Classes

Actors will develop and hone skills by being in front of the camera every class. Using scene study and exercises, students will find their unique identity, emotional truth and organic voice.

Students will learn the art of hand-building and wheel-throwing. Functional and sculptural pieces will be taught with an emphasis on form, decoration and texture. Pieces will be kiln-fired and glazed, painted, or stained. Great for beginners and more advanced students.

Explore techniques for strengthening and launching creative writing techniques in all genres- for writers at all skill levels. This course will focus on triggers for effective writing, writing that engages the reader, and workshop- type feedback on works in- progress.

** This class is full. Please email community@watkins.edu to be added to the waiting list. **

Emphasizing the fundamentals of drawing and composition, students will use graphite, charcoal, and gray pastels to develop accuracy in their ability to render line, form, and dimensionality through a full use of value, sighting, and atmospheric perspective.

Working from a nude model using charcoal, ink, and graphite, students will learn to render a realistic human figure. Studying techniques such as gestures, mass, and volume, students will learn to create effective compositions.

Learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator, a program used for creating graphics, logos, illustration, and much more. Students will work with type effects, color, and other tools to create their own digital images.

Learn the newest editing program used by Hollywood film editors! Using Final Cut Pro students will learn to prepare projects for broadcast, DVD, and the Web, as well as basic editing techniques such as color correction, audio-mixing, soundtrack, and compressor.

Explore a variety of ways to transform white cloth into a one-of-a-kind fabric with the application of dyes, paints, and color removers. Working through the basic techniques and ideas, students will learn to design and develop their own ideas on paper, through transferring them on fabrics, creating their own originally designed and transfer printed scarf, wall hanging, or other home decor items.

Explore contemporary lighting as you design and build your own lamp. Emphasis will be on incorporating contemporary aesthetics and utilizing basic woodworking and metalworking skills to fabricate your design.

Look at metal sculpture through a contemporary lens while learning the basics of metalworking as well as proper shop safety. The course will culminate in a final sculpture that explores contemporary form with metal as the primary media. Topics covered will include the history of metal in sculpture, contemporary sculptural form, basics of welding, basic metal fabrication methods and metal finishing.

** This class is full. Please email community@watkins.edu to be added to the waiting list. **

Discover the fundamentals of painting and collage in this course designed for all skill levels. Acrylic, oil pastel, collage, and a variety of other mediums will be explored as you create your own collage paper, artist trading cards, and a variety of mixed media art on paper and canvas. Layering transparent and opaque pigments, mediums and technique, as well as how to achieve great composition and design will be covered.

**  This class is full. Please email community@watkins.edu to be added to the waiting list.  **

Learn the basic technical skills of oil painting. A study of materials, treating and preparing the painting surface, and appropriate use and care of tools will be covered. Students will work from still life, landscapes, and their own imagination using oil paint.

Using their own 35-mm film or digital SLR cameras, students will focus on camera controls, framing, and exposure, while utilizing composition skills to improve the quality of their photographs.

** This class is full. Please choose "Photography I * section 2". **

Using their own 35-mm film or digital SLR cameras, students will focus on camera controls, framing, and exposure, while utilizing composition skills to improve the quality of their photographs.

** This class is full **

Building upon skills learned in Photography I, students learn problem-solving in low light situations and creative imaging choices using on-camera flash systems. Photoshop skills will also be taught to help refine and optimize images for printing. A digital, SLR camera and a flash (preferably not permanently attached to the camera) is required, and a copy of Photoshop version CS or newer.

Learn one of the most powerful digital editing tools around. Photo restoration, color correction, digital illustration, and filter effects are a few of the wondrous tools that will be yours. Inside tips and tricks revealed for beginners and more intermediate users!

** This class is full. Please email community@watkins.edu to be added to the waiting list. **

Learn the basic skills of printmaking through an introduction of several methods. Using tools such as copper plates, plexi-glass, brayers, and presses the class will cover processes such as monoprint, linoleum cut, collagraph, lithography, and drypoint.

This course will take students through the fundamentals of turning a great idea into a script with hands-on guidance from the instructor. Learn to develop an idea into a story that conforms to professional Hollywood standards, and discover elements that either strengthen or weaken a script. Students will write actual script pages and begin the journey of getting their story out of their head and onto the page.

Learn how to turn your ideas into a professional screenplay. This course provides more of the basic fundamentals a writer should know before they begin their script. Topics include characters, themes, re- writing, and a more detailed examination of that ever- challenging Act 2.

Explore the wide range of effects possible with watercolor paint. Experimental ways to create texture will be demonstrated and traditional techniques, such as glazing and wet-in-wet, will be covered. Basic principles of composition and color use will also be introduced.