Foundation

This course provides an introduction to principles and elements of expression, using traditional and digital drawing materials and theories. Students learn to use design principles to organize and build a composition. Through the use of line, mark-making and value, students develop the ability to translate shape, volume and space onto a drawing surface. Concepts of perspective and proportion aid in the interpretation of the three-dimensional world onto atwo-dimensional picture plane. Students also develop methods of communication through drawing, using a variety of conventional tools as well as new digital technologies. Research contextualizes studio practice to historic and contemporary drawing. Students are be introduced to the figure as subject. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

How do artists and designers construct meaning through imagery? In this course, students use traditional, digital and lens-based media to explore the two-dimensional organizing principles of imagery and surface in art and design. Through various methods of generating planar imagery, students acquire effective methods and tools to communicate visually. Course content explores representational and abstract imagery and how it is affected by context in visual culture. Based on the scope of a student's projects or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

In this course, students conduct in-depth visual research as part of the idea generation process. Through experimentation, risk-taking and trial and error, students learn to change direction in favor of a stronger result. Shared themes contextualize learning and promote a deeper understanding of one's personal creative process. Form and media explored in this course vary depending on a student's solution to a given problem. Based on the scope of a student's projects or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

All Moore students get to take a class in their major during their very first semester at Moore! Scroll down the page to see Bridge-to-Major classes for each program of study.

This course explores the identity of color through the attributes of hue, value and chroma. The progression of the semester includes an investigation of color experience and how the theory applies to various fields and media. The behavior of color is examined through the exploration of additive and subtractive color mixing. Additionally, through research, students investigate the psychology, trends and symbolism of color. Students gain an understanding of the interaction between digital and physical properties of color. Students also gain an appreciation of color that enriches their visual communication in their future disciplines. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies.

In this course, students investigate form in space, time and motion with planning and problem solving strategies. Students also learn the formal application of design principles and elements exploring axis, volume, plane and mass. Working in a wide range of materials, students realize structural solutions by gaining an understanding of dimensional relationships. Time and motion are explored in actual, virtual and implied space. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

In this course, students conduct in-depth visual research as part of the idea generation process. Through experimentation, risk-taking and trial and error, students learn to change direction in favor of a stronger result. Shared themes contextualize learning and promote a deeper understanding of one's personal creative process. Form and media explored in this course vary depending on a student's solution to a given problem. Based on the scope of a student's projects or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies.

Foundation students may choose between these two classes during their spring Foundaiton semester, depending upon their course of study.

Drawing Visual Communication (FN116)

This course seeks to improve the skills required for students entering art and design majors. Emphasis is placed on both clothed and nude dynamic figure drawing and expressive anatomy. Students also explore cinematic and narrative compositional methods and techniques to represent the figure and objects within space. Students continue to develop existing drawing skills with increased proficiency in perceptual drawing strategies, to capture accurate perspective, proportion and placement regarding still-life objects, interior spaces and the human figure. Based on the scope of a student's projects or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies.

Creative Design (FN117)

This course delves deeper into the fundamentals of the creative process and understanding of design language. Building upon skills acquired in 2D Design and 3D Design, this course applies those skills utilizing design visualization projects to advance the understanding of both 2D and 3D work. Students explore the design process from idea conception and design development through final design presentation. Students may engage in activities to help them consider design through photography, sketching, diagramming and model making. Using a variety of analog and digital modalities, students place their finished designs into a a real-world setting. Through guest lecturers, field trips, class discussions, critiques and making, students explore design as a process. 

This course focuses on the 12 basic principles of creating the illusion of movement through the sequencing of still images. Emphasis will be placed on basic animation fundamentals such as cycles, squash and stretch, anticipation/reaction, etc. Students are introduced to a variety of styles and techniques like paper cutout, 2D puppetry, frame by frame, and straight-ahead animation. Students will end the course with a short animated piece that incorporates all of the skills learned in class.

This course offers an experiential and theoretical introduction to community-based art education and takes place both on- and off-campus as we teach art at community-based site/s. Students will focus on a collaborative project based on a Philadelphia-based community organization that serves diverse populations, ages and learners. In addition to building skills in community-based art processes (i.e. communication, planning, collaboration, mentorship and leadership), students will also gain exposure to the national and local landscape of community-based art through academic discussion, research and field trips to Philadelphia-based sites.

This course addresses the basic elements of fashion design processes including trend investigation, consumer research, storyboarding, color story, textile development, fabric identification, design innovation and sketching creative ideas. Students will also receive an introduction to the apparel history, business and marketing sides of the industry. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies.

The moving image is a part of everyday life. Film, video, and other forms of media are consumed on televisions, computers, tablets, phones, billboards, and in cinemas. This course will introduce students to the anatomy and complexity of the imagery and sound they ingest and provide the tools to start dissecting that media while also creating their own stories. Coursework includes faculty and guest presentations, various screens, studio and lab time, as well as hands-on experience with various types of film and audio/visual equipment.

This course introduces students to a wide range of printmaking techniques, including but not limited to monotype, intaglio and relief. In this process-intensive course, students will explore, both formally and conceptually, the construction of images. Through technique-based instruction, presentations, class discussions and critiques, students develop their abilities for critical thinking and expression. Throughout the course, students are exposed to the work of a diverse group of printmakers and contemporary artists who use the medium to explore and expand their existing studio practices. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies.

Making the transition into the professional discipline of graphic design requires skills in sketching, design process development and presentation. This class helps students build these skills, working toward the development of a professional level of conceptualization and craftsmanship. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

This course celebrates artists as storytellers and illustrators, through a survey of selected genres of visual communication from 1800 to 1950. Styles, trends and subject matter are viewed as responses to technological advances, historical events, contemporary art trends, cross-cultural influence and changing reader expectations. Studio illustration assignments, readings, discussions and research projects concentrate on illustration and ephemera from the Golden Age of Illustration through the 1950s. Students are encouraged to consider how the history of illustration could inspire their own work.

This class introduces students to the skills that are necessary for drawing plans, sections and axonometrics of interiors. Three-dimensional drawing is emphasized because, for the interior designer, all drawing and design processes require three-dimensional thinking. This is a course in thinking and seeing, as well as drawing. Based on the scope of a student's project or level of study, there may be additional costs for materials and supplies. 

Photographic imagery saturates contemporary culture. This course examines the complex visual, creative, and conceptual strategies and processes by which photographs are generated. Students learn the essential core technical skills of manual camera operation, film processing and printing photographs in a darkroom as well as the theory, history and critical discourse that has contributed to the rich and diverse legacy of the medium. In addition, students learn to integrate ideas into their practice by developing an awareness of extended lens-based opportunities that increasingly shape the future of photography.