Drawing I, Art 103                 Fall Semester, 2006         Instructor G. Wortham T -TH  8:00am-10:50am               Bld. H, Room 102            gwortham@ronin3.com Drawing I is an introductory course designed to develop a visual foundation for the studio arts. The primary focus is to develop, analyze and improve visual awareness through drawing. The key concepts and exercises will develop a greater understanding, control and execution of dry drawing media. As with most worthwhile pursuits, the kingpin of success is immersion. Attendance is the measure for the level of active participation. Students are allowed three absences during the course of the semester. A fourth absence will deduct one full letter grade, and three counts of tardiness are equal to one absence. In this course, drawings are to be turned in on time. Coursework assigned as “homework” is to be completed as it is assigned if it is to be of any benefit. At a bare minimum, students are expected to spend 15 hours per week outside of class to develop the skills and instincts necessary for development. Homework will be collected througout the semester please remember to sign your work. Work not completed on time will be lowered on full letter grade. Critiques, both group and individual, are to challenge the student to do their best possible work. Therefore critiques are mandatory. Participation is imperative for the critiques to be of benefit to the student. Critiques cannot be made up and absences on a critique day will lower a students' grade by a full letter. As Art at times raises questions and issues which may be uncomfortable for all involved, it is imperative that the focus remain on a mature assessment of the focus and the execution of the work. Should a student have difficulty with this matter, please talk to the instructor. Grades are determined and averaged by the quantity and quality of assignments. Students will be evaluated during the course of the semester and progress will be noted and explained. There will be at least 4 critiques based on assignments, one traditional test, and the sketchbook. The sketchbook will count one full letter grade. The sketchbook is your proverbial “Ace in the Hole”. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the major landmarks that accurately define the terrain; it is the individual steps taken. As there is no assigned textbook for the class, the student will have to make their own.  A book about drawing should be as useful as a book about riding a bike. Skills, techniques, ability and above all, instinct are qualities which are best not read but executed. Drawings, materials and supplies are to be safeguarded. Please respect and abide by all rules concerning storage space, and alert the instructor should there be a problem. My personal advice Invest everything in every drawing, then make another. Time and technique don’t necessarily make the best drawings. But it doesn’t hurt. Cliché has been done before, why do it again? Distrust your mind; let your hand do what your eye sees. The Florida Southern College policy for students with disabilities Florida Southern College does not have a special program for students with disabilities: however, reasonable accommodations may be requested in this course by students who have documentation of a disability on file in the Academic Support Office (Ordway 134, phone #4196). “It is the responsibility of the student to make his or her condition known to the college, to take the initiative in requesting desired appropriate accommodations, and to have the pertinent diagnostic tests or other professional evaluations to verify the need for academic accommodations”. A release statement signed by the student is required each semester before documentation and recommended accommodations can be shared with the student’s instructors. It is the student’s responsibility to meet the instructor to determine which of the recommended accommodations can be made in each class.