Certificate Programs

Fashion Drawing and Illustration is one of the important cornerstones in becoming a Fashion Designer. More than ever within this digital age saturated with visuals it is important to have a unique voice with a hand-drawn line that stands out and does not blend in with the rest. This course will therefore focus on finding each student’s unique style and strength to develop it further throughout the year. During this semester we will focus on experimenting with various mixed media in order for each student to find their preferred medium or discover a new favorite technique for drawing. The emphasis will also be on the technical aspects of garments and how to represent them in fashion drawing. To build on the students creative expression we will also use collage, embroidery for another dimension as well as use life models in class. Each student will set a personal goal at the beginning of this Semester to advance his or her personal style throughout this course. The students will be encouraged to embrace new ways of drawing and to draw beyond their comfort zone.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

1. Students will incorporate the ability to conduct research for inspiration, historical fashion references and upcoming fashion trends using different types of sources and disciplines.
2. Students will learn to compile story/concept boards, to draw flats, to develop a collection, and to present fashion sketches.
3. Students will explore and develop ideas into a 3D format.
4. Students will be able to present ideas in visual form from concept to 3D realization.
5. Students will convert research, concept, and story boards into cohesive fashion collections.

Students are trained to fully explore and exploit various multi- and interdisciplinary sources in order to creatively apply investigative research to a conceptual design process. Students use sketchbooks as documentary tools and through market research gain awareness of fashion and design products and market categories as well as with current issues in international fashion. The second semester includes different methods and conceptual techniques for implementing effective design directions.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios – Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.

Students observe and understand the basic pattern development for garment. In this course the focus is on understanding of professional pattern making, metric pattern cutting, and drafting skills. They learn about the architecture of garments and the technical implications of flat construction for the fit and construct basic patterns for skirt, dress, shirt, trousers. This development of the slopers are an excellent base for the students to explore and learn pattern manipulation through specific projects. Observing and exploring the adjustments to change the basic pattern towards individual design through the master plan and the manipulation. Student develop pattern in 2D and construct a 3D garment.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios

This course introduces the 3D form, fabrics and basic garment construction. Through the practice of draping muslin on the mannequin, fabrics workshops and analysis students learn how 2D materials become 3D forms. The foundation of pattern shapes: bodices, skirts, sleeves, and collars are covered as are essential technical skills and garment assembly techniques. Weekly briefs encourage intensive 3D research and exploration of a variety of methods and techniques. The course initiates a flexible, experimental and critical approach towards materials, volumes, and shapes from which design concepts emanate in an individual, personal, problem-solving process.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios – Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.

Practical application of appropriate computer software is a must to cover the demands of hectic fashion market. This course explores CAD software techniques used in the fashion industry to enrich the possibilities of communication skills.

Students will learn how to use vector drawings in Illustrator to create technical flats of essential garments. Different commands in Illustrator will be taught to facilitate the smooth creation of industry appropriate garment. In addition rendering techniques will enhance their digital image presentation such as the creation of pattern, brushes or symbols for technical garment details like print, zips or embellishments. Students will also learn to create digital fashion illustrations using Illustrator that will accompany their flat drawings. Essential InDesign skills will be taught to create a coherent layout and presentation of all the students work.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

1. Students will learn how to design appropriate flat drawings that are standardized within the fashion Industry covering all of the essential garment types.
2. Students will learn various command and short cuts to speed up their design process.
3. Students will be able to create Patterns, Symbols and Brushes to enhance their designs.
4. Students will learn how to create fashion illustrations in InDesign.
5. Students will convert research, concept, and story boards into cohesive fashion collections.
6. Students will learn the basics InDesign tools to create Mood-boards and a coherent Fashion Presentation.

Practical application of appropriate computer software is a must to meet the demands of a hectic fashion market. This course explores CAD software techniques used in the fashion industry to enrich the possibilities of communication skills. Students will learn how to use vector drawings to create technical flats of garments, and basic rendering textile techniques to enhance digital image presentation.

Prerequisites: foundation core studios – semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.

Students are trained to fully explore and exploit various multi- and interdisciplinary sources in order to creatively apply investigative research to a conceptual design process. Students use sketchbooks as documentary tools and through market research gain awareness of fashion and design products and market categories as well as with current issues in international fashion. The second semester includes different methods and conceptual techniques for implementing effective design directions.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios – Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.

