Syllabus

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Winter 2016
Mohamed Danawi
Haymans Hall room 308
912-525-5186
M/T/W/Th 7AM-8AM
mdanawi@scad.edu
HAYMAN 214
Monday / Wednesday
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM

School of Communication Arts, Department of Illustration, Savannah

ILLU 213 - Introduction to Illustration

Section: 01 CRN: 21448

SCAD Mission:
The Savannah College of Art and Design exists to prepare talented students for professional
careers, emphasizing learning through individual attention in a positively oriented university
environment.
Course Description:
This course explores illustration as a means of communicating ideas. Classes are designed
around a series of problems and illustration experiences for which there are no pre-established
solutions. Various materials and techniques are explored. Prerequisite(s): DSGN 101, ILLU
205.
Course Goals: The following course goals articulate the general objectives and purpose of
this course:
1. Students will utilize creative processes to design successful illustrations in response to
given briefs or manuscripts.
2. Students will produce well-crafted, successfully-designed illustrations for various
clients and markets.
3. Students will communicate content and subject effectively using visual language.
Student Learning Outcomes: The following course outcomes indicate competencies and

measurable skills that students develop as a result of completing this course:

1. Students will develop and refine ideas by following professional illustration and art
direction protocols, such as the process from thumbnail sketch to finish.
2. Students will articulate concept development and explain design decisions through
their process books, sketchbooks and final pieces. They will provide evidence of
experimentation with various materials and techniques, critical analysis and evaluation
of decisions throughout the design process, and the use of research to inform design
decisions.
3. Students will effectively employ art and design principles in the formulation and
execution of finished, professional-level illustrations.
4. Students will effectively use a range of materials and techniques in the production of
finished illustrations.
5. Students will effectively apply fundamental design principles, such as concept and
composition, to visually interpret ideas drawn from texts and assignments and
translate them into effective illustrations for given markets.

Schedule of Classes:
Key events including assignments, projects due dates/exam dates:
Class 1:
Wed,
January
6, 2016

Pre test.
Instruct. Class introduction, review of syllabus.
Lecture by the professor about the top 5 illustration markets.
Assess. In-class exercise on figure drawing in motion.
Lecture on the role of sketchbook/process book in this course.
Assign. Homework due: Editorial illustration. Develop ideas in the
form of thumbnails based on the topic of the article provided.

Class 2:
Mon,
January
11, 2016

Assess. Students present the homework thumbnails and their

editorial ideas for review and group discussion. Professor and
entire class act as art director/editor during this review to help
individuals identify best editorial idea to move forward.
Instruct. Showcasing successful examples of editorial illustrations
class discussion.
Assign. Homework students make two sketch variations
towards article page layout using page templates supplied.

Class 3:
Wed,
January
13, 2016

Assess. Class review of students two sketches layouts and ideas.

Professor acts as art-director/editor.
Instruct. Demonstrate examples of successful sketches and
editorial comps.

Assign. in-class revisions of sketches based on feedback desk

reviews with professor of sketching strategies. Professor raises
significant discussion points to whole class.
Homework Begin working on cover painting technique.
Class 4:
Mon,
January
18, 2016
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Makeup
is Friday, January 22, 2016

for MLK, Jr.

Instruct. Lecture/demo on successful illustration techniques and

media for editorial use. Showing examples of various illustration
styles.
Class discussion follows.
Assess. Class critique of final editorial illustrations. Active
discussion when important points arise. Students will take notes
based on class feedback.
Assign. Homework: childrens book character development and
narrative illustration based on Edward Lears limericks. Thumbnail
sheets must be completed over the weekend for book page
layout.
Class 5:
Wed,
January
20, 2016

Instruct. Lecture/demo on childrens book illustration using the

pen and ink techniques. Discussions.
Assign. In-class work on practicing inking technique using
examples of various illustrators desk reviews with professor on
thumbnail strategies. Assess. Professor discusses in-class work
results with students and points out various inking techniques.
Students participate.
Assign. Homework-Develop two tightly rendered pencil sketches
for the same limerick.

