Preparatory Course in Printmaking
The course is designated for the first year of the bachelor's degree programs. It is listed as a compulsory optional course in the AFAD curriculum.
In the course students are provided with theoretical as well as practical knowledge of printmaking with the focus on exploration and exploitation of different aspects and stimulation of independent thinking in this medium. Besides, it is also necessary to prepare students to practise two principles. 1. Long-term continuous development of their own research. 2. Prompt response to a topic within a limited time (1-2 hours). The emphasis is placed on composing white and black (light and shadow)- which is one of the important means of expression in fine art.
I put emphasis on composing, modelling, proportions, working in a format with a focus on the layout of the area between black and white.
The course is divided into two parts i.e. 2 six-week courses for students from different departments held twice. One course per semester for the students admitted to Printmaking.
In the first part of the course, the students concentrate on work with the graphic design, hatching, cutting out, modelling, proportions.
This course helps the students acquire the experience of composing, modelling, proportions, working in a format with the focus on the layout of the area between black and white. Subjects will be also presented graphically by working with white on the dark background, removing black.
In the second part of the course students are continuously focused on assignments whose topic is chosen from the field of composing complex shapes, working in format, relationships between forms. By responding to the given topic the students discover basic art rules, habits and concepts, acquire the structure of the art process and examine their abilities to depict. The artistic elaboration of the topic enhances the ability to translate (transfer, capture) the concepts "into" and "in" plastic graphic art speech. The course helps to deepen dispositions for the artistic capture of spatial relations, polarity of the volume and the void, confidence in composition and shading techniques, and the development of authentic artistic expression. Needless to say, it is a challenging task.