Drawing and Painting Animals and Nature
The aim of this course is to explore different techniques for drawing and painting animals and plant life. The course is designed to be student interest driven and will be tailored to the animals and plant life that students want to represent. Students will also be given guided instruction in drawing and painting (students draw and paint live with the instructor), and will have studio time to work on individual pieces with check-ins by the instructor.
Our focus will be on exploration and expression and not necessarily on producing finished pieces. Students will participate in class discussions, fun games, and will be inspired by great works of art created by master artists. We will begin each class with a quick draw, quote of the day, a prayer and an artist focus.
Syllabus
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Open in new tab A willingness to take risks, have fun and try something new and learn from mistakes is all that is required for this course.
Course Materials
- Watercolor Set (tubes or plastic encased sets, see link examples on syllabus)
- Simple set or Tube color set
- Pen and Ink (permanent ink pens, see link examples on syllabus)
- Colored pencils (see link examples on syllabus)
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Watercolor Paper 9 X 12
- Sketchbook – White 9 x 12 or 11 X 14″
Michael Roberts holds a master’s degree in painting from the New York Academy of art. He has been teaching students of various ages for over 20 years. He currently serves as an elementary librarian in Mechanicsburg, PA where he lives with his wife and two sons. In addition to drawing and painting, he enjoys singing in the choir, playing guitar, biking and kayaking. mroberts.scholeacademy@gmail.com
Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.
High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.
Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)
Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm
Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. 
To download Zoom:
- Visit zoom.us/download.
- Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
- Open and run the installer on your computer.
- In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
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First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.
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Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.
This registration will be finalized when the student's placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.