LAAFA is no longer accepting students into the Intensive Programs. We are in the process of obtaining approval for new programs to start in 2024.
Our accredited Intensive Art Tracks are designed for serious students who are passionate and motivated to develop their skills in a structured academic environment. Accepted students can expect small classes, personalized and in-depth instruction from our distinguished professional instructors, plus the same core curriculum classes offered in our accredited Degree and Certificate Programs.
Entrance RequirementsDrawing Diploma Curriculum Fine Art Fundamentals Diploma CurriculumEntertainment Art Diploma Curriculum
- A Portfolio – Containing no less than ten and no more than fifteen of your most recent and best two-dimensional artwork pieces – Students must include at least 3 figurative drawings from life and 5 pages (equals 1 piece) from your sketchbook. Artworks created from photographs are strongly discouraged. Please view our “What Makes A Good Portfolio” document. Images must be in JPEG format. Images should be as close to 800 X 1200 pixel and 72 DPI. The JPEG must also be large enough to show your entire piece (do not crop your artwork). Each JPEG file must be labeled with a number, and the student’s name. Include a list of portfolio pieces with your submission. Include numbers corresponding to the images submitted, as well as title of work, description of piece, concept and/or subject matter, size, medium, and completion date.
- One Required Drawing – Applicants must complete a drawing of a glass and an egg. The drawing must be done in charcoal or graphite on white paper. It can be any glass and egg of your choosing. We are looking for quality of execution and innovative concepts.
- Students will be required to attend at least one on-campus or online interview during the entrance process. These interviews will help determine students who possess and communicate their passion, motivation, and preparation to succeed in a structured intensive program.
- Students are required to submit a video that expresses who you are as an artist and the creative process of a piece of artwork. Introduce yourself – Give us a brief introduction of yourself and your experience as an artist. Video length from 2 to 5 minutes. Please submit your video file with your full name here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/ArWaTXBYUfwSxXYyme61.
- A one- or two-page Essay or Personal Statement – An essay or personal statement will express your commitment to representational use of the figure in making contemporary art. In addition, please address why you feel LAAFA is the best choice in pursuing your educational goals. Students are strongly encouraged to review LAAFA’s mission statement.
- LAAFA must receive (from different sources) at least two letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the student’s artistic desire, talent, and goals or work ethic, dependability, and strengths. These letters may come from teachers, mentors, or supervisors.
- A copy of your high school diploma/proof of graduation or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) is required. If you are currently enrolled in high school, please submit transcripts showing your current progress and projected date of completion. Official Sealed Transcripts must be sent from your high school directly to the Registrar.
LAAFA is currently not accepting new students. We are in the process of obtaining approval for new programs to start in 2024. Please email us if you are interested in learning more.
Drawing Diploma – The 1-year Intensive Drawing Track’s sequential curriculum focuses on drawing from direct observation. Students will have a working proficiency of the human form as it relates to traditional representation in drawing. In addition, students will learn solid draftsmanship and technical skills in Classic Academic and Figure Construction, which will give students a well-developed understanding of line, form, structure, shadow, tone, light, edges, and the human anatomy. The curriculum for this track mirrors the courses outlined in the first year of the degree and certificate fine art programs. Exclusive of art history, students in this track are not required to take any additional general education courses. Students may apply to matriculate to the degree or certificate program.
Studio Core Classes – 46.5
Non-Studio Core Classes – 6
YEAR 1 QUARTER 1 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW1010 Drawing 1A: Beginning Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: NA
This course is an introduction to drawing. Students will learn how to depict the illusion of three-dimensional objects through the language of linear and tonal drawing. The subjects of the sphere, cube, cone, cylinder, egg and cylindrical ring are possible subjects that will serve as foundational elements for the later study of casts and the human figure in subsequent courses in the curriculum. This course will introduce the student to ideas of linear construction using complex cross-contour analysis of form. Students will also be introduced to the properties of light and shadow necessary in the depiction of form. In the second half of the term, the course will proceed to linear and tonal investigation of more complex, hybrid geometric forms.
DW2010 Drawing 1B: Sight-Size Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: NA
This course will introduce the student to the first step in a process of drawing from direct observation using the classical Sight-Size Technique. The course will begin with learning how to make an accurate silhouette (block –in) of inanimate objects, and will then proceed to complete linear drawings of the Cast, in which both primary and secondary forms are represented in block-in language. Proportions, line quality, and the abstraction of 3-dimensional objects as 2 dimensional shapes will be applied to each drawing in order to create a block-in that is accurate enough to continue to a finish. Students will resolve themselves to the study of drawing in the Sight-Size method with the understanding that comparative measuring/observational drawing will be the focus of Drawing 2B in the following quarter.
DW1020 Figure Construction 1: The Gesture
3 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Figure Construction 1 will primarily focus on the Gesture of human form and introduce students to the abstraction of human forms into simple geometric shapes, volumes and solids. Through the repetition of many quick studies, the student will understand the idea of rhythm, flow, fluidity as well as the basic proportions and forms of the human figure. This course will emphasize the ability to use gesture drawing as a foundation for proportion, posture, balance and weight distribution. Students will also learn to see gesture drawing as a planning stage for more elaborate drawings made later in the curriculum.
DS1080 Perspective 1
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: NA
In an introductory drawing course with an emphasis on linear perspective, students will learn how to draw three-dimensional objects in one, two, and three-point perspective, gaining a thorough understanding of the principles, theories and applications of perspective techniques.
