Course Syllabus

*All content, assignments and schedule are subject to change.

Cal State L.A.

Course title:  Digital Art Fundamentals / Hybrid-Synchronous Mode

Course Prefix:  ART 1800   Section: 04

Instructor: Ralph Acosta    Tentative Office hours/location: 4:20 PM – 5:20 PM    Fine Arts 226

Mobile Phone: (619) 994-5153  Email:  racost13@calstate.edu

Building: Fine Arts

Meeting rooms, days, and times:

Sec 04  -  Room 226 – M/1:50 PM – 4:20 PM; W/work outside of class.

This course is being offered in a hybrid-synchronous format. We will meet in person only on Monday afternoons as a regular class for lectures and demonstrations. The other three hours of activity will be considered as lab time where you will be completing weekly assignments on your own time! You are not required to come in on Wednesdays! However, most assignments will be due and uploaded to Canvas by the following Monday. If you need extra help in person, please see me after class on Mondays or arrange for an in-person appointment or Zoom meeting so that I can assist you.

Course Description per the CSULA Catalog

Students will learn to:
• Organize and format digital image files
• Draw and “paint” original images
• Retouch and collage existing images
• Scan and print digital artwork
• Understand copyright issues
• Customize Typography
• Create logos, icons and characters
• Design & typeset page layouts and presentations
• Create time-based animations using Adobe After Effects

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to...

• Utilize digital illustrations and digital imaging to create looping animations

• Design and animate a communicative motion graphic animation focusing on typography and the expressive use of color

• Create as a final project either a game prototype or movie title sequence. TBD!

You do not have to be an artistically gifted creative genius to pass this course. We will be developing core practical skills and a foundational understanding of computer art. While I will provide ample room and encouragement for creative expression, what I will be looking for in successful students is consistent and together with your classmates and a show willingness to push your limits. To master these programs, you have to put in the time.

Attendance and Conduct:

Attendance is your responsibility. You will get out of this class ONLY what you put into it. You will be graded on your attention, attendance, working and classroom ethics, your contributions, participation and the work you produce.

More about the class format:

Remember, this is a hybrid course that will be partially taught in person and the rest of the time you will be working on your own time outside of class. I’m doing this to eliminate Zoom fatigue by simply not having Zoom meetings. We are conducting some classes this way to minimize in-person contact as we are still in an emergency situation because of the pandemic.

Projects will be broken down into bite sized pieces (often referred to as "chunking") which will be elements of larger projects.

Absences and tardiness will severely impair your ability to keep up with the class and you will lose out on key information and feedback. If you are late or absent, it is your responsibility to find out from your classmates what you missed (assignments, discussion, etc.) and make up any missed work.

Accessibility:

No doubt, we are living challenging and stressful times. I applaud you for making the effort to continue with your educational goals here at Cal State LA. I will try to make every effort to accommodate students with students that might be experiencing disabilities. That means any videos I create will have adequate closed captions and I will try to find tutorial YouTube videos with the same. All the assignments will be uploaded to Canvas. If there any visuals, they will have descriptors so that you can see them in any format. I realize many of you work and trying to hold down a job while attending school under these circumstances is even more difficult. If you don't have adequate band-width or your family only has one computer to share, we will somehow work around that. Last semester at the other colleges I teach at, some students only had their phones as their only device. We improvised. You of course are required to have a computer. If you're having trouble uploading your assignment to Canvas because of a weak internet connection, then I will accept screen shots taken with your phone and submitted through email as proof of a completed assignment.

Required Materials:

• USB thumb dive (at least 4GB) or external hard drive – use to save your projects and to transfer them between the classroom workstations and home. Don’t depend on saving on your desktop... Many students have come to class only to discovered their work deleted or the entire computer out or repairs, causing them to have to start over from scratch! Visit: http:// (Links to an external site.)www.adobe.com/creativecloud/buy/students.html (Links to an external site.)

• Journal/Sketchbook can be small + Pen/Pencil. For note taking and sketching project ideas.
Suggested Materials:
- A Computer Mouse or Stylus Tablet. The Standard Apple Mouse is terrible!
- Digital Camera. Just something simple to capture images as needed. Most phone cameras are fine.

Demeanor and Conduct:

Students should demonstrate exemplary respect for others and appropriate behavior during classroom and production activities.

Criticism & Feedback:

Students should demonstrate exemplary ability to receive and apply critical assessment and feedback during classroom and production activities.

Academic Integrity:

You are responsible for doing your own work and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by the instructor and referral to the university’s Academic Integrity Committee, which may impose additional sanctions up to and including expulsion. DO NOT present another person’s work as your own. Give credit if you are using assets such as text, photography, illustrations, etc...

In-Class Activities:

The majority of your grade will come from several 20-point in-class activities. Each activity will focus on developing a specific set of practical skills and help you to learn tools and techniques. These assignments are meant for you to experiment with the programs and will be graded on your completion of the objectives and demonstrated effort rather than aesthetics—so you don’t need to worry if they turn out a little funky. They will be completed as a group in class and as homework if needed.

Activity Grades:

The general base of the Activities grade is 20 points. Points will be deducted for lateness, failure to follow the directions (i.e. naming / file formatting), or not meeting the assignment objectives.

Final Project:

There will be a final 50-point project. You will be given a creative prompt and you will combine the various skills you have practiced during the class activities to create a unique piece of art/design. This project should reflect a significant amount of time/work and a growing facility with using graphic programs in combination.

Late Turn-In Policy:

Activities turned in late will be penalized. Late activities will be given a (10%) penalty for each week it is late beyond the corresponding project deadline. For full credit, Projects must be ready for presentation on the due date by the beginning of class and digital files must be submitted to Canvas by 6:00 pm on the due date as required by the project prompt. On-time projects and activities may be resubmitted, once, at any time during the semester to improve your scores. Late projects, however, cannot be revised.

Grading and Assessment:

Students will be assessed through the timely completion of projects, participation in classroom
activities and interactions, and engaging with technology as a creative platform.

Grade Matrix:

A: 100-90%

B: 89-80%

C: 79-70%

D: 69-60%

F: 59%

Penalties:

Late, 2-4 points | File Named Incorrectly, 1-2 points for each file (you must at least include your name and the
activity name) | Wrong File Format, 2 points for each file (i.e. .indd vs .pdf).
• Missing Component or Objective, 1-4 points each
• Incorrect Procedure (shortcut-cheats) 2-4 points

Suggested Reading:

There are no required texts since more current examples and tutorials (of various levels of quality) can be found online. YouTube will have many examples, as well as Adobe. However, these are also great resources to have:

Digital Foundations

Intro to Media Design with the Adobe Creative Suite
By xtine burrough (Links to an external site.), Michael Mandiberg (Links to an external site.) · 2008

Graphic Design the New Basics

Ellen Lupton, Peach Pit Press
http://www.gdbasics.com/ (Links to an external site.)

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