Color key artists must have the ability to take an audience on a thrilling roller coaster ride that they came for. This course is for artists interested in the intersection between story and color for cinema. The most critical skill a color key artist needs is taking a story and quickly roughing out emotional story beats. Students will explore the fundamentals of color and light and how they are used in filmmaking to tell a compelling narrative. Assignments will address visual storytelling principles to craft colorscripts, color keys, and emotional story beat paintings, all of which are needed in a 2D or 3D animation production. The class will go through the processes of using color theory and lighting techniques to create powerful and emotional statements for film. Though this course is focused on animation, these lessons can apply for any story-driven project including live-action, video games, children's books, graphic novels, etc.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $0.00 - $50.00

Elective

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of motion graphics, as well as the implementation of video, and sound design. Students will learn a variety of motion graphics software, such as Adobe After Effects and Premier, as well as studio tools like Ableton Live, and/or other audio-visual programs. Students will learn how to capture, manipulate, mix and optimize audio visual material for final production and implementation. Through a series of in-class and multi-week assignments, students will create animated projects that include motion design real-world assignments, as well as experimental exercises, with the goal of exploring intersections between graphic design, story telling, visual composition, and the realms of rhythm and sound. Adobe After Effects will be the primary production tool for this class. Each student will propose a long term project, this project will be developed throughout the semester and presented as the final project for the class. In addition to our software tutorials, there will be a series of short weekly lectures to review specific histories, and also current practitioners who are using motion graphics and sound to create works in the worlds of design, fine art, and performance.

Elective

This advanced studio is a collaborative partnership with the furniture brand Blu Dot. Drawing from Blu Dot’s archives, the course invites students to engage deeply with the brand’s design ethos–clarity, accessibility, and formal innovation–while proposing new work that extends or challenges these principles. Using Blu Dot’s iconic 2D3D Collection as precedent and prompt, students will examine the translation between two-dimensional form and three-dimensional object, exploring structure and fabrication as generative design strategies. Investigations into flatness, line, volume, the history of DIY furniture, and the expressive potential of minimal means will be integral to course content.

Over the course of the semester, students will work with Blu Dot’s senior creative team through critiques, presentations, and a visit to their NYC showroom, receiving direct feedback throughout the design process from the company’s Creative Director. Emphasizing rigor, experimentation, and professional-level output, the studio requires iterative prototyping, material testing, research, and critical reflection. 

This course will be of particular relevance to students interested in design for industry. Students should be prepared for a high level of intensity and independence, producing refined, exhibition-ready work that bridges conceptual inquiry with manufacturable design.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Elective

This class is designed to train students in the art of creature creation/design. Students will study animal anatomy and physiology with a focus on adaptions to meet specific environments. Following a structured process to design beasts for a variety of genres, the class will explore the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Also featured will be class discussion regarding the psychological implications of different aesthetic choices using existing creatures from film and literature as case studies.

Elective

A one month basic introduction to Maya for 3D image-making. The class will introduce polygonal modeling, UV-mapping and normal-map generation, texturing, lighting, and advanced shader options, the Mental Ray renderer, and some particle, fluid and atmospheric simulators. Animation will not be taught beyond basics required for particle and other effects.

Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.

Elective

This seminar/studio course is centered around a series of invited artists, writers, scientists who work at the intersection of diverse identities and lived experiences to model their specific perspectives on making as a counterpoint to historically euro-centric and monolithic approaches that have burdened glass as a creative medium. Readings, discussions and class activities prioritize issues of identity, culture, gender, race, colonialism - questioning past cannons of making and proposing challenging alternatives. The participatory and collaborative work done for this class is fundamental to our thinking and making community; a willingness to share ideas and make earnest attempts to connect and support one another is central. Our lecturers and HotNights participants set a broad and challenging spectrum of topics which are built on by the research and perspectives of everyone in the class. In each case, we will strive to address topics, discussions and shop time problem solving in a manner that is respectful to all individuals.

Junior Glass Students register for GLASS-4316 (Fall) and GLASS-4318 (Spring).

Senior Glass Students register for GLASS-4320 (Fall) and GLASS-4322 (Spring).

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

This seminar/studio course is centered around a series of invited artists, writers, scientists who work at the intersection of diverse identities and lived experiences to model their specific perspectives on making as a counterpoint to historically euro-centric and monolithic approaches that have burdened glass as a creative medium. Readings, discussions and class activities prioritize issues of identity, culture, gender, race, colonialism - questioning past cannons of making and proposing challenging alternatives. The participatory and collaborative work done for this class is fundamental to our thinking and making community; a willingness to share ideas and make earnest attempts to connect and support one another is central. Our lecturers and HotNights participants set a broad and challenging spectrum of topics which are built on by the research and perspectives of everyone in the class. In each case, we will strive to address topics, discussions and shop time problem solving in a manner that is respectful to all individuals.

Junior Glass Students register for GLASS-4316 (Fall) and GLASS-4318 (Spring).

Senior Glass Students register for GLASS-4320 (Fall) and GLASS-4322 (Spring).

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

This course will deal with advanced woodworking processes, including milling and machinery use, laminate and steam bending, plywood and veneer. Techniques in using natural and synthetic materials connected with furniture will be covered.

This course is a requirement for Junior and Senior Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

This course will deal with advanced woodworking processes, including milling and machinery use, laminate and steam bending, plywood and veneer. Techniques in using natural and synthetic materials connected with furniture will be covered.

