School of Visual Communication

Professional illustrators strategically solve visual problems to engage clients and markets. While discovering strategies for effective visual communication, students explore the illustration process through creative application of distinct materials and techniques. Students conceptualize the framework of their portfolios within the context of professional expectations.

Scientific illustrators use observational, technical and aesthetic skills to portray a subject accurately. Accuracy and communication are essential. In this course, students learn to render forms both known and imagined, observed and unobservable, from the micro to the macro using a range of rendering techniques and learn of the scientific illustration masters through history to the present.

Expanding upon foundational principles, students delve into advanced techniques essential for illustrators, focusing on various forms of perspective. Students explore 1-point, 2-point, 3-point, and isometric perspective, gaining proficiency in each. Through hands-on projects, students craft dynamic background, interior, and exterior environments, while emphasizing the significance of camera angles and eye lines in visual storytelling.

Building on foundational figure drawing skills, students explore constructive drawing methods for depicting the human form, gesture, anatomical knowledge, and the fundamentals of the costumed figure. Students illustrate the connections and movement of muscular anatomy through a process of primitive form-based drawing, using the skeleton as a foundation. Students explore techniques for illustrating soft tissue, costuming, and altered canon proportions to create dynamic characters, with a focus on capturing emotion and expression through detailed head studies.

Illustrators inform and communicate the shifting social, political, artistic and technological landscapes that shape history and culture. In this course, students examine the influence of historical and contemporary illustrators as well as the stylistic evolution of the discipline within this enriched context.

Students discover unique illustration methods through experimentation with a variety of traditional and digital materials, tools and techniques. Building on these foundational elements, students explore conceptualization, composition and color as they create immersive visual narratives and develop individualized approaches to visual problem-solving.

Through an introduction to advanced and emerging digital tools and techniques, students enrich the versatility of their illustration skills. Students create compelling illustrations that integrate motion, image editing, vector graphics and digital painting. The fusion of traditional and digital methods enhances work appropriate for diverse professional venues.

Color contrast, value keys and quality of lighting create compelling and powerful emotional statements in illustration. Students explore color as a communication tool through the study of historical and contemporary color theory systems and through the development of their own work. Value, color schemes and methods of mixing color are examined in a variety of illustration projects.

Through an iterative approach to visual problem-solving, students become dynamic storytellers, adapting narratives into strong visual representations. Students investigate the narrative experience and develop strategies to visually interpret essential story elements. Involving both narrative and conceptual thinking, they create illustrations that capture mood and emotion through striking symbolism and visual metaphors. Students apply technical and narrative skills to a wide range of illustration markets.

From the whimsical to the botanical, illustrative styles are translated into repeat patterns and used to transform products, from wallpaper to furniture. By analyzing color trends and conceptual themes, students take their illustrations into the realm of consumer product markets by learning how to create illustration designs applicable to repeat patterns both manually and digitally. Students are introduced to the concept of art licensing and copyright usage as it applies to entrepreneurial practices in illustration.

This course addresses the portrait as a means of visual problem-solving that goes beyond creating a likeness. Students are presented a variety of illustration assignments that incorporate the use of portraiture in documentary, editorial and commissioned contexts. Working with live models, students learn the principles of creating a portrait using different media and techniques. The course includes an overview of portraiture throughout art history and an exploration of the portrait in today’s illustration market.

Providing a uniquely tactile problem-solving process for the illustrator, this course gives students exposure to a wide variety of media and techniques. Various materials and practices are addressed including adhesive aesthetics and image manipulation (both manual and digital). Emphasis is placed on connecting content and concept within the collaged form to create a successful illustration.

This course covers the specific and highly specialized requirements of accurately depicting 3D form onto a 2D surface through hands-on, step-by-step instruction in the process of applied perspective theory.

Within the context of typographic principles, students experiment with the dynamic visual relationship between text and image. Students engage strategic typographic techniques and styles to heighten their illustrative work and expand professional opportunities.

Illustrators create vivid worlds through depictions of immersive environments. Within the context of specific narratives, students deploy illustrative tools, such as color, composition and lighting, to develop landscapes, architecture and interior scenes and capture mood and tone to support a theme.

Illustrators implement movement to elevate visual narratives and enrapture audiences. Through the exploration of time-based illustration techniques, students amplify their knowledge of digital tools and refine their technical skills. Students analyze the illustrator’s role in a design-based production environment and employ professional best practices to develop animated illustrations for diverse venues.

Editorial illustrators produce expressive, humorous or thought-provoking imagery that enlivens publications through visual commentary and aesthetic engagement. From caricature to realistic renderings, students enhance their visual problem-solving skills, refine their individual style and develop a strong conceptual approach as they create expressive imagery suitable for a variety of editorial illustration markets.

Perspective and constructive drawing techniques are essential when creating compelling narrative illustrations. Through research and practices, students illustrate building interiors, exterior environments, vehicles and other objects from different perspectives and in a variety of locations.

The dynamic collaboration between illustrators and art directors fuels the ever-evolving markets of the creative industry. Students navigate key illustration markets and analyze industry trends to promote their work effectively. Exploring the world of art direction, students gain hands-on experience in collaborating with other illustrators, providing constructive feedback, managing creative projects, and maintaining the balance between artistic vision and client needs. Emphasis is placed on communicating with clients, discerning assignment briefs, and developing the tools to succeed as both independent illustrators and creative leaders in the industry.

From small, quirky toys to large-scale, playful sculptures, students explore the cross section and fusion of illustration, fine art, and industrial design through the lens of collectable toys. Students combine state-of-the-art software and digital manufacturing processes with traditional media to communicate ideas and stories through dimensional works. Students ideate, draw, digitally sculpt, print, and prototype a variety of toys and models for diverse audiences.

