A visual essay is a personal statement which uses multiple visuals to explore, explain, and/or express a particular topic, with an emphasis on research and the artist’s own authorship and interpretations.

During the first half of the semester, students will engage in brainstorming exercises and critique discussions in order to develop research strategies, instill a preliminary sketching regimen, and practice presentation skills.

During the second half of the semester, students will choose a topic to focus on, culminating in a final personal essay. Students will present a body of comprehensive work that must be a publicly accessible format such as a book, a gallery of original works, or displayed via a digital platform. Emphasis will be placed on personal authorship, investigation, and interpretation.

This course fulfills the Illustration Concepts Elective requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

The class aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the art of mural painting. The course will explore the historical significance of murals, examine different mural styles and techniques, and encourag­e students to express their own ideas through the creation of murals. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops, students will develop the neces­sary skills and knowledge to conceptualize, plan, and execute murals of various scales. The course will culminate in a real world mural installation for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and School including three walls designed and painted by students. 

Elective

A society's history is written in its stones. From the dystopias of Gotham City or Grand Theft Auto, the hive mind of the Borg and the ecstatic asceticism of the Shakers, to the suburban conformity of Levittown and the Sphinx half buried in sand, every city, every society, is an embodiment of ideas, history, geography, and beliefs. Each built environment has its own logic, both architectural and cultural. With some provocative writings about the phenomenon of the city as inspiration, you will be asked to conceptualize a place and bring it to life visually. The essence of a city - its buildings, pathways, public and private spaces - depends on how you define the character of its people, its government, its history, its geographic siting and even its language. After defining a back-story in broad strokes, you will begin researching the implications of those choices visually. Working from thumbnails and sketches to finished conceptualization, you will explore compelling physical and conceptual viewpoints, with a variety of possibilities in the use of media and technique. Rather than limiting ourselves to purely pragmatic architecture, the class will be searching for imaginative visualizations, where form becomes poetic metaphor suggestive of narrative.

This course fulfills the Illustration Concepts Elective requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

Students in this course will investigate the specific physical structure of the human body, with the aim of producing drawings of greater structural and visual integrity and more fluid descriptions of movement and weight in the figure. We will proceed through the skeletal and muscular systems at a brisk but reasonable pace, learning names, points of articulation and the dynamic functions of each component of the body. Each weekly assignment will consist of a careful, descriptive drawing of an element of the skeletal or muscular system, and a 'dynamic' drawing in which that same element is shown in action in the living figure. We will also review the work of artists, both contemporary and historical, who have made vital artistic use of the elements of anatomical study. The course includes an optional field trip to the Brown University Evolutionary Biology Lab to draw from cadavers. There will be at least one written test on anatomical facts and terminology. The course culminates in a final project on the theme of 'A Human Ideal', exploring past concepts of idealized form in the figure in relation to anatomical reality and contemporary cultural perspectives.

Elective

Students in this course will investigate the specific physical structure of the human body, with the aim of producing drawings of greater structural and visual integrity and more fluid descriptions of movement and weight in the figure. We will proceed through the skeletal and muscular systems at a brisk but reasonable pace, learning names, points of articulation and the dynamic functions of each component of the body. Each weekly assignment will consist of a careful, descriptive drawing of an element of the skeletal or muscular system, and a 'dynamic' drawing in which that same element is shown in action in the living figure. We will also review the work of artists, both contemporary and historical, who have made vital artistic use of the elements of anatomical study. The course includes an optional field trip to the Brown University Evolutionary Biology Lab to draw from cadavers. There will be at least one written test on anatomical facts and terminology. The course culminates in a final project on the theme of 'A Human Ideal', exploring past concepts of idealized form in the figure in relation to anatomical reality and contemporary cultural perspectives.

Elective

This course will build on the skills established in Sophomore Painting, while broadening the students' understanding of options available to the painter. The primary work of the semester will be on individually directed projects, worked on both in and out of class. Overall, a goal of establishing a personal visual vocabulary of facture and image will be emphasized. Students will be encouraged to particularize their use of the painting medium and their approach to subject and statement through color, painterly touch, format, use of materials, drawing and compositional decisions, stylistic reference and implied narrative. The core medium of the class will be oil paint, but this may be augmented or extended by other media. The course will include group exercises designed to solidify a basic understanding of drawing, the use of the medium and the principles of color. Periodic outside assignments will extend this practice while emphasizing personal choice and expressive adjustment based on individual priorities. A flexible format for in-class work on personal projects will allow group interaction to coexist with individually directed work. The semester's goal for each student will be to define a direction for future work in painting.

