The Riverside Visual Art Department offers a full curriculum of art and media classes. Whether you want to do art  for recreation and relaxation, or plan to pursue a career in the Visual Arts, we have an art class for you!

ART 10

Whether an experienced artist or a beginner, this course will help student to develop artistic skills, confidence and an artistic eye.  While drawing and painting will be a primary focus in this course, 3-D sculpture, printmaking, pottery, collage and photography are some of the other areas that will be pursued.  Enjoy class projects, as well as self-directed work, experimenting with the media of your choice.  This is a sampler class, and therefore an ideal first course to take in the art department.

ART FOUNDATIONS 11

Are you looking for a creative outlet?  This class allows you to express yourself through art in a wide range of areas including; drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, ceramics and more.  Whether you have planned a career in art or just want to be more creative and explore different art techniques, Art 11 will broaden your horizons.

ART FOUNDATIONS 12

This course follows Art 11 and further explores areas such as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design and ceramics with an emphasis on a deeper understanding of the creative process.  Several of these areas are to be explored in-depth through self-designed projects that challenge students to create authentic images and work toward a personal style of expression.  This is an important course for students preparing portfolios but also an enjoyable elective for those looking for an artistic outlet.  

ART CAREERS 12

Art Careers provides experienced art students with the opportunity to further study art, to prepare portfolios for post-secondary institutions or employment and to prepare for showings of work.  Art Careers may draw content from any number of visual expression areas and may be individualized to meet the needs and interests of the student.  Students will work with the teacher to design and develop independent projects.  Marks are based on these projects in addition to written assignments.  *Enrolment in the course must be approved by your art teacher and will be dependent upon the approval of the proposed program of studies.

CERAMICS 10

Learn how to think and then build in 3-D using Mother Nature’s ultimate building material – clay!  Various building techniques such as pinch, coil, slab and wheel throwing will be taught.  Students will also learn to finish their work using under glaze, glaze, and cold finishing techniques.

CERAMICS 11

Planning a career in science?  In medicine?  In Dentistry?  Animation?  All of these careers and many more require that you understand how to think and build in 3D.  In Ceramics 11 you will learn about one of the oldest, yet most versatile building materials known to man – clay!  Learn the various hand building, wheel throwing and decorating techniques.  Other sculptural media such as wood, wire, plaster and stone may be explored. 

CERAMICS 12

This course will give students who have learned basic hand-building and wheel techniques the opportunity to undertake extended studio projects. Further opportunities will be given to work in rigid materials and to make glazes. A report will be done on the historical aspects of clay or sculpture media. 

DRAWING & PAINTING 10

Drawing and painting skills are the foundations of art and are used in many areas including animation, graffiti art, tattoo work and computer & fashion design.  In this course students learn how to draw realistically, to work in the style of popular artists and to develop your own personal style of artwork.  Students will also experiment with media such as pencil, pen, pastel, conte, watercolour, ink, and acrylic paint.  This is a great course for the beginner as well as for those who already know how to draw and paint and want to further develop their skills.

DRAWING AND PAINTING 11

This course is designed for students who have had some experience in drawing and/or painting.  Students will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of artists’ quality drawing and painting materials and will receive instruction in many new techniques.  Students will further develop their skills and imaginations while creating class projects; time is also provided to explore ones’ own ideas and style.  This course is valuable for students who are interested in art as a hobby or as a future career.

DRAWING AND PAINTING 12

This course is for students who want to further explore drawing and painting.  It allows students to work on individual projects in the atmosphere of an artist’s studio.  The emphasis is on composition, skill development and personal image development.  Create personal works that explore a wide variety of media, grounds, sizes and artistic challenges, including 2D and 3D work.  This course is ideal for those who want to further develop their art skills and creativity, including those interested in going on in art.

FILM AND TELEVISION 11

Film and Television 11 is an introductory course in the development of film and television as media forms.  Students will be introduced to the various aspects of the industry such as writing, story-boarding, lighting, sound, camera techniques, editing, set design, costume, make-up and production. They will be involved in both individual and group projects and will be required to work cooperatively throughout the course.  Students involved in this course should expect that extra-curricular time will be required in the production of finished projects. 