This course focuses on watercolor as a medium for the illustrator. Students are challenged to develop traditional and nontraditional techniques and to explore weights of paper, textures and block-out materials. Assignments are relevant for the working illustrator. Current and historical information is presented to demonstrate the impact of watercolor on the field of illustration.

This course emphasizes the student’s need to analyze, interpret and distill the complexities observed in natural forms and focuses on honing rendering abilities. Students produce illustrations of both the known and imagined, the observed and unobservable.

From publication to entertainment, illustrators envision and invigorate characters that inspire audiences and have a lasting impact. Students learn to capture expression and essence of characters through experimentation with performance, shape, motion and gesture. These defined characters become a unique expression of the student's personal aesthetic that can be marketed to a range of industries.

Advertisers employ illustration to spark lasting impressions of products, events or services across print and digital collateral. Students in this course actualize captivating visual imagery to seize the attention of each audience and consumer. With professional best practices and conventions as context, students also refine their approach to visual narratives and creative problem-solving.

Botanical art and illustration hold a significant place in both historical and contemporary art and design. This course focuses on the intensive study of botanical subject matter exclusively painted in watercolors. Topics emphasized include: sketchbook process studies, paint properties and application, field studies, best practices and elements of successful botanical watercolor illustrations, and the history of botanical art.

This course bridges traditional oil painting techniques with modern ideation tools to create dynamic and innovative illustrations. Students explore AI-driven tools to generate concepts, compositions, and mood studies, which serve as the foundation for their oil paintings. Assignments emphasize the translation of digital ideas into tactile, story-driven works, highlighting the interplay between technology and traditional artistry. Through the study of classical and contemporary oil painting methods, students learn to refine AI-generated imagery into polished, professional illustrations. Students analyze and interpret live subject work and art history perspectives to contextualize the evolving role of technology in illustration.

Book illustrators bring stories to life with vivid images that draw the reader into the lives of characters and the world of the narrative. Students in this course refine their approach to visual storytelling and consider professional avenues for book illustrators. All aspects of book production are explored, from conceptualization of cohesive illustrations and cover art to binding methods and publication.

Understanding the anatomical form elevates the illustrators' ability to solve problems visually. Students work from skeletal to muscular systems and progress from primitive forms to detailed ecorche drawings. Building these aptitudes provides illustrators with the power to invent and illustrate creatures and characters that immerse audiences in the narrative experience.

Illustrators bring visual elegance to literary and cultural representations of the macabre and divine through a complex symbolic language. In this course, students read and interpret a variety of narratives and texts in the development of fantasy characters and environments. Students create illustrations that capture timeless themes and dualities, such as light and dark, good and evil, creation and destruction.

In this course, advanced students become actual working illustrators. The professor arranges jobs for publication in major magazines. Other possibilities for published work in this course include book covers and work for advertising agencies.

Audiences engage with images in new and exciting ways on a variety of screens. Illustrators embrace the opportunities that emerge from these expanding forms of audience engagement to create captivating digital images, especially by incorporating stylized movement into their designs. Students explore the use of moving imagery to enhance their appeal in a variety of illustration markets including advertising, publishing, digital media and editorial art. Strategies, techniques and tools for transforming still art imagery into dynamic, animated illustrations are explored in the context of market applications.

Concept illustrators design immersive environments populated with vivid and engaging characters. Students fuse their creative innovations with a full range of illustration skills to develop professional concept designs for expanding markets in animation and video games.

The world of entertainment is populated with vivid characters and immersive environments realized through a variety of digital assets. In this course, students imaginatively engage with a concept to finalize polished artwork that captures the mood and tone of the creator. Using industry standard practices, students develop digital assets from concept to finalized illustrations and digital files for design-driven production pipelines.

From home décor to mobile accessories and everything in between, illustrators create collections unified by theme, color, pattern and illustrative style that can be applied to a variety of products and surfaces. Students study color and design trends in art licensing and illustration for consumer markets to gain an understanding of the characteristics embodied in strong collections and the professional markets appropriate for their work.

Students in this course explore the intricate intersection of surface design, packaging, and product design within the dynamic realm of illustration. Students explore professional principles and practices to create compelling solutions for printed products and packaging that harmonize with illustration and surface design to enhance product presentation and consumer appeal. From conceptualization to production, emphasis is placed on integrating surface patterns and placement prints to effectively convey brand identity, communicate product attributes, and captivate specific consumer demographics.

Whether working for an organization or as an entrepreneur, understanding the business of illustration is the key to professional success. Through an introduction to best practices in professional networking, marketing and financial strategies, students enhance their understanding of the business of illustration and further their preparation for this competitive market. Students engage in research and planning to identify specific professional trends in line with their individual career goals.

In this course, students immerse themselves in the business of illustration, exploring best practices in professional networking, marketing, and financial strategies that are crucial for success, whether working for an organization or as an entrepreneur. Through research and planning, students identify specific professional trends aligned with their individual career goals, refining and advancing their body of work in response to opportunities in the field. Engaging with illustration luminaries and colleagues, students invigorate their professional identity, presence, and networks, enhancing their understanding of the competitive illustration market and further preparing them for success within the context of clearly defined career goals and discipline standards.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

An innovative and engaging portfolio is paramount to establishing a prosperous illustration career. Students express their individualized style and brand in a fully realized, professional portfolio, while implementing creative marketing and networking strategies to launch their illustration careers.