SC1040 Anatomy/Ecorché 1
2 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Anatomy/Ecorché 1 is the first of two classes that are intended to give students a thorough understanding of the superficial anatomy of the human form. Students will sculpt both the bones and muscles of the entire figure. Through a series of rigorous weekly lectures the student will be able to understand the movements, proportions, and form of individual muscles and bones as well as the human figure in its entirety. The knowledge gained in this class will be applicable to any media or style.
DS1050 Composition 1: Structure/Visual Dynamics/Aesthetic-Psychological Division
2 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Composition 1 will begin to teach the student the difference between simply drawing what they see and organizing the elements of design within a picture plane. Principles of contrast, balance and imbalance, tension and release, harmony, placement and division of the frame for aesthetics, dynamism, reading order, and innate psychological effects of design are the main emphases. Students will be introduced to the primary and secondary elements of design and begin to understand how to use them to fluently move their
YEAR 1 QUARTER 2 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW3010 Drawing 2A: Intermediate Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 1A, Drawing 1B
This course will provide a continued examination of Light and Shade Theory, as well as the process/technique of rendering form. More complex ideas about Light and Shade Theory will be discussed. Using challenging subject matter such as plaster casts and other still life objects, students will begin to hone their ability to control edges, compose values of light and shadow, and create a value hierarchy. Studies may also include drawing from photography to understand subtle transitions in value.
DW4010 Drawing 2B: Comparative-Observational Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 1A, Drawing 1B
This course is a continued examination of the processes used to create a drawing from direct observation, and the measuring techniques used to do so. This course will apply the sensibilities learned from drawing 1B and apply it to challenging subject matter. While drawing 1B focused on the Site-Size method of drawing, Drawing 2B will emphasize comparative measuring/observational drawing techniques. Study will begin with carefully measured linear drawings of Greek and Roman casts and will proceed to complex linear drawings of the live model, with an emphasis on observational measuring. Students will also begin to learn how to abstract the human form into geometric shape in the French Academic block-in technique. While the emphasis of this course is on accurate linear drawing, some inclusion of Light and Shade Theory may occur in the latter half of the term.
DW2020 Figure Construction 2: The Figure as Simple Geometric Forms
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 1, Perspective 1, Anatomy 1
Figure Construction 2 will solidify students’ understanding of the geometric conception of the human figure. Students will understand the human form as a series of interlocking cylinders, cones, spheres, cubes, rectilinear solids, ovoid masses, as well as complex, hybrid geometric volumes. This course will also introduce the student to anatomical construction of muscle and bone groups, including discussions of Bony Landmarks. There will also be strong emphasis on the usage of an established proportion system, selected by the instructor, to be utilized throughout the term. Emphasis of this course will fall on natural linear drawing of the form as opposed to tonal development of the form. Line quality/variation will also play an integral role in this course, as well as the continued use of Gesture drawing as a building block form the previous course, Figure Construction 1.
DS2050 Composition 2: Tones, Shapes, Viewpoints and Mood
2 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 1
Composition 2 will teach the students how to key values and use alternative points of view to create emotive states and conceptual settings within a piece. This class will also teach the student the various degrees of the illusion of depth and how they contribute to mood and meaning.
SC2040 Anatomy/Ecorché 2
3 credits
Prerequisites: Anatomy 1
Students will analyze the important muscles needed to create convincing figures and will also learn about the surface anatomy such as the fat distribution and the fasciae that surrounds every inch of the living form. Through thought out, easily understood assignments the student will more easily understand the living form of the model and also to create more easily from the imagination, but most importantly to have the confidence to edit the living model and therefore interpret more poetically what he/she sees and make the drawing or painting more personal. With each week there will be a homework assignment that reinforces the lecture of that week. Two tests will be given during the term, one at the five -week/half-way point focusing on the muscles up to that point and a vocabulary test. The other is the final exam whereby the student has to name the muscles of the body given by the instructor during the course of the term.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 3 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW5010 Drawing 3A: Advanced Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B
This course will require the completion of a mid-sized/large rendering of the full human figure demonstrating an advanced understanding of Form and Light. Emphasis will be on moving from planning stages of the drawing, through studies of the pose, and into the final execution of a finished piece. Final presentation must demonstrate fine craftsmanship in the drawing practice and may also include matting and framing. Emphasis of this course is on the rendering the human form itself, and not of background elements or the figure as a spatial element, which will occur in Drawing 4.
DW6010 Drawing 3B: Precision Portrait Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B
Focusing on the complexity of the human head, students will engage in the act of portrait drawing with an emphasis on precision and capturing the idiosyncratic proportions, features, and likeness of an individual’s face. Lectures will focus on the structure of the features as derived from classical Greco/Roman aesthetics as well as the
Italian Renaissance, and how to utilize their structures in decoding/understanding more naturalized forms as observed on the life model. Discussions will include in-depth form concepts applicable to painting and sculpture.
Students will experience the possibilities of drawing the head from different vantage points, angles and perspectives, and will consider the varying art historical periods associated with these differences. Study will also include the incorporation of the hand as part of the portrait. This course will require a synthesis of the student’s capacity for linear drawing as well an application of their knowledge of light and shade theory and rendering
techniques. This course will develop block-in abilities for shape recognition. Discussions will include in-depth form concepts applicable to painting and sculpture.
