The classes I went to were called Design and Composition Fundamentals and Design and Composition Applications (basically a follow up to the first class). I really liked the instructors style of teaching. The students are mostly middle aged women and are mostly taking the classes for fun, to learn a new hobby, or as a social activity with friends. They are all very interested and eager to learn, with an almost childlike excitement with some of them. Most of them have no background in art at all.
The instructor was careful in her choosing of words to discuss and critique the classes' assignments. She has a very thoughtful and methodical approach to teaching as well as she is very good with words and articulating her thoughts.
She teaches what is (academically) considered to be good design. Things like the golden rectangle/golden ratio, the rule of thirds, "sweet spots". In critiquing the assignments if something doesn't really look quite right one way she rotates the paper so you can "read" the same design in a different format and often opens up the eyes of the class as to a better orientation for the composition. She uses this opportunity to explain different things about how the eyes see and "read" compositions, what is typically visually pleasing and what is not.
Her homework assignments are interesting, they seem simple enough but I know after watching the critiques that the students take a lot of time and effort to complete these things which sound so simple. For example the homework they were assigned last week was this:
Using 4 black squares (any size) in a white 5X5 square illustrate these words; bold, tension, happy, congested, and increase. And from watching the critiques I am sure the students are learning a lot about design and composition through these exercises.
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