The core of this course will be spent drawing in the field, noting the special qualities of Vermont's summer landscape. We will cover a wide range of methods for translating our observations into meaningful graphic form. This practice will be informed by the study of prints and drawings of naturalists and landscape artists, from the eighteenth through twentieth century Euro-American traditions to the contemporary. Students will be guided in basic drawing techniques with which they will produce a portfolio of drawings and a final graphic project. Course goals and objectives include: 1. To lay a foundation for the confident practice of field drawing. 2. To engage questions of meaning regarding our views of the natural world. 3. To explore the distinctive pictorial conventions in landscape art traditions. 4. To encourage an attentive receptivity to the natural world. Topics for study will include: Plants. leaves and flowers, trees, farm fields, animals, woods, rock forms, watercourses, clouds, human marks on the land. Techniques will include: sketching for essentials, compositional principles, drawing to sight-size scale, pencil rendering, shading, ink drawing, hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.

We will meet every day in Perkins 107 for orientation to the day's activities (including lecture, discussion and note-taking) before leaving for the drawing site. On-campus sites, requiring 1 to 3 mile walks, will include Centennial Woods, the UVM Greenhouse, Perkins Geology Museum, the UVM Green and Stafford garden areas. Off-campus locations (transportation provided) will include Salmon Hole, the Ethan Allen Homestead, UVM Horticultural Center, Overlook Park and Shelburne Farms. Because this is primarily an out-door class, students must be responsible to bring suitable clothing, sunglasses, bug-spray, snacks and water, a water-proof mat to sit on, as well as all drawing materials to each class. When a field trip needs to be postponed due to weather, we will attempt to re-schedule that visit for a later class. Students should expect to spend 6 - 8 hours a week on coursework outside of class. To facilitate effective guidance and feedback, we will follow three practices: 1. Group sharing of drawings with questions and discussion. 2. Sharing of written observations. 3. Personal conferencing in class as needed. The required materials for this course are: 1. 2B and 4B pencils. 2. Pocket pencil sharpener. 3. 14"x 17" drawing pad. 4. Black ink pens. 5. White charcoal pencil. 6. Black charcoal pencil. 7. The text for this class is Clare Walker Leslie's "Nature Drawing" (ISBN 0-7872-0580-X).

Grades will be based on attendance and participation, weekly assignments, and a final project. You should plan on attending all classes (unexcused absences will reflect negatively on your grade), and to hand in all your work on time (late assignments may be made up at the discretion of the instructor). Grades will be based solely on your portfolio of drawings, demonstrating increased proficiency in all areas of study.