Elective

Throughout history, the natural environment has been a subject of charm and awe for the artist, from the delicately painted frescoes in ancient Roman homes to the 16th century, when the landscape transcended the role of 'background', and gained momentum as a sublime subject in its own right. This is a course on the history of techniques, concepts, possibilities, and purposes in landscape painting. The class will encourage exploration of landscape as sublime subject, as metaphor for human experience or as the battleground for politically charged debate of environmental issues, among other possible approaches. Students will work on location and in studio, learning approaches to plein air painting as well as incorporation of references in the construction of natural environments.

Elective

From the disturbingly exotic pictures of the Underworld by Hieronymus Bosch and the twisted visual puzzles of M.C. Escher, to the mid-20th Century comic characters of Stan Lee and classic 1950's science fiction films, fantasy images provide a rich source of inspiration for the contemporary artist/illustrator. In this course, we will study the art of Surrealist artists such as Magritte and Max Ernst, the unique fruit and vegetable portraits of Archimboldo, investigate the abstract dream imagery of Hilma Af Klint and Carl Jung, and the seminal graphic novels of Sue Coe (Porkopolis) and Art Spiegelman (Maus). We will interpret text and film as we create our own fantasy paintings working with appropriated imagery, collage, and painting mediums such as oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolor.

Elective

Many artists have used metaphor as a way to process complex information and emotion in order to reflect on internal and external realities. Each artist draws upon their own unique index of symbols that derive from the personal, the mythic and the universal. An artist must learn to see how their own associations with their symbols circulate within a larger orbit of meaning. This class aims to equip students with a framework of thinking that allows for rigorous self-examination and historical exploration. The most powerful works of art refract light on unseen connections. In this class, students will be encouraged to make connections between their internal and external worlds. Written and image-making assignments will aim to help students navigate their world of symbols. The classwork will consist of individual, partner + group assignments.

Elective

This course will be a forum for the interchange of ideas on personal fine art practice, extending the discussion and direction of Advanced Painting (ILLUS-3216) and other fine arts media practice. The principle goal of the course is to strengthen the understanding and the creative work of the participants in relation to the visual arts, as it is understood in our culture at this time, including painting, drawing and 3-D media. through study of the history of art, and through concerted work on individual projects, and group discussion. The 20th and 21st century have witnessed a far-reaching series of revolutions in the visual arts during which all components of art media were dissected, analyzed and reassembled in radically different form. Through an awareness of these developments, students in the Illustration Department can gain an advanced understanding of painting, drawing and 3-D media beyond our traditional emphasis on classical realism, though not exclusive of realistic practice. Students specifically interested in a career as a fine artist, making work for exhibition as an expression of personal vision, will find a thorough examination of this path at it existed in the past, and as it exists now, both in terms of philosophical and expressive ambition, critical expectations and in terms of the practicalities of the marketplace. Students who are primarily interested in illustration will find new ways of thinking about concept and innovative methods for giving an idea visual form. The primary vehicle for our discussions will be weekly reviews of work generated by the students in the class. We will alternate between group critiques every two weeks, and one on one discussions between myself and each participant in the class every other week. Each student will be responsible for conceiving and executing an open-ended project in painting that they will develop during the course. The course will also include slide lectures on various aspects of contemporary and historical practice in painting, readings from various texts, brief writing assignments based on those texts and a field trip to New York or another professional venue for contemporary art. Evaluation of individual participation in the course will also be based on vocal participation in group critiques, thoughtful response to assigned readings, and the quality of verbal and written artist's statements.