This course is designed to reinforce the creative processes that underpin the profession of illustration. These include idea generation, drawing, composition, value and color. Students apply these processes as they create a wide range of images for illustration. A personal visual viewpoint is encouraged, and students are also shown the range of markets in which contemporary illustrators operate.

By broadening and strengthening fundamental drawing skills through in-class drawing sessions, outside assignments and research, students deepen their understanding of drawing as the basis of illustration. The course begins with intensive exercises designed to strengthen observational skills and to enhance competence in a wide range of materials and techniques. It emphasizes figure drawing and also explores expressive mark making, value, composition, proportion and perspective.

This course highlights the distinct historical trends in illustration and also explores the sources of contemporary styles. Students work on a series of studio assignments, making reference to past trends and to new movements in illustration. The course includes written papers, tests, critiques, presentations and illustration assignments.

This course explores and adds to students’ repertoires of media and techniques. Through class assignments, students practice and increase their skills with media and techniques common to the field of illustration. Students also may investigate and work with nontraditional media. The content of the course is oriented toward the commercial field of illustration.

This course investigates historical and contemporary book illustration to create professional book packages for submission to targeted publishers. Through lectures and demonstrations, students develop a solid understanding of historical and contemporary trends in the book industry to confidently target and market their illustrated book projects. Students demonstrate a mastery of standard print formats and explore physical or digital nontraditional forms.

This course explores drawing as the key mode of expression for the illustrator. The course begins with refreshing and strengthening observation skills, mark-making technique and interpretation abilities. Other areas addressed include creative expression, gesture, attitude, movement embellishment and exaggeration. Students are encouraged to develop individual and personal approaches to drawing within the context of illustration. The course reviews fundamental issues of value, mood, composition, proportion and perspective.

This course provides exploration of and practice with mixed media on a variety of surfaces. Assignments are based on typical areas of concentration found in the field of illustration, including conceptual, decorative, surreal, editorial, design, narrative, portrait and realistic.

This course revisits the fundamentals of illustration and seeks to join concept and composition as one element. Assignments are dedicated to generating creative ideas and exploring the best possible methods for expressing these ideas with compelling imagery.

This course explores the possibilities of the computer as a medium to create images and illustration through the use of popular software. Concepts and sketches are developed technically and the computer is applied as a tool to produce finished pieces. Personal approach and style are emphasized and consistency is encouraged.

While exploring the fundamentals of typography and hand lettering trends, students gain a solid working knowledge of the relationship between illustration and typographic design. They apply those design principles to the successful integration of type and image, creating a powerful form of communication.

This course incorporates the insights gained in Illustration Concepts and Composition into topic-oriented assignments designed to address students’ portfolio needs. Students are introduced to the criteria professionals use to evaluate portfolios, as well as general marketing tips.

Students are challenged to develop individual approaches to watercolor by experimenting with various materials and techniques, traditional and nontraditional. Assignments are real-world projects that students tailor to support their thesis projects. Students analyze the work of cutting-edge illustrators, investigate historical watercolorists, then synthesize their findings in a coherent body of personal work. Students also compile a list of prospective clients for work created in this course.

Working one-on-one with the professor, students pursue an illustration specialty of particular interest and significance. The course involves group instruction and critiques, as well as individual projects.

This course focuses on each student’s personal artistic vision as it relates to illustration and on the many ways students can present their work, both through a traditional portfolio and in other relevant formats. Students are expected to learn to develop a professional portfolio that incorporates a personal style as evidenced in a substantial body of work. Students also develop résumés, promotional mailers and mailing lists. All M.A. students in illustration are required to complete this final project in printed or digital form.

The poster has long been an exciting medium for expressing the creative personality of the illustrator. While this course emphasizes the visual product, students also examine the graphic vocabulary of poster communication for various venues like theater, movies, media and public announcement. In this course, students conduct research on a topic and present their findings in a visual and written format.

In this course, students gain professional experience. The professor arranges jobs for publication in major magazines and acts as a liaison between students and art directors. Other possibilities for publication in this course include book covers and work generated for advertising agencies and design firms.

This course addresses the business side of illustration, from purchase orders and pricing to packaging and presentation. Students are expected to become familiar with numerous marketing strategies and professional practices in the field. Assignments include compiling an art director’s list, assembling various portfolios and creating a self-promotional mailer.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

All M.F.A. students in illustration are required to develop and prepare an original exhibition, accompanied by a written component.

Digital photography is a powerful communication tool central to a variety of creative careers. While experimenting with manual camera controls and digital workflow in the context of professional conventions, students explore imaginative visual communication applications and dynamic career trajectories within fine art, advertising and editorial photography.

Empowered to discover their unique photographic voice and explore the potential of the medium, students delve into advanced exposure strategies and innovative digital postproduction techniques. As an introduction to professional communication and presentation, students articulate their conceptual and aesthetic choices in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner.

Color is essential to visual communication and storytelling. It evokes emotion, captures the attention of the viewer and triggers a chain of imaginative and intellectual reactions. Within the context of color theory, perception and aesthetics, students create compelling color images through experimentation with traditional and digital capture, scanning and printing techniques.

Whether lighting a product, portrait or anything in between, photographers must harness light to reveal the object’s essence and render as desired. By examining the physics of light, students learn to effectively balance artificial and natural light and pursue innovative strategies for light placement, modification and lighting ratios.

Spanning two centuries, this course explores the evolution of photography from its inception as a revolutionary invention to its contemporary role as a ubiquitous art form, communication tool, and cultural record. Exploring seminal works, pioneering techniques, and influential movements that have shaped the medium, students focus on the impact of photography on our visual culture. From the earliest experiments to the digital age, this course examines photography's transformative power.