DW3020 Figure Construction 3: Anatomy Construction
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 2, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
Figure Construction 3 will solidify understanding of anatomical construction and will synthesize students’ experience of drawing the figure from life with their studies in anatomy. Students will learn the construction of all bone and muscle groups and how these relate to one other and the human form in its entirety. This course is intended as a continued study in anatomy, and provides the opportunity to apply and deepen knowledge of the Musculoskeletal System through a series of lectures. Study will also provide the student with an opportunity to draw the figure from life with an emphasis on anatomical drawing, form and construction.
SP1030 Sculpture 1
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B, Figure Construction 2, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
The aim of this course will be to introduce students to the 3-dimensional representation of form. Through the re-creation of plaster casts from LAAFA’s cast collection students will learn to connect the study of the illusionistic creation of form to the actual physical articulation of those forms.
AH1070 Art History Survey Part 1: Prehistory through the Etruscans
3 credits
Prerequisites: N/A
This art history survey will cover the history of western art from prehistoric times to the Etruscans.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 4 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW7010 Drawing 4: The Figure in a Spatial Environment
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 3A, Drawing 3B, Perspective 1
Using the knowledge learned from all previous drawing courses as well studies in perspective, composition, figure construction, and anatomy, students will learn how to convincingly place a figure within a spatial environment, and will be expected to complete an ambitious drawing of such. Emphasis of this course is on the figure as a harmonious element within a believable space; a figure which both creates a dynamic element to the composition in the Figure-Ground relationship, yet which is also a cohesive part of the whole space. This course will emphasize
the theory of Atmospheric Perspective, which will stress changes in value, edge quality, contrast, line quality, detail and texture to achieve the illusion of space.
DW4020 Figure Construction 4: Constructional & Anatomical Drawing
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 3, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
Figure Construction 4 will synthesize the act of drawing the figure from life with the study of anatomy. Using the model as reference, students will utilize knowledge gained from previous Figure Construction and Anatomy classes to demonstrate understanding of the human figure in 3 stages:
- The structure of the skeleton; students will draw the bones of the model in a natural pose with accuracy and precision.
- The muscular system; students will carefully draw the muscular system, while remaining faithful to the depiction of the model’s pose.
- The Form; students will create a finished drawing of the figure that portrays how light reveals the deeper layers of form.Anatomical and proportional accuracy will take priority over direct observation
SP2030 Sculpture 2
1.5 credits
Prerequisites: Sculpture 1, Drawing 3A, Drawing 3B, Figure Construction 3, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
The objective of this course is to transfer the form-making skills learned in Sculpture 1 from the plaster cast to the live model. Working from a live model in progressively longer poses students will continue to develop their understanding of 3-dimensional form and refine their ability to organize and represent it.
PT1230 Methods and Materials in Painting
1 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Methods and Materials will give students a thorough knowledge of art materials such as the composition and permanency of pigments, binders, vehicles and supports, as well as discussion about artist’s varnishes. Methods and Materials will also offer technical/creative strategies of brush techniques and the underlying pragmatic logic and origins of painting approaches such as grisaille, imprimatura, various limited palettes, and fat over lean.
DS1081 Perspective 2
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Perspective 1
Perspective 2 will teach students the ability to sketch and draw in free-hand perspective, and to conceptualize ideas using simplified, rapid perspective drawing techniques. Importance is placed on the ability to conceptualize and sketch spatial environments in dimensional language.
AH2070 Art History Survey Part 2: Rome through the Italian City-States
3 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 1
This art history survey will cover the history of art in Rome through the Italian City-States.
LAAFA is currently not accepting new students. We are in the process of obtaining approval for new programs to start in 2024. Please email us if you are interested in learning more.
Fine Art Fundamentals Diploma – This 18-month sequential curriculum focuses on drawing and painting from direct observation. Students will have a working proficiency of the human form as it relates to traditional representation in drawing and painting. Students will learn solid draftsmanship and technical skills in Classic Academic and Figure Construction, which will give students a well-developed understanding of line, form, structure, shadow, tone, light, edges, and the human anatomy. In addition, students will explore the fundamental practices of painting. Working from the live model, students will be challenged to refine their ability to simplify what they see and create paintings that feature strong structure, clear value organization and elegant simplification. The curriculum for this track mirrors the courses outlined in the first year and a half of the degree and certificate fine art programs. Exclusive of art history, students in this track are not required to take any additional general education courses. Students may apply to matriculate to the degree or certificate program.
Studio Core Classes – 69
Art History – 12
YEAR 1 QUARTER 1 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW1010 Drawing 1A: Beginning Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: NA
This course is an introduction to drawing. Students will learn how to depict the illusion of three-dimensional objects through the language of linear and tonal drawing. The subjects of the sphere, cube, cone, cylinder, egg and cylindrical ring are possible subjects that will serve as foundational elements for the later study of casts and the human figure in subsequent courses in the curriculum. This course will introduce the student to ideas of linear construction using complex cross-contour analysis of form. Students will also be introduced to the properties of light and shadow necessary in the depiction of form. In the second half of the term, the course will proceed to linear and tonal investigation of more complex, hybrid geometric forms.
