The introduction of three-dimensional ideas and related terminology is combined with the instruction in the use of materials such as paper, wood, plaster, and clay and the operation of hand and power tools. Students develop the practical experiences needed to make objects which counteract and respond to forces and answer visual requirements. As the semester progresses, challenges of assembly, scale, and visual complexity increase. Inventive processes, form generation, and construction are undertaken as properties of materials, join with visual goals to develop new forms. Most importantly, students understand that they have access to a new language as they learn to see, think, and plan three-dimensionally.
Students work in a variety of media using manual, computer, video, and body-based approaches.
The first semester defines the terminology and sharpens the ability to discern and use the visual elements of point, line, shape, and pattern. These fundamental elements are studied as independent units and brought together, supporting and animating one another, in a variety of formats. Skills in the use of black and white media such as inks, plaka, and acrylic pigments and equipment including technical pens, brushes, and drafting tools are developed in the first semester. The visual forces discovered during efforts to combine these elements and materials define the more complex subject of the class.