Two-dimensional Artwork
Drawing is addressed as both a primary focus area as well as an essential course of study for all studio disciplines. The drawing curriculum starts by building a strong technical and conceptual foundation. That way, students can develop their individual voices as they advance through the program with a strong understanding of form and space.
As one moves to higher level courses in drawing, its definition expands to be more inclusive: works on paper, displayed on the wall, with a meaningful element done by hand. Hence, our advanced students often explore intersectional means of drawing, blurring the distinctions between painting, printmaking, digital imaging and even sculptural expressions.
Those who pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in drawing work within a cohort that often includes painting majors, in which a community of artists meets regularly to support each other and engage in critical discourse outside of class time. Some drawing BFAs choose to pursue dual degrees with a teacher certification in art education.
Recently, BFA students who concentrated in drawing have pursued graduate degrees at Indiana University, Washington University and the University of Nebraska.
The drawing studios are well lit with natural light, equipped with articulated skeletons, a large collection of still life objects and figurative sculpture casts, and personal storage of drawings in flat files.
Policy for the Study of Nude Models in SIUE Figure Drawing Classes
Prepared by Brigham Dimick, Associate Professor in Art and Design
- Studying the nude is an enduring form of artistic and creative expression.
- Faculty in the drawing area of the SIUE Department of Art and Design are custodians of a time-honored tradition that links artistic development from contemporary art all the way back to the Classical Greece-inspired work of the Renaissance.
- Our commitment to holistic enrichment involves the study of the human nude. Such study bridges aesthetic development with biological science (human anatomy), and upholds a time-tested tradition of study in visual arts training.
- We uphold standards of propriety by strictly adhering to guidelines that maintain a professional distance between models and students, as well as models and instructors.
- We communicate and maintain a policy of zero tolerance for anything lewd or disrespectful.
- As part of our BA and BFA degrees, we require all students to enroll in ART112C. This course’s focus is on the practice and theory of drawing as it relates to the human form.
- Since direct observation of the human nude is the main component in the course’s study, we do not offer an opt-out option.
- We do accept transfer credit for the course if the applicant’s study in another school demonstrates essential competencies in drawing the human form from observation.
