ILL
273: Drawing for Illustration
Room
332, Shaffer Art Building
SEC
M002: Wednesdays 2:30-6:00pm
SEC
M001: Thursdays 8:00-11:30am
3
CREDITS
Instructor:
Danny Schwartz
www.dannyschwartz.com
dannyschwartzart@gmail.com
908.463.6925
“Almost all art work, no
matter what the final form, begins with drawing because drawing is the artist’s
fundamental tool."
-Mary
Blair
COURSE
DESCRIPTION: No matter what kind of illustration you would like to pursue –
editorial, entertainment, design, or sequential – drawing will be essential to your
life. The goal of this class is to broaden the drawing tools artists have that
apply directly to illustration and narrative image making. A good drawing is a
spine for the rest of the creation process, regardless of area of
specialization – the more you put into it, the more it will hold up whatever
you’re working on. This goes for every stage of our process as illustrators –
from sketches all the way through any kind of final. As such, before mastering
any other type of medium at all, it is essential that the modern illustrator
masters drawing in their own right first. Master drawing, and everything else
will follow.
We will spend the semester developing our own vocabularies as
draftsmen and creative thinkers. Emphasis will be placed on developing a sense
of style through repeated exposure to established technique. My goal by the end
of the class is to have you seriously thinking about how each mark you put on your
page is distinctly your own. We’re going to cover as much ground as we possibly
can – figures, environments, objects, animals, architecture – with the ultimate
goal of applying it all towards our conceptual work. Even now (and honestly, I
suspect for the rest of my life) I find that everything I learn how to draw
just a little bit better becomes an indispensible tool in my arsenal of
illustrative devices. Push, play, and experiment with each assignment that is
given, in or out of class, no matter the size, and you will be rewarded.
A great deal of time in this class will be spent drawing the
figure. The semester is pretty neatly divided in half – in the first half of
the semester, we’re going to be working a lot in line and gesture, mostly
without value. In the second half of the semester, we’re going to be working more
closely with value and shape. Outside of class, assignments will focus on the
fundamentals of building a world that does not exist, bringing all of the
things we cover in class together under the umbrella of illustration.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
w To push ever closer
towards mastery of the fine art of drawing.
w To continue to develop a
professional, commercial aesthetic that will sell well in today’s competitive
market.
w To continue to establish
a habit of pushing artistic boundaries and stylistic evolution.
CLASS
POLICIES: Because the amount of learning
you can do from drawing is immeasurable, we are going to be doing a lot of
drawing in this class. As such, I will not tolerate distraction from the work,
electronic or otherwise. I expect an atmosphere of quiet study, especially
during drawing sessions. Unless otherwise permitted for work we are doing in
class, there will be no laptops or
internet surfing permitted during class time. The same goes for cell phone
use. Place your cell phone on vibrate before coming to class. You will receive
two warnings for texting in class. On the third, I will begin to dismantle your
grade. If you receive an emergency call or text, let me know, and quietly
answer it in the hall.
ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY STATEMENT: The
Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for
the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the
Policy and know that it is their responsibility to learn about instructor and
general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in
written work. The policy also governs the integrity of the work submitted in
exams and assignments as well as the veracity of signatures on attendance
sheets and other verifications of participation in class activities. Serious
sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort. For more information
and the complete policy, see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu
DISABILITY-RELATED
ACCOMODATIONS: Students who are in need of
disability-related academic accommodations must register with the Office of
Disabilities Services (ODS), 804 University Avenue, Room 309, 315-443-4498.
Students with authorized disability-related accommodations should provide a
current Accommodation Authorization Letter from ODS to the instructor and
review those accommodations with the instructor. Accommodations, such as exam
administration, are not provided retroactively; therefore, planning for
accommodations as early as possible is necessary. For further information, see
the ODS website, Office of Disability Services http://disabilityservices.syr.edu
GRADING
STANDARDS:
A achievement is outstanding relative to the level necessary to
meet course requirements
B achievement
is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements
C achievement meets the course requirements in every respect
D achievement is worthy of
credit even though it fails to meet the course requirements
F achievement is not worthy of credit or was not completed /
represents failure
GRADE
DISTRIBUTION:
Drawing Vocabulary assignments: 25%
Semester-long Project: 15%
Drawing exercises in class: 50%
Classroom participation: 10%
I will repeat here that: in
this class, any assignment with a missed deadline will drop a letter grade.
Do not hand in anything late. Just as in the professional world, deadlines are
incredibly important.
