Illustration Courses
ILLUS 3940-101
COMICS: GRAMMAR OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Students will investigate the mechanics of comics storytelling through a series of exercises designed to deconstruct the comics language. Clarity is key to engaging the reader, and this course emphasizes communication regardless of style. Discussion will include a concise history of the medium and the rise of manga and the graphic novel. This course is structured around a series of cumulative exercises introducing a new element of the comics language each week, designed to equip the student for further work in this important art form.
Elective
ILLUS 3942-01
GAINED IN TRANSLATION: COMICS AS ADAPTATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Done well, respectful, original, and inventive adaptations can deliver fresh interpretations of original sources that are themselves new works of art that stand on their own merits. In this course, students will adapt written works from a variety of source materials into multi-page comics stories - demonstrating how form, narrative arc, cultural context, character, and emotion can be translated faithfully and artfully from one medium to another. In the process of doing the work, students will master the language of comics, a medium with its own vernacular, using unique combinations of words and pictures to form meaning - and will gain insights into shared principles of story-telling that apply both to prose and to visual narrative. After deep reading of the texts, to understand structure, story, and meaning, students will interpret and visually amplify the adapted texts, taking the new work from thumbnail, to full sketch, to final art, to self-published mini-comics.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00
Open to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 3943-01
THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is a comics writing and artmaking workshop with an emphasis on professional production finishing techniques, culminating in materials for pitching a comic project or graphic novel. Assignments will introduce students to both traditional methods (thumbnailing, inking) and state of the art technical processes (digital coloring, art preparation, file format and delivery, and processing for press quality publication). Students will develop their visual storytelling abilities by creating comics from existing scripts—exploring various literary genres, among which sci-fi, mystery or non-fiction—as well as original stories.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $0.00
Elective
ILLUS 3944-01
COMICS, MANGA & BANDES DESSINEES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Sequential art is a thriving global art form whose recent history is grounded in three artistic, linguistic and publishing traditions: Comics, Manga, and Bande Dessinee. This course offers an intensive introduction to their creative possibilities. It will present storytelling and technical approaches that will enhance your ability to work as a writer and artist in the comics industry, as well as in other narrative driven fields. Assignments will take the shape of short form comics (1-8 pages) but students will also learn about writing, developing and pitching longer works such as graphic novels. During class discussions, we will engage in comparative study, identifying unexpected connections with other arts (literature, music, film, animation) while revealing the unique expressive potential of this medium.
Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 3945-01
DEEP DIVE VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Each of us are walking, talking, living stories. From the time we wake up in the morning to tell ourselves what our day will be like to the moment we remember who we've been and who we want to be, we are telling ourselves the stories of our life. Storytelling is a fundamental human act that crosses cultures, ages, ethnicities and genders. Artists often think in pictures, so this course will explore the act of storytelling through the exploration of the visuals in concert with the creation of the words. This course will start with an exercise in multiple iteration of character ideas, story development from the visual, and an investigation of additional characters who provide the foundation for environments and a series of illustrations for a story concept. Ideation, composition, color, discussion of media, style, format, expression of narrative and materials will be reviewed through lecture, guest lecturers in the field, and discussion-both individual and group centered. The format of the course will explore research, mood boards, character development, facial expressions, turn arounds, character interactions, asset creation, thumbnails, color studies and finished illustrations. The focus of the course will be a deep dive into stories that resonate and reflect idiosyncratic and personal interests expressed in any medium that best suits the storytelling.
Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 3956-01
CINEMATIC STORYTELLING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Previsualization is an essential tool in both animation and live action filmmaking. Whether it is a feature film or a commercial, a television show or a short film, it's critical that storyboarding is the first directorial step of translating the written word to the screen. In a medium where collaboration is the norm, a story artist inherently becomes one of the most influential figures in a film's production, as every department builds upon the foundation of their work. In this course, we will go over the building blocks of visual storytelling and traditional filmmaking, culminating in a final project at the end of the semester. Lectures and screenings will explore the tenets of story structure, visual language, film grammar, and performance, all of which will be integrated into weekly assignments that exercise tried and true techniques of storyboarding method. The lessons in this course will give you a firm understanding of the art of storyboarding as it applies to the film and animation industry, and also a greater understanding of how to visually communicate with a level of clarity that you had not known before.
Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 3956-01
CINEMATIC STORYTELLING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Previsualization is an essential tool in both animation and live action filmmaking. Whether it is a feature film or a commercial, a television show or a short film, it's critical that storyboarding is the first directorial step of translating the written word to the screen. In a medium where collaboration is the norm, a story artist inherently becomes one of the most influential figures in a film's production, as every department builds upon the foundation of their work. In this course, we will go over the building blocks of visual storytelling and traditional filmmaking, culminating in a final project at the end of the semester. Lectures and screenings will explore the tenets of story structure, visual language, film grammar, and performance, all of which will be integrated into weekly assignments that exercise tried and true techniques of storyboarding method. The lessons in this course will give you a firm understanding of the art of storyboarding as it applies to the film and animation industry, and also a greater understanding of how to visually communicate with a level of clarity that you had not known before.
Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4012-01
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-02
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-03
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-04
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-05
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-06
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4012-07
SENIOR PORTFOLIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help students find their way to the professional marketplace utilizing the best tool available - the portfolio. Be it the freelance advertising, editorial or children's book markets, an animation or gaming studio, a publishing house, gallery or other venue, this course will introduce the components of the portfolio necessary for success. It includes development of both a traditional and online presence, discussions on specific industries, copyright issues, client contracts and pricing guidelines. Each student will create new work to augment their existing portfolio, as well as business cards, a resume, a contact list, invoice and letterhead. The course will also include visiting guest lecturers from a variety of industries. The focus will be to complete a portfolio that serves as a professional tool most suited to each individual's talent and aspirations.
Enrollment is limited to Senior Illustration Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 4402-01
WKSHP: MAYA BASICS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
A one month basic introduction to Maya for 3D image-making. The class will introduce polygonal modeling, UV-mapping and normal-map generation, texturing, lighting, and advanced shader options, the Mental Ray renderer, and some particle, fluid and atmospheric simulators. Animation will not be taught beyond basics required for particle and other effects.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Preference is given to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students. Second preference given to Graphic Design and Industrial Design Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4402-01
WKSHP: MAYA BASICS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
A one month basic introduction to Maya for 3D image-making. The class will introduce polygonal modeling, UV-mapping and normal-map generation, texturing, lighting, and advanced shader options, the Mental Ray renderer, and some particle, fluid and atmospheric simulators. Animation will not be taught beyond basics required for particle and other effects.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Preference is given to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students. Second preference given to Graphic Design and Industrial Design Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4404-01
WKSHP: ZBRUSH SCULPTING AND ILLUSTRATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This one-month workshop will explore the creative potential of ZBrush, the 3-D sculpting application from Pixologic. With so many uses, it's difficult to cover ZBrush completely, but by the end of the class you will have a solid understanding of the program, all its component tools and how to customize them and use them in your workflow, whether it's sculpting for game detail, animation, visualization, or rapid-prototyping. This workshop is a one-credit course that emphasizes skills and techniques. This class is part of a group of offerings by the departments of Illustration, Industrial Design and Graphic Design that are offered on Friday afternoons and are open to all students to facilitate cross-departmental enrollment.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Preference is given to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students. Second preference given to Graphic Design and Industrial Design Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4404-01
WKSHP: ZBRUSH SCULPTING AND ILLUSTRATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This one-month workshop will explore the creative potential of ZBrush, the 3-D sculpting application from Pixologic. With so many uses, it's difficult to cover ZBrush completely, but by the end of the class you will have a solid understanding of the program, all its component tools and how to customize them and use them in your workflow, whether it's sculpting for game detail, animation, visualization, or rapid-prototyping. This workshop is a one-credit course that emphasizes skills and techniques. This class is part of a group of offerings by the departments of Illustration, Industrial Design and Graphic Design that are offered on Friday afternoons and are open to all students to facilitate cross-departmental enrollment.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Preference is given to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students. Second preference given to Graphic Design and Industrial Design Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4406-01
WKSHP: INTRODUCTION TO GAME ENGINES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is a short introduction to the use of game engines for the production of realistic interactive environments-- whether for architecture, industrial design, VR, or animation. The class is intended for people who are already comfortable with 3D modeling and texturing and will cover the basics of scene creation, modeling, the particular requirements of PBR texturing, animation, and simple interactivity through the use of blueprints. Topics will include basic setup; import of 3D assets, including materials, animations, polygonal models, and custom hit-detection meshes; setup of input methods, lighting, sky-boxes, and atmospherics; and output to various devices. Professional workflow considerations and naming conventions will be covered, as well as an overview of useful third-party software for modeling and texturing.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Open to Junior, Senior or Graduate Illustration Students.
Elective
ILLUS 4406-01
WKSHP: INTRODUCTION TO GAME ENGINES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is a short introduction to the use of game engines for the production of realistic interactive environments-- whether for architecture, industrial design, VR, or animation. The class is intended for people who are already comfortable with 3D modeling and texturing and will cover the basics of scene creation, modeling, the particular requirements of PBR texturing, animation, and simple interactivity through the use of blueprints. Topics will include basic setup; import of 3D assets, including materials, animations, polygonal models, and custom hit-detection meshes; setup of input methods, lighting, sky-boxes, and atmospherics; and output to various devices. Professional workflow considerations and naming conventions will be covered, as well as an overview of useful third-party software for modeling and texturing.
Students must register for workshops during the registration period and add/drop regardless of start date of class.
Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.
Elective