Class 6:
Mon,
January
25, 2016

Instruct. Lecture about rendering and shading using light sources

and shadows. Showing examples of successful value studies
Assign. Students will complete 2 rendered sketches for critique.
Assess. Evaluations of students sketches and selecting the best
result to finalize and ink.
Homework Begin planning and working on line drawing with ink
for the final limerick illustration.

Class 7:
Wed,
January
27, 2016

Instruct. Lecture/demo on inking techniques

Video: Fears of the Dark. Ink and pencil animation. Discussion.
Assign In-class work on inking process. Assess desk reviews
with professor on inking strategies. Professor raises significant
discussion points to whole class.
Assign. Homework final inked illustration must be complete.
Students to document project process for presentation next class.
Place in drop-box.

Class 8:
Mon,
February
1, 2016

Assess. Full class critique of final childrens book illustration

results. Instruct. Students take notes. Students participate.
Assign. Homework Three poster designs based on social
issues or public events. students research poster design solutions
based on topics and Internet links provided.
Students will prepare various thumbnails for discussions next
class.
Instruct.Lecture on designing with wit and showing various
examples.

Class 9:
Wed,
February
3, 2016

Assess. Review of students poster ideas, thumbnails, research

and discussion of the impact of powerful concepts using simple
design language. Students present their conceptual solutions.
Assign. In-class work on individual areas for improvement
towards a successful comp solution desk reviews with professor
on all strategies. Professor raises significant discussion points to
whole class.
Instruct. Lecture on various poster designers and showing
examples of successful solutions.
Showing various examples of students mocked-up posters from
successful past assignments.
Students take notes.
Assign. Homework. Create 3 pencil mock-ups for the three poster
solutions for next class. Submit to drop box.

Class 10:
Mon,
February
8, 2016

Assign. In-class work on individual areas for improvement

towards final pencil comps and compositional elements desk
reviews with professor on all strategies involving type placement
and image. Professor raises significant discussion points to whole
class.
Instruct. Demo on prototyping and mocking-up posters on various
surfaces using templates provided.
Assess. Critique of students pencil comps.

Homework prepare for mid-term conference and review of work

in progress on all three posters.
Class 11: Instruct. Lecture/demo: Hand lettering versus type and talk on
Wed,
how various illustrators have approached combining type and
February image.
10, 2016
Assess. Desk reviews on individual strategies applied to the
poster solutions and traditional versus digital technique applied.
Professor raises significant discussion points to whole class.
Assign. Homework: Students finalize poster images Submit to
drop box.
Class 12: Assess. Full class critique of progress so far. From drop box.
Mon,
Students participate and take notes. Instruct. Professor to offer
February tips and advice.
15, 2016
Assign. Students to start applying type/hand lettering to the
poster images.
Homework: Work continues on final posters with type. Submit to
drop box.
Class 13: Assess. Group critique of final poster solutions along with
Wed,
mocked-up versions. Students take notes for areas of
February improvements and participate through group discussions.
17, 2016
Instruct. Lecture on character design and development
showcasing realistic, cartoon and design approaches to obtain
various stylistic solutions.
Assign. Students are assigned the creation and development of
five individual characters with a cohesive style. Students will
research the topic of characters along with developing rough
pencil sketches of each character to be due next class.
Class 14: Instruct. Lecture/demo. Figure drawing using lines vs. shapes.
Mon,
Drawing vs. design approaches in figure drawing.
February
22, 2016 Assess. In-class work on character tight sketches. Desk reviews
with professor on all strategies involving poses, facial expressions,
costumes and cohesive style. Professor raises significant
discussion points to whole class.
Assign. Homework select one pose per character to begin the
coloring and finalizing.

