Art Degrees Online

Course Code VIT202
Fee Code S3
Number of Assignments 9
Duration (approx) 100 hours

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course is divided into 9 lessons as follows:

1. Learning The Menus – This lesson will familiarize the student with all of the main menu options and their basic functions

2. Working with Digital Image Files – This lesson provides an overview of the major digital file types as well as how resize an image and save from one file type to another.

3. Understanding the Tool Palette – This lesson teaches the student the various uses of the major Photoshop tools for creating and manipulating artwork, photos and digital compositions.

4. Using Layers, Actions and History – This lesson explores the creative power of the Photoshop Layers palette, which is the foundation of why Photoshop is such a powerful creative tool.

5. Digital Painting, Shapes and Colours – This lesson begins to explain the basic concepts of colour. The lesson continues by walking the student through a “How-to” guide to creating simple original artwork.

6. Selecting, Resizing, Transforming and Masking – This lesson explores the tools available to manipulate and transform various components of an image or composition.

7. Adjustments and modifications – This lesson lists the steps needed to improve the quality of an image by applying adjustments and modifications.

8. Adding Filters and Styles – This lesson will focus on the various styles and effects that can be applied to an image or composition.

9. Preparing Files for Print and Web – This lesson will list the steps to prepare the finished files for use in Print, The Web or Email.

Aims

During the course, the student will learn how to:
Open digital files using Photoshop
Resize images and save them in multiple file formats
Create original graphics using the Photoshop tools
Manipulate individual elements of a graphic composition or image
Improve the quality of an image (clean it up) by applying modifications
Apply interesting filters and effects to images or compositions
Prepare your files for the web, print or email

WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THIS COURSE?

During the course, the student will actually:
Learn the major menu options and what they mean
Open and save files in different formats and learn what the differences are
Scan photos or download from a digital camera and edit them in using Photoshop
Prepare images for email
Use the major tools to understand how graphics are created
Create multiple layered compositions and explore movement and position
Understand colour
Create original graphics and artwork
Add exciting effects to images
Format files for the web and print

MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS:
THE INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION AND RECOGNITION COUNCIL
THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR PRIVATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
AGP (ACS GLOBAL PARTNER)
BRITISH INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
STUDY GOLD COAST

Code Title Credits

TERM 1
ANIM 10102 Introduction to Life Drawing 3
ANIM 13921 Animation Principles 1 5
ANIM 17198 Visual Concepts 3
ANIM 18081 Introduction to Dimensional Drawing 4
ANIM 10009 Introduction to Digital Tools 3
ENGL 17889GD Composition and Rhetoric 3
Total: 21

TERM 2
ANIM 13672 Introduction to Dynamic Anatomy 3
ANIM 10082 Animation Principles 2 5
ANIM 10172 Story and Sequential Narrative 3
ANIM 19014 Drawing for Layout 4
ANIM 10036 Digital Methodologies: 2-D Animation 3
ANIM 19599GD Animation History 3
Total: 21

TERM 3
ANIM 28263 Intermediate Figure Analysis 3
ANIM 27198 Action Analysis: Animation and Design 5
ANIM 30102 Storyboarding: Advanced Story Structure 3
ANIM 26859 Visual Development: Layout and Painting 4
ANIM 20065 Digital Methodologies: Dialogue, Music and Sound Effects 3
HIST 18653GD Art in Social and Cultural Context 3
Total: 21

TERM 4
ANIM 22350 Exploration of Figure Analysis 3
ANIM 20036 Animation: Dialogue and Design 5
ANIM 20016 Sequential Narrative and Performance 5
ANIM 25586 Digital Painting and Layout 4
ANIM 28448 Digital Methodologies: 3-D Modelling 3
HIST 10101GD History of Film 3
Total: 23

TERM 5
ANIM 37370 Continuity, Design and Figurative Performance 3
ANIM 36529 Animation: Classical and Stop Motion 6
ANIM 30261 Storyboarding: Advanced Story Structure 3
ANIM 30408 Layout and Art Direction 3
ANIM 33431 Digital Methodologies: 3-D Animation 3
HUMN 27198GD Studies of Character and Culture 3
COWT 10023 Co-op Forum (Degree Programs) -
Total: 21

TERM 6
ANIM 37721 Exploring Character and Costume 3
ANIM 30123 Animation Production 3
ANIM 30261 Storyboarding: Project Development 3
ANIM 30146 Layout and Production 3
ANIM 34310 Digital Methodologies: Character Rigging and Setup 3
CULT 14717GD Music: Structure and Culture 3
Total: 18
1
MAY WORK TERM
COWT 18888 Co-op Work Term (Degree Programs) -

TERM 7
ANIM 44310 Advanced Figure Drawing and Art Direction 3
ANIM 45436 Senior Animation Project 6
plus 2 Breadth Electives 6
Total: 15

