ART 224:  Intermediate Printmaking
Spring 2007 Syllabus

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Transferability of Course within Nevada: This course is an elective for an AA Degree in Fine Arts, and/or an AAS Degree in Graphic Communications, and it fulfills the Fine Arts and Humanities requirement for an AA Degree, an AS Degree and an AGS Degree. It transfers as a Fine Arts elective.

This course provides academic knowledge and skills necessary for a chosen field of study in Graphic Communications and/or for transfer to a Graphic Communications or Fine Arts Program. It is designed to develop creative capacities and an appreciation for the arts.

Number of Credits:  3
Prerequisites: none
Meets: Tuesdays, 1-5 p.m.
Recommended Text:  The Complete Printmaker, by John Ross

Instructor: Sharon Tetly
Office: Aspen 231
Office Hours: Monday 12:30-2:30 p.m.; Tuesday 5:30-6:30 p.m.; and Thursday 12:30-2:30 p.m.
E-mail: tetlys@wncc.edu
Telephone: (775) 445-4294
FAX: (775) 445-3141

Course Description:

Continues Art 124 with emphasis on contemporary intaglio and digital imaging techniques for intaglio and lithographic processes.

In addition to learning to use materials and processes that are new to you, you are encouraged to experiment, explore your ideas and take some risks. The course will introduce you as many different techniques and processes as we have time for.

Course Objectives:

To:

1. To introduce some of the materials, tools and processes fundamental to the discipline.
2. Develop specific skills related to art and specific to the discipline of printmaking.
3. Learn to apply course material to improve idea-development and problem-solving related to two-dimensional art forms.
4. Acquire an interest in learning more by asking questions and seeking answers.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, it is expected that students will have:

• developed their creative capacities.
• participated in at least one cultural or artistic activity, such as a visit to a gallery or museum or attendance at a community art lecture or event.
• developed an appreciation for the arts.

Class Structure:

The emphasis on is hands-on learning in the studio, and I tend to take an experimental, workshop approach. The basic format will be an introductory slide or video presentation and/or a hands-on demonstration that will show you several ways to approach the medium. You will then have time to make plates and prints and experiment before we move on to something else.

Expect to put in at least 3-4 hours of additional time per week outside of class. Printmaking processes have technical aspects which require time to understand and integrate into your own way of thinking and working. Once you become comfortable with a process, it will begin to serve your own creative imagination. The most exciting part of teaching printmaking, for me, is when students begin to experiment freely and think creatively in the medium. My favorite phrase to hear is “I wonder what would happen if...”

I encourage you to combine processes and search for new ways to do things. We are in an exciting time for this medium. In the past few years there have been major advances in innovation that have created a multitude of new materials and new techniques for using them. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

Please note: There is no Teaching Assistant for this class, and there is another class in this room at 1:00. Cleanup is something everyone is expected to help with—removing the blankets from the press and moving it back into place against the wall; putting away paper, emptying the water tub, putting away inks, and other printing supplies, etc. Each person is also responsible for putting away the materials he/she has used, and for cleaning up his/her work area each time before leaving.

Effort:

There is an old saying that art is “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”. For those whose life’s work becomes art-making it is usually not far from the truth. There is also an element of risk in art-making that, for most people, requires solitude if they are to sense and follow the mental nudges that will take the artwork beyond “okay” and “ordinary” to a fully finished resonance. A classroom situation by its nature is a public one, with conversations, noise, unfamiliar people, shared equipment, compromises and, sometimes, competition. Make the classroom a place where you feel comfortable working and taking some risks. Bring in music you enjoy listening to while you work. Make friends of your peers; share your knowledge, ideas and thoughts freely. Learn from one another and encourage one another’s creativity.

Studio Access outside of Classtime:

You are welcome to come in and work anytime the classroom does not have a regularly-scheduled class. Wednesdays and Fridays are excellent days to work as there are no classes scheduled. My home number is 885-9547 until I get moved (probably in February sometime). My new number after that will be: 849-3098.

Attendance:

• Maximum of 2 absences allowed.
• You will be expected to complete the assignments and projects you miss due to absence.
• Please make an effort to be on time for class. It is disruptive to everyone else when someone walks in in the middle of a project introduction, demonstration, or critique.
• Please do not make appointments for other things during classtime, and turn off cell phones while in class.

