Visual Arts

Click here for a listing of all classes available in Spring Session (March 15 - June 6, 2010)

These classes and programs provide an opportunity for children and youth to appreciate and develop their own creativity while expressing their understanding of the world through the visual and applied arts.

Students build a foundation for understanding the visual arts as a mode of artistic expression, and combine practical, theoretical and critical thinking skills to find and develop their own unique artistic voice. Through experimentation, and application of artistic technique students will discover new ways of seeing the world around them.

Class Options

**Please note: these descriptions are for general reference only. For class times, availability and age groups, click on "Search Classes" above.**

ARCHITECTURE
Discover ways of building, while exploring the relationship between people, habitats, and the environment. Learn about scale, structure and composition through observation, drawing and model-making. Examine design and study buildings while exploring scale, proportion, volume, measurement and creative construction techniques.

CARTOONING
Create stories with cartoons and experiment with illustrating movement, depth, colour, line and point-of-view. Explore character development and use various media to explore shadows, textures, patterns and special effects. Learn to portray dynamic and expressive scenes and characters.

CLAY SCULPTURE
Be inspired by world cultures and contemporary artists, and learn form, function, context and the aesthetics of clay sculpture. Create three-dimensional works with hand-building techniques including pinch pots, slab and coil construction. The works created are painted, fired and/or glazed.

DRAWING & PAINTING
Learn about colour mixing and patterning, brush strokes and blending. Develop personal expression skills through studying natural forms, abstract concepts and still life. Composition, design, colour theory and art history are explored using charcoal, oil pastel, tempera, chalk and pen and ink.

DRAWING, PAINTING & PRINTMAKING
Experiment with techniques and materials, from oil pastel and tempera paints to printing inks and collage. By combining drawing, painting and carving to create unique works of art, you develop your own artistic expression by learning about perspective, scale and proportion.

DRAWING & SKETCHING TECHNIQUES
Work from observation and the imagination. Develop techniques to portray depth, perspective and shading, while experimenting with various media, including charcoal, ink, oil and chalk pastels. Develop drawing skills and a personal sketching style learning to portray depth and perspective.

FASHION DESIGN
Learn the fundamentals of fashion design including research development, figure drawing and illustration techniques, and receive advice on preparing a portfolio.

FASHION ILLUSTRATION
An introduction to the basics of fashion illustration, including research and concept development. Develop illustration skills using a broad range of media and mark-making techniques. Draw from a live model, design on the figure, and explore various fashion illustration techniques.

FINE ARTS STUDIO
An introduction to contemporary concepts and experimental techniques in design, painting, drawing and sculpture. Initiate and develop ideas through experimentation with life drawing, perspective and geometry. Develop colour theory and composition skills by exploring various materials, media and tools.

MIXED MEDIA
Create two- and three-dimensional projects using tempera, watercolour, pastel, chalk and found objects. Study pattern, texture and colour while using clay, wood, fabric, paper and other materials in unconventional ways.

MIXED MEDIA & SCULPTURE
Study the world of three-dimensional art forms, and learn about the techniques, materials and methods of sculptural design. Create with traditional techniques and experimental methods using wood, paint, clay, papier mâché and found objects.

PHOTOGRAPHY: FOUNDATION*
Develop your technical skills with a manual 35mm camera. Discover exciting historical processes including pinhole cameras, photograms, cyanotypes and hand-colouring to broaden your understanding of the evolution of creating still images.
* See also Digital Photography in Digital Arts

PHOTOGRAPHY: IMAGE MAKING*
Start with the basics of black-and-white photography, shooting with a 35mm manual camera to understand the art behind photographic images. Learn to develop film and create prints in the darkroom. Study lens choice, exposure, depth of field, composition, and presentation.
* See also Digital Photography in Digital Arts

PHOTOGRAPHY: PROJECTS AND PORTFOLIO*
Immerse yourself in the art of photography using black-and-white darkroom techniques, and digital and 35mm manual technologies. Study portraiture, landscape and still life. Expand on creative visual expression, and experiment with new ideas by using exposure, shutter and aperture.
* See also Digital Photography in Digital Arts

WOOD, CLAY & PAPIER MÂCHÉ
Using clay, wood, papier mâché and found objects, develop design and construction skills, self-expression and imagination. Learn about a variety of themes and cultures by creating unique sculptures.

BUSCHLEN MOWATT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
See Scholarship Programs for more information.