Elective

The ability to merge imagery from various sources is an essential skill for illustrators and fine artists alike. In a series of projects, students will gather sketches, drawings and photographs, and combine them to exist solidly and convincingly together in space. We will discuss the importance of lighting, color, and value in creating a believable scene, and explore the methods and techniques used by illustrators and painters past and present. Class time will be divided between the computer lab (where students will manipulate their images using Photoshop and other tools) and the studio, where illustrations and paintings will be completed using a variety of media, including pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylic paint.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course introduces digital media for Illustrators using computer applications: image drawing, painting and editing in Photoshop, and vector graphics using Illustrator. While orienting students to the technical aspects of digital media, the class also provides an essential link to the Illustration Department's drawing, painting and conceptual curriculum.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course introduces digital media for Illustrators using computer applications: image drawing, painting and editing in Photoshop, and vector graphics using Illustrator. While orienting students to the technical aspects of digital media, the class also provides an essential link to the Illustration Department's drawing, painting and conceptual curriculum.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course introduces digital media for Illustrators using computer applications: image drawing, painting and editing in Photoshop, and vector graphics using Illustrator. While orienting students to the technical aspects of digital media, the class also provides an essential link to the Illustration Department's drawing, painting and conceptual curriculum.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

One commonality amongst all illustrators is the ability to draw. This course builds on principles of traditional drawing, color theory, composition, and with a focus on observational drawing using digital tablet devices. Students will expand on techniques learned at the introductory level to broaden their use of digital mark making tools. Weekly classroom exercise in the first two-thirds of the semester range from careful studies of objects and figures in space, to capturing landscape settings; with the last third engaged in exploring painting from imagination. More involved homework assignments will challenge students to adapt previously acquired drawing skills translated into the digital medium. The main computer application to be used in the course is Photoshop, with an introduction to Painter toward the end of the semester. The goal of the class is to give students a strong foundation in digital painting that can be adapted to their future professional Illustration practice.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

One commonality amongst all illustrators is the ability to draw. This course builds on principles of traditional drawing, color theory, composition, and with a focus on observational drawing using digital tablet devices. Students will expand on techniques learned at the introductory level to broaden their use of digital mark making tools. Weekly classroom exercise in the first two-thirds of the semester range from careful studies of objects and figures in space, to capturing landscape settings; with the last third engaged in exploring painting from imagination. More involved homework assignments will challenge students to adapt previously acquired drawing skills translated into the digital medium. The main computer application to be used in the course is Photoshop, with an introduction to Painter toward the end of the semester. The goal of the class is to give students a strong foundation in digital painting that can be adapted to their future professional Illustration practice.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course is designed to allow students to develop high-concept, semester long projects with a focus on digital media. Group or individual projects can be based on, but not limited to, narratives, production art, interactive media, installation, concept design, or work in series. The course will be structured with a professional schedule in mind including three important critique milestones to ensure a substantial end product is delivered at the end of the semester. Special emphasis will be placed on presentation, originality, and clarity of ideas as pivotal to overall quality of this culminating project. The course is very demanding, and research intensive; special consideration with regards to time commitment should be taken before signing up.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course serves as an introduction to the ways 3D imagery can be used by illustrators, both directly and indirectly. Using the software Blender (open source) and Zbrush, we will examine the ways to create and use forms and textures both realistic and imaginary to produce images and solve problems common to many forms of illustration, both digital and traditional. Animation will be covered, but only in the most limited sense: such as for looping animated GIFs and for the creation of simulated physical effects.

Preference is given to Illustration and Film/Animation/Video Students.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course offers an introduction to the many artistic and technical aspects of designing and producing characters, environments and props for 3D games. Among the topics we will explore are the design of effective low-polygon characters and scenes, texturing and UV mapping, simple character rigging and effective collaborative design and execution. Software used: Photoshop and Maya (PLE). Knowledge of Photoshop, basic computer skills. Some familiarity with 3D computer modeling is helpful, but not essential.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

This course explores the impact of artificial intelligence on illustration through a blend of theoretical interrogations and practical workshops. Students will examine how AI disrupts traditional workflows and challenges established artistic practices. Key topics include: AI tools and techniques for artistic production, the displacement of artists, the environmental impact of computational processes, the role of language in illustration, and philosophical debates surrounding art and design. 

Grounded in hands-on learning, participants will engage with current AI tools and techniques ranging from AI embedded in existing software, Large Language Models, text-to-image models, and Generative Adversarial Networks. The course emphasizes developing a critical formal language to assess and promote artistic practices that exceed machine-generated outputs. By the end, students will be equipped to navigate and shape the evolving landscape of AI in illustration with informed, innovative perspectives. Students will need a laptop computer; no programming experience is required.

Elective