You can now register for Summer 2010 Fine Arts 2D Courses!

Basic Drawing & Beyond

OAK 206
Instructor: Sian Oblak
Tues. & Thurs., 6:45–9:45 p.m., June 1–July 1
10 sessions. $320. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none
SF 118
Instructor: Trevor Tubelle
Mon. & Wed., 6:45–9:45 p.m., July 12–August 11
10 sessions. $320. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This course is for anyone who wants to work on the basics of drawing, from beginners to those who want to get back to drawing with a renewed vision. Through still life, the model, and architecture, participants develop their ability to see and then translate that visual experience into drawing.

The course focuses on how to use form, space, and proportions to create a strong composition. The class also discusses how to stay inspired to draw outside the classroom.

Bring to first class: 20 x 26 in. drawing board with clips, 18 x 24 in. Strathmore drawing pad (other brand fine but paper must be drawing quality), soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal (Char-kole brand), white plastic eraser.

Anatomy & the Figure

OAK 208
Instructor: Sian Oblak
Tues. & Thurs., 6:45–9:45 p.m., July 13–August 12
10 sessions. $320; $20 model fee due at registration. Noncredit. Prerequisite: basic drawing course

Working primarily from a life model and sometimes from the human skeleton and animal bones, students study basic human anatomy, learning the shapes and placement of key muscle masses and bony landmarks that create the human form. With this heightened visual awareness of the human body’s underlying structure, participants are able to invest their figures with a more lifelike believability.

Students further technical skills such as hand-eye coordination, proportion, and accurate measuring, as well as exploring the use of diverse materials (pencil, charcoal, black and white paint, and pastels).

Participants visit the newly reopened Oakland Museum of California on a Saturday field trip, July 24, to discuss works in the collection and some of the academic art principles used. The class examines available figure painting to determine how an understanding of anatomy may or may not be an important factor. If time allows, the class also takes the opportunity to consider the use of color and depiction of space in the landscape collection.

Bring to first class: 18 x 24 in. Strathmore drawing pad (other brands are fine, but paper must be drawing quality), one 2b pencil, one plastic eraser.

Life Drawing Portraiture Intensive

OAK 210
Instructor: Carole Peel
Mon.–Fri., noon–4 p.m., August 2–13
10 sessions. $420. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

Learn to capture an individual's spirit and body language through portraiture in this intensive drawing course designed to increase your portraiture skills. The first hour of each session is devoted to exercises that facilitate how to capture the subject's character (working from a nude model).

The remaining three hours are committed to long portrait poses (working from a clothed model).

*Bring to first class: 20 x 26 in. drawing board with clips, 18 x 24 in. rough newsprint pad, materials that you like to work with (such as charcoal or watercolor).

Intro to Painting

SF 126
Instructor: Patrick Dintino
Mon. & Wed., 6:30–9:30 p.m., June 2–30
9 sessions. $290. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This course is designed for beginners and those who have minimal painting experience. Students learn a variety of techniques, including alla prima, glazing, scumbling, and impasto, while exploring a wide range of subject matter, including still life, portraiture, abstraction, and the model. Individual critiques, group discussions, and field trips to galleries supplement the studio experience.

The course emphasizes learning different methods to develop a personal painting style.

Bring to first class: two preprimed canvas boards, acrylic or oil paints (black, white, yellow, unltramarine blue, and cadmium red hues), palette knife, disposable palettes, several brush sizes, a few jars, rags; if working in oils, bring odorless mineral spirits.

Exploring Watercolor Workshop

OAK 224
Instructor: Lynn Sondag
Sat.–Sun., 9 a.m.–noon, June 26–27
2 sessions. $65. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This course is designed for individuals who are new to watercolor or those who have some experience and would like to further develop their skills. In addition to learning basic applications, participants work with specialized techniques and more experimental approaches such as resist, wet into wet, and dry brush.

Students work from a wide range of subject matter including still life, model, and abstraction.