Class 15:
Wed,
February
24, 2016

Assess. Desk reviews of coloring progress so far. Students

participate and take notes. Instruct. Professor to offer tips and
advice. Lecture: showcasing various character design galleries
on-line and successful students solutions from previous classes.
Assign. Individual homework arises from desk reviews. Students
agree individual goals pertaining to coloring process, value
rendering and texture application with professor in class, and take
notes. All linear drawing and proportion issues to be resolved.
Homework: Work continues on final characters. Submit to drop
box.

Class 16: Instruct. Lecture/demo. Bus side advertising, showcasing

Mon,
examples of various layout solutions and application on bus
February template.
29, 2016
Assess. Critique of final character designs. Students take notes
and participate in a written critique.
Assign. Homework: Students will create various thumbnails for
bus side layout solution.
Assign. Students are assigned to research various illustrators and
prepare for an interview with a professional illustrator and class
presentation.
Class 17: Instruct. Lecture/demo on contracts, invoicing, promotion and
Wed,
business strategies based on professors own examples.
March 2,
Assess. Critique of students bus side layout proposals. Students
2016
take notes.
Assign. Homework: Students agree individual goals with
professor in class, and take notes. Students will begin working on
final blueprint/line drawing of character layout to be placed on a
bus side template. Submit to drop box.
Class 18: Assess. Desk review of layout blueprints. Students take notes.
Mon,
March 7, Instruct. Professor shows examples of Power Point presentations
and format.
2016
Assign. First group of students will present their interview
assignments individually to the class.
Homework: Work continues on final art. Submit to drop box.
Class 19: Instruct. Professor reviews and demonstrates the ILLU naming
Wed,
convention and describes the file/archive requirements.
March 9,
Instruct. Professor will show successful layout process and
2016
demonstrates how to present the final project layout involving
character line ups, composition of characters in action and bus

template layout.
Assess. Desk reviews with professor on final work. Professor
raises significant discussion points to whole class.
Assign. Second group of students will present their interview
assignments individually to the class.
Class 20: Assign/instruct. Post test and discussion/review of answers.
Mon,
Assess. Final critique from drop box of students final project.
March
14, 2016 Students will take notes. Each individual student will present their
solution on the monitor and explains the whole process by going
through the PDF process book.
Research and interview projects in Power Point format are
collected by professor.

Grading Opportunities:
Your overall course grade will be computed according to the following breakdown:
Assignment

Weight

Project 1

20.00 percent

Editorial Market. Magazine cover.

Project 2

20.00 percent

Children's Books Market. Edward Lear limericks.

Project 3

20.00 percent

Advertising Market: Poster Design and Conceptual

Wit.
Project 4

20.00 percent

Character Development and Bus Side Advertising.

Project 5
Interview and Presentation
Interview with a commercial artist+presentation+typed
report.

20.00 percent

Total Weight

100 percent

Grading Standards

Range

Letter grade: A = excellent

90 100 %

Letter grade: B = good

80 89 %

Letter grade: C = *

70 79 %

Letter grade: D = *

60 69%

Letter grade: F = failing

0 59%

*Refer to the student handbooks and departmental standards for minimal

acceptance for passing grade.

Course Information:
Field Trip(s):
Chris Sickles will be visiting us in Savannah on February 10-12, 2016. Chris will be giving a
presentation on February 11th at 5pm held at the SCAD Museum of Art Theater. The topic will be
"Art Ain't Pretty".

Extra Help Session(s):

Friday, Feb 12 2016
8-12 AM room 105

Extended Learning Opportunities:

Emily Grotheer
Presentation: One Show College Competition Tuesday, January 19
Student Center 5:00 6:00 p.m.

Other Course Information:

Late Policy: All assignments are due on time during the scheduled critique day. Students
will have the opportunity to revise their assignment and resubmit one week after the critique
day. Any late assignments due to various circumstances will be dealt with on a case-to-case
basis.