This course is a requirement for Junior and Senior Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

Sequential art is a thriving global art form whose recent history is grounded in three artistic, linguistic and publishing traditions: Comics, Manga, and Bande Dessinee. This course offers an intensive introduction to their creative possibilities. It will present storytelling and technical approaches that will enhance your ability to work as a writer and artist in the comics industry, as well as in other narrative driven fields. Assignments will take the shape of short form comics (1-8 pages) but students will also learn about writing, developing and pitching longer works such as graphic novels. During class discussions, we will engage in comparative study, identifying unexpected connections with other arts (literature, music, film, animation) while revealing the unique expressive potential of this medium.

Elective

This one-month workshop will explore the creative potential of ZBrush, the 3-D sculpting application from Pixologic. With so many uses, it's difficult to cover ZBrush completely, but by the end of the class you will have a solid understanding of the program, all its component tools and how to customize them and use them in your workflow, whether it's sculpting for game detail, animation, visualization, or rapid-prototyping. This workshop is a one-credit course that emphasizes skills and techniques. This class is part of a group of offerings by the departments of Illustration, Industrial Design and Graphic Design that are offered on Friday afternoons and are open to all students to facilitate cross-departmental enrollment.

Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.

Elective

In this senior level course emphasis is placed on the development and definition of individual direction. Students' work can range from installations to two-dimensional pieces and can employ any techniques and materials, from weaving, printing, knitting, or any improvised construction techniques.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies based on use of advanced equipment. Additional fees may incur.

Elective

This class is an intensive investigation of the processes of electroplating and electroforming copper metal by covering objects of various modeling materials to create new metal objects. All aspects of this technical application are discussed. Students are required to maintain an accurate logbook of their investigation while developing a body of work.

Major elective for Junior, Senior, and Graduate Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students. Experienced non-majors may enroll pending seat availability. To request permission, email the instructor and include images of past work.

Elective

The Beginning Poetry Workshop is an elective course introducing students to the art of poetry writing. The course sequentially addresses major commitments of poetry including form/content, sound, line, voice, image, language(s), tradition/convention, experiment, audience, revision, performance, collection, publication, and distribution. Workshop is the heart of the course, animating the practice, discourse, critique, audience, community, and mentorship vital to poets. Every class will also include close reading, discussion of assigned texts, and writing. We will attend public readings, curate and participate in community readings, and welcome poets to our class, when possible. Work can be developed in a range of styles, traditions, and languages. You will leave this class with a collection of workshopped and revised poems, which you will design, self-publish, and distribute in print and/or digital form.

This course is a prerequisite for LAS E421 - Advanced Poetry Workshop in the Spring.

Elective

This course would address many practical issues to do with becoming a professional artist after graduation. Some of these issues are: the commercial gallery, the not-for-profit gallery, museums, graduate programs, auction houses, grants, documentation of work, archival storage of work and restoration of artwork. Professionals from the gallery, museum and other fields will be invited to the class to share their expertise with the student. Artists will be invited to talk about their professional experiences. It is a seminar class addressed particularly to the senior painting student.

Elective

The objective of this course is to develop a more precise, professional and sensitive approach to design while broadening the student's technical base. Precision machine tools such as metal lathes, millers and grinders will be introduced. Logical design and set-up approaches will be discussed. Outside design work will be required with emphasis on engineering drawing and sequence of operations. There will be a strong emphasis on experimenting with the material in order to promote innovative thinking and problem solving.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Junior and Senior Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

The objective of this course is to develop a more precise, professional and sensitive approach to design while broadening the student's technical base. Precision machine tools such as metal lathes, millers and grinders will be introduced. Logical design and set-up approaches will be discussed. Outside design work will be required with emphasis on engineering drawing and sequence of operations. There will be a strong emphasis on experimenting with the material in order to promote innovative thinking and problem solving.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Junior and Senior Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

This senior level course is offered to those students interested in designing and making apparel fabrics and accessories. Students are encouraged to explore a variety of techniques including silkscreen and digital printing, weaving, knitting, sewing, and invented techniques, along with designing on paper for industrial and hand production. While students will initially develop their ideas through samples and drawings, they gain a thorough understanding of the relationship between fabric and the human form, and will eventually bring their work to final form as prototypes or finished designs on paper. Researching the field will generate topics for discussion in class.

Elective

Students in this class will learn to use a variety of ceramic production methods techniques including; molding, pressing, extruding, and giggering, to design and make small pottery editions. The focus is the design and perfection of the objects made and methods used. This class will also serve as a platform for inviting visiting artists to make small editions using our production facilities.

Major elective for Junior and Senior Ceramics students. Advanced non-majors may enroll pending seat availability. To request permission, email the Department Head and instructor jointly and include images of past work.

Major Requirement | BFA Ceramics

This senior level course is offered to those interested in pursuing work for an interior end use, such as furnishing fabric, wall covering, or carpeting to be produced by hand or industrially. At the start, students select an architectural space as a framework. Through analysis and sampling, they will arrive at their own design solutions, which will be showcased as a collection at the end of the class. Researching the design field will generate topics for discussion in class. Techniques include surface pattern, printing, weaving and knitting, along with invented techniques.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies based on use of advanced equipment; additional fees may incur.

Elective