Art

Your at-home learning program includes eight Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you’ll employ in your new career as an Artist. Your first Instruction Set will be sent to you as soon as your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.

Here is an overview of what you’ll learn and the order in which you’ll receive your learning materials:

Instruction Set 1

• Learning Strategies
  • The advantage of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.
• Two-Dimensional Design
  • The elements and principles of design; figure and ground; positive and negative space; formal and informal balance.
• Learning Aid:
  • Art Colour Cards 1
• Equipment: Drawing Kit (Pencils, Eraser, Drawing Pad)

Instruction Set 2

• Colour Theory
  • Aspects of colour; conveying emotions and ideas with colour; creating tints, shades, and intensities; major principles of colour composition.
• Perspective
  • Creating realistic drawings by employing techniques of perspective; fashioning the illusion of space and depth; drawing subjects in one-, two- and three-point perspective.
• Basic Drawing
  • Seeing like an artist; drawing basic shapes and lines; positioning objects correctly; creating effective tone drawings; using various drawing mediums.
• Equipment:
  • Perspective Kit (T-Square, Triangle)
  • Charcoal Drawing Kit (Charcoal, Conté Crayon, Drawing Pad)

Instruction Set 3

• Figure Drawing
  • Different techniques for rendering human subjects; human anatomy; using line and space to create energy and movement.
• Portraits
  • The structures of the head and face in portraiture; posing and lighting your subjects; drawing facial features: eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
• Learning Aids:
  • Art Colour Cards 2
  • Postcards: Old Master Portrait Drawings
• Equipment:
  • Anatomy Drawing Kit (Transparencies, Charcoal, Conté Crayon)

Instruction Set 4

• Animal Art
  • Drawing domestic and wild animals; capturing the animal’s “personality”; rendering your subjects in various mediums; successfully creating pet portraits.
• Colour Drawing
  • Synthesizing your drawing skills, your knowledge of colour theory, and your new range of techniques in the production of interesting and effective colour compositions.
• Learning Aids:
  • Art Colour Cards 3
• Equipment:
  • Colour Drawing Kit (Colour Pencils, Colour Chalk, Drawing Pad)

Instruction Set 5

• Pen and Ink
  • Pen and ink techniques: creating washes, defining values, producing textures; applying effective composition to this medium.
• Watercolours
  • Working with watercolour paints, brushes, and paper; mixing new shades and values; exploring a variety of approaches to the medium.
• Learning Aid:
  • Art Colour Cards 4
• Equipment:
  • Pen and Ink Kit (India Ink, Penholder, Pen Points, Drafting Tape, Drawing Pad)
  • Watercolour Kit (Paints, Brushes, Watercolour Paper)

Instruction Set 6

• Oil Painting
  • Working with oil paints, brushes, and finishes; preparing
    your workspace; stretching a canvas; glazing, knife painting, blending, and other techniques.
• Acrylic Painting
  • Working with acrylic paints, brushes, and other materials; arranging your palette; making your acrylics work like watercolours and oil paints.
• Learning Aid:
  • Art Colour Cards 5
• Equipment:
  • Oil Painting Kit (Oil Paints, Canvas Board, Canvas Paper, Round Brushes, Flat Brushes, Fan Brush)
  • Acrylic Painting Kit (Acrylic Paints)

Instruction Set 7

• Mixed Media
  • Producing stunning work by combining traditional mediums with new mediums such as collage, woodworking, and digital media.
• Cartooning
  • Various styles and techniques for rendering subjects with a special focus on body parts; elements of effective gag cartoons, political cartoons, and caricatures; breaking into the market.
• Matting and Framing Your Work
  • Increasing the value of your work by matting and framing it correctly; selecting the colour and style of mat; cutting mats; choosing a frame that’s right for your composition.
• Learning Aid:
  • Art Colour Cards 6
• Equipment:
  • Matting Kit (Mat Boards)
  • Charcoal Drawing Kit (Charcoal, Conté Crayon, Drawing Pad)

Instruction Set 8

• Professional Presentation
  • Presenting your work to gallery owners, potential employers, and others; presentation mediums; slides, transparencies, prints, miniature prints, digital media, and others.
• The Business of Art
  • Contracts, copyright, recordkeeping, billing, marketing, and self-promotion; finding freelance and contract work using the Artist’s Market.
• Reference:
  • Artist’s Market

Graduation Set

• Portfolio Case

Note: The graduation shipment will be sent when all program requirements and obligations have been met.

Online Library and Librarian
Students in ICS Canada have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with ICS Canada.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.