ADTECH 1-An Introduction to the Principles of Design - Art and Drafting (Visual Perception and Communication)

ADTECH 1 Course Syllabus

Course Title : ADTECH 1-An Introduction to the Principles of Design - Art and Drafting
(Visual Perception and Communication)
Subject Area Program Description for ADTECH 1 and 2:
This course introduces some basic skills used in engineering, the design professions, and the creative industries. The
student is meant to develop his or her creativity, gain knowledge of design principles through using common
processes, tools and materials of technology, and to apply the design process in response to a variety of design
challenges.

Through these design challenges and projects, the students will hone their analytical skills, and learn to tackle
problems systematically and innovatively through the design, construction, presentation and eva luation of various
items.

In ADTECH 1 the focus is on visual perception and visual communication. In ADTECH 2 the focus is on design
application and design evaluation.

Unit Area Program Description:

The first year subject is divided into two semestral offerings of Art and Drafting.

Art is meant to teach the students the elements and principles of design through freehand drawing, color harmonies and
three-dimensional forms.
Drafting is meant to introduce students to the basic conventions and protocols of technical drawing as it is used by
designers.

Practicing and developing these skills is expected to help the students develop their ability to observe and record their
environment, to visualize, and to communicate their ideas and designs more effecti vely.

General Course Objectives:

Through this course, the student is expected
1. to develop a sense of creativity and innovation through art and drafting projects
2. to develop visual and perceptual skills through freehand drawing and other art activiti es
3. to apply the elements and principles of design and produce expressive art works
4. to gain an insight and appreciation of the role of art and drafting in graphic and industrial designs, engineering, and
architecture.
5. to develop basic skills in drafting and produce accurate drafting plates and diagrams

TOPICS

INTRODUCTION
A sampling of the visual arts in its broadest sense, before
delineating the scope of ADTECH 1

1ST QUARTER
1. ART AS A DISCIPLINE
1.1. Elements of Art/Design
1.2. Principles of Art/ Design
1.3. History of Art from cave painting to digital designs
1.4.Nature, Function, Values of Art
1.5. Masterpieces (sculpture)
1.6. Survey of Art materials and techniques
for the following stems:
drawing, painting, cutting & pasting, printmaking

2. FREEHAND DRAWING
2.1 Expressive qualities of line and shape
2.2. Drawing exercises (Slow and fast drawing)
Slow - Contour drawing
Fast - Gesture drawing
2.3. Space perception exercises
Negative space drawing
Upside-down drawing
2.4. Cartoons
2.5 Typography
2.6 Caricatures
ADTECH 1-An Introduction to the Principles of Design - Art and Drafting (Visual Perception and Communication)
3. COLOR
3.1. Expressive qualities of color
3.2. The color wheel
3.3 Color schemes/harmonies
3.4 Color saturation: tints and shades (tone matching)
*Color is one of the elements of art, so some topics may
become redundant)

2ND QUARTER
4. THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORMS
4.1. Kinds of sculpture (according to a variety of criteria)
4.1.1 Addition
4.1.2 Subtraction
4.1.3 Assembly
4.2 Freehand drawing of forms, shade and shadow
4.2. Evolution of design in architecture, furniture, and
other examples of industrial art

5. SIMPLE ANIMATION
5.1. Materials and techniques
5.2 Linear/ Cartoon like
5.3 Stop motion animation with clay or found objects

3RD QUARTER
6. THE DESIGN PROCESS
6.1 What is the design process
6.2 Drawings (Visual communication) in the design
process
6.2.1 Conceptual sketches
6.2.2 Refinement of concept
drawings
6.2.3 Technical drawings
6.2.4 Finished product
6.3 Some differences between pictorial/expressive
drawing and engineering drawing

7. DRAFTING CONVENTIONS
7.1. Instruments, equipment, and materials in drafting
7.2 Lines and line conventions
Scales
7.3 Dimensioning
7.4 Symbols and abbreviations

8. ORTHOGRAPHIC AND ISOMETRIC DRAWINGS

8.1 Orthographic to Isometric sketches
8.2 Isometric to Orthographic sketches
8.3 Measured drawing of a real object
*also oblique, axonometric, perspective of a cube if time
permits

9. READING AND UNDERSTANDING TECHNICAL

DRAWINGS
9.1 Highlight aspects of cross -sections, detail drawings,
assembly drawings.
9.2 Annotations, abbreviations, dimensions, symbols
scale.
9.3 Examples from some fields:
Architecture and Engineering (by topic e.g. concept,
structural electrical, plumbing, etc and by type e.g. plans,
sections, details); Electronics, schematic diagrams; for
Manufacturing, measured drawings, industrial design
examples; for Intellectual property and future research,
patent documents

4TH QUARTER
11. AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES
11.1 Common CADD and CAM systems; manual and CAD
ADTECH 1-An Introduction to the Principles of Design - Art and Drafting (Visual Perception and Communication)
pros and cons
11.2 Working with Google sketchup or a similar software

*** MAJOR DESIGN PROJECT

GRADING SYSTEM

FIRST Quarter SECOND Quarter

Reaction
papers and Reaction papers
recitation 15% and recitation 10%
Drawing Studio work:
exercises 40% exercises 25%
Plates/ Studio work:
Projects 30% Plates/ Projects 50%
Library
research and Library research
homework 10% and homework 10%
Cleaning, Lab Cleaning, Lab
safety, ethics 5% safety, ethics 5%
100% 100%

THIRD Quarter FOURTH Quarter

Studio work: Studio work:
exercises 30% exercises 20%
Studio work: Studio work:
Plates/ design
Projects 40% development 40%
Drawing Studio work:
interpretation final
tests 20% submissions 30%
Library
Research and Reaction
homework 5% Paper/Recitation 5%
Cleaning, Lab Cleaning, Lab
safety, ethics 5% safety, ethics 5%
100% 100%