DW2010 Drawing 1B: Sight-Size Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: NA
This course will introduce the student to the first step in a process of drawing from direct observation using the classical Sight-Size Technique. The course will begin with learning how to make an accurate silhouette (block –in) of inanimate objects, and will then proceed to complete linear drawings of the Cast, in which both primary and secondary forms are represented in block-in language. Proportions, line quality, and the abstraction of 3-dimensional objects as 2 dimensional shapes will be applied to each drawing in order to create a block-in that is accurate enough to continue to a finish. Students will resolve themselves to the study of drawing in the Sight-Size method with the understanding that comparative measuring/observational drawing will be the focus of Drawing 2B in the following quarter.
DW1020 Figure Construction 1: The Gesture
3 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Figure Construction 1 will primarily focus on the Gesture of human form and introduce students to the abstraction of human forms into simple geometric shapes, volumes and solids. Through the repetition of many quick studies, the student will understand the idea of rhythm, flow, fluidity as well as the basic proportions and forms of the human figure. This course will emphasize the ability to use gesture drawing as a foundation for proportion, posture, balance and weight distribution. Students will also learn to see gesture drawing as a planning stage for more elaborate drawings made later in the curriculum.
DS1080 Perspective 1
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: NA
In an introductory drawing course with an emphasis on linear perspective, students will learn how to draw three-dimensional objects in one, two, and three-point perspective, gaining a thorough understanding of the principles, theories and applications of perspective techniques.
SC1040 Anatomy/Ecorché 1
2 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Anatomy/Ecorché 1 is the first of two classes that are intended to give students a thorough understanding of the superficial anatomy of the human form. Students will sculpt both the bones and muscles of the entire figure. Through a series of rigorous weekly lectures the student will be able to understand the movements, proportions, and form of individual muscles and bones as well as the human figure in its entirety. The knowledge gained in this class will be applicable to any media or style.
DS1050 Composition 1: Structure/Visual Dynamics/Aesthetic-Psychological Division
2 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Composition 1 will begin to teach the student the difference between simply drawing what they see and organizing the elements of design within a picture plane. Principles of contrast, balance and imbalance, tension and release, harmony, placement and division of the frame for aesthetics, dynamism, reading order, and innate psychological effects of design are the main emphases. Students will be introduced to the primary and secondary elements of design and begin to understand how to use them to fluently move their
YEAR 1 QUARTER 2 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW3010 Drawing 2A: Intermediate Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 1A, Drawing 1B
This course will provide a continued examination of Light and Shade Theory, as well as the process/technique of rendering form. More complex ideas about Light and Shade Theory will be discussed. Using challenging subject matter such as plaster casts and other still life objects, students will begin to hone their ability to control edges, compose values of light and shadow, and create a value hierarchy. Studies may also include drawing from photography to understand subtle transitions in value.
DW4010 Drawing 2B: Comparative-Observational Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 1A, Drawing 1B
This course is a continued examination of the processes used to create a drawing from direct observation, and the measuring techniques used to do so. This course will apply the sensibilities learned from drawing 1B and apply it to challenging subject matter. While drawing 1B focused on the Site-Size method of drawing, Drawing 2B will emphasize comparative measuring/observational drawing techniques. Study will begin with carefully measured linear drawings of Greek and Roman casts and will proceed to complex linear drawings of the live model, with an emphasis on observational measuring. Students will also begin to learn how to abstract the human form into geometric shape in the French Academic block-in technique. While the emphasis of this course is on accurate linear drawing, some inclusion of Light and Shade Theory may occur in the latter half of the term.
DW2020 Figure Construction 2: The Figure as Simple Geometric Forms
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 1, Perspective 1, Anatomy 1
Figure Construction 2 will solidify students’ understanding of the geometric conception of the human figure. Students will understand the human form as a series of interlocking cylinders, cones, spheres, cubes, rectilinear solids, ovoid masses, as well as complex, hybrid geometric volumes. This course will also introduce the student to anatomical construction of muscle and bone groups, including discussions of Bony Landmarks. There will also be strong emphasis on the usage of an established proportion system, selected by the instructor, to be utilized throughout the term. Emphasis of this course will fall on natural linear drawing of the form as opposed to tonal development of the form. Line quality/variation will also play an integral role in this course, as well as the continued use of Gesture drawing as a building block form the previous course, Figure Construction 1.
DS2050 Composition 2: Tones, Shapes, Viewpoints and Mood
2 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 1
Composition 2 will teach the students how to key values and use alternative points of view to create emotive states and conceptual settings within a piece. This class will also teach the student the various degrees of the illusion of depth and how they contribute to mood and meaning.
SC2040 Anatomy/Ecorché 2
3 credits
Prerequisites: Anatomy 1
Students will analyze the important muscles needed to create convincing figures and will also learn about the surface anatomy such as the fat distribution and the fasciae that surrounds every inch of the living form. Through thought out, easily understood assignments the student will more easily understand the living form of the model and also to create more easily from the imagination, but most importantly to have the confidence to edit the living model and therefore interpret more poetically what he/she sees and make the drawing or painting more personal. With each week there will be a homework assignment that reinforces the lecture of that week. Two tests will be given during the term, one at the five -week/half-way point focusing on the muscles up to that point and a vocabulary test. The other is the final exam whereby the student has to name the muscles of the body given by the instructor during the course of the term.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 3 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW5010 Drawing 3A: Advanced Form and Light
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B
This course will require the completion of a mid-sized/large rendering of the full human figure demonstrating an advanced understanding of Form and Light. Emphasis will be on moving from planning stages of the drawing, through studies of the pose, and into the final execution of a finished piece. Final presentation must demonstrate fine craftsmanship in the drawing practice and may also include matting and framing. Emphasis of this course is on the rendering the human form itself, and not of background elements or the figure as a spatial element, which will occur in Drawing 4.