Some of the most important moments in history are captured through iconic black-and-white images. In this course, students discover the timeless and expressive qualities of black-and-white prints, while exploring inventive darkroom techniques, chemical after-treatments and digital scanning.

A sophisticated blend of composition, style and message is key to creating powerful images that leave lasting impressions. In this course, students are challenged to achieve this balance in the development of a unified collection of photographs that highlights their unique personal style and skillset.

With its captivating clarity and diverse applications, large-format photography has the potential to capture minute details with superb resolution, from historic landscapes to art reproductions to the latest commercial products. Students cultivate fluency with view camera controls as they create vivid, revelatory images and explore an enhanced photographic vision.

Photography — as an art form, a communication tool and a record of history —has made an undeniable impression on our culture. By investigating the emergence of the medium in the 19th century and its evolution into the early 20th century, students learn how expressive and commercial photography has transformed and expanded over time.

As photography evolves and intersects with other disciplines, versatility becomes an essential quality for the contemporary photographer. To amplify their skillsets and augment professional opportunities, students explore techniques for effective digital capture for time-based media. While exploring traditional narrative and nonlinear approaches, students storyboard and produce creative videos for diverse professional applications.

From enigmatic shadow to brilliant illumination, photographers learn to harness light in the studio and on location. Students use industry-standard camera systems, capture software and advanced digital retouching to fully control light and communicate an intended mood and message. Propping, styling and light modification skills used in a variety of commercial applications are also introduced.

This course offers the unique photographic opportunity and challenge of finding intimacy and familiarity in the foreign portrait and the foreign landscape. Slide lectures explore important aspects of traveling with a camera in a foreign country and investigate how other photographers have faced this challenge. Assignments focus on urban and rural landscapes and populations. Students may work in black and white and/or color and may use large- or small- format cameras.

In contemporary markets, photographers distinguish themselves through the development of a unique visual voice. To be successful in the industry, photographers must find a balance between artistic intent and professional goals. Through research, critical analysis and refinement, students develop a professionally focused and dynamic body of work infused with their personal aesthetic.

This course explores a variety of nonsilver photographic printmaking and print-manipulation processes that depart from the more prevalent black-and-white, color and digital approaches. Processes covered may include hand-applied color, iron salt printing, gum printing, albumen printing, platinum and palladium printing and others.

This course focuses on various philosophical, aesthetic and technical approaches to photographing the contemporary, human-altered landscape. Through slide lectures, field trips, supervised lab work and in-depth critiques, students are expected to increase their awareness of how their own personal responses to the landscape relate to those of other photographers dealing with the same contemporary issues. Materials and format are open, but students taking this course should have a working knowledge of black-and-white, color and large-format photography.

Documentary photographers use the power of images to chronicle history or elevate social and cultural awareness. In this course, students explore the technical, historical and ethical considerations of the medium and integrate these into an in-depth, visual study of their chosen subject.

Narrative photography visualizes the stories that surround us, inspiring contemplation and genuine connection. Through focused investigation, students will explore the inherent, narrative power of the medium as they develop an in-depth photo essay and gain exposure to business practices and markets for photojournalism and editorial photography.

This course examines the issues and materials involved in the evolution of a personal style of expressive black-and-white printmaking. Areas of investigation include paper characteristics, developer choice and fabrication, print size, multifilter printing and chemical after-treatment.

This course explores the issues involved in making photographs that are conceived as surrogates for reality. Areas of investigation include historical precedents, major movements and practitioners of style that lie outside the bounds of documentary photography or the aesthetics of straight art photography.

World-class designers rely on the trained eye and vivid imagination of fashion photographers to captivate audiences with the drama and details of their couture. Students investigate the history of fashion photography while learning the tools of the trade, from casting and directing talent to scouting locations and coordinating stylists. Students showcase these skills, along with innovative techniques for lighting and digital retouching, in the creation of a professional portfolio.

This advanced course explores the technical and aesthetic implications of the platinum/palladium process, one of the most beautiful and subtle of all photographic printing processes. Topics include compounding emulsions, hand coating, paper selection, development variables and techniques for making enlarged negatives.

This upper-level elective provides students with a working knowledge of all major aspects of portraiture, including studio/commercial portraiture, photojournalistic/editorial portraiture and the portrait as fine art, all within a context of historical and contemporary examples. A variety of lighting and camera techniques, basic business practices and career possibilities are covered.

Photographs provide a record of our culture, from significant socio-political events to astounding human experiences. In this course, students experiment with visual communication strategies to develop photojournalistic narratives that persuasively tell the stories of our time while balancing ethics, accuracy and aesthetics.

From digital image capture to final inkjet output, this course is designed to give students a thorough understanding of all aspects of image management and printing. Through lectures, demonstrations and supervised usage, students gain practical, hands-on experience with digital imaging and the production of inkjet technology, printers and paper.

Custom substrates allow for the expansion of the idea of what is possible in a digital printmaking aesthetic. Areas of investigation include direct printing on unconventional materials such as metal, acrylic, cloth and polymer skins as well as transfer processes to wood, paper, metal and plastic.

This course, targeted to advanced photography students, emphasizes the philosophical and technical relationship between the camera and the computer. Students are expected to mesh their personal aesthetic with the multitude of possibilities available in electronic media. Appropriate presentation, software options and sequencing of imagery are stressed, along with historical examples that provide background for understanding this new medium.

The large-format film camera offers the ultimate control that the medium provides. From image making to drum scanning to final print production, students investigate pictorial resolution, sharpness and lens characteristics. Their discoveries provide guidance for the creation of a cohesive, technically sound and aesthetically innovative portfolio.

