Each 1 week intensive is designed for middle/high school teens (ages 13-17, unless otherwise noted) that have some experience with art and want to learn more about a media in depth. Each class focuses on a particular artistic area, allowing for teens to develop works that can be included in their portfolio and explore career opportunities by meeting local artists and professionals. All classes take place at the Durham Arts Council.
Intensives for summer 2019 will include painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, cartoon sketching, Jam Session and much more! Check back in early 2019 for more detail.
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Summer 2018 intensives included:
Jam Session
Jam Session is a week-long camp in which you will have the opportunity to engage with other musicians in an organized setting while learning to play songs as a band. Led by Durham music scene veteran Stephen Coffman (of The Beast) you work on songs from the Rock, Funk and Pop canon, as well as anything else that you are interested in playing! Students are expected to bring their own equipment and have at least 1 year of experience on his or her instrument. Basic ability to read music is encouraged, but not mandatory. (Ages 12 and up.)
Anime -Manga Sketching – License to Draw Everything
Take a cue from Anime and Manga artists to design and sketch your own illustrated book or comic book in the theme of your choice. Character and creature design: Turn kids into superheroes, make animal companions talk and pets fly, bring mythical beings and fantasy creatures into your stories, explore alien space or ride giant robots, visit underwater kingdoms, travel to Ancient Japan and witness stealthy ninjas face noble samurai warriors, or delve in whichever world your imagination takes you. (Ages 12 and up.)
Printmaking
In this intensive you will learn the fundamentals of printmaking and the vocabulary related to the medium. Through creating monoprints, collographs, and relief printing using linocuts students will have the opportunity to create original prints as well as make a set of cards, a poster, a small artist book, and much more! This class will teach you how to develop visual narratives, render textures using marks, and develop an understanding of symbols and symbolic color.
Digital Photo
In this intensive you will learn how to use your own digital camera to create images that are visually compelling and personally meaningful. You will learn the technical basics of your cameras as well as studying the visual elements of a photograph and how to create an image that grabs the viewer’s eye. This class will give students the opportunity to work hands-on with an instructor as well as benefit from peer support. Please bring your own digital camera and a data stick or portable hard drive. DSLR cameras are preferred, but we will work with whatever camera you have!
Still Life Painting
In this intensive you will explore a cornerstone of art education in a personally meaningful way. You will create your own still life with objects of your choosing, and examine the most basic and essential elements of painting. Techniques will include painting in black-and-white acrylic paint and the introduction of color glazes. You will leave the class with a greater appreciation of paint as a medium and an awareness of the boundless opportunities for exploration at your fingertips.
Game Design Basics
Do you have ideas on how to improve the games you enjoy playing, and want to learn the basics of game design? Explore artistic software tools while you learn the basic design techniques used by professional designers. You will leave with some basic Photoshop skills for creating sprites and a better understanding of design basics, while using GameMaker to create your very first “starter games”!
Mixed Media Abstractions
In this class you will explore the art of portraying a representational image in an abstract form. The class will introduce you to a range of different media, including paper collage, gel transfer, found objects, and acrylic paint as you explore the boundless possibilities of mixing and combining these various media. Be ready to have fun and try something new!
Sculpture Explorations
You will explore balance, form, stability, gravity and motion using additive and subtractive sculptural techniques with a variety of materials; toothpicks, cardboard, wood, soap, paper mache, fabric and wire in this fun intensive. Projects are designed for students to explore their own potential and creativity.
Drawing
Do you love to draw? Are you ready to take your skills to the next level? This class will allow you to focus on creating portfolio quality artwork through the medium of drawing. You will learn how to use your sketchbook as a tool for developing and refining your work, as well as provide an understanding of drawing concepts such as elements of composition, light, shadow, value, and experimental modes of drawing using varied mark making.
Pop Art
Pop art is one of the most recognized styles of modern art. Learn about and be inspired by artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claus Oldenburg. Drawing from popular imagery you will use drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture to make your own original pop art.
Graphic Design
Graphic design, defined simply as visual communication, is everywhere you look. This hands-on course will teach the basics of graphic design by introducing you to the design process, the fundamental principles and elements of design, and the basic graphic design programs using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. You will learn, experience and create graphic design! Computers are provided with Adobe Creative Cloud.