DW6010 Drawing 3B: Precision Portrait Drawing
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B
Focusing on the complexity of the human head, students will engage in the act of portrait drawing with an emphasis on precision and capturing the idiosyncratic proportions, features, and likeness of an individual’s face. Lectures will focus on the structure of the features as derived from classical Greco/Roman aesthetics as well as the
Italian Renaissance, and how to utilize their structures in decoding/understanding more naturalized forms as observed on the life model. Discussions will include in-depth form concepts applicable to painting and sculpture.
Students will experience the possibilities of drawing the head from different vantage points, angles and perspectives, and will consider the varying art historical periods associated with these differences. Study will also include the incorporation of the hand as part of the portrait. This course will require a synthesis of the student’s capacity for linear drawing as well an application of their knowledge of light and shade theory and rendering
techniques. This course will develop block-in abilities for shape recognition. Discussions will include in-depth form concepts applicable to painting and sculpture.
DW3020 Figure Construction 3: Anatomy Construction
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 2, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
Figure Construction 3 will solidify understanding of anatomical construction and will synthesize students’ experience of drawing the figure from life with their studies in anatomy. Students will learn the construction of all bone and muscle groups and how these relate to one other and the human form in its entirety. This course is intended as a continued study in anatomy, and provides the opportunity to apply and deepen knowledge of the Musculoskeletal System through a series of lectures. Study will also provide the student with an opportunity to draw the figure from life with an emphasis on anatomical drawing, form and construction.
SP1030 Sculpture 1
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 2A, Drawing 2B, Figure Construction 2, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
The aim of this course will be to introduce students to the 3-dimensional representation of form. Through the re-creation of plaster casts from LAAFA’s cast collection students will learn to connect the study of the illusionistic creation of form to the actual physical articulation of those forms.
AH1070 Art History Survey Part 1: Prehistory through the Etruscans
3 credits
Prerequisites: N/A
This art history survey will cover the history of western art from prehistoric times to the Etruscans.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 4 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
DW7010 Drawing 4: The Figure in a Spatial Environment
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 3A, Drawing 3B, Perspective 1
Using the knowledge learned from all previous drawing courses as well studies in perspective, composition, figure construction, and anatomy, students will learn how to convincingly place a figure within a spatial environment, and will be expected to complete an ambitious drawing of such. Emphasis of this course is on the figure as a harmonious element within a believable space; a figure which both creates a dynamic element to the composition in the Figure-Ground relationship, yet which is also a cohesive part of the whole space. This course will emphasize
the theory of Atmospheric Perspective, which will stress changes in value, edge quality, contrast, line quality, detail and texture to achieve the illusion of space.
DW4020 Figure Construction 4: Constructional & Anatomical Drawing
3 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 3, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
Figure Construction 4 will synthesize the act of drawing the figure from life with the study of anatomy. Using the model as reference, students will utilize knowledge gained from previous Figure Construction and Anatomy classes to demonstrate understanding of the human figure in 3 stages:
- The structure of the skeleton; students will draw the bones of the model in a natural pose with accuracy and precision.
- The muscular system; students will carefully draw the muscular system, while remaining faithful to the depiction of the model’s pose.
- The Form; students will create a finished drawing of the figure that portrays how light reveals the deeper layers of form.Anatomical and proportional accuracy will take priority over direct observation
SP2030 Sculpture 2
1.5 credits
Prerequisites: Sculpture 1, Drawing 3A, Drawing 3B, Figure Construction 3, Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2
The objective of this course is to transfer the form-making skills learned in Sculpture 1 from the plaster cast to the live model. Working from a live model in progressively longer poses students will continue to develop their understanding of 3-dimensional form and refine their ability to organize and represent it.
DS1081 Perspective 2
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Perspective 1
Perspective 2 will teach students the ability to sketch and draw in free-hand perspective, and to conceptualize ideas using simplified, rapid perspective drawing techniques. Importance is placed on the ability to conceptualize and sketch spatial environments in dimensional language. These skills are essential in the ability to work effectively with contemporary perspective software programs, commonly in use in the Entertainment Art field.
PT1230 Methods and Materials in Painting
1 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Methods and Materials will give students a thorough knowledge of art materials such as the composition and permanency of pigments, binders, vehicles and supports, as well as discussion about artist’s varnishes. Methods and Materials will also offer technical/creative strategies of brush techniques and the underlying pragmatic logic and origins of painting approaches such as grisaille, imprimatura, various limited palettes, and fat over lean.
AH2070 Art History Survey Part 2: Rome through the Italian City-States
3 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 1
This art history survey will cover the history of art in Rome through the Italian City-States.
YEAR 2 QUARTER 1 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PT1150 Painting 1A: Beginning Indirect Painting-Monochromatic
3.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 4A
Painting 1A is the first class in the A series of painting courses, concerned with Indirect Painting. This course will utilize a monochromatic palette. Students will paint in “Grisaille” (black and white) and “Brunaille” (Raw Umber
and White) in the creation of monochromatic figure studies. This course will focus on the foundational underpainting techniques of imprimatura, scumbling and velatura. Students will utilize these historical techniques to achieve a full range of values with an extremely limited palette. Painting 1A is designed to transition students familiar with dry media drawing techniques into the realm of painting. This course will also include introductory discussions about materials and techniques relevant to the practice of indirect painting; pigments, mediums, supports and the use of a Ground.
