(Revised April 24th, 2013)

Introduction to the assignments and course outline

In this course, we will be focussing specifically on layout drawing and then later in 2nd semester, on location and prop design. Each week I will give you an environment from the Layout Examples book. You will have one week to do your research andthumbnails and then one week to complete the final layout at 11" x 17" size. This can be either portrait or landscape fomat. You can also extend the field to make it a pan as well. Diagonal setups are also acceptable.

Each of the layouts will require a minimum of two thumbnail sketches to block out the point of view you plan on doing, indicating (accurately) your horizon line and any vanishing points you plan to use. *NOTE: All perspective must be accurate at this stage. "It's just a rough" is not an acceptable excuse for bad drawing. You don't need to add all the details - objects can be drawn as basic cubes or cyclinders, but they must be to scale.

These are the locations we will be drawing throughout the semester in no particular order:

#15 Torture Chamber
#43 Back Alley
#44 Inside Submarine
#46 Spaceship Engine Room
#53 General Store
#60 Ferris Wheel Entrance
#63 Arabian Street
#64 Wizard's Workshop
#65 Inside a Wood Shed
#68 Cafeteria Serving Counter
#69 Inside Sewer
#71 Inside Horse Stable
#76 Inside Castle Tower
#77 Medieval Armory
#78 Exterior Train Caboose

You should do as much research as you can over the summer to collect images relating to the environment you will be designing. You cannot copy the images, but you can use them for reference. I suggest you get 15 folders and lable them the name of the assignment. As you collect your images, print them out and put them in the respective folders for handy review later when the assignment is handed out in class. Be careful when you search on the internet as most search engines will throw in the odd porno pictures for almost anything. (When you type in "wizard's workshop" you'll get useless stuff, so you may need to use your imagination on some of these.)

The 1st semester will consist of 15 classes with both lectures and work periods as well as one-on-one with me to look at your work in progress. Here's the class schedule:

Week 1
Overview of course.
Workload expectations - time required outside class.
Grading explaination.
Handout Layout #1

Week 2
Submit thumbnails for review
Handout Layout #2

Week 3
Hand in Layout #1
Submit thumbnails for Layout #2 for review
Handout Layout #3

Week 4
Hand in Layout #2
Submit thumbnails for Layout #3 for review
Handout Layout #4

Week 5
Hand in Layout #3
Submit thumbnails for Layout #4 for review
Handout Layout #5

Week 6
Hand in Layout #4
Submit thumbnails for Layout #5 for review
Handout Layout #6

Week 7
Hand in Layout #5
Submit thumbnails for Layout #6 for review
Handout Layout #7

Week 8
Hand in Layout #6
Submit thumbnails for Layout #7 for review
Handout Layout #8

Week 9
Hand in Layout #7
Submit thumbnails for Layout #8 for review
Handout Layout #9

Week 10
Hand in Layout #8
Submit thumbnails for Layout #9 for review
Handout Layout #10

Week 11
Hand in Layout #9
Submit thumbnails for Layout #10 for review
Handout Layout #11

Week 12
Hand in Layout #10
Submit thumbnails for Layout #11 for review
Handout Layout #12

Week 13
Hand in Layout #11
Submit thumbnails for Layout #12 for review
Handout Layout #13

Week 14
Hand in Layout #12
Submit thumbnails for Layout #13 for review
Handout Layout #14

Week 15
Hand in Layout #13
Submit thumbnails for Layout #14 for review
Handout Layout #15

Reviews of your work-in-progress will take place throughout the semester during each class, please follow the schedule outlined above.
I'll be doing these assignments throughout the Production Art course as well and post my work in progress here.

Each Layout will receive a grade based on the following concepts:
• Effort - How much thought and research did you put into the planning and execution of the environment? How much stuff is in the room and is it appropriate?
• Perspective - Is the horizon line at the correct level? Are all the objects within the room going to the proper vanishing points on the horizon line?
• Depth - Are there strong foreground, midground and background elements?
• Composition - Are the elements of the environment arranged in a way that leads you to a specific focal point? Is the layout too symmetrical? Are you, the viewer, in the most interesting position within the environment?

Each component is worth a grade of 2.5. Marks will be deducted for perceived errors at a rate of .25%:

2.5 - Excellent, nothing found wrong (100%)
2.25 - Very minor errors, pretty good (90%)
2 - A few errors, but still o.k. (80%)
1.75 - A substantial number of errors, just passable (70%)
1.5 - Lots of errors - not good (60%)
1.25 - Too many mistakes - this is bad (50%)
1 - Wow. Were you even thinking when you drew this? (40%)
.75 - Yikes, my 6 year old daughter can draw better than this.(30%)
.5 - Here, I have an application form for Harvey's for you (20%)
.25 - Do you know what course you're in?
0 - nothing to grade (0%)

Note: If any assignment is not handed in by the deadline (beginning of class) you will be deducted 10%. If it is not ready by the end of class, it will be deducted 20%. If it has not been received by e-mail by 6:00 PM the same day it will be deducted 30% By the next day 6:00 - 50%, and by the third day 6:00 it will not be accepted for grading and you will receive 0%.