

Digital Photography (morning)

This course will encourage you to explore, create, and experiment with the medium of photography. Through hands-on activities in the digital computer lab, lighting studio, and in the field, you will compose images and produce photographic prints. Using Adobe Photoshop CS5, you will learn how to color-correct photos as well as how to work with more complex adjustment features such as selections, layers, masks, and channels. Discussions and group critiques will provide insight into contemporary photography. By the end of the class students are expected to have a cohesive body of work and a technical and conceptual knowledge of color photography and color digital printing.
Prerequisite: basic introductory course in photography. Students must provide their own digital SLR, or digital camera with manual settings.

Digital Animation (morning)

Digital animation is a fascinating blend of imagination, artistry, and technology. This course will introduce software such as Adobe Flash and After Effects as well as traditional animation fundamentals of illustration and motion. Students will first develop an understanding of digital animation tools through structured exercises and demonstrations, and move toward more complex concepts of storyboarding and interactivity. You will then apply all these techniques in the creation of a short animated movie. 

Experimental Cinema (afternoon)

This hands-on course will demystify the mechanics of experimental filmmaking and investigate its potential as a tool for personal expression. You will gain an understanding of super 8, 8mm, 16 mm, and digital video camera operation and photographic principles while creating short films, videos, and installations. Editing will be done using both analog and digital tools, including Final Cut Pro. Students will also be introduced to cinematic history and contemporary theory.

Installation Art (morning)

This course explores the poetic form and social history of conceptual and site-specific installation. Studio projects will include work with architectural forms, performance, video, and lighting. You will discover the importance of context, process, and time-based activities when working with materials and space, and also learn about project documentation. Slide lectures will expose students to the historical and political underpinnings of these forms and their contemporary manifestation worldwide.

Screenprinting (afternoon)

Explore the expressive and technical possibilities of screenprinting as you learn how to develop a stencil and convert drawings, photographs, and digital output into a genuine print—not only on paper, but also on a variety of surfaces such as fabric and plastic. Projects will introduce the photo-emulsion process, color registration, and water-based ink mixing.

Inventing the Figure in Ceramics (afternoon)

Focusing on the figure with attention to anatomy, this course will explore the boundaries of the human form and physical features, and address the processes, techniques, and concepts at play in contemporary figurative ceramics. Working with a range of direct construction methods, you will learn about materiality, three-dimensional design, and functionality. As the course progresses, low-fire surface treatments and glazing strategies will provide you with tools to complete your projects.