Computer Art I Curriculum

Computer Art 1 will acquaint students with the use of computers and digital media for the

production of art. This one-semester course is geared toward developing artistic skills and

computer skills to communicate ideas through print and multimedia presentations. The majority

of coursework will be designed and produced utilizing Adobe PhotoShop. At the completion of

this course, the student may move into Computer Art 2.

a. Keeps a visual/verbal journal to reflect course content, personal growth, ideas

development, reflections to document development as an artist and conceptual

thinker

b. Brainstorms multiple solutions before beginning art work

c. Uses digital techniques to produce art that: imitates the real world (Realism /

Imitationalism), is concerned with design and composition (Formalism),

expresses a feeling or emotion (Emotionalism / Expressionism), communicates

d. Produces digital imagery that pushes the computer's ability to combine verbal and

e. Uses concepts / ideas from other disciplines as inspiration for artwork

2. Uses formal qualities of art (elements and principles) to create unified composition and

a. Uses thumbnail sketches and visual/verbal notes to plan composition

b. Develops skills in using the elements and principles of design to communicate

meaning and produce unified compositions

c. Discusses and applies concepts such as activating the negative space, visual

weight, paths of movement

c. Uses computer software/hardware to develop ideas and sketches for creation in

d. Produces related series of digital images based on students' imported art works

e. Applies basic computer knowledge such as file management, file formats, import

f. Communicates meaning in alternative presentations of computer-generated

images

g. Demonstrates proper use and care of computer equipment and art materials

4. Self-evaluates art learning and develops habits of excellence.

a. Self-evaluates in-progress and complete work using criteria as appropriate

(composition, stylistic quality, craftsmanship, technical skill, goals of work)

b. Sets high standards for craftsmanship and skill mastery in own artwork

c. Recognizes the application of higher order thinking skills (e.g., tolerance of

ambiguity, nuanced judgment, complex thinking, and finding structure from

apparent disorder) in the creation and production of digital artwork and discusses

d. Evaluates, based on predetermined criteria, own performance and progress on

5. Develops critical and creative thinking skills and perceptual awareness necessary for

a. Recognizes emerging personal artistic style in computer generated artwork

b. Identifies how artist's choices in technique and style interrelate to produce an

c. Writes, reflects upon, and revises throughout the course, a personal answer to

this question: What is digital art?

d. Discusses aesthetic and ethical issues in art and digital media such as,

human interaction, communication and expression?

such as image, sound, movement and the arts?

e. Recognizes art in the world, as digital media; how art and visual choices are a

part of life

f. Verbalizes personal reaction to artwork using descriptive vocabulary including

adjectives, analogy, metaphor

g. Describes and discusses the importance of aesthetic experiences in daily life

a. Analyzes and evaluates the use of elements of art and principles of design to

b. Identifies additive colors (the basic palette of the computer display) and subtractive

c. Critiques digital art in print and broadcast media using Feldman's art criticism

method and Visual Thinking Strategies based on evidence observed in the artwork

a. Recognizes the role of computer technology in art production and careers (e.g.,

the role of artists in emerging technology fields, the computer as an artist's tool

much like a brush or pencil, the importance of visual imagery in emerging

technology, the increasing demand for individuals who can combine art skills,

b. Identifies computer art in many facets of society from production of consumable

c. Researches and discusses important turning points in the evolution of the

d. Researches and writes about selected computer artists and emphasizing cultural

e. Discusses why art/computer generated imagery is important in daily life and in

today's world (personal significance, social commentary, self-expression,

spiritual expression, planning, recording history, for beauty's sake, marketing /

advertising, profit/production)

f. Recognizes stylistic qualities of major art styles/movements