Computer Art Course Information
Course Information
Marshall School's Computer Art

"The theme of computer art is motion: art in motion, and motion in art."
-Savannah College of Art and Design

COURSE OVER-VIEW:

    This class has been added to the curriculum in order to fill an ever growing need for students to learn high end graphic programs and digital art design skills in the increasingly technological world of art. After completing the class, students will have acquired science facts and art skills as well as ideas on how to integrate both into a better understanding of the possibilities of Digital Fine Art. Using art processes, the student will study many discerning concepts including:

        attention to detail
        close observation
        accurate and precise expression of observation
        experimentation
        problem solving
        evaluation

At the completion of this curriculum, the student should be able to:

    exhibit competence in visual communication through the process of creating art
    employ aesthetic and critical thinking skills when transforming concept to form
    identify the historical, multicultural, and contemporary context
    articulate ideas expressed in artwork by integrating verbal, written, and
        visual communication skills.

    In addition, the student will review and apply the fundamental art concepts of:

      The Elements of Design:

        Line
        Shape
        Space
        Texture
        Color

      The Principles of Design:

        Balance
        Harmony
        Contrast
        Emphasis
        Movement
        Variety
        Unity

      Types of Design:

        Functional
        Structural
        Decorative
        All-Over
        Border
        Abstract

GENERAL GOALS:

    (see also: Course Goals - Mission)

    This course is offered to prospective digital art students to:

      -broaden the general student's perspective of the value and purpose of the subject areas included in this, the fastest growing movement in the fine arts, Computer Art. The curriculum for this course is based on a survey of current university and art institute foundational classes in the digital fine arts.

      -extend the student's knowledge of the elements and principles of design through hands-on exercises, interactive research, and lessons in digital art appreciation.

      -study several of the main tracks in digital art: 2D drawing and animation, 3D sculpting and animation, interactive design, and motion graphics. All the tracks build on a common set of digital design skills, developed in Computer Literacy (Life Skills and Applications).

SOFTWARE USED:

      Mspaint
      Microsoft GIF Animator
      Corel Photo Paint
      Graphics Workshop
      Simply 3D
      PhotoImpact
      Photomorph

USE OF RESOURCES:

    Outside of the classroom, students must have access to a computer on an as-needed basis; students may copy and use the shareware graphics arts software for doing class work at home, so long as they supply a CD-R, and have a CD-ROM drive on their home PC. Reference manuals/texts will be available for all lab assignments. In addition, for outside of class use on their projects, students may sign out the digital camera, camcorder/video capture unit, and computer lab laptop.

EVALUATION/GRADING:

      Observation of Progress
      A Weekly Journal
      Presentation of in-class projects
      Quizzes and Unit tests
      A Virtual Portfollio of Art Projects and Works
      2 Research Papers

WHAT STUDENT NEEDS:

      Notebook
      A Standard Weight 9”x12” Drawing Pad
      No. 2 Pencils and Erasers
      A Recordable Compact Disk (CD-RW)
      Journal Disk (provided)
      1 Gig Flash Drive

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

For running course programs not normally available to students, a remote server has been created (buckhome01) to host Remote Desktop Connections (Win 2000, XP, or VISTA required). This is for Computer Science course work only, misuse of any applications or resources will not be tolerated.

To create a new Remote Desktop Connection:

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection.
  2. Click Start => All Programs => Accessories => Communications => Remote Desktop Connection
  3. In Computer, type the computer name or TCP/IP (shown below) address of the host you want to control… remember, only Computer Science course id's will be allowed control.
  4. Fill in your credentials (ID/Password) and Domain (buckhome01), save the connection as a ‘profile’ so you can quickly go back to it later and use it again.*



  5. Don’t check the ‘Save my password’ check box because if the 'buckhome' system becomes compromised, your computer (or other systems) have now become exposed to the Hacker.
  6. Once you have put in your credentials and all other pertinent information, Click Connect.
  7. Your request will now be sent to the 'buckhome01' system. The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
  8. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (buckhome), and then click OK.
  9. The Remote Desktop window will open and you will see the desktop settings, files, and programs that are the system. Whatever you are doing cannot be seen by anyother Computer Science users.
  10. Problems do occur, most commonly it’s just that the connection is either refused or it timed out because of latency. If you have a problem, contact Dr. Buck

*Note: for tracking or reconnecting, BUCKHOME's specific settings are: buckhome01 (71-221-30-171.dlth.qwest.net).

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