Visual Arts

Courses

Artbeat An excellent foundation for all the other art electives, this course focuses on what art is and why people create it. Students work with a variety of media and techniques, including drawing, painting, sculpting, and working with clay. Weekly lessons in art history help students appreciate a wide variety of art and artists.
Drawing Emphasis is on learning to see. Basic drawing skills are developed along with experiments utilizing many techniques (contour, gesture, value) and media (pen and ink, brush, conte', charcoal, scratch board). Daily sketchbook assignments focus on development of specific drawing skills. Prerequisite: Artbeat or equivalent.
Painting This studio course provides experience in acrylic and watercolor painting. Emphasis is on color theory and the elements and principles of design. Students will experiment with unusual materials (sand, salt, rice paper), colors, and textures to enhance their paintings. Prerequisite: Drawing or instructor's permission.
Two-Dimensional Design Learn to use the elements and principles of design to create exciting two-dimensional art work. Students will experiment with many techniques and media (pen and ink, colored pencils, acrylic paints, pastels, and more). Units in basic design, printmaking, and commercial art (typography and lay-out) are included in this studio course. Prerequisite: Artbeat or equivalent.
Three-Dimensional Design Learning to use the elements and principles of design in their projects, students create three-dimensional forms in a variety of media, including foamboard, wire, plaster, stone, clay and found objects. Weekly studies in art history focus on the prehistoric to modern art periods. Prerequisite: Artbeat or equivalent
Art in Action Students put their artistic skills to active use beyond the classroom. Students will produce art with practical applications such as murals, illustration for publication, program covers, arts in chapel, public art and others. Group and individual projects may integrate art with skills from other disciplines. Emphasis on good design, excellent craftsmanship, communicating positive values, exploring career options and service to school and community. Prerequisite: Artbeat or equivalent.
Ceramics Hand-building techniques and wheel-throwing skills are the focus of this course. Works by master potters and crafts persons are studied in conjunction with student projects. Both functional and sculptural/design assignments provide a wide range of experience in clay. Prerequisite: Artbeat or equivalent.
Advanced Studio Students will study their choice of drawing, painting, or three-dimensional design by following Advanced Placement Portfolio Guidelines. Course work combines art theory (self-paced study), sketchbook assignments, discussions, and independent projects. Prerequisite: Normally students follow the sequence of taking Artbeat, Drawing and Painting or 2-D or 3-D, but they can enroll with special permission from an art instructor.
Photography I This course is an introduction to the field of Photography, both “classic” photography (film cameras, silver-based technology, wet darkroom, black-and-white photographs) and digital photography (computer “darkroom,” Photoshop, output to the web and to paper prints). Students learn to use their cameras better, to take more interesting, better-designed photographs, and to work with silver and digital methods for doing photography. Students must have access to a 35mm film camera capable of being used manually (LMH has film cameras for rent if necessary) and a digital camera. An excellent foundation for all other photography classes. $75 lab fee. Required for student publication photographers.
Photography II This course emphasizes broadening and deepening photographic skills for students who love working in a traditional darkroom. Students explore creative use of camera controls, existing and studio lighting, flash techniques, the history of photography and principles of good composition. Class members make portraits, learn special darkroom techniques and become “master printers.” The class also chooses from a variety of projects, which often include photographing with antique cameras, hand coloring photographs, doing pinhole photography, completing a color photography project and more.
Digital Photography Students continue making photographs, learning to use all the capabilities of their cameras, and improving the design of their images. Emphasis is on learning to use digital cameras, scanners, Photoshop and desktop printers for doing photography as well as continuing to develop “a photographic eye.” Class members sharpen their basic image editing (Photoshop) skills, as well as learn more advanced Photoshop tools such as curves, layers and masks. Ethical issues relating to digital imagery are explored. The course affords students the opportunity to do color photography, and helps students get started in photojournalism, commercial photography and fine art photography directions.

Information About:

Lancaster Mennonite School – 2176 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, PA 17602, telephone: (717-299-0436)