FINE ARTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF ART – 1 semester, grades 9-12
This is an introductory course to visual arts. The content covers a variety of areas such as
drawing techniques, painting, sculpting and ceramics. Students also learn about art history and
visual art careers. This course is a prerequisite for advanced art classes. Students that receive a
“C” or higher in Foundation of Arts may take more advanced art classes.
DRAWING – 1 semester, grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Art
Not limited to drawing only, this course stresses learning and improving drawing skills
using various media – pencil, charcoal, ink, pastels, etc. Students improve their ability to
visualize and draw shapes, forms and spatial relationships using “visual clues” and linear
perspective. The course also includes study of the elements and principles of design and the
history of art with the emphasis on drawing.
GRAPHIC DESIGN - 1 semester, grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Art
Designing for the print industry is the emphasis of this course. Students learn about
typography, illustration, and page layout and study the elements and principles of design as they
apply to the creation of logos, letterheads, newsletters, poster, brochures and advertising. Much
of the work in this class will be done on computer, so it is helpful if students have previously
taken keyboarding.
CRAFTS/JEWELRY– 1 semester, grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Art
Any Craft you can think of is fair game for this course. Each student is required to do
one glass craft, one clay craft, an assemblage, a textile or fiber craft, a craft involving molding,
modeling, or carving, a “surface treatment” craft, a paper craft, and a jewelry project. A variety
of options are offered in each of these categories.
PAINTING – 1 semester, grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Art
Not limited to painting only, this course stresses creating color works using various
painting media – tempera, watercolor, acrylic, etc. Students experiment with a variety of
painting approaches and styles and paint on a variety of both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional
surfaces. The course includes study of the elements and principles of design and the history of
art with the emphasis on painting.
SCULPTURE/3D DESIGN – 1 semester, grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Art
Sculpture and ceramics are the primary subjects of this course, but a unit on architecture
is included. Students explore the elements and principles of design and the history of art as they
relate to sculpture, ceramics, and architecture. They execute sculpture projects in clay, paper
mache, wood, plaster, and mixed media and a variety of ceramic projects. The architecture unit
includes research, drawing and model construction.