Art 101 F01
Watercolor I, II
Mondays, 1:00 PM-3:45 PM

Instructor: Naomi Nickerson


Course Description
Goals and Objectives
Requirements
Supply List
Attendance
Grading System
Projects and Assignments
More Notes on This Class

Course Description:
This course develops watercolor painting skills and the critical eye through practice with the watercolor medium. An introduction to the medium, this course covers the basic elements of composition and color using a variety of subjects—still lifes, models and the natural world. While we will focus on learning to paint what you see and on composition, you will be encouraged to experiment with a variety of ways of working as a means of finding your own style and ways of expression.

Goals and Objectives:
At the end of this course students will have developed and understand of the basic elements of painting with watercolor. Students will understand composition and 2 dimensional design and be able to apply these skills while planning and executing a painting. Lastly, students should be able to research materials and methodologies with the knowledge they have gleaned during the semester.

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Requirements
Students will be required to complete 4 projects, seven in class exercises. A final portfolio review will be scheduled for individual students on May 12th.

Supply List
The Fallon campus of WNCC has a nice variety of materials on hand for students to try out and use in the classroom. However students will be expected to purchase their own supplies for use at home. Class supplies need to be left in the classroom at the end of class. If there are materials that we use in class that you with to purchase, please ask me and I will tell you where you can buy them.

Purchase the following materials if you do not have them: ** see handout**

Places to Purchase Supplies:

Reno: Nevada Fine Arts, 1030 E. 4th St., 786-1128
Aaron Brothers Framing 4809 Kietzke Ln.
Michael’s Arts and Crafts 4827 Kietzke Ln 828-4114

Carson City: Craft Market 2750 South Carson St. 883-3933
Michael’s Arts and Crafts 911 Topsy Suite 112 267-9029

Mail Order: Dick Blick Supply www.dickblick.com
Utrecht Art Supplies www.utrecht.com
Daniel Smith Inc., www.danielsmith.com

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Attendance
This is a studio class and a majority of your work will take place in class, so it’s essential that you make every effort attend every class. Absences are sometimes unavoidable, however excessive or repeated absences will affect your grade, and more importantly, your progress in the class.

The current college attendance policy states that more than 3 absences is considered excessive and is grounds for dropping a student from the class.

The policy for this class is:
A maximum of 3 absences allowed.
2 or more consecutive missed classes will be considered grounds for automatic withdrawal.

A student coming in more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early from a class will also be considered absent from that class and will be marked down absent, unless the student has express consent from the instructor.

Grading System
Grading will be based upon in-class exercises and projects. There are no quizzes or tests in this class. Deadlines are strictly adhered to and mandatory. Each in-class exercise is due at the end of class. If a student is absent during an in-class exercise, the student will be allowed to make the exercise up on their own time. Each project is due on the assigned date. If however, a student is absent on the day a homework assignment is due, the student will be allowed to bring the assignment in on the following day. Late projects will be accepted with 5 points off the total grade. Projects can be reworked for a higher grade.

Your projects and will be an extension of what is covered in class.

There will be four projects due throughout the semester
Each project is worth a total of 20 points.
Projects will be graded on a scale from 1 to 5 on each of the 5 following criteria:
1-5 points on creativity
1-5 points on use of skills learned during class
1-5 points for effort
1-5 points for the completion of the project
20 points total per project.
Projects turned in late will lose 5 points

There will be 7 in class exercises.
In class exercises will count towards the final grade. If a student misses an exercise, the student will be required to make the exercise up at home. The exercise is due by the end of the semester.

Effort and attendance will also influence the final grade. Effort is graded individually within the projects and homework exercises. If a student is late or misses a class on critique day or the day a project is due without first contacting the teacher, the student will lose points from their final grade.

There will be 4 group critiques.

Withdrawals/Incompletes
1. It is the responsibility of the student to request a W (withdrawal) or I (incomplete grade for this class.

2. A student may request a withdrawal (W) grade any time during the semester up to the end of the semester.

3. If a student has completed about 75% of the class with a grade of C or better, but cannot complete the class due to a compelling reason, the student may request an incomplete (I) grade before the end of the semester. This allows the student one semester to complete the remaining work and receive a letter grade. This instructor is strongly opposed to giving incompletes unless the reason is compelling. A written statement from a doctor or other professional will be required.

4. If the student does not inform the instructor of their grade request, the instructor will assign a grade based on the total number of points acquired.

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More Notes on This Class:
While this class is a studio class, and an art class, and therefore subject to change, deadlines for projects and critiques are fixed.

If you miss a class, please contact a colleague to get the homework assignment and notes. It is your responsibility to make up missed homework.

The rhythm of the class is thus:
January/February: Understanding the medium. Terms and definitions. Learning about value and composition.
March: Understanding color. Creating a color wheel. Analogous and Complementary colors.
April: Understanding 3 dimensional space. Composition with color. Design Theory.
May: Plein Air painting. Still lifes.

Important Dates to Remember:
February 18th- Martin Luther King Day- College Closed- no class
February 25th- Project One due- group critique
March 17th- Spring Break- College Closed- no class
March 24th- Project Two due- group critique
April 14th- Proejct Three due- group critique
May 5th- Project Four due- group critique
May 12th- Individual portfolio reviews (optional)