Welcome to Media Techniques

Media Techniques Course Description and Syllabus
CDIL-205
Mondays, 8am-1pm
Tower Room 555
Mark Reusch, instructor
Office hours: Mondays, 7:30-8am, 10:30-11am, 1-1:30pm
Tuesdays, 6-6:30pm, 8:30-9pm
Wednesdays, 2:30-3pm, 4:30-5pm
email: mark.reusch@massart.edu


Hi, and welcome to Media Techniques! In this class you will explore different media based on classroom demonstrations; work from models, still-life setups, and other reference; and complete homework assignments based on in-class work. The goal of this course is to become familiar working with different media and to build essential drawing and painting skills necessary for illustration. The focus is more on experimenting, and understanding color, composition, and form from observation than on producing finished conceptual illustrations.

All Sophomore year Illustration majors are required to pass Media Techniques to move forward in the Illustration department.
Students are required to arrive on time for every class meeting, with their art supplies, prepared for studio work.

Materials you'll need for the first classes:
*Pencils: Range of lead weights, from soft 6B to hard H
*Erasers: Magic Rub white eraser, kneaded gum eraser
*Ink: Waterproof Black India; I recommend Speedball Super Black, Higgins Black Magic, and Pelikan 17. We're going to be drawing with the eyedropper tool/ cover of the ink container, so please use Black Magic or any other waterproof black India ink with a similar cover.
*Pens: Crowquill Pen holder with various tips; sets for Calligraphy, Sketching, or Comics are fine
*Pad of 11" x 14" 2-ply Bristol. Smooth (plate) is best for fine detail with pencil, pen & ink
*Brushes: A range of Sable or synthetic rounds, from size 00 to size 6; a large Wash brush
*Acrylic Paint: basic set of colors; I recommend Liquitex brand. Colors you should have: Titanium White, Mars Black, Cadmium Red, Napthol Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Pthalo Blue, Cerulean Blue, Pthalo Green, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna.
*Matte or Gloss Medium: 8 fluid ounces
*Palette knife
*Chips of cardboard or plastic (old credit cards)
*Gesso----I HIGHLY recommend Blick Artist's Acrylic Gesso, and Utrecht brand
*4 pre-stretched Canvases, 16" x 20"
*Color Wheel: incredibly useful!
*Palette paper
*Utility knife
*Xacto Knife
*Spray Bottle
*Frisket: Grumbacher "Miskit" 1.2 fluid ounce bottle is good
*Sponges
*Roll of paper towels or napkins: cheaper brands without strong pattern/ texture are best
*Plastic tupperware containers for water
*Sketchbook: 100-page, preferably 9" x 12" minimum size
*Metal ruler, 18" minimum
*Masonite drawing board with clips, or sheet of 18" x 24" plywood and staplegun
*Digital camera

By mid-semester you'll need
*Gouache Paint: basic set of colors; I recommend Winsor and Newton brand. If buying tubes of paint individually, make sure you have Spectrum Red, Primary Yellow, Primary Blue, Permanent Green, Spectrum Violet, Titanium White, Mars Black, Burnt Umber
*A few sheets of illustration board. Crescent Heavyweight Hot Press
*A few sheets of scratchboard

By the last 3rd of the semester you'll need
*Watercolor Paint: basic set of Cotman color tubes is fine. If buying tubes of individual paint, I recommend Cadmium Red, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Lemon, Winsor Green, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Payne's Gray, Chinese White
*Watercolor paper block, minimum weight 140lbs., minimum size 9" x 12". A few large sheets of Rough, Hot-Press, and Cold-Press watercolor paper as well.
*Palette with wells for mixing paint

Grading Policy:
Students are required to arrive for class on time, with all necessary supplies, and must complete homework assignments on time. Homework turned in late will be penalized one full-grade each week it is late. Arriving late for class repeatedly will count as absence, and possibly no credit for the semester, at the discretion of the instructor. Professionalism in the Illustration business is an absolute MUST, so make sure you are on time and ready to work in class every week. Attendance, completion of classwork and homework that shows progressive skill-building, and class participation all count towards your grade. Students in the Communication department must maintain a C+ or better average for each of the department's required classes, and end of semester reviews determine whether or not students are allowed to continue within the department.

If you believe you have a disability that may warrant accommodations in this class, I urge you to register with Mercedes Evans, Director of Diversity and Civil Rights Compliance (Tower 815; telephone extension 7060, Mercedes.evans@massart.edu).

