Drawing 1 An introduction to drawing with an emphasis on the development of objective drawing facilities. We will be primarily dealing with observation and perception skills, understanding and applying the formal elements of 2-dimensional art, and the development of technical proficiency in a variety of styles and drawing mediums. We will also be touching on the expression of emotion and conceptual content in drawing towards the end of the semester.
Figure Drawing 1 This is studio course emphasizing the development of perceptual skills through drawing the human figure from direct observation. Through a combination of in-class and homework assignments, you will learn how to see and interpret visual information as it relates to the human form. Class time will be devoted to hands-on drawing projects working directly from the model and will be supplemented with lectures and demonstrations.
Drawing directly from the figure is one of the fastest and most rewarding ways to acquire the objective skills needed for representational drawing. The figure is an object of profound visual complexity that requires us to engage simultaneously in multiple sensory, mechanical, intuitive, and cognitive processes. We learn from the figure that representation and abstraction are interdependent. If you can draw the figure, you can draw anything, using the same skills.
This is a course in drawing from direct observation. No work from photographs will be permitted either in class or for homework with the exception of that used for anatomy overlay homework.
Composition and Color This course analyzes master works to investigate composition structures and presentation modes. Students draw and paint from master copies to understand how artists organize and balance pictorial elements
The first element we notice when looking at any work of art is the composition. Simultaneously we look for balance. If your art is to be successful, balance and visual equilibrium has to be your goal. This course is will analyze a variety of compositional structures and presentation approaches. Students will investigate how representational artists use compositional elements and color to achieve order, balance and unity. Students will begin to apply formal pictorial elements: line, shape, value, hue, temperature, edge relationship, emphasis, and eye-path to create visual equilibrium.
Mike Turner Visual Artist - Laguna Beach, California. 