Successful fine art photographers pair creative vision and singular artistic style with business acumen and self-promotional prowess. Students learn strategies for fostering industry relationships, and professional standards for publishing and exhibition practices. To launch their careers, students design a marketing plan and explore a variety of opportunities for recognition and networking, including residencies, competition submissions and portfolio review events.

In this course, each student photographs a specific subject. The resulting images are edited and sequenced to create a hand-constructed book.

Commercial photographers collaborate with other creative professionals in the execution of dynamic and memorable advertising campaigns. To simulate a real-world collaboration, photography and advertising students coalesce on projects from ideation to launch, including preproduction, lighting design and digital retouching.

Advertising photographers create innovative, engaging images that spark product demand. Students learn advanced lighting, preproduction and postproduction techniques, and explore markets for advertising photography as they produce images that exemplify advanced conceptual, technical and design skills.

Students will learn to elevate social media content by leveraging professional photography and videography skills. Building on foundational skills in video production and digital imaging, students explore advanced techniques for capturing, editing, and optimizing high-quality images and videos specifically for social media platforms. Through hands-on projects and critical analysis of current trends, students develop a unique aesthetic approach to professional-grade photography and videography for social media, learning to craft engaging narratives that resonate with audiences across various platforms.

Commercial photographers expertly adapt light and environments to craft vivid, compelling images that foster interest and demand. In this course, students advance their knowledge of commercial lighting applications while developing novel approaches to set design, styling, and postproduction to create a distinctive, standout portfolio.

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Accomplished photographers present their work, build their brand and expand their client network through professional business strategies and practices. In preparation for successful careers, students hone business and studio management skills, including portfolio development, marketing strategies, accounting fundamentals and negotiation tactics.

A photographer’s portfolio must be comprised of a compelling and refined body of work that aligns with their career goals and that evidences both technical skill and visual innovation. In this course, students elevate their technical and creative abilities as they strategically curate a compelling collection of work that highlights their aesthetic range and capacity to captivate audiences.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Examining the photographic medium from invention through contemporary uses and practices, this comprehensive survey course discusses the most important and influential movements of photography as it is used as a cultural force, a means of personal expression and an aesthetically based medium.

Examining a range of techniques applicable to the medium of photography, this course is a combination of demonstrations, lectures, assignments and critiques with an emphasis on the unification of technical choices and individual conceptual interests.

Developing a portfolio that demonstrates a coherent vision, personal aesthetic and excellence in craft is the emphasis of this course. Students receive and participate in intensive critique of individual, self-directed, artistic projects in preparation for later graduate reviews. The course is designed to help students to successfully define, develop and edit a visually cohesive and formally sound body of work that makes evident the student’s personal aesthetic.

This course explores advanced technical controls of black-and-white photographic materials and processes. Topics include exposure and development control of negative materials through the application of the zone system, parametric testing of film/developer combinations, and exercises and demonstrations designed to strengthen the expressive quality of students’ printmaking aesthetics.

This graduate course is designed to familiarize students with the practical and historical fundamentals of the documentary photograph. Students learn, through examples and assignments, how to photograph in a documentary manner, and how to develop an authentic style within this genre.

This course is a technical and aesthetic exploration of the major color photographic materials, processes and techniques currently available. The course is designed to promote enhanced awareness and application of color as an aesthetic tool, with emphasis on the development of color printmaking skills.

This course is designed to refine a graduate student’s personal artistic direction and critical vocabulary. Historical context and critical theory in the medium are introduced and investigated as a reference point to the student’s individual work. Students receive and participate in intensive critique of individual projects.

This course explores the techniques, aesthetics and ethics of photographic image modification through the use of computer technology. Topics may include the use of scanners and other input devices, image editing software, various output options, projects in photomontage, layout and image sequencing, development of skills in color calibration, duo-tones, color separations, and compositing.

Students engage in a technical study of photographic illustration in a studio setting. Photo illustration is based on a language whose vocabulary consists of sets, still life arrangements and models; a grammar of cameras, films and lighting systems; and a photographer who creates totally controlled images directed toward fine art, editorial and commercial application.

In this graduate-level studio course, students are directed toward creating a body of work representational of the commercial marketplace. Students are exposed to diverse, image-driven assignments, working with interior studio spaces and exterior set-ups.

This is the first in a series of a flexible, self-directed seminar/critique courses that allow students maximum freedom to define and develop directions in personal artistic growth and evolution while receiving guidance and criticism in different contexts and from multiple viewpoints.

This self-directed seminar/critique course continues the photographic arts series.

In this course, students develop a clear photographic narrative using images in a sequential manner. Through thorough investigation and planning, students learn to express an idea or story in visual terms.

Dedicated to the awareness of industry trends and the development of a commercial portfolio in the area of fashion photography, this course helps students refine skills in lighting, directing the model, styling and creative technique both in the studio and on location.

Graduate students explore advanced technical controls of the printmaking workflows of digital imaging. Students experience input and output variances that affect the final print. Analysis and adjustment are expected in every stage of image production from black-and-white to color printing.

This course provides students with a hands-on knowledge of all aspects of photographic portraiture including historical references and new media exploration. Various technical aspects, such as multiple formats and various means of lighting, are presented in a series of demonstrations and assignments.

In this course, the creation of advanced composite images takes place in the context of exploration of the philosophical and technical relationship between the camera and the computer. The course also presents the history, purposes and means of the electronic medium.

Offering unique opportunities to photograph and learn in a foreign environment, this course gives students in-depth insights on another culture’s façade, reality, traditions and values. In an intensive program that deals with both creating photographs and investigating photographic history, there is a focus on comparing students’ work to the existing canon as created by previous native (and foreign) photographers.