Applying the basic pattern drafting skills to the creative world of fashion is the focus in this course. The tools and methods encountering will help to think out of the box and be creative in the research of volumes and how the body is behaving in. Students will use and apply geometric shapes in the flat pattern drafting to explore new ideas in the construction of the garment. Cutting, slashing and spreading the patterns in a creative way to develop interesting contemporary shapes and volumes which will be applied. Student develop pattern in 2D and construct a 3D garment.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios – Pattern Drafting 1

This course introduces the 3D form, fabrics and basic garment construction. Through the practice of draping muslin on the mannequin, fabrics workshops and analysis students learn how 2D materials become 3D forms. The foundation of pattern shapes: bodices, skirts, sleeves, and collars are covered as are essential technical skills and garment assembly techniques. Weekly briefs encourage intensive 3D research and exploration of a variety of methods and techniques. The course initiates a flexible, experimental and critical approach towards materials, volumes, and shapes from which design concepts emanate in an individual, personal, problem-solving process.

Prerequisites: Foundation core studios – Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.

This course is a series of workshop to build necessary skills for any student wishing to work in the fashion industry, from developing a business plan, to building a collection, to forecasting trends, etc. Different professionals will come in to deliver intensive workshop format sessions over the course of a semester. This course is open to non-fashion studio major who are interested in the fashion industry but do not have technical sewing, patterning, etc. skills.

In order to evolve and discover new pictorial horizons painting today must remain open to the possibility of a dialogue with the wide range of multidisciplinary influences that are available. Where once the field of exploration was defined by the rigueur and strict dictates of a formal training.

The strength of painting today lies in its flexibility to use such training and adapt to the influences of other 2D and 3D disciplines and the pictorial possibilities that they offer as art experience. The possibility to create an art experience through research, experimentation and interaction are the key components in the junior year in painting. With this as a core component the dynamics of painting are explored through a variety of set projects designed to stimulate the individual imagination.

Prerequisites: Sophomore year painting

This course aims make aware students of certain issues in contemporary sculpture and gives them the technical and conceptual means to develop a more personal language and identity. Students are encouraged to experiment with different approaches, media and concepts and continue to explore technical skills necessary to conceiving and executing sculptural work. Over the course of the semester students are encouraged to develop and pursue a personal sensibility within their artistic research.

Prerequisites : Sophomore Sculpture

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

This interdisciplinary course explores the rise of visual media, communication and information, within the context of a broad cultural shift away from the verbal and textual toward the visual, which has taken place since the advent of photography and cinema in the late 19th century, through the birth of television, to the present proliferation of digital media worldwide. We will consider the critical practices of looking, historicizing and interpreting that have accompanied this ‘visual turn’. Our readings will primarily address the theoretical foundations of the study of visual culture, which is understood to incorporate a variety of visual media and visual technologies: painting and sculpture, scientific imagery, material culture, the internet. If everything can be visual culture, what remains of traditional notions of medium specificity? What critical tools must be invented to analyze visual events from a visual cultural perspective? The relationship between the visual arts and visual media, especially with respect to the ‘global’ contemporary visual landscape, will be a focus of this course.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

This course aims make aware students of certain issues in contemporary sculpture and gives them the technical and conceptual means to develop a more personal language and identity. Students are encouraged to experiment with different approaches, media and concepts and continue to explore technical skills necessary to conceiving and executing sculptural work. Over the course of the semester students are encouraged to develop and pursue a personal sensibility within their artistic research.

Prerequisites: Sophomore year sculpture/Junior Sculpture1

In order to evolve and discover new pictorial horizons painting today must remain open to the possibility of a dialogue with the wide range of multidisciplinary influences that are available. Where once the field of exploration was defined by the rigueur and strict dictates of a formal training,
the strength of painting today lies in its flexibility to use such a training and adapt to the influences of other 2D and 3D disciplines and the pictorial possibilities that they offer as art experience. The possibility to create an art experience through research, experimentation and interaction are the key
components in the junior year in painting. With this as a core component the dynamics of painting are explored through a variety of set projects designed to stimulate the individual imagination.

Prerequisites: Sophomore year painting/Painting Interactions 1

This course engages more complex forms of printmaking, such as photo emulsion silk screen, laser lithography and other forms of etching to encourage students to combine printing techniques.

The course will be given in a workshop environment, using water based materials.

Prerequisites: Printmaking 1

This course will focus on the actual drawing process as concept and experimental research as resource. Drawing as the subject matter, drawing context and the actual drawing practice to develop new ways of expression and mixing media, new ways to appropriate the act of drawing. This course is not about drawing “things”, but to encourage students to explore the actual physicality of making a drawing or to question the physical involvement of drawing; to explore existing and reinventing new methods, ideas or processes simultaneously. Through different exercises, in class workshops or given assignments the students can invent and develop a personal language and propose new ideas, make links between media and technologies.