FILM AND TELEVISION 12

This course will be an extension of Film/Television 11. Students will continue to develop skills introduced in that course, with an emphasis on the production of original work created by the student.  Introduction to additional skills required in the film and television industries will also be part of this course, and students may also be involved in the production of school, community and other co-produced projects. 

PHOTOGRAPHY 10

Students will learn the basic photographic principles of using digital cameras.  You will learn to develop the ability to “see” what makes a great photo and how to “think” like a photographer, no matter what kind of camera you are using. You will learn how to use all the features of digital cameras,( including aperture and shutter speed) and how to use the computer programs on the Mac that support the digital photographer. Graphic techniques such as photomontage, page layout and design, and many other hand and computer graphic techniques will be included. 

PHOTOGRAPHY 11

Do you have a photographic eye?  Find out in this exciting course.  Explore the darkroom and produce your own unique black and white photos.  Learn the skills necessary to take clear, well-exposed photographs with a manual camera in this course, which is suitable for beginners as well as those with experience.  Look forward to a field trip to Seattle or Downtown Vancouver.  Learn to alter your images in creative ways using hand colouring and alternative techniques such as toning and photo transfer.  Try your hand at digital imaging using Adobe PhotoShop to create CD covers of your favourite bands.  This course will prepare you for a career in the visual arts or give you the skills to pursue photography as a hobby.  Students must be prepared to purchase additional film and photo paper.  Access to a 35mm camera would be beneficial.

PHOTOGRAPHY 12

Photo 12 is structured similarly to Photo 11.  It extends and builds on the concepts and skills previously learned.  Learn how to take professional-looking portraits and stills using studio lighting techniques.  Advanced alternative techniques such as painting with light, photo transfer, toning and double exposure will be explored.  You will also experiment with different types of film, camera equipment, and photo papers.  Field trips to galleries and photo shoots will be an important part of the course.  Adobe PhotoShop will be used to create digital images and a CD ROM portfolio of your work will be produced.  Photo 12 is essential for students pursuing a career in the visual arts.  Students must be prepared to complete some photography and dark room assignments on their own time and purchase additional film and photo paper as necessary.   Access to a 35 mm camera is recommended. 

GRAPHIC DESIGN 12

Pre-requisite Photo 11

Take your design and photography skills to the next level.  The emphasis is on personal imagery and style development through graphic design projects.  Students will have an opportunity to work in multiple media and develop more advanced art skills while exploring personal interests and favourite subjects.  Students will choose from advanced darkroom photography, digital image creation and traditional printmaking methods.  Adobe Photoshop will be taught and other print media

WORK EXPERIENCE 12 – ART FOCUS

Art Work Experience can be taken in grade 11 or 12.  This Art focused program is designed to provide students with work readiness skills and opportunities to explore careers in the Fine Arts.  Students complete 100 hours of work experience at sites throughout the community in art related positions.  Placements will be tailored to fit with each student’s needs, interests and abilities.  In the past students have worked in fields such as: Art Education, Photography, Film, Costume Design, Commercial Design, Robotics, Architecture, Game and Web Design.  A portion of the Graduation Transition 12 and Work Experience hours required for graduation are completed during this course.  Students will gain valuable experience and references from their work placement easing their transition to post secondary studies and the work world.

YEARBOOK 10

Help create the moments that last for a lifetime! In Yearbook 10 you will learn both the practical and creative sides of photojournalism and desktop publishing. Students will learn to develop a journalistic style of writing, computer layout, graphic design techniques, traditional and digital photography. Students will be introduced to Adobe PhotoShop and PageMaker to create digital layouts. All of these concepts and techniques will be used to create our Riverside yearbook. Yearbook students will also have a chance to get involved with creating moving image presentations, learning digital editing and sound.

YEARBOOK 11

You will have an active hand in producing the Riverside yearbook.  Both the practical and creative sides of photojournalism and desktop publishing will be covered.  Students will be introduced to on-line page layout and design and design and Photoshop to create digital layouts.

YEARBOOK 12

In Yearbook 12 students will build on the techniques and creative skills learned in Yearbook 11. This course will allow students to take on a leadership role as they develop the main creative graphic, layout and pictorial ideas of the yearbook.  Students will continue to master graphic layout design principles and techniques, photo journalism, caption and headline writing as they build the key thematic direction of the book.