Bring to first class: one sheet of 140-lb. paper (hot or cold press), small watercolor tubes (ultramarine, cerulean blue, cadmium red medium, permanent rose, cadmium yellow medium, lemon yellow, viridian, burnt sienna, and ivory black), #6 and #12 “round” brushes, 3H pencil.

Intermediate/Advanced Painting

OAK 226
Instructor: Merl Ross
Sat., 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., June 5–July 24 (no class July 3)
7 sessions. $225. Noncredit. Prerequisite: Intro to Painting or equivalent experience

This course is intended for those students who have completed an introduction to painting course and wish to further develop their visual explorations using acrylic or oil paint. A variety of themes are explored, some through direct observation, others drawing upon imagination.

The emphasis is on developing a personal vision. Feedback is given individually as well as in group critiques. The course examines the properties of color and its application, along with other technical concerns.

Bring to first class: 16 x 20 in. canvas or larger, acrylic or oil paint: titanium white, mars black, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow hue, cadmium red medium hue, quinacridone violet, ultramarine blue, phtalo blue (green shade), acrylic glazing liquid (gloss) or oil mediums, disposable palette, palette knife, cups/cans, an assortment of brush sizes. Note: Please no pure cadmiums, instead the near equivalent can be found in paint designated “hue.” If working in oils, bring odorless mineral spirits.

Mixed Media: Approaches to Painting

SF 128
Instructor: Jamie Brunson
Tues. & Thurs., 6:30–9:30 p.m., July 6–August 5
10 sessions. $320; $15 materials fee payable to instructor at first session. Noncredit. Prerequisite: one drawing or painting class or familiarity with the materials

Participants in this mixed-media course learn how to introduce alternative materials into their compositions to develop mixed-media work with a rich, animated surface. Beginning with exercises to introduce fluid media into drawings, the class advances into methods for incorporating drawing materials, collage, silkscreen and block printing, stencils, and transfers into drawn and painted compositions.

Demonstrations of technique, followed by exercises and in-depth projects, are designed to put into practice new methods of working, culminating in personal projects. Creativity and a personal approach to abstraction and representation are encouraged. Group discussions about contemporary art, and work produced in class, examine issues of craftsmanship and narrative/formal content.

Bring to first class: Gessoed panels (minimum size 12 x 16 in.) brushes, charcoal or pencil, acrylic or oil paints and mediums, Gamsol solvent (for oil painters), rags, and canvas, collage materials and additional panel supports for paint and collage will be needed as the class progresses.

Painting: The Series

SF 130
Instructor: Mel Prest
Mon. & Wed., 6:45–9:45 p.m., July 12–August 11
10 sessions. $320. Noncredit. Prerequisite: Introduction to Painting or its equivalent.

Many artists choose to work in a series to hone and explore an idea beyond its initial glimmer. The Series focuses on painting a chosen subject again and again to create a body of work. In the first session, students choose a subject (self-portrait, still life, photographs, landscape, etc.) to be their topic for the semester. Participants are encouraged to keep a painting journal to help document the growth of their ideas, which allows them to see each painting as a step in the creative process.

Each session includes studio time for painting and may also include critique, slide viewing, writing, a field trip, or time with a visiting artist. The goal of the course is to see works not only as individual paintings but also as part of a larger creative practice.

Bring to first class: sketchbook, writing/drawing tools, your own painting materials, ideas and sources for subject matter.

Studio Photography Workshop

OAK 220
Instructor: Douglas Sandberg
Sat. & Sun., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., June 19 & 20
2 sessions. $130. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

Photographing in a studio allows you to control and manipulate light and perspective in ways that create arresting imagery. In this lively workshop students view examples of extraordinary lighting then learn how to achieve the same effect in simple and cost-effective ways.