Prerequisites: Sophomore year drawing, advanced drawing skills

What is performance art? Exploring the body and live media in art. What is the meaning of the term “performance” today? For many artists, its attitude is an integral part of their working process, with a range of expressive means: from painting to installation, video to text. This course will investigate ideas related to performance in the context of art. Together, we will experiment and delimit thinking around ‘performativity’, technology, and subjectivity via presentations, games, exercises, and visits to live events. The aim of this course is to explore and understand how the body (human and non-human) can be used as a tool for investigation, improvisation, and documentation. Students on the course are active in their learning. You will be introduced to key subjects and issues with examples of performances, followed by practical workshops where you will work together to develop and experiment through themes of music, movement, language, technology, liveness, and collectiveness. You will then be invited to test your own ideas with practical and conceptual support from the group. You will develop critical, creative, and producing skills in order to challenge what performance can be, what it can do in the world, and how it might connect ideas, practices, and communities.

These first project courses (P.F. 1&2) aim to establish the inherent principles that structure space from a sensorial and a practical point of view. The course will provide students with the cultural and technical tools needed to understand inhabited spaces. Exemplary projects drawn from housing, workplace, leisure and retail environments are investigated, while addressing building codes and conventions. Students will learn how to elaborate and develop clear ideas and conceptual principles, while considering urban context, space organization, negative and positive spaces, lighting and furniture functions. The ability to generate design solutions, select materials, color and finishes are emphasized.

The course aims at introducing students to the world of materials’ sensorial qualities, requirements, and performances. Students explore the relationships between colors, light and four specific materials (glass, wood, metal and plastics) from a sensorial point of view. Through a theoretical and practical approach of materials and tool technologies, students discover possibilities and ways to apply, combine and assemble materials within interior environments. The course will also encourage critical thinking with regard to an understanding and application of the life cycle analysis, as well as introducing organizations dedicated to sustainability and the rating systems they use. Visits to materials workshops and suppliers showrooms will complement this course.

This course addresses practical issues of project management beyond the individual. Emphasis is placed on understanding how to create a project plan and manage a team to meet the scope of the project, milestones and deliverables.

This course explores the flourishing theoretical debate around architecture and design in the Modern Era. By providing students with the knowledge and skills required to understand and analyze their built environment, we will focus on significant periods that have marked architecture in Europe in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Starting from the industrial revolution, the course will cover the prevailing theoretical movements that have characterized and formed Modern Architectural History.

By adopting Paris as a paradigmatic area of study, students will be first introduced to the redefinition of a “National Style” in 1840ies France while focusing on the interpretation of history in contemporary architectural language. Students will then look into emerging artists and building forms in North America and Europe starting with the School of Chicago and moving forward with the Arts & Crafts, and Art Nouveau movements, together with the Prairie School. Students will be also introduced to the influential Avant-garde schools such as the Art Déco and Bauhaus before approaching the International Style. Although the course offers a diachronic approach of History, Architecture and interior design will be also tackled through a thematic analysis with a series of exercises (In-class activities; field trips and visual analysis) where students will assess, explore and compare built structures in our urban environment.

This course is intended as an introduction to the communication of interior design projects. It is meant to provide students with a basic understanding of practical skills used to describe and represent space. Through a series of tasks, students familiarize themselves with basic design tools – conceptual sketches, study models, two dimensional drawings, volumetric representations and presentation techniques – which accompany the elaboration and communication of interior design proposals.

This first course in Project Communication is meant to provide students with the necessary practical skills to describe and represent space in two dimensions. The semester is dedicated to 2D technical drawing (dimensions, scale, plan, section, elevation views, and axonometric projections) by hand as well as in AutoCAD and the illustration of interior design proposals in Illustrator and Photoshop, with an understanding of their application as both powerful conceptual and presentation tools.

These first project courses (P.F. 1&2) aim to establish the inherent principles that structure space from a sensorial and a practical point of view. The course will provide students with the cultural and technical tools needed to understand inhabited spaces. Exemplary projects drawn from housing, workplace, leisure and retail environments are investigated, while addressing building codes and conventions. Students will learn how to elaborate and develop clear ideas and conceptual principles, while considering urban context, space organization, negative and positive spaces, lighting and furniture functions. The ability to generate design solutions, select materials, color and finishes are emphasized.

This course aims to introduce and explore the basic components and systems that define the built environment : structure, envelope, floors, walls, roof, stairs, windows, doors, environmental systems (including plumbing, electricity, ventilation, telecommunications, lighting, etc). Over the semester, each session is to address a particular component or system in detail (from exemplary references to technical aspects to graphic representational codes). Sustainability issues and energy-saving systems will also be studied.
The course as a whole intends to provide students with a comprehensive and thorough overview of the numerous aspects and characteristics which need to be considered when developing an interior design project. Bridging with Project Fundamentals 1 & 2, the course will allow students to understand how these components and systems co-exist and interface within the built environment.

The course aims at helping students to become aware that light is, first of all, a material, a tool to shape spaces, and thus handled and processed as such. Space lighting will be approached from the creative point of view – without it being limited to technological aspects. Students will understand the physiological and psychological aspects of lighting in interior design and will learn to define lighting project intentions in different types of spaces such as an apparel store, an art exhibition space or a restaurant.