Notebook or Sketchbook:

I would like you to keep a sketchbook or notebook for the class and bring it with you.

Printmaking involves many processes, some of them technically demanding, some with strict safety procedures. It is a good idea to make your own notes of pertinent information from demos, essential steps in the processes, safety tips you were asked to remember, any details of a process that were of particular interest to you. Once you leave this environment you will be on your own. Although you will understand the basic procedures once you go through them, you may not have reason to use them again for some time. A good set of notes keeps these processes available to draw on as you need them.

It is also a great place to jot down ideas that come to mind, tools you want to acquire, sources for supplies and information, artists that interest you, and your own thoughts.

Grading:

When we finish with a process, we will take some time during a class period to examine the prints created through that process before moving on to something else.

You will be expected to show a minimum of one print for each process and discuss what you have learned. More than one print is encouraged.

Criteria for grading will be based on:

• The quality of the print
• Idea, complexity, composition, and resolution
• Time and effort involved
• Presentation (well printed, no extraneous marks or fingerprints in the borders, a suitable border around the image--usually 2-3 inches--on three sides with an extra half inch or more at the bottom, if a multi-plate print, successive printings are aligned accurately).
• Also Required: Make one print from each print process to go into the college print archive.

Your Mid-term and Final Portfolio will include whatever of the following we have studied to that point:

• A sample print for each process or technique introduced. (Note: you can also turn in a plate and print that reflect a series of experiments.)
• A series of 3 finished prints or an edition of 3 prints that demonstrates an understanding of Lithography.
• A series of 3 finished prints or an edition of 3 prints that demonstrates an understanding of Traditional Intaglio.
• A series of 3 finished prints or an edition of 3 prints that demonstrates an understanding of Intaglio-type.
• One print from each print process to go into the college print archive.
• A portfolio containing all in-class and out-of-class work will be due at midterm and at the last class before finals begin.
• Also Required: Make one print from each print process to go into the college print archive.

The standard grade scale for the college will be used.

The Projects:

We may not get through all of these, but we will try.

• Contemporary Hand-working Techniques in Intaglio: Drypoint, Hard Ground, Soft Ground, and Aquatint
• Polyester Plate Lithography: Direct Drawing Techniques, Toner Washes, Digital Images
• Image-On Film for Intaglio: Transfer Drawings, Washes, Digital Images

Materials Supply List:

General Supplies:

• Scissors
• Pencil
• Permanent marker, pencil point
• Paper for printing beyond that normally provided in class
• Cheesecloth
• Q-tips
• Old Newspapers
• Matboard Scraps cut into small squares
• Inking Gloves (optional)

Intaglio Supplies:

• Etcher’s Needle (we have some of these for use in class)
• Scraper and Burnisher Combination (we have some of these for use in class)
• Old Toothbrushes
• Soft objects to impress for Soft Ground
• India ink, drawing supplies

Lithography:

• Black ballpoint pen
• Sharpie or Permanent Marker
• Rubbing alcohol
• A pack of small Kitchen sponges (no abrasive side) are fine
• 2 Bowls
• Several sheets of Transparency Film for Laser Printers

Supplies for Intaglio-Type Processes:

• Several sheets of Transparency Film for Inkjet Printers
• Sharpie or Permanent Marker

Places to Purchase Supplies:

For printingmaking supplies, specifically:

All of these sources are good. Graphic Chemical and McClain’s are pretty much strictly printmaking suppliers.

Daniel Smith is the best supplier for paper by far. They have the widest range available, best quality and best prices.

Dick Blick tends to be the least expensive for tools and equipment, but you need to be careful about the quality of the merchandise. Sometimes a really good deal is no deal at all.

Special Accommodations:

If you have a disability for which you will need to request accommodations, please either meet with me or contact Susan Trist, DSS coordinator, at 445-3275 in the Disability Services office (Bristlecone Building, Room 103) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

Academic Integrity:

If a student is found cheating on an exam, paper, or project in this class, he/she will receive 0 points for that exam, paper, or project and will not be allowed to make it up. In the case of duplicate, or near duplicate papers, both papers will receive 0 points.  

My expectation is that if you are required to write a paper for more than one class, you will write a separate paper for each class. A paper turned in for credit in another class is not acceptable for credit in this class.