Graduate students study the utilization and application of custom substrates that allow for the expansion of the idea of what is possible in a digital printmaking aesthetic. This course investigates direct printing on unconventional materials such as metal, acrylic, cloth and polymer skins as well as transfer processes to wood, paper, metal and plastic. Comparative research is required in both written and visual forms.

Constructed image strategies are explored through both research and practice. Students investigate methods of creating and photographing both tableaux and tableaux vivant that are constructed only to exist as a record, as a photograph. Historical and contemporary ideas and methods of fabricating scenes-to-be-photographed are examined alongside the production of student work.

This seminar provides self-motivated graduate students with insights into today’s multifaceted markets for photography. The course focuses on understanding and navigating the business of being an artist. Classroom lectures foster a broader awareness of career options and professional prospects for photographers seeking to approach successfully the world of art. Individual research required allows students to explore an area in depth. Students share their research methodology and results with their fellow students, fostering growth of peer relationships.

This course focuses on each M.A. student’s personal vision and the many ways to present that vision through a final portfolio in printed and/or digital format. Students utilize compositional elements with appropriate descriptive methodologies in order to clearly communicate particular ideas or concepts. Students also are expected to develop appropriate business practices for their chosen field.

Exploring a variety of historic photographic printmaking and print-manipulation processes, this course teaches 19th-century and early 20th-century photographic printmaking processes with an incorporation of digital methods for better output control. Techniques covered include cyanotype, hand-applied color, iron salt printing, gum printing, albumen printing, platinum and palladium printing.

Students explore the technical and aesthetic implications of the platinum/palladium process, one of the most beautiful and subtle of all photographic printing processes. Topics include compounding coatings, various methods of hand coating, paper selection, development variables and techniques for making enlarged negatives. Students also research contemporary artists choosing to work with the platinum/palladium process as part of their photographic aesthetic.

This self-directed seminar/critique course continues the photographic arts series.

Designed to provide students with a practical understanding of the business of freelancing, this course provides a comprehensive survey of a range of photographic career choices, including editorial photography, commercial studio photography, art photography and stock photography. The course guides students to identify the appropriate market for their style/aesthetic and directs them toward creating effective strategies of legitimate self-promotion aimed at that specific target.

This course leads students toward the development of a self-directed, in-depth photographic project to be presented in book form. Students construct both a handmade physical book and an online book. The course covers the importance and significance of editing and sequencing to direct the audience through an intimate viewing experience of the self-produced book. Historical and contemporary bookmaking are researched and discussed throughout.

Focusing on the various historical, philosophical, aesthetic and technical approaches to contemporary, expressive landscape photography, this course increases student awareness of how their own personal responses to the landscape relate to those of other artists. Materials and format are open, but students taking this course should already have a strong working knowledge of the processes and techniques they intend to employ. The emphasis of the course is more on the development of a body of work that expresses ideas about the landscape than about learning specific photographic techniques.

This course explores the unique problems and opportunities of photographing with large-format cameras and materials. Students have the opportunity to discover and refine their personal vision by making images in a variety of genres, including landscape, architecture, portrait and still life. While initial emphasis is placed on the use of traditional black-and-white materials and natural light, students may make use of color materials, digital technology and/or artificial light, depending on prior experience and personal preferences.

This course explores a variety of critical aesthetic and practical issues relevant to today’s expressive photographer. Readings, lectures, discussions, research and writing are employed to stimulate and polish critical thinking and expression.

This self-directed seminar/critique course continues the photographic arts series.

This course explores the creative use of view cameras larger than 4"x5". Students become familiar with large format negatives, the development thereof, drum scanning, large-scale printing and professional exhibition practices for "oversized" prints. Students produce a thematically based final portfolio and participate in a group exhibition.

This self-directed seminar/critique course continues the photographic arts series.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

All photography M.F.A. students must develop and prepare an original exhibition accompanied by a written component.

Students from a variety of disciplines within the School of Visual Communication work as a team to research, conceptualize, and develop creative solutions for current design challenges. Specific projects vary from quarter to quarter. [This course may be taken up to three times for credit.]

Introducing the components of sequential art, this course explores visual narrative theories and techniques. Students become familiar with the discipline of sequential art and the various standard tools and techniques involved.

Focusing on observational and interpretive drawing skills as they apply to visual storytelling for sequential art, students in this course develop their drafting facility and learn how characters are constructed and integrated into graphic environments.

Highlighting significant works of sequential art including their historical roots and major influences, students in this survey analyze trends, styles, techniques, subject matter and works of important artists across the sequential art spectrum.

Examining the technical craft of sequential art production, students in this course focus on a variety of traditional skills, techniques and tools associated with illustrating a comic narrative.

This course examines and explores the art of cartooning. Students create and develop their own single- and multi-panel comic strips, as well as editorial and political cartoons.

Emphasizing the observational skills and attention to detail that help a creator define and individualize cartoon characters and backgrounds, students in this course create appropriate model sheets for character animation and generate storyboards.

Covering dialogue, captions, sound effects, panel and page layouts, and the relationship of image to text in dramatic situations, students in this course develop narrative ideas and express them in written form, from the basic plot to the finished script.

Focusing on digital problems and concerns relevant to creating a sequential narrative, students in this course develop their understanding of color theory, digital coloring techniques, digital lettering and sound effects, and the use of appropriate applications as they relate to visual storytelling.

The dynamic elements for successful design and execution of graphic novel covers are explored through a series of demonstrations and projects focusing on general color theory, the treatment of light and shade, representation of depth, surface textures, environment and the human form.