Hands-on demonstrations cover photographing people and objects, film and digital photography, and studio gear options and backgrounds. Results are seen instantaneously in studio digital capture. Students leave with a basic knowledge of studio equipment and studio lighting techniques, as well as information on how to set up a home studio.

Equipment and cameras are provided for the demonstrations, but students may also bring in equipment they have questions about.

Black & White Photography: Darkroom Techniques

OAK 222
Instructor: Lindsey White
Tues. & Thurs., 6:30–9:30 p.m., July 13–August 12 (no class July 22)
9 sessions. $290; $25 lab fee payable at registration. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This hands-on course is designed for individuals who are new to black-and-white photography, as well as those with some experience. Experimentation in both film and print development is emphasized. Class time is divided among working in the lab, technical demonstrations, and viewing examples.

Topics, such as cameras, film exposure, and film development, are covered for those who require this information. Making copious photographs and learning how to better control photographic materials is the goal.

Bring to first class: a film camera (with instruction manual, if available) and examples of your photography, if available.

Introduction to Printmaking: Monotype, Relief, Collagraph & Intaglio

OAK 223
Instructor: Tomoko Murakami
Thurs., 6:45–9:45 p.m., June 3–August 12 (no class July 22)
10 sessions. $320; $35 materials fee payable to instructor at first session. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This course stresses the development of intuition through experiences in a wide range of tactile printmaking processes: monotype, relief, collagraph, and intaglio. Students experience printmaking’s liberating quality of indirectness—not knowing exactly how a print will come out creates an artistic distance that can be enormously freeing. As students work more consistently from this place, they experience greater and greater authenticity in the works generated.

In a nontoxic environment, free of the mystique of chemicals, students create a small edition of prints from each of the processes introduced. Each project is focused on the creation of work that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of each printing technique.

Bring to first class: notebook, journal or sketchbook; portfolio 20 x 26 in. or larger; apron or work cloth. If you have any of the following materials, please bring them to class as well: brushes for oils or water colors, drawing tools, pencils, masking/drafting tape, a selection of watercolors or oil paints, water-soluble crayons and pencils, color printing inks, paint palette, small brayers, collage materials (thin, flat objects such as leaves or textured paper).

Image Transfers: 30+ Techniques Workshop

OAK 228
Instructor: Richard Elliott
Sat., 10 a.m.–5 p.m., July 24 & 31
2 sessions. $150; $20 materials fee payable to instructor at first session. Noncredit. Prerequisite: none

This intensive two-day workshop introduces more than 30 processes for transferring photocopied images as well as computer laser and ink-jet prints and magazine photos onto paper, fabric, wood, and other surfaces. A variety of visual effects can be achieved for inclusion in drawings, paintings, collages, and artists’ books, or as applications on fabrics, garments, furniture, walls, and more.

Photocopying tips and techniques using transfer crayons, pens, pencils, acrylic medium, adhesive materials, natural oils, heat transfer and decal papers, and a variety of solvents are explored. Examples and slides are shown.

Warning: Solvents produce noxious fumes; respirator mask is recommended. Materials fee includes a handout packet and most materials. A materials list will be mailed to registrants.

Structure & Image: Computerized Weaving

OAK 229
Instructor: Stacy Speyer
Sun.–Sat., 10 a.m.–5 p.m., June 6–12
7 sessions. $750 noncredit or $1,371 letter grade (1 unit) + $50 credit registration fee; $20 lab fee payable at registration. Prerequisite: knowledge of Photoshop and Mac basics

This intensive course explores how the myriad of patterns possible on a computer-controlled loom can transform drawings, photographic imagery, and text into the structure of a piece of fabric. The first three days of the workshop consist of an introduction to the Pointcarré Computer Jacquard Weaving Software: how to import images from Photoshop and weave samples on the TC-1 computerized jacquard loom.

The next four days begin with morning instruction followed by open studio in the afternoon, allowing each student time to weave. The class also discusses the history of Jacquard fabrics and looks at contemporary works created with computerized Jacquard.