Detailed Description
This course is designed to provide students with opportunities to
refine a personalized vision of figurative expression through
character and costume. Emphasis is placed on creating a cogent and
compelling sense of identity within the context of character.
Students explore various costumed persona in historical, cultural,
ethnic and social milieux. Students work in a variety of mediums
(e.g. water colours, acrylics, coloured chalks and mixed mediums).
Students explore the artistry and poetry of their personal vision
and approach with an ongoing review of anatomical principles. Topics
include light and shadow as a design element; exploration of the use
of colour as applied to figurative character; and the psychology,
subtleties and qualities inherent in facial types and
expressions/moods and the attendant analysis of the hands and hand
position. Much of the above will be formatted through the use of
longer poses.
Program Context
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Bachelor of Animation |
Program Coordinator: Mark Mayerson |
This course is part of the
core component of the second
year of the Bachelor of
Applied Arts (Animation)
Program. It is the sixth in
a series of eight Life
Drawing courses whose
development reflects
comprehensive and thoughtful
scope, content analysis, and
sequence in the delivery
within the Life Drawing
stream. In addition, it
reflects continuity,
integration and balance
through the other streams at
an intermediate level and
reflects the complexity and
logic of the design of the
BAA Animation Program. It
prepares students for the
remaining courses within the
stream and for building
connections to storytelling,
character, animation and
performance to courses in
other streams within the
program.
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Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes
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Critical Performance
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the
ability to project believable character by introducing elements of
personal expression and styles that reflect a more sophisticated
understanding of the figurative drawing process.
Learning Outcomes
To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated
the ability to:
1. Create a portrait, that reflects subtle elements of caricature,
that is respectful of the character.
2. Complete portraits that incorporate the elements of skeletal
structure and musculature.
3. Generate drawings that build from concepts of drapery to
articulating the specific natures of costumes/clothing.
4. Analyze the anatomical structure that lies beneath the clothing
and the related pose dynamic.
5. Develop a believable character through the interpretation of
costume, pose, attitude and body language of the model.
6. Incorporate increasingly sophisticated aspects of light and
shadow in costumed figures in order to reinforce elements of
theatricality.
7. Create a greater sense of character through the use of
simplification/economy of expression, and the use of caricature
and perceived distortion.
8. Effectively adapt figure drawings to a broad range of characters
in their perceived time and place.
9. Develop the skills to create figure drawings that move from the
nude figure to the costumed figure.
10. Generate the specifics of character through in-depth portraiture
and sensitivity to facial expressions.
11. Create figure drawings that reflect a sensitivity to a specific
character and his/her story.
12. Create drawings that reflect the character and anticipate the
behaviour and action of the character.
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Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:
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Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:
Portfolio #1 40%
Portfolio #2 40%
Character Assignment 20%
Total 100%
Late Policy
Late Policy for all courses in the program: All assignments are due
within the first 15 minutes after the start of class on the due date.
Late projects, submitted after the first 15 minutes of the start of
class will receive a 20% grade reduction. Late projects submitted the
following week will receive a 30% grade reduction. There will be no
submission of work after the last day of semester unless arrangements
have been made and documented by the professor. Work that is more than
one week late will not be graded unless a prior arrangement has been
made with the professor; the arrangement must be documented on email
or a memo, with the new due date identified. There will be no
resubmission of work unless, under exceptional circumstances, this has
been agreed to or suggested by the professor. Again, a hard copy of
the agreement is necessary. If there is a valid reason for the late
project, the student must email the professor at least 3 days before
the due date. If the reason is deemed to be valid, there will be no
late penalty. A new due date with be set by the instructor. The basic
late policy as laid out above will be followed, except in the instance
that an instructor requires a variation in policy. That variation will
be provided to the student in writing as part of the actual
assignment, which will be handed out by the instructor.
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Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities requirements:
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Essential Employability
Skills
Essential Employability Skills emphasized in the course:
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Communication
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X
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Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
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X
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Interpersonal
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Numeracy |
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Information
Management |
X
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Personal
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Notes: N/A
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact: Tim Mccormack
Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement
of the course learning outcomes through previous life and work experiences.
This course is eligible for challenge through the following
method(s):
Challenge Exam |
Portfolio |
Interview |
Other |
Not Eligible for PLAR |
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X |
X |
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Notes: Both are required
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Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Effective term: Winter 2016
Professor: Tim Mccormack
Textbook(s): Textbook(s): N/A
Applicable student group(s): Students in the BAA Animation Program
Course Details:Description:
This is not costume drawing primarily. It is character drawing:
creating a believable and appealing character with reference to each
week¿s model who will be `in character' - from cowboy to geisha. It is
absolutely necessary for animators to create believable characters who
can elicit emotion from the audience. With this in mind, life drawing
stresses four areas in this semester - the portrait and hands, the
character (their silhouette, their attitude, their body language) in
costume, as well as specific technical components and a sense of
personal vision.