PT2150 Painting 1B: Beginning Direct Painting-Monochromatic
3.5 credits
Prerequisites: Drawing 4
Painting 1B is the first class in the succession of “B” classes, concerned with direct methods of painting. The class will focus on grisaille and monochromatic painting techniques, using black/white (grisaille) or raw umber/white (called “brunaille”). Painting 1B is designed to teach the student how to properly mix two colors of paint into appropriate values. Students will explore differences between short-duration painted studies (Alla Prima) and longer, more extended paintings. Some classroom studies and homework assignments will be devoted to the historical tradition of Direct Painting/Alla Prima painting in which students learn how to apply paint/block-in/mass-in liberally and freely, without concern for drawing. This course will stress the concept of planar, faceted painting in an attempt to create the illusion of turning form on the figure. Emphasis will be on the concept of brush strokes as structural planes, with the intention of creating the illusion of turning form. Instruction will also include introductory discussions of the basic painting materials of paint, brushes, mediums and supports, as well as the use of simple “Ground” colors.
DS1060 Color Theory
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 2
Color and Light Theory will introduce the student to the properties of color and how color is affected by light. Students will learn how to mix color to achieve desired hue, saturation, and value. Students will work with Color Wheel systems. Students will also study the mixing of “strings” of paint to understand how a color can transition through a value scale or from one chroma to another chroma.
DW1010 Short Pose Analytical Life Drawing
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 4, Anatomy 2
This course will develop the student’s ability to create convincing, volumetric drawings of the figure within a small-time frame. By analyzing the construction and mechanics of the body, students will gain a solid grounding that will allow them to begin drawing figures from imagination. Students will also be encouraged to develop their own unique style of drawing, an invaluable trait in the Entertainment Art field. Individual critiques will address strengths and weaknesses of drawing technique.
AH3070 Art History Survey Part 3: Humanism through Reformation
3 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 4
This art history survey will explore aspects of the history of Western European art during the period between the fifteenth century and the seventeenth century.
YEAR 2 QUARTER 2 FOUNDATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PT3150 Painting 2A:Intermediate Indirect Painting-Limited Palette
3.5 credits
Prerequisites: Painting 1A, Painting 1B, Color and Light Theory
Painting 2A is the second class in the A sequence of painting courses concerned with Indirect Painting techniques, and will introduce techniques of glazing, scumbling and velatura with a limited color palette. Students will have 10 weeks to finish two paintings. Each painting will start with the foundational underpainting technique of “Imprimatura”, using an earth tone color. Students will be introduced to the second layer, The Piambura. Paintings will proceed to a final layer using glazing, scumbling, and velatura techniques. Emphasis of this course will also be on synthesizing indirect painting techniques with a strong facility of drawing as well as exploration of limited color.
PT4150 Painting 2B: Intermediate Direct Painting Methods-Limited Palette
3.5 Credits
Prerequisites: Painting 1A, Painting 1B, Color and Light Theory
Painting 2B is the second course in the “B” series of painting classes concerned with the practice of Direct Painting. Students will primarily work with the “Alla Prima” approach and will learn a simple method for harmonizing a limited, earth tone palette. Painting 2B will teach the student how to mix paint to control Value and Temperature, with minimal interest in controlling specific color. Some classroom studies and homework assignments will be devoted to the historical tradition of Direct Painting/Alla Prima painting in which students learn how to apply paint/block-in/mass-in liberally and freely, without concern for drawing. As in Painting 1A, this course will continue to stress the idea of planar/faceted analysis of form as a way of achieving the illusion of turning form. Near the end of the quarter, students will have the opportunity to extend the limited palette by one or two colors in preparation for Painting 3B. This course will also include discussions on blending techniques later in the term.
DS3050 Composition 3: Color
2 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 2, Painting 1A, Painting 1B, Color and Light Theory
Intended to expand on the ideas presented in Color and Light Theory, Composition 3 will use the lessons learned from the previous Composition classes and explore their interaction with the realm of Color. Students will learn ways to harmonize color and control saturation, utilize it to influence the hierarchy of focal points, affect the sense of depth, and begin to employ color to affect mood and meaning.
DW1011 Heads, Hands, and Costume Sketching
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Figure Construction 4, Anatomy 2
The aim of this class is to facilitate a student’s ability to accurately sketch heads, hands, and drapery without the use of direct observation. Rather than focusing on the rendering of form, this class will give students a thorough understanding of construction, proportions, and anatomy of the human head and hands, as well as fold characteristics of certain fabrics.
AH4070 Art History Survey Part 4: The Enlightenment and Entry into the Modern World
3 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 3
This course will explore aspects of the history of Western European art during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
LAAFA is currently not accepting new students. We are in the process of obtaining approval for new programs to start in 2024. Please email us if you are interested in learning more.
Entertainment Art Diploma – The 18-month Entertainment Track is for students who have mastered their foundational skills. Students will start learning and developing concepts for creating convincing environments and imaginative characters. Aspiring artists will be well equipped for a career in the entertainment art industry. The curriculum for this track mirrors the courses outlined in the last year and a half of the degree and certificate entertainment art programs. Exclusive of Business of Art courses, students in this track are not required to take any additional general education courses. The program does not lead to a BFA degree.