Course Materials:
Required Text(s):
Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. by Graphic Artist's Guild
(Author).
ISBN-13: 978-0932102164

Recommended Text(s):
None

Required Material(s):
Will be discussed with each project depending on student's indivisual needs.

University Policies:
Academic Integrity:
Under all circumstances, students are expected to be honest in their dealings with faculty,
administrative staff and other students.
In class assignments, students must submit work that fairly and accurately reflects their level
of accomplishment. Any work that is not a product of the student's own efforts is considered
dishonest. Students must not engage in academic dishonesty; doing so can have serious
consequences.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Cheating, which includes, but is not limited to, (a) the giving or receiving of any
unauthorized assistance in producing assignments or taking quizzes, tests or examinations;
(b) dependence on the aid of sources including technology beyond those authorized by the
instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems or carrying out other
assignments; (c) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material
belonging to a member of the university faculty or staff; or (d) the use of unauthorized
assistance in the preparation of works of art.
2. Plagiarism, which includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct
quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear
acknowledgment. Plagiarism also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared
by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic
materials.
3. Submission of the same work in two or more classes without prior written approval of the
professors of the classes involved.
4. Submission of any work not actually produced by the student submitting the work without
full and clear written acknowledgement of the actual author or creator of the work.
Attendance and Personal Conduct:
Only students who are properly registered for a course may attend and participate in that
class. Students are expected to attend and participate in all scheduled classes and
examination periods. Absences in excess of four class periods per quarter, or 20 percent of

the course, result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course. Tardiness, early
departure or other time away from class in excess of 15 minutes per class session is
considered absence for the class session.
The student's appearance and conduct should be appropriate and should contribute to the
academic and professional atmosphere of SCAD. The university reserves the right at its sole
discretion to withdraw the privilege of enrollment from any student whose conduct is
detrimental to the academic environment or to the well-being of other students, faculty or
staff members, or to the university facilities.
Enrollment policies:
Students are responsible for assuring proper enrollment. See the SCAD catalog for
information on add/drop, withdrawals, incompletes, and academic standing.
Midterm Conference(s):
Each student enrolled in the course will have a midterm conference scheduled outside of
class time with the professor. Students are expected to keep this appointment.
Academic Support and Tutoring:
Academic support for students at all SCAD locations can be found in MySCAD, under the
Student Workspace tab, Department Directory, Academic Resources.
Course Evaluations:
SCAD offers students the opportunity to evaluate all scheduled courses during each quarter
term. Student feedback is essential to continuously improve academic services at SCAD.
Evaluations will be available the end of each quarter at the beginning of Week 8 and must be
completed online by the Monday following Week 10. A sample course evaluation for
on-ground courses is available here.
In order to access course evaluations, the student should take the following steps:
1. Log on to MySCAD
2. Click on the Student Workspace Tab
3. Locate the Course Evaluations link under My Courses channel
4. This will bring up a page that says current surveys and lists all the courses that are
currently available for evaluation.
For more information or questions, contact us at evaluations@scad.edu.
Student Surveys:
The SCAD Student Survey and the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory will both be
administered in Week 4 of spring quarter . SCAD's office of institutional effectiveness is
responsible for gathering and delivering survey results to decision-makers on campus. For
more information or questions, contact surveys@scad.edu.
Please refer to the college catalog or the student handbook for all college policies and
procedures.
Student Surveys:
Students are strongly encouraged to provide feedback on their university experience
through SCADs institutional surveys. The SCAD Student Survey and the Noel-Levitz
Student Satisfaction Inventory will both be administered in spring quarter. SCAD Student
Survey will be emailed to every students email account starting in Week 1 and will remain
open through Week 6. The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory will be administered
on paper during Week 4 of spring quarter. SCADs office of institutional effectiveness is
responsible for gathering and delivering survey results to decision-makers on campus. For
more information or questions, contact us at surveys@scad.edu.