TERM 8
ANIM 47028 Capstone Animation Project 9
plus 2 Breadth Electives 6
Total: 15

Campus:
Windsor Campus (T823)
Program Length:
Three years – Ontario College Advanced Diploma
Starts:
September 2009
Contact:

Jim Rutherford
(519) 972-2727, ext. 4806
email: jrutherford@stclaircollege.ca

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
OSSD with the majority of courses at the College (C), University (U), University/College (M) or Open (O) level qualify for admission to this program.Mature students status click here.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
In addition to your OCAS application students will be required to submit complete an Art Test
The following information will also be included in your decision letter that you will receive after February 1st.

Please complete and return the following drawing test with your name and student number to St. Clair College as soon as you have completed it, but no later than March 9, 2008. Tests may be mailed to the following address:
Registrar’s Office
Attention: Sara Getty
St. Clair College
2000 Talbot Road West
Windsor, Ontario
N9A 6S4
Or emailed to: Animation_Test@stclaircollege.ca
(If emailing the test, please send images in JPEG format and no larger than 300kb per image.)

The test may be completed on the provided sheets of paper or on any 8.5 x11 paper.

Drawing Test Requirements
Two drawings of your own hand from interesting angles.
Two drawings of the same room from two different interesting angles (e.g. Your bedroom, bathroom or kitchen).
Draw a given character in four given emotional states.
Optional: You may also include up to 5 additional pieces of artwork, of your choice, that illustrate your talents. These may include pages from a sketchbook, digital painting or 3D renderings, photography, paintings, animation or whatever you like. These must be submitted as 8.5 x11 copies of the originals. Please send any examples of animation on CD or DVD and any examples of sculpture may be shown in photographs.

Drawing Test Tips
The evaluation of the Drawing Test is based on the following criteria:
Your ability to create depth in the drawings (create a 3D environment or object from a 2D drawing).
Your ability to understand the structure of what you are drawing (showing that you can construct from simple 3D shapes).
Your ability to create visual appeal.
Depth in a drawing: Depth can be created using the three simple techniques. The first is accurate perspective. Use a one point, two point or three point perspective with horizon lines and vanishing points to create the illusion of things getting smaller as they get away from the viewer. The second is line quality. Make the line work of objects closer to the viewer thicker and darker while the objects farther away have thinner and lighter line work. The last thing is proportion. Make sure that all the objects in a drawing are correct in their relative sizes. An example is in your room drawings ,if you have a doorway in the room then the audience knows roughly how big a human would be in the room and so you must be careful to keep the sizes of all other objects in that room relative to that door. To put it simply, if you are drawing a bathroom, you can’t have a toilet that is twice as big as the bathtub or when drawing the character make sure that it doesn’t have two different sized legs.

Showing and understanding structure of what you are drawing: Construct your room, character or hand from simple three dimensional objects first (spheres, boxes, pyramids, cones and cylinders) before you put any detail into the drawing. This will help keep your perspective and proportions accurate as well.

Creating visual appeal: This is the tricky one. A drawing can have fantastic technical merit but still not be that much fun to look at. To create visual interest you must start with composition. This is making sure that the drawing has a spot that the eye will be drawn to and making sure that there are elements in the drawing (interesting curves and lines) that will lead the eye there. Finishing the drawing with a nice line will also create more appeal. Do not use a hacked out light line and leave it because it describes the shape. Finish the drawing with a weighted (thick and thin) clean line that will add to the depth of the drawing and create more visual interest

If you do not understand any of the terms or concepts described above you should buy some drawing books, look them up online or contact rmoy@stclaircollege.ca for additional advice on what is looked for in the drawing test or to give you a critique on what you are thinking of submitting.

PROGRAM GOALS
Graduates of this program are able to animate, and bring artwork to life in traditional and digital mediums. Students will learn how to design and animate characters and environments for traditional and 3D projects for a variety of mediums including television, film and video games. Students will also learn to become proficient with digital image manipulation, digital video editing, compositing and file management. While in the program, students will work individually and in groups developing cartoon reels that will help build their skills and professional portfolios.

This program will appeal to students who love drawing and animated artwork. They should be very imaginative. Strong problem solving skills are also important, along with the ability to adhere to deadlines.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
There are job opportunities doing character and environment design for feature films, video games and television production. Animators can also find work as storyboard or concept artists in advertising and in web animation.

PROGRAM COSTS (FALL 2009)
Fees are subject to adjustment each year. The standard tuition and compulsory fees for 2008 are as follows:
Standard Tuition 1st year
$6,298.56
Books & expendable supplies approx.
$ 500.00

For a breakdown of tuition and other compulsory fees for Canadian, U.S. and International students click here.