Welcome to 2D Art & Design-Part 1: The Elements of Design-FLEX CLASS! I’m so glad you’re here and ready to learn and play with the Elements of Design; line, shape, space, value, form, texture, scale, and color. 

We’ll also cover important topics such as audience, visual communication, expression, analysis, art critique, the purpose of art in our world and more! We’ll also learn about a variety of artists and their artwork. 

This is a FLEX course which means it is pre-recorded and does not contain live classes. So students can attend at a time that works best for them. I will post a 50 minute lesson each Monday for 10 weeks. Each week we will focus on an Element of Design, and how it is used by artists and designers to create meaningful and purposeful art and design. The students will make their own art each week as it relates to the topics we cover in the lessons.

The purpose of this course is also to create an artist’s portfolio, which they will create and save on their computers in a folder as a digital portfolio.

Why a digital portfolio? 
The reason for creating a digital portfolio is that it allows for students to later apply for art competitions, art schools and programs. It makes it easy to upload their work to a website, to print their work for personal use or to sell their work. There are many platforms now where artists can sell their work online, such as ETSY, Red Bubble, Printful, and many more! Having a digital portfolio of their work keeps young artists and designers organized and ready to pursue a career in visual art and design.

Where does the information in this course come from?
The information in this course is based on the textbook, Launching the Imagination, A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design, by Mary Stewart. The student does not need to read this textbook. They only need to follow along with the lessons. 

What is the structure of this course?
Video Lessons will be posted every Monday. There will be sketchbook assignments during the lesson videos, and an Art Assignment will be given at the end of each lesson. Students will have the rest of the week to complete the Art Assignment and write 5-8 sentences about their work and then turn all their work in by Friday night. I will not give homework grades, but I will give weekly feedback on their work as well as answer any questions they have throughout the week. 

What’s included in the video lessons?
Each video lesson is an interactive presentation with me, the teacher, going over the Elements of Design, and other art related topics. Throughout each lesson, I will ask students to pause and do short activities in their sketchbooks. I’ll ask a lot of thought-provoking questions, pop quizzes, and give art demonstrations. I also include lots of animated gifs! The course is meant to be educational but also fun and inspiring! 

At the end of each lesson, I will go over the Art Assignments and give examples. 

WEEKLY ART ASSIGNMENTS include:

Sketchbook
Any work they do during the video lessons will be in the sketchbook. It’s a great place to take notes, write, do sketches, drawings, plans, or brainstorming inspired by the lessons. The student will take photos of their sketchbook pages and submit them to me on Fridays. 

Artwork
Then the student will be asked to create one work of art or design. This should be done on a separate sheet of bristol board or watercolor paper. The student will take photos or submit the digital jpg files to me in our Outschool class.

Writing
Students should write 5-8 sentences in their sketchbook about their artwork and take photos and submit them. They simply need to describe their work, and their process. What is their work about? What worked? What didn’t? What would they do differently next time?

Please see the PDF guide: How to Create a Digital Portfolio, to see how to take photos of their sketchbooks and artwork, and save and name their digital files on their computers. 

MEDIA: I tell the students what materials I recommend for each assignment. Mostly it will be drawing pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, or collage. I encourage students to do handmade art as opposed to digital art so that they can become familiar with a variety of media. They can always edit their work digitally if they’d like. 

SUPPLIES:
See SUPPLY LIST PDF for a full list of supplies for this course. Hopefully you already have a few supplies at home. You’ll find a link to an Amazon List for suggested supplies on our Outschool class. Feel free to order there or purchase supplies at your local art supply store. 

PACING
I recommend the students do their brainstorming and sketches on Mondays and Tuesdays, then create their work of art and write their 5-8 sentences on Wednesday and Thursday, then turn in all their work on Fridays.

SAVING ARTWORK FILES
By the end of the 10 weeks, the student should have a strong portfolio of artwork. I recommend when saving the files, that they title each file like this (use underscores or dashes between words, no spaces):

FirstNameLastName_ArtworkTitle_YearMade_Medium_Size
Examples:
FridaKahlo_OceanOfPeace_2023_PecilOnPaper_11x14in

TIMELINE FOR THIS COURSE
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Line
Week 3: Shape
Week 4: Space
Week 5: Value
Week 6: Form
Week 7: Texture
Week 8: Scale
Week 9: Color (Part 1)
Week 10: Color (Part2)

(This course will be followed by 2D ART & DESIGN PART 2, based on the Principles of Design: Repetition, Pattern, Rhythm, Balance, Emphasis, Proportion, Movement, Emphasis, Unity)

Please see a list of PDF's for this class in the Welcome message.