The portrait is introduced through an investigation and study of the
head, the face and expression in the face. Models take on specific
expressions, extruding subtle elements of caricature that inform
animation but are still respectful of the character through limited
use. The hands are regarded as an extension of the personality and
their placement and pose become integral to the development of character.
In this semester, students move from the nude to the clothed figure in
order to tell a broader story. Emphasis is placed once again on the
anatomical structure under the clothing rather than the clothes
themselves, but students must also now learn to draw the nuances of
the clothing that inform the action and the dynamic nature of the figure.
The clothing itself also must be carefully examined and rendered as
costume is reflective of character. The uniqueness or shape of a
skirt, a bustle or shoes is reflective of the culture of the time and
students must be able to translate the social and historical context
of a piece of clothing into their drawings. This makes the process of
life drawing considerably more complex, as students begin to look at
the person rather than the figure.
Such key concepts as tension points, the hub of the fold and way that
different fabrics behave will be expanded upon. Media choice and
design choices will lead to a variety of approaches towards line and
tone in describing fabric and folds.
Technically, students address aspects of light and shadow in greater
depth than previous courses required. They investigate aspects of
weight through the use of light and shadow and continue to simplify
within a pose, thus emphasizing economy of expression and economy of
form. Because of the repetition in animation, if economy is not there,
the image will not behave on film.
Finally, students begin to give serious consideration to their own
artistic vision. Style is secondary to the translation of story to
image as students create drawings that reflect the character and
anticipation of the action of that character. Choice of media is
progressively more based on each student's individual vision.
It is up to each student in consultation with the instructor to find
the right medium (Conte, wash, pen and ink, digital) to express his or
her own ideas. Their ultimate goal is to show confidence and
competence in their own drawing abilities and become enmeshed in the
characters they are drawing. In doing so, drawings take on a level of
filmic sophistication that moves them to a different plane of drawing
and a personal sense of vision.
WEEKLY BREAKDOWN
WEEK 1 Monk in Robes
Introduction to Exploring Character and Costume
Expectations and Procedures
Drawing from life and interpreting the costumed figure: relationships
Posing, Pushing costume figures, grounding poses
Costumed figure as character: responding to character acting
Intro to drapery / Salient folds anatomy of drapery/drapery cheats
WEEK 2 Constanze
Historical costume figure design
Principles of costume drawing with an emphasis on design and graphic
shape, silhouette
Further discussion of key folds: Simplification and personal
interpretation
HOMEWORK: Character development assignment begins
WEEK 3 Butler
Emphasizing acting / Using the Face / WHO is the character?
Costume character and performance
Costume in light and shadow
Portrait
Expressive hands and shod feet 2
WEEK 4 Wedding Dress
Costume: pushing abstract elements of shape (silhouette and profile)
Character, archetypes and art direction: Aesthetics and icons of
fashion art
Staging, composition, rule of thirds
WEEK 5 Cowboy
Explorations of acting, performance
Finding the emotion and the physical process of gesture
Further staging: Cinematic approaches near/far
WEEK 6 Witch
Costume mood and character
WEEK 7 Chef
Open Studio
Story: Facial expression and body language
Exaggerating body language and body type
Portfolio # 1 due / *One on One critiques will take place Weeks 8 and 9
Reading Week
WEEK 8 NOIR: GUMSHOE AND FEMME FATALE (DOUBLE MODEL SESSION)
Drawing two figures: process, composition staging, overlaps and cheating
Responding to the iconic moment: story and feeling
Noir lighting, Noir staging, Noir cropping
WEEK 9 GEISHA
Further exploration of design related to fashion drawing
Pattern design, texture and colour investigation, collage and surface
Theatrical staging and emphasis on art direction
Mixed media
WEEKS 10 & 11 Aladdin
First week - Story Second week ¿ Character: Sustained studies:
personal explorations
WEEK 12 MEDEIVAL QUEEN
Further to iconic poses and historical costume character
Person explorations and directions
WEEK 13 SORCERER
Open Studio: portfolio due
Elements of caricature and distortion
Relationship between costume, structural anatomy and dynamic poses
WEEK 14 MOULIN ROUGE TYPE COSTUME ON VIVIENNE/pat OTHERS
Open studio
Academic Honesty
The principle of academic honesty requires that all work submitted for evaluation and course credit be the original,
unassisted work of the student. Cheating or plagiarism including borrowing, copying, purchasing or collaborating on
work, except for group projects arranged and approved by the faculty member, or otherwise submitting work that is not
the student's own violates this principle and will not be tolerated. Instances of academic dishonesty, including
assisting another student to cheat, will be penalized as detailed in the Student Handbook.
Students who have any questions regarding whether or not specific circumstances involve a breach of academic
honesty are advised to discuss them with the faculty member prior to submitting the assignment in question.
Discrimination and Harassment
Sheridan is committed to provide a learning environment that respects the dignity, self esteem and fair treatment
of every person engaged in the learning process. Behaviour which is inconsistent with this principle will
not be tolerated. Details of Sheridan's policy on Harassment and Discrimination are available in the Student Handbook.
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