ATTENDANCE: The semester is short, so any missed class really hurts. You get
one excused absence. A second one will result in the loss of a letter grade. A
third will result in a failing grade. If something comes up and you DO have to
miss a class, please try and let me know ahead of time so I can get you caught
up to speed. A missed class is never,
under any circumstance, an excuse for a missed assignment. If you are not in
class on the day an assignment or sketches are due, it is your responsibility
to get it to me via email on that same day – otherwise, that assignment will be
considered late.
You can reach me at any time, for any reason, via cell or email.
Texting me if you really need me works probably better than anything for a
rapid response, but I’m pretty good about responding to emails quickly as well.
CALENDAR:
And now, a very rough outline of due dates for our class. Dates
are subject to change:
January 14/15: First class. We meet. We discuss
the drawing vocabulary project.
January 21/22: Drawing vocabulary #1 due.
In class, we are drawing from the figure with conté crayons, using line and
gesture. Quick poses.
January 28/29: Drawing vocabulary #2 due.
Again, in class we are drawing from the figure using conté crayons, with line
and gesture. Quick poses.
February 4/5: Drawing vocabulary #3 due.
Drawing from the model, contour drawings. Longer poses.
February 11/12: Drawing vocabulary #4 due. Line
drawings of the figure with charcoal on newsprint. We discuss the final
research project guidelines and proposal.
February 18/19: TBD
February 25/26: Drawing vocabulary #5 due.
Drawing from the model. Longer poses.
March 4/5: Drawing vocabulary #6 due. Final
research project proposal due. Value and graphite. Drawing from taxidermy
animals. “Sam Wolfe Connely Day”. Drawing on Stonehenge printmaking paper with
graphite powder, erasers, and pencils.
March 11/12: SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS
March 18/19: Drawing vocabulary #7 due. Special
guests, Tim Bower and Jeffrey Decoster.
March 25/26: Drawing vocabulary #8 due.
More redactive drawing on Stonehenge printmaking paper with graphite power,
this time drawing from the figure.
April 1/2: Drawing vocabulary #9 due. “Spring
drawing” assignment, in class. Full value.
April 8/9: NO CLASS.
April 15/16: Drawing vocabulary #10 due.
Figure drawing from the model, larger scene, full value.
April 22/23: Final Class. Final research assignment due. All 10
drawing vocab assignments due. Bring everything in from the entire semester. Figure drawing from the model, larger scene, full value. For all
non-illustration students, or anyone who does not have survey, this is the last
time we meet, and everything is due. There are no exceptions. I do not accept
any work after this date.
Survey: Seniors: Wednesday, April 29 (Senior Portfolio Day)
Juniors: Thursday, April 30
Sophomores:
Friday, May 1
ILL
273: Drawing for Illustration
SUPPLY
LIST
As previously stated, a great deal of time in this class will be
spent drawing the figure, so certain materials are mandatory. If I am not
specific about the brand, as I am not in almost all cases, then simply make
sure that you have the correct material for class.
2 DRAWING
PADS, WHITE PAPER, 18x24: We are going to be blowing
through paper this semester. Get either two pads or one giant pad. You might
have to get more, depending on how the semester goes. I prefer Strathmore
everything, but I leave it to you to choose your favorite papers. Just make
sure the paper is white, and not some weird cream.
NEWSPRINT
PAD, 18x24: One of these should do to start.
2 SHEETS
STONEHENGE PRINTMAKING PAPER, 20x30 SHEETS: Mostly for specific class
assignments, this paper is superb for drawing, especially with graphite. You
can cut them down to two 18 x 24 sheets to start. We won’t get to this for a
little while.
CONTÉ
CRAYONS: RED, BLACK, AND WHITE: Self-explanatory. Get the
brand that appeals to you. Great for gesture drawings, which we’ll be
concentrating on for the first few weeks.
VINE
CHARCOAL: More gesture drawings.
MEDIUM AND
SOFT CHARCOAL PENCILS
GRAPHITE
PENCILS, YOUR FAVORITE: For some of the longer
poses, I’ll let you do your own thing with your favorite pencils. If you like
mechanical pencils, I have some great recommendations.
GRAPHITE
STICKS
GRAPHITE
POWDER: For a special technique workshop.
ERASER
PENCILS: For a special technique workshop.
MICRON PENS,
FULL RANGE: Mostly for use for homework assignments. I expect all drawing
vocabulary assignments to be done in ink, unless otherwise specified.
SOME SOFT,
CHEAP PAINTBRUSHES: Blending, and also for use
in special workshop.
KNEADED
ERASERS, AT LEAST 3
SHARPENER/SHARPENING
KNIFE
WORKABLE
FIXATIVE: Please do your drawings a favor and spray-fix them at the end of
an especially long drawing session, especially when we are working with
powdered dry media. Do not bring in finals for critique, especially the final
assignment, without having sprayed it first. Professional presentation is
incredibly important at all times.