This course enables students to explore comprehensively the characters, themes and environments of their own creation.

This course helps students increase their knowledge of storyboarding and how it applies to the advertising, animation and motion picture fields. Students break down ideas and scenes sequentially to promote visual storytelling.

Students are introduced to the business of researching, marketing, packaging and distributing comics. Approaches to selling work to mainstream comics companies are emphasized, along with the business of independent publishing. Students may have the opportunity to participate in a comics publication.

Underscoring the vital visual elements that are often overlooked when illustrating a believable visual story, students in this course study and illustrate building interiors, exterior environments, vehicles and other objects from different perspectives and in a variety of locations.

Through the manipulation of various sculptural materials, this course introduces students to the process of designing maquette characters for 3D rendering. The students learn to work with diverse types of character designs, styles, proportions and genres. They study classical and contemporary sculptural techniques and subsequently learn to utilize the various working methods described.

In this course, students produce a variety of projects beyond panel-to-panel comics formats, incorporating fantasy or science fiction themes and comics-related subjects.

This course showcases the art of drawing superheroes. Students are introduced to techniques for making characters dynamic and pages exciting through the use of camera angles, page layout and perspective. These techniques help students pace stories and choose views that best accentuate the characters’ heroic abilities.

This non-studio course builds upon content from Comic Book Scripting. Particular emphasis is placed on problems posed in scripting for longer work, such as graphic novels.

In this course, students gain a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of the human body through applied sculptural, observational and rendering techniques. Specific attention is paid to how these techniques can be applied to visual storytelling.

This course focuses on improving students’ ability to execute a drawing of a reasonable likeness of an original or imagined subject in a limited amount of time. Sketches continue to be used to build complex drawings and are applied to storytelling for sequential art.

Traditionally, Franco-Belgian comics differ from American comics in their artistic approaches; attention to detail; and focus on longer, self-contained stories printed in a larger format. Students study styles, trends and production methods associated with Bande Dessinée and apply these skills to their own sequential work.

Concentrating on skills associated with printing, bookbinding and packaging, students develop a variety of mini-comics that showcase their sequential art in the form of handmade publications.

Digital delivery and the empowerment of the independent creator are achieved by creating marketable, well-branded web-comic sites that demonstrate intelligent formal use of the medium. Students gain skills necessary for site construction and promotion while learning the artistic history of the genre.

With the everyday use of mobile devices, storytelling through scrolling format has created an accessible and incredible medium that is becoming swift competition for traditional print publishing. Students gain skills necessary for expressing a variety of story genres within the scrolling format while learning how to understand, research, compile, and apply applicable data to help increase awareness of their work online.

Developing graphic storytelling skills and the craft of penciling comic book pages, students in this course learn page layout, panel design and work with scripts while penciling traditional panel-to-panel sequential art.

Students learn how to create and present a proposal or “pitch” for development as a graphic novel, comic book series, film or television project. Emphasis is placed on creating stories, characters and settings that are used in an extended narrative and culminate in a presentation bible.

Through lectures, demonstrations and studio work, students are introduced to the tradition of hand lettering and typography in sequential art. The use of word and image in service to a narrative is explored as the students practice conventional and contemporary techniques. Emphasis is placed on skill-building and practical application.

Real and imagined creatures of mammals, reptiles and birds are conceived for fantasy illustration, scientific illustration, game design, animation, movies and themed entertainment. Through direct observation, analytical drawing and action analysis, students develop a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of animals and create real or imagined creatures relevant to their career goals.

This course engages students in the professional practices of comic arts inking. Proficiency of method and application of media are stressed through a wide variety of inking techniques. Students integrate various forms of inking applications into the graphic narrative in support of developing a personal direction and style.

Continuing to develop the skills introduced in Visual Storytelling I, students herein explore the integral relationship between pencils and inks while honing their visual storytelling skills.

The foundation of a successful creative career in sequential art lies not only in mastering the craft, but also in cultivating a deep understanding of the business side. Throughout this course, students explore emerging trends in the industry, identify strategies for self-promotion and marketing, and begin to build a professional network tailored to their career goals.

Incorporating various skills, including storytelling, scripting, drawing techniques and working with various materials and media, students produce sequential art suitable for publication or for incorporation into a portfolio of professional quality work. This course is a culmination of the undergraduate sequential art curriculum.

Using characters, environment and technology established in previous coursework, students continue to develop their individual creations as well as work on collaborative projects. An increased focus is placed on developing a professional, cohesive portfolio.

In this course, students create artwork for children’s books in which the picture primarily tells the story. Students have the option of generating original story ideas or adapting existing works of children’s literature.

Japanese Manga is an immensely popular genre of comics. In this course, students explore the two definitive elements of manga: visual style and unique storytelling. Students learn to recognize and adapt Japanese influences into their own sequential artwork.

Action figures have long been associated with comics, fantasy, science fiction and other branded characters in the entertainment industry. Students learn about the action figure market and create their own conceptual character designs. Action figure designs are sculpted in both traditional and digital methods for the purpose of producing 3D action figures.

This course investigates the art and business of sequential art with visits to studios, galleries and publishing companies. Students travel off-campus to meet professional cartoonists, editors and gallery owners, giving them insight into the working world of sequential art.