Studio Core Classes – 66
Art History – 6
Business of Art – 6
YEAR 1 QUARTER 1 ENTERTAINMENT ART COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0001 Project Class 3A: Storyboarding Basics for Film and Animation
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Perspective 1, 2, Composition 1, 2, 3
In Project Class 3A students will learn the language of storyboarding and will be responsible for completing a scene for a film and an animation. The students will learn visual dictation for camera moves, in-frame moves, as well as draw up scene maps for actor and camera placement. The students will learn about dynamic shot design and how to visualize graphic information within the frame. The students will learn the technical differences between drawing boards for film and drawing them for animation. The students will learn how to block out key frames for timely gesturing in animation.
ET0002 Character Design Basics
3 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Character Design basics will introduce students to the language and methods of designing characters. This class will focus on character types, character construction, facial expressions, and character props. The students will also learn to develop their characters to different story genres, learning the motifs or the décor for specific character identification within each genre. This class will cover the fundamentals of design for video games, animation, and live action film design.
ET0003 Dynamic Sketching
3.5 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 3
This course is designed to develop the student’s ability to communicate visual ideas quickly and effectively. Students will draw a variety of subjects/objects that occur repeatedly in film layout, composition and gaming in order to expand their visual vocabulary and build confidence in approaching different subject matter. This course will meet on location and will develop the student’s ability to draw complex forms in proper perspective and will encourage students to provide a sense of context and narrative element within their sketches.
ET0004 Composition for Film and Animation
2 credits
Prerequisites: Composition 2
The objective of Composition for Film and Animation is to help students develop an understanding of storytelling with still images. Subjects and environments will be set up to reflect specific story ideas and design issues. These scenarios will enable the student to experience composition as well as authoritative forms of storytelling.
AH5070 Art History Survey Part 5: Modernism and World War (through WWII)
3.0 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 4
This course will explore aspects of the history of Western European art during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 2 ENTERTAINMENT ART COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0005 Project Class 1B: Prop Design and Painting
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Character Design Basics
Project Class 1B (Prop Design and Painting) will use both traditional and digital methods to teach the student how to develop and render props for the entertainment industry. From tables, chairs, windows, pictures on the wall, to anything else that dresses a set; Prop design and Painting will not only teach students how to design these individual elements according to a films unique stylization, but will teach them about important scale, and proportional considerations as they relate to character usage, and how to compose them within an environment.
ET0006 Creature Design
2 Credits
Prerequisites: Character Design Basics
Creature Design teaches students how to create creatures by mixing & matching anatomical features creatively. Creatures of this type are used extensively in game design, and live action film. In this course, students will develop fictitious characters through a design process combining inspiration from vertebrates and invertebrates as well as their imagination. Students will synthesize their understanding of human anatomy with their skill sets learned in character design and visual development. Focus will include designing creatures and animals that have personality and will be easy to animate. The students will learn how to design effectively using research and design from previously designed creatures and monsters as well as develop a process for understanding of how to dissect any type of creature from the bones up for a more convincing design.
ET0007 Digital Life Painting
2.5 credits
Prerequisites: NA
Digital Life Painting will serve as an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with essential digital methods and materials. This class will take the lessons learned from the previous two painting classes and apply them to a digital format. We will focus on digital painting from direct observation using Photoshop.
ET0008 Project Assembly and Research
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Composition for Film and Animation, Dynamic Sketching
This class teaches students how to effectively research for assignments. Project Assembly and Research will cover lighting setups, photographing live models, on location photography, on location composition studies, internet research and artist stylistic research. Students should expect class work to consist of thumbnail sketching and rough layouts and will develop their understanding of the visual development process. Students will produce portfolio pages describing their research & how it applied to finished projects.
AH6070 Art History Survey Part 6: Post-War: Art in the Contemporary World (1945 and after)
3.0 credits
Prerequisites: Art History Survey Part 5
This course will explore aspects of the history of art during the twentieth century.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 3 ENTERTAINMENT ART COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0009 Project Class 2A: Advanced Character Design
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Project Class 1A, Project Class 1B, Creature Design
Advanced Character Design reviews the fundamentals of character design and expands on them by teaching students how to create characters that have a capacity for animation. Students will create a cast of 5 to 7 characters that represent different personalities appropriate to a story. Students will be taught how to create characters that look as if they have articulated limbs, and how to place those characters in a “turnaround”. The final project will consist of a character grouping that shows all of the characters in relation to one another. Students will learn to keep the silhouettes simple while designing the interior of the character with pizzazz and dynamic shape design. Students will also learn to design with color intelligently, designing the genre and archetype using the appropriate color palettes to differentiate them.
ET0010 Project Class 2B: Flats and Cutaways
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Project Class 1A, Project Class 1B
Flats and cutaways are two essential visual elements of visual development. In Project class 3B students will learn how to create simple digital views of both the exterior and interior of buildings. In addition, students will choose their most successful project and create an attractive map with style that shows the key locations of everything in the world of their story. Maps of the World will aid in the completion of a student’s Visual Development portfolio and may be used to support any previous project class. We will also learn how to generate shot maps for successful design sketching of an environment. These maps are similar to the maps used in storyboarding.
ET0011 Digital Painting for Entertainment Art
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Composition for Film and Animation, Dynamic Sketching
Digital Painting for Entertainment Art will synthesize the lessons learned from Color Theory, Composition classes, and Painting classes and applying them to the digital world. Emphasis will be placed on the development of coherent, solidly painted compositions using Photoshop. Other topics include lighting, brushes, and filters. Students should expect to do a lot of homework in this class.
