Art Institute of Las Vegas

Course Syllabus

Fall 2007

Sculpture GAD201

Instructor: Kevin Anderson

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website: www.visualfulfillment.com

Office Hours: Sat 1-4pm and by appointment

Course Description:

Basic principles of design, such as balance, rhythm, contrast, and harmony are taught. Students develop 3-dimensional designs and sculpture from paper, cardboard, and clay. Three-dimensional forms, compositions, and aesthetics are discussed.

Course Competencies:

• The student will study and create three-dimensional forms in clay and other media.
• The underlying skeletal and geometrical structure of organic form will be studied.
• The student will create various armatures for the foundations of various forms of sculpture.
• The relationship between fine art and animated art will be explored with the goal of creating two character maquettes.

Required Textbook:

Family and Friends in Polymer Clay by Maureen Carlson

Recommended References:

Modeling the Figure in Clay by Bruno Lucchesi and Margit Malmstrom

Sculpture with John Brown vol. 1-5, Gnomon Workshop videos (#2 and #3 especially)

Drawing Human Anatomy by Giovanni Civardi

The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head by William Maughan

The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Figure by Anthony Ryder

Facial Expressions by Mark Simon

Student Evaluation/Grading Policies:

Class projects will receive grades between zero and 100 based on level of mastery of the skill involved. In some cases students may be required to redo an assignment outside of class to demonstrate understanding of objectives.

Project breakdown:

• Sketchpad / Pencils
• Polymer clay, Super Sculpey or Sculpey Firm recommended, ~3-5 lbs
• 2 wooden bases (pieces of plywood cut to 12x12” for sculpture work base)
• Wire cutters strong enough to cut clothes hanger wire
• Small pliers for bending wire, needle-nose works well
• Aluminum foil (a regular boxed roll)
• Clay tools (butter knife, dental pick, tooth picks, commercial clay tools, etc.)
• Armature wire- 1/16” - 3/8" aluminum or 12-16 gauge steel
• Gathered texture samples to be used as presses.
• Turpenoid/OMS
• Acrylic paint (Oils and pastels for different effects too)
• Stiff and soft brushes
• Masking tape
• Sandpaper (light grit)
• Various mediums for sets and/or props
• optional:
• Various smaller diameters of wire
• Rolling pin (not wooden) or pasta machine (not to be used for food after touching polymer clays)
• Soldering supplies
• Latex gloves (or equivalent)
• Dremel tool
• Airbrush
• Clear nail polish
• Plummer’s putty
• Calipers
• Power drill

Housekeeping Items:

1) NO EATING OR DRINKING IN THE CLASSROOMS AND LABS! Anyone caught in violation of this policy will be asked to leave the classroom.

2) Class time - is designated to set direction, to allow for discussion and demonstration of new concepts and techniques, and to give critiques and feedback on work done to date. It is not expected that students will complete assigned projects during class hours. For this class you should anticipate spending a minimum of 4 hours per week outside of class completing assignments. If you plan to work at school please check class and lab schedules for available space. Students are responsible for submitting all work on the syllabus regardless of whether they are reminded in class or not. Reading the syllabus is the student's responsibility

3) Absenteeism –According to school policy, you WILL be withdrawn from the school if you are absent 14 CONSECUTIVE calendar days.

4) Tardiness – I consider habitual tardiness a sign of arrogance. Understand that you are being prepared for real-world industry. In that real-world scenario, tardiness is rarely tolerated. Please be mindful of this.

5) Testing policy – Cheating or plagiarism is not allowed and will result in an F.

6) Late work – Late work is rarely if at all accepted in the professional industries. I will accept late work, but there is a hefty penalty, 25% off of the grade, and it won’t be accepted past 1 week late.

7) Cheating and Plagiarism – NOT ALLOWED and will result in an F. There is no flexibility here.

8) Etiquette – Please be mindful of your peers in class and be respectful of others at all times. This includes keeping your cell phones and beepers on vibrate or silent mode. Please return phone calls on break and outside the building to be respectful of others working.

9) OLS – All students are required to maintain an active OnLine Services account. Student email, grade reports, unofficial schedules, unofficial transcripts and other necessary services can only be accessed through OLS, not through the registrar.

10) Student IDs – Students are required to wear their Ai Student Identification Badge visibly on their person at all times while on the school premises. Students without IDs will not be admitted to class.

11) Contacting the Instructor – You can use email, voicemail or set up an appointment to contact your instructor. If the instructor doesn’t respond to your messages within 24 hours, please assume that they didn’t get the message and try again.

12) Students must have an official schedule to sit in class. Instructor will take first day attendance ONLY when the official schedule has been presented.

13) Required textbooks must be obtained by the second class meeting. Textbooks for your class are available from the bookstore. If a textbook is delayed, alternate instructions for obtaining your textbook will be provided.

14) Dress Code – Students must abide by the dress code as defined in the catalog.

15) Children – No children are allowed in class or on campus at any time.

ADA Statement:

It is AiLV policy not to discriminate against qualified students with a documented disability in its educational programs, activities or services. If you have a disability-related need for accommodations in this class, contact the Disability Services Office at (702) 369-9944 ext. 8550, 2350 Corporate Circle Drive, Henderson, NV 89074.

---