This course provides structured production opportunities for students engaging in individual sequential art projects. Emphasis is on realizing personal vision through exploration of sequential art methodologies and productivity. Students select a faculty adviser to provide supplemental feedback and direction on projects. Group instruction, critiques and project adviser feedback provide students with a unique opportunity to evaluate their work in a broader context.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Imaginative visual interpretations of observed characters, places and events are key elements in visual storytelling. The power to manipulate images between the observed world and the realm of imagination is vital to the success of any sequential artist. The sequential artist should be able to employ fresh approaches to imagery and also understand the critical importance of style to narrative skills. This course fosters these essential skills while helping students discover a personal approach to sequential art.

This course reinforces skills in creating visual narrative for students entering the sequential art program at the graduate level. All sequential art begins with the relationship of the visual image to the narrative. It is essential that students understand and analyze the fundamental relationship between graphics and text as they relate to the visual narrative. This relationship, as well as page layout and panel design, is among the topics covered in the course.

Any story, no matter how carefully conceived, requires an understanding of production processes. Creating static narrative art not only requires a fine imagination and an understanding of basic storytelling, but a mastery of the technical aspects of presenting the story. This course explores a variety of processes and techniques used to produce visual narrative from thumbnails to pre-press. Students in this course are taught traditional and digital approaches to penciling, inking, lettering and coloring to increase productivity and efficiency.

In this course, students study sequential art theory, history and industry. Using studio projects aligned with specific theories and concepts, students view their own work within the context of contemporary sequential art. This course includes directed and independent projects, research presentations, critical writing, and the discussion and analysis of industry trends.

For the sequential artist, observational analysis is key to creating innovative approaches to visually communicative narratives. The sequential artist should also understand how personal style is informed by imaginative visual interpretations of observed characters, as well as places and events as key elements in visual storytelling. This course fosters these essential skills while helping students discover a personal approach to sequential art.

In this course, students learn strategic approaches for the creation of visual solutions to concept design. They also develop the tools, skills and organizational capacity to respond to conceptual changes. Through the process of previsualization, students create a comprehensive volume of concept visuals in diverse media in support of the narrative, with a focus on process and time-management.

Students study a variety of methodologies in perspective drawing to create illustrations of structures, environments, vehicles and other objects, using both traditional and digital techniques.

Exploring and experimenting with different techniques and subject matter is critical to remaining competitive in the sequential art profession. This starts with the research of marketable techniques and the development of style and production solutions that promote good time-management practices. Students in this course learn how to research, cultivate a process for creating personal style and develop personal solutions in visual storytelling through marketable techniques, with a focus on process and time-management.

The composition for comic script writing is evident in other forms of visual narrative such as animations, films and plays. In sequential art, writers break down the story in sequence, constructing layouts page-by-page and panel-by-panel, covering dialogue, captions, sound effects and more. Students in this course use narrative strategies to build the relationship between image and text in dramatic situations, from the basic plot to the finished script.

By examining the complex interaction of human bones and muscle groups, students gain an understanding of the anatomical and mechanical underpinnings of the human characters that will occupy their fictional worlds. In this course, students progress from skeletal to muscular forms and from primitive forms to detailed ecorche artwork.

Building upon technical foundations in sequential art, practice using tools and rendering techniques enables the sequential artist to develop consistency in the discipline. In this course, students develop toward professional practice by refining these skills and engaging professional methods in production efficiency. Students learn applied techniques in consistency of visual narrative and utilize time-management practices that allow for adaptability.

Technological advances have transformed the process of creating sequential art. Exploring digital techniques affords the sequential artist with alternatives to traditional methods of creating artwork and enhances skills that open new avenues for career opportunities. Students in this course will explore and practice digital methods and design media for integration into contemporary forms of sequential art.

A professional inker can enhance the mood, pace, and readability of visual narrative. Inking often requires the artist to interpret images and employ creative mark-making choices using a variety of techniques. In this course, students will explore a variety of inking tools and methods to gain the ability to work in a wide range of styles and develop a personal approach to inking.

This course focuses on the necessity for sequential artists to be competent writers as well as artists. Writing for sequential art covers all phases of narrative, including generating story ideas in various genres, constructing plot synopses, scripting in various styles and developing proposals for publishers. The course is designed to give students the writing skills and strategies necessary to work professionally in sequential art.

A substantial professional-level portfolio that integrates student skills and knowledge is important in providing career opportunities in sequential art. Students in this course will learn to enhance personal aesthetic, develop technical expertise, construct a portfolio and effectively promote themselves for career opportunities.

Students in this course learn to enhance personal aesthetic and technical expertise that reflect professional practice. Contextual work and scholarly research enhance understanding and appreciation of an intended audience, and provide a sequential artist with marketable skills.

In this course, students refine problem-solving skills through learned strategies while developing a professional portfolio and implementing activities that promote professional relationships. Projects of individualized interest and focus produce a range of work that leads to an aesthetically engaging and conceptually innovative body of work.

Self-promotion is about strategically creating an individual brand that supports personal value. It is about communicating experiences and accomplishments to an audience of professionals to facilitate career opportunities. In this course, students learn how to design marketing and business strategies that cultivate promotional methods toward the fulfillment of career goals.

This course provides structured production opportunities for students engaging in individualized sequential art projects and professional development. Emphasis is on realizing personal vision through exploration of innovative methodologies in sequential art and further refinement of production management skills. Students select a faculty adviser and professional mentor to provide supplemental feedback and direction on projects. Individualized instruction and professional mentoring provide students with a unique opportunity to prepare for professional practice through critical analysis of the formal aspects of their work.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

The thesis is composed of both written and visual pieces that focus on the formulation of theoretical research and rhetoric regarding sequential art interests and themes. Emphasis is on a written treatise accentuated by the creation of visuals that support the supposition. In this course, M.F.A. candidates learn to research, document and develop the written component of their pre-approved proposal, and create an accompanying visual component.