ET0012 Life Drawing for Animation
2.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Life Drawing for Visual Development
In Life Drawing for Animation, students will integrate the figure into compositional settings while continuing to study the figure itself. Through extensive in-class exercises and homework assignments, students will study the figure’s role in narrative storytelling. By adding a narrative and composition dimension, students will move beyond conventional, isolated life drawings and develop drawings that serve as the planning stages of more ambitious drawing or painting projects.
YEAR 1 QUARTER 4 ENTERTAINMENT ART COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0013 Project Class 3A: Introduction to the Visual Development Pipeline
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Project Assembly and Research
This course will introduce students to the Visual Development process. Through a succession of stages beginning with research, students will create finished artwork that incorporates characters, props and locations; with a goal of telling a key story point in a unified, cohesive style. Students will be expected to communicate their ideas through thumbnails, finished drawings and completed paintings.
ET0014 Life Drawing for Visual Development
2.0 credits
Prerequisites: Short Pose Analytical Life Drawing
This course will bridge the gap between observational drawing and drawing from invention by taking basic drawing and design principles and applying them to both the live model and the development of conceptual characters. Emphasis will be placed on storytelling through design, ensuring that each part of a character or figure serves a narrative function.
ET0017 Intermediate Digital Painting
2 Credits
Prerequisites: Digital Life Painting, Digital Painting for Entertainment Art
Intermediate Digital Painting will teach students how to digitally paint a variety of textures. By using still life setups and photographic reference, students will learn how to describe a variety of surfaces. Students will primarily paint metals, fabrics, varieties of wood, old, and new objects that are typically seen in movies and animation. Dimension, lighting, and surface ideation will all be covered in this class, as well, the students will learn rendering shortcuts, the use of photos for quick design comps, thumbnails and look boards.
YEAR 2 QUARTER 1 ENTERTAINMENT TRACK COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0016 Project Class 3B: Visual Development Style Exploration
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Project class 1A-3A
Visual Development Style Exploration will teach students how to create style. Students will create two vis-dev paintings from beginning to end using two fundamentally different art styles. Students will be required to augment their stylization choices with thorough research of locations, prop designs, characters, and most importantly stylistic research based on previous art and artists. The students will also learn to differentiate the different genres they will be designing into through the color palettes and design motifs already established in the history of each genre.
ET0017 Portfolio Presentation
3 Credits
Prerequisites: NA
In Portfolio Presentation 1 students will learn how to create a professional, traditional, artist’s portfolio. Students will learn principles and methodologies that will help contribute to creating a dynamic portfolio presentation. Students will select and discuss their existing body of work, learn how to critically edit their pieces and make required modifications where necessary, in order to produce a finished, professional portfolio that exemplifies the quality of their work.
BS1370 Business of Art 1
3 Credits
Prerequisites: NA
Through a variety of instructors that currently work in their respective fields’ students will learn of the practical necessities of being a financially successful entertainment artist. Topics will include marketing strategies, tax laws, basic economics, as well as studio organization. This class prepares students for the business side of art. In one half of the class, students will be guided through basic economics, bookkeeping and tax laws by a certified public accountant. During the other half of the class, the students will be exposed to a variety of artists, currently working in their respective field, to learn practical methods of studio organization, interview techniques and marketing strategies, that will contribute to making them successful entertainment artists.
YEAR 2 QUARTER 2 ENTERTAINMENT TRACK COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ET0021 Project Class 4A: Technology Design for Games, Movies and Animations
2.5 Credits
Prerequisites: Project Class 3A, Project Class 3B
In Project Class 4A students will learn to design technology for gaming, movies and animations. While it is not as essential for the designer to know every nuance about how something is constructed and built to really work, it is important for the designer to build around a working aesthetic that is convincing enough for an audience to buy into what the design represents. Students will dissect real world design technology and machinery to thoroughly understand how they run and function, understand their design package for better manipulation and modification in the designs they generate, and learn the aesthetics of modern design for smarter current designs for the genre they are designed for. The students will also learn to use digital media to quickly render the hard surfaces effectively without laboring over the painting process.
ET0019 Project Class 4B: Triage, Portfolio Analysis and Preparation
4.0 Credits
Prerequisites: Project class 1A-3B
Project Class 4B will provide students with the opportunity to ensure that their best work possible will be included in their portfolio. Rather than focusing on the design of a portfolio, “Triage” will focus on improving the work that is inside the portfolio. Students will spend time fixing, reworking, rethinking, and finishing previous work. All artwork inside a portfolio will be categorized and analyzed for problems and final corrections before finalizing their portfolio. Categories will be delineated by previous project classes and entertainment classes.
BS1371 Business of Art 2: Portfolio and Website
3 Credits
Prerequisites: Business of Art 1
Business of Art 2 will ensure students have good portfolios or a cohesive body of work. Students will learn how to create business cards, promotional mailers, business email addresses, blogs or websites established before graduation. Under the supervision of their instructors, students will research and target a number of companies, galleries, and organizations to contact for internships or job opportunities. Professional working entertainment artists will review and critique student’s portfolio or body of work, giving students another opportunity to perfect their artwork before presenting it to real world job opportunities.
Information
Campus Address
16926 Saticoy Street
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 708-9232
contactus@laafa.edu
Business Hours
Phone Hours: Mon-Fri, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Main Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