GRADES ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
A Exceptional work in all respects
B Above average work, distinguished in certain but not all respects
C Adequate work
D Below average work. This is the lowest passing grade.
F Failing work. No credit is given.
INC Incomplete. A temporary designation indicating that at least 80% of the course requirements have been met and that the remaining course requirements are expected to be completed by no later than the subsequent mid-semester. Incompletes are offered at the discretion of the faculty, and only under dire circumstances. It is the student's responsibility to complete the required work by the agreed-upon deadline. If the student does not complete the course work, a non=passing grade will be issued.

Attendance Policy:
Students who miss more than 2 classes get no credit for the class and must repeat the class in Fall 2011.


Class Schedule:
September 13: Introduction to Media Techniques. Instructor will explain the goals of the course, and go over basics of observational drawing to establish values. Class will make their own value grayscale and will draw from a still life to practice blocking in value.
Homework assignment: Students will buy art materials for class and
1: complete an 11" x 14" still life rendering of 3 objects with a clear light source, showing full range of grays, using pencil.
2: complete an 11" x 14" black-and-white portrait using pencil from observation showing a full-range of value.

September 20: Homework critique. Class will move on to drawing with pen and ink, practicing inking techniques by drawing with varying pen nibs from still-life set-ups. Students will also take turns doing short poses so that everyone gets practice using ink to render value with portraits. Instructor will demonstrate drawing with the eyedropper tool and using washes and blotting as well.
Homework assignment: Students will complete one 11" x 14" eyedropper and wash/ pen and ink portrait from observation showing a full range of value.

September 27: Homework crit. Introduction to Acrylics. Demo for painting with acrylics. Class will practice using acrylics, working from observation.
Homework part 1: Paint a "high-key" acrylic self-portrait of face and hands with strong, vibrant, intense color (no smaller than 16" x 20"), and experiment with transparency and opacity.
Homework part 2: prepare a canvas no smaller than 16" x 20" with thick, impasto-style gesso, and bring it to class October 4th.

October 4: Critique of homework. Students will paint from live model on their impasto-style gesseoed canvases.
Homework: Paint a "low-key" acrylic self-portrait of your face and hands(no smaller than 16" x 20") to experiment with cool, muted, receding color. Students also need to choose 3 objects from home that you'll paint as a still life in class on October 18th. Bring the 3 objects and a 16" x 20" canvas to class.

October 11: No Class, Columbus Day

October 18: Homework Crit. In-class work: complete the acrylic painting of the 3 objects brought from home. Homework: add an interesting background, painted from observation, to your still life, making sure all lighting and shadows correspond.

October 25: Homework crit. Class will paint a still life using gouache after gouache demo by instructor.
Homework: Students will create a humorous product advertisement using gouache (no smaller than 11" x 14"), combining a still-life rendering of a small object with hand-painted text/ well-known slogan of a completely different product.

November 1: Homework crit. Class will paint in class from a model using gouache.
Homework: Create a mixed media illustration showing at least one animal using waterproof ink, acrylic, and gouache.

November 8: Homework crit. intro to scratchboard. Class will work on still-life using scratchboard. Homework: Create an 11" x 14" scratchboard illustration that incorporates image and text from student's song of choice.

November 15: no school, Faculty Day

November 22: Homework crit. instructor will give demos of painting with watercolor. In-class work: Students will practice creating washes, and limited palette still-life paintings. Masking with liquid frisket will be explained. Homework: Create an 11" x 14" watercolor and masking fluid late afternoon landscape. Draw the scene in full detail with pencil during daylight hours, then add all watercolor in the 1/2 hour before the sun sets to get strong light and shadows.

November 29: Homework crit. Class work: class will paint from the model with watercolor. Homework: complete 1 11" x 14" watercolor painting of a vehicle, from observation, and 1 11" x 14" portrait, including a face, and hands, from observation.

December 6:Homework crit. In class work: Still life mixed media painting combining ink, watercolor, and gouache techniques.

December 13: Final Class; Students will bring all assignments for final review.





ACADEMIC Resources 09/10
ACADEMIC ADVISING OFFICE 617 879 7280
Tower, 8th Floor
• Offers undergraduates a broad range of information, advising, and inter-departmental problem-solving to complement faculty advising, including graduation and degree requirements, academic leave policies, change of major procedures, discussions of academic problems and issues, transfer credits, leave of absence and withdrawal procedures, advice on professional development and career directions, and off-campus domestic and study abroad opportunities
• Contact:
Dan Szabo, daniel.szabo@massart.edu; or Jean Wallace, jean.wallace@massart.edu.
• If enrolled in the Studio Foundation (SF) program, contact:
Marc Holland, assistant professor, marc.holland@massart.edu

COUNSELING 617 879 7760
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testing, referrals off campus for psychotherapy and psychopharmacology
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• Contact:
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• To make an appointment, contact:
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LEARNING CENTER 617 879 7958
Tower, 5th floor
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• Contact:
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