Intensive workshops dedicated to the experimentation of various techniques provided for students: they will be able to choose how to present their final individual project and their print and digital portfolios for further career or education prospects.

The medium of photography is largely defined by its history of black and white pictures. The course will cover camera operation, principles of exposure and photographic composition concepts. The goal of this class is to provide a solid foundation of photographic black and white photography skills and techniques. It provides an overview of classic black and white photography while discussing camera techniques that apply to both traditional film and digital cameras. Students will learn how to effectively use their cameras in manual mode and make good quality negatives. The class includes camera and exposure meter instruction, technical lectures, effective scanning methods and instruction on film/digital crossover techniques.

This is a year-long course building on the Freshman year, the course addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, keep a journal and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to find a solution. Throughout the semester students will work in the studio and/or field in order to create a personal project (12-16 final images in total) that is both formally and conceptually coherent. Possible subjects may fall under themes of environmental portraiture, photographic appropriation or collage, and Fine Art photography inspired by history or geography. The student can also create her/his own personal theme that is not listed here as long as it is agreed upon in class. Finally, students will begin developing their artist statements as they clarify their vision.

This course introduces students to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography. Through demonstrations and hands-on sessions, students learn the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop to produce effective digital photographs. Students are taken through all the basic processes encountered in digital workflow, from basic scanning and retouching, image enhancement, and printing fundamentals, to RAW file processing and photographic post-production methods.

Prerequisite(s): Black & White Photography, Introduction to Digital Photography, Digital Skills & Composition or equivalent.

The emphasis in this fundamental course is the ability to create technically good photographs through proper camera handling and the effective use of simple lighting techniques. Open to all students, this course provides the essential knowledge necessary for any professional image maker, artist or designer in today’s image driven world. Starting with an in-depth understanding of how to maximize the functions of a digital SLR camera, students will be introduced to basic lighting techniques (on-camera and off-camera) in order to maximize the quality of their images. In addition, a component of the course will focus on digital workflow, archiving, retouching and professional output (printing). Through numerous in-class shoots, students will gain first hand experience in producing high-quality images for various purposes such as print or digital portfolios, websites, documentation, promotional material, etc.

This is the first part of a yearlong course of learning and mastering the fundamental techniques of studio lighting. The students become familiar with how to create traditional, practical lighting scenarios in a studio environment. Electronic flashes and tungsten lights will be used to achieve control of color, contrast, and reflection. Lighting techniques are demonstrated and applied in class to various assignments of tabletop still lifes and portraiture. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and of mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment. Assignments will be theme based: headshots, full portraits, and several still lifes.

Prerequisite: Black & White Photography or Introduction to Digital Photography or equivalent.

Students are introduced to basic photography using color materials. Through a year-long study, they learn to master camera controls and film exposure in the format of their choice. Ambient and artificial lighting as well as their impact on various emulsions are examined with an eye towards producing high quality digital color prints, color C-prints and transparencies. Emphasis will be on developing a personal approach and vision using color materials. Exposure to historical antecedents, contemporary readings and criticism are integrated into the course.

This is a year-long course building on the Freshman year, the course addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, keep a journal and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to find a solution. Throughout the semester students will work in the studio and/or field in order to create a personal project (12-16 final images in total) that is both formally and conceptually coherent. Possible subjects may fall under themes of environmental portraiture, photographic appropriation or collage, and Fine Art photography inspired by history or geography. The student can also create her/his own personal theme that is not listed here as long as it is agreed upon in class. Finally, students will begin developing their artist statements as they clarify their vision.

Prerequisites: Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisites for semester 2.

This is the second part of a yearlong course of learning and mastering the fundamental techniques of studio lighting. The students become familiar with how to create traditional, practical lighting scenarios in a studio and also in an outdoor environment using multiple light sources while mixing studio electronic flash with outdoor light. Electronic flashes and tungsten lights will be used to achieve control of color, contrast and reflection. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and of mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment. Lighting techniques are demonstrated and applied in class to various assignments. The class is project based. The students will choose their projects from several themes: headshot/ portraits, nudes, outdoor flash portraits, and in-class still life.

Prerequisite: Lighting Techniques 1

Photographers can’t and don’t take pictures at random. Since photography’s invention, the act of photographing has been framed both by the technical realities of the medium and by social and aesthetic traditions. This course will examine some of the major movements and styles in the history of photography, with particular attention to the rich 1880-1970 period. Through study of the pioneering work of key individuals, we will analyze how creative possibilities changed and expanded over time, and how the options and artistic stances we take for granted emerged historically. Each week will focus on a key movement or conceptual innovation, which we will study through image analysis, historical and technical context and the reading of primary texts by photographers and secondary texts by historians or critics. Students will prepare a presentation in which they analyze a body of images by a photographer of their choice and present a series of their own photographs exploring that photographer’s way of working.