ARCH 2000: Visual Thinking A

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2 Calendar Description Fall 2015 Class Time: Friday, 2:00pm to 5:00pm Room: D414 MacDonald Building, Sexton Campus Course Instructor: Ken Kam Course T.A.: TBA Office: HA-15 (Ralph M. Medjuck Building) Contact: , Architects, scientists, political activists, manufacturers, and others employ a variety of visual tools to study and engage with the world. Students in this course learn to evaluate maps, simple technical drawings, and other visual devices, and use them to analyze actual situations and to generate and present innovations. Hands-on work is emphasized, but no prior experience in drawing or design is needed. With its focus on conceptualizing the concrete, outer world, this course is a useful complement to ARCH Additional Description This course is for undergraduate university students, who are seeking a better understanding of visual thinking and representation. This course will introduce students to a general overview of the history, methods and medium of visual communication and provide practical knowledge in basic design and graphic skills. Learning Objectives The goal of the course is to provide students with the practical knowledge and understanding of visual thinking. Students will also develop hands-on skills and be able to articulate an understanding of the relationship between visual design ideas and their effective representation. This course will also provide an overview of visual communication tools and techniques and, through a series of practical exercises, help students to understand when and how to use them effectively. Cave painting from Lascaux, southwestern France

3 Schedule Week Date Projects Lectures/Discussions Due Dates 1 Sept. 09 drawing Lines and composition 2 Sept. 16 drawing Lines, tones, and composition draft / progress 3 Sept. 23 drawing Class presentation Drawing/Mapping the city 4 Sept. 30 Typography Composition and hierarchy 5 Oct. 07 Typography Class critique draft / progress -5-6 Oct. 14 Typography Class Presentation Wayfinding/Word Poster 7 Oct. 21 Perspective Using photographs to explain perspective. 8 Oct. 28 Perspective Class critique draft / progress A figure-ground study of Rome by Giambattista Nolli (1748). Built areas are shown as shaded while civic spaces are left white. 9 Nov. 04 Perspective Class Presentation Photo-perspective Nov. 18 Photo-collage History and Technique of Photocollage. 12 Nov. 25 Photo-collage Class presentation/critique draft / progress 13 Dec. 02 Photo-collage Class presentation Photo-collage

4 1) Public/Private space map (20%) The map is an important device to record a place, it became a tool that allowed for the manipulation and re-imagination of physical space. Giambattista Nolli ( ) was an architect and surveyor who lived in Rome and devoted his life to documenting the architectural and urban foundations of the city. He created a map of Rome which described the city as a figure-ground representation where the buildings are shaded and the spaces are left as gaps in between. -7- Assignment: You are asked to draw a Nolli style map of Halifax 1878 and elevation of several buildings. Medium: Pencils on trace paper Size: TBA Further instructions will be provided during class time. Reference:

5 Assignment 1 Due date: Sept 23, 2016 What to hand in? As a group: 1) Halifax 1878 map on trace paper for your sections of the city. (10%) Assignment one materials list: small sketch journal 8.5 x Pencils - range of light (H range) medium (H,HB, B) dark (B range) Glue stick Erasers - white, rubber Fine liner pens - Thin and Medium (NOT sharpies) Masking tape Access to a digital camera 12 inches yellow or white roll of tracing paper In pairs: 2) Complete Facade exercise. (10%) Project Critiques and Grades: Creativity Originality Simplicity Understanding of design elements: balance, focal point. Content What are we looking at? What are you telling us? Is it worth looking at? Is it important? Technique Evidence of technical control Concept Does it fulfill the assignment? How well? Presentation Clean print Does the presentation work with the concept? -9-20%

6 2) Axon-metric / Freehand drawings (20%) The heart of a civilization throbs wherever people come together to work, play, shop, study, perform, worship, or just interact...in these spaces people may find their way in the existential sense, but they also become overwhelmed or disoriented if they physically lost their way. Wayfinding design provides guidance and the means to help people feel at ease in their surroundings. The Wayfinding Handbook, information design of public places, David Gibson -- Assignment: Combine text and graphics and illustrate a way finding diagram which describes three different ways of traveling from point A to B. Medium: pencils on paper. Size: To be determined Further instructions will be provided during class time. Reference: TBA Hartmann Schedel: Roma

7 Assignment 2 Due date: Oct 14, 2016 What to hand in? Format During class, you are introduced to three different methods of representing city route. Follow the instructions during class and produce a series of city plan drawings of a chosen route and a series of observation sketch with good details Assignment 2 materials list: Criteria: Format by 17 Material: Mayfair paper or equivalent black and white drawing must use pencils range from H to B fine liner pen label your sketches according to the location on the city plan drawing see opposing page for details small sketch journal 8.5 x Pencils - range of light (H range) medium (H,HB, B) dark (B range) Erasers - white, rubber Fine liner pens - Thin and Medium (NOT sharpies) Masking tape few sheets of Tabloid size paper card stock paper with a square hole 12 inches yellow or white roll of tracing paper ruler, or straight edge 1 Title Project Critiques and Grades: Creativity Originality Simplicity Understanding of design elements: balance, focal point. Content What are we looking at? What are you telling us? Is it worth looking at? Is it important? Technique + Title x 3 = 6 sheets Evidence of technical control Concept Does it fulfill the assignment? How well? Presentation Clean print Does the presentation work with the concept? 20% -13-

8 In order to complete assignment 2, you must provide four more drawings. Due date: Oct 14, 2016 ARCH 2000: Visual Thinking A Description: Axonometric drawing of your city blocks - emphasize an area. Axonometric drawings of the city block. (good details) Description: Plan drawing emphasize the route. Detail drawings of two particular objects b + + a -15- a b What to present? 6 (x17) drawings

9 3) Perspective (20%) Due date: Nov. 18, 2016 A photograph is a useful starting point when breaking down the elements of a site in way that is easy to understand. The original photograph can be drawn over with trace paper to outline the perspective lines, to identify vanishing points, and to frame particular area of interest. This class examines the transformation of a photograph into a tool for focusing attention, breaking down important geometric elements, and learning the use of construction perspective lines Assignment: Create a photographic illustration Medium: TBA Size: To be determined Further instructions will be provided during class time. Reference: TBA

10 During class, you will learn about perspective, how to draw perspective lines using photographs, and a panoramic drawing. For the assignment you are asked to illustrate: a one & two point perspective drawings 2. a site map 3. a panoramic drawing 4. add text to your drawing Criteria: Format 17 by 22 Material: Mayfair paper or equivalent black and white drawing must use pencils range from H to B label your drawing see opposing page for details Assignment 3 materials list: small sketch journal 8.5 x Pencils - range of light (H range) medium (H,HB, B) dark (B range) Erasers - white, rubber pencil sharpener Masking tape 12 inches yellow or white roll of tracing paper ruler, or straight edge digital camera or access to one access to a black and white printer few sheets of 17 x 22 sheets of mayfair or equivalent x2

11 4) Photomontage (10%) Due date: Dec. 2, 2016 Photo and illustration montages have long been practiced in visual representation. Artists can express their ideas by combining hand drawings, photographs, and sometime text into an illustration/poster. This crosses the disciplinary boundaries of various arts, including painting, photography, sculpture and drawing. This class examines the history, concepts, and uses of montage in visual communication during the 1920 s to 40 s Assignment: Create a photomontage Medium: TBA Size: To be determined Further instructions will be provided during class time. Reference: TBA

12 During class, you will learn three different techniques in using photographs, line drawings, perspectives and different tones to represent a site or an area. You are asked to produce three photomontage illustrations. 1. a two point perspective photomontage 2. an urban route texture photomontage 3. a street elevation photomontage Criteria: Format 8.5 by Material: Mayfair paper or equivalent must use pencils range from H to B label your drawings use magazine cut out material see opposing and following pages for examples Assignment 4 materials list: small sketch journal 8.5 x Pencils - range of light (H range) medium (H,HB, B) dark (B range) Erasers - white, rubber pencil sharpener Masking tape 12 inches yellow or white roll of tracing paper ruler, or straight edge digital camera or access to one few sheets of 8.5 x sheets of mayfair or equivalent digital camera access to a b&w or color printer color magazines scissors and x-acto knives glue stick

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14 How the course works (Attendance/Class Participation): This is a course where you learn the content in class, which means student participation is expected and encouraged. Class time will consist of a mix between, short lectures, large and small group discussions, presentations, hands on activities, and/or field work. Students must come to class prepared to discuss the readings and/or presentation for that week. If you are going to be absent, it is still your responsibility to make sure your assignment is on time. I will not provide lecture notes to students. This is a studio class, and if you are not here, your chances of succeeding in this class are not good. Grades A- or A or A+ - Excellent technically and conceptually, communicates well to others, attention to detail and craftsmanship, good skill development, extra time spent. B or B+- Good work. Some technical problems and/or problems communicating concept. Skill development, good ideas. C- or C or C+ - Complete all assignments, average work, average concept development, basic skills. Technical problems. D - Incomplete work F - Unacceptable work, deficient in all respects. Very late or no work. Students grades will be based on class attendance, class participation, the quality and punctuality of assignments, and your overall improvement. Assignments are due on the date assigned. For every day that your assignment is late, your grade on the assignment will drop by a third of a letter grade (unless you have a written note from a doctor). Evaluation Criteria 20% - Sketch book/reflection journal - Further information will be provided in class. 10% - weekly or biweekly short assignments (TBA) 70% - Assignments: Assignment 1-20% Assignment 2-20% Assignment 3-20% Assignment 4-10% Ken Kam will be grading the assignments and projects. Assignment Objectives The assignments in this course are intended to enable you to improve your visual thinking skills and in return to enhance your graphic representation skill through the use of different materials. Generally each project includes at least three kinds of objectives: (1) subject matter communication (meaning), (2) aesthetics (composition), and (3) technical mastery (skill). Creativity Originality Simplicity Understanding of design elements: balance, focal point, etc. Content What are we looking at? What are you telling us? Is it worth looking at? Is it important? Technique Evidence of technical control Concept Does it fulfill the assignment? How well? Presentation Clean print Does the presentation work with the concept? -27-