ART 220 · Charleston Southern University · Fall 2026
The whole term
Every meeting with what it reads, what it owes and what it argues. The term chart is still the way to find the next session; this is the way to see all of them against each other.
The work
- 15%Project 1. Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)due Sep 17A publication has assigned you the art for one feature article: a featured illustration that runs as the hero at the top of the story, and two spot illustrations that run through it. The article runs on the web, in the newsletter, and as a card in a feed. Read the article, then design a hero that carries what it argues and two spots that belong to the same family: one palette, one drawing logic, one voice. Hand in production-ready vector files. You will learn the pen tool and curve construction, shape building and boolean operations, color as a reusable system, and how design principles work at editorial scale.
- 15%Project 2. Drawn Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)due Oct 8The same publication wants one large illustration for a different feature. It runs full width at the top of the article and it is also the share card, so it has to work as a hero and survive as a thumbnail. This one is drawn by hand: you will draw on paper, scan or photograph the drawing, and finish it digitally. You will learn mark-making that survives capture, scanning and image clean-up, digital color under a drawn line, and how to move a piece between paper and screen without losing it.
- 20%Project 3. Packaging Illustration (4 weeks)due Nov 5A small food or beverage company needs packaging for a new product. The logo already exists; you are given a simple wordmark to place. You will design the package and the illustration system that covers it. The artwork has to work on a dieline, survive a fold, and hold up on a shelf. Hand in production files and a photographed mockup. You will learn dielines and package structure, how an illustration behaves on a surface that wraps, pattern and repeat, and print production basics: bleed and color separation.
- 25%Final Project. Animated Illustration (4 weeks)due Dec 3You choose the subject and the venue. Design an illustration that moves and deliver it as a seamless loop along with the still image it came from. You will learn to prepare artwork for animation, timing and easing, and loop construction and export, using every tool the term has covered.
- 15%ExercisesShort technique assignments completed in class and handed in the same day: pen tool and curve work, shape building, color systems, scanning and clean-up, flatting, rigging and easing. An exercise scores 2 for correct completion, 1 if it has errors or is submitted incorrectly, and 3 at the instructor's discretion for work that substantially exceeds the requirements. An average of 2 is full credit. Late exercises are never accepted, but your lowest score is dropped.
- 10%ProfessionalismCome to class prepared with your supplies, files and sketches. Take part in critique and be ready to comment on other students' work. Attendance at critiques is mandatory, and you may be marked absent if you do not have the required work to present.
- 100%The whole grade
The weekly exercises
6 exercises, set on the day and taken in the next class week. Scored 0 to 3: a 2 is correct and complete, a 3 substantially exceeds the ask, and the lowest is dropped, so 5 of them count. Never accepted late.
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Part I · Editorial
Illustration that runs beside writing: vector spots, then a drawn illustration finished digitally. Editorial art runs wherever the article runs, a page, a phone, a newsletter, a share card, so the work is judged at every size it appears. Sessions 1 through 14, ending the class before Fall Break.
Course Introduction
Introductions, a walk through the syllabus, and an overview of the toolsets the course covers. Project 1 is assigned.
Set
- Project 1. Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)back Sep 17
- Reading for Reading an Editorial Briefback Aug 27
Reading an Editorial Brief
Where editorial illustration runs now: article pages, newsletters, apps, social cards. Developing a concept from a piece of writing, and making an image that reads at every size it will run. Thumbnailing on paper, in class. Also covered: using AI for research and concepting, and how to cite it. Christoph Niemann's TED talk on visual language is screened in class.
Reading
- Ways of Seeingchapter 1
- Ways of Seeingepisode 1, watch from 26:05 to the end
- You are fluent in this language (and don't even know it)screened in class
- Christoph Niemannthe artist's page, after the screening
- Abstract: The Art of Design — Christoph Niemann: Illustrationoptional, after class, about 35 minutes
Set
- Concepts and thumbnailsback Sep 3
The Pen Tool
Anchor points, handles, and building a curve with as few points as possible. Exercise in class.
Reading
- The Bézier Gameoptional practice, keep it open while you work
Thumbnail Review
Thumbnails pinned up and read as a group. We are looking for three different concepts, not three versions of one, and for whether an idea still reads at stamp size. Leave with one direction chosen.
Due
- Concepts and thumbnailsProject 1. Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)
Set
- Vector draftsback Sep 10
Shape Building and Pathfinder
Building forms from primitives, and boolean operations. Work session.
Color Systems
Global swatches, and building a palette you can reuse across a set. Work session.
Reading
- Malika Favreoptional, browse the covers and count the colors
Due
- Vector draftsProject 1. Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)
Type and Image
Placing type with an illustration: lockups, clearance, and what to hand off to a designer. Work session.
Project 1 Critique
Full critique. Present your set at final size and at thumbnail size. Project 2 is assigned.
Set
Capturing a Drawing
Paper stops being the sketch and becomes the artwork. Turning a finished drawing into a working digital file: scanning, photographing, and levels.
Set
- Drawn originals, capturedback Sep 29
Drawing for Reproduction
Line weight, contrast and texture that survive capture. Drawing session on paper.
Reading
- Successful Drawingoptional reference, free on the Internet Archive
Scan Clean-Up
Cleaning a scan, separating line from background, and setting up a working file. Work session.
Due
- Drawn originals, capturedProject 2. Drawn Editorial Illustration (3 weeks)
Color Under Line
Flatting and multiply. Building color beneath a drawn line, with and without a tablet. Work session.
Texture and Finish
Grain, halftone, and edge treatment over flat color: texture that reads as drawn rather than applied. Work session, with desk critiques. The last one before the critique.
Project 2 Critique
Full critique before Fall Break. Project 3 is assigned: pick your product and think about its structure over the break. Production starts when we return.
Set
Part II · Surface and Motion
Illustration on a package, then illustration that moves. Sessions 15 through 28, from the class after the midterm to the last class.
Package Structure
Dielines, folds, and how an illustration behaves on a surface that wraps. Bring the product you chose over break.
Set
- Structure and dielineback Oct 22
Illustration on a Dieline
Getting artwork to behave across panels and folds, and testing it at shelf distance. Work session.
Structure Review
Two structures read as objects rather than as flats. How a panel meets a fold, what the shelf sees first, and which direction can carry an illustration system across a range. Leave with one structure and a dieline.
Due
- Structure and dielineProject 3. Packaging Illustration (4 weeks)
Set
- Illustration systemback Oct 29
Pattern and Repeat
Building an illustration system that covers a range of products. Work session.
Mockups
Getting artwork onto a form and photographing it. Work session.
Due
- Illustration systemProject 3. Packaging Illustration (4 weeks)
Print Production
Bleed, trapping, and spot versus process color. Preparing files for a printer. Work session.
Project 3 Critique
Full critique. Present the package on the form. The final project is assigned.
Set
Illustration in Motion
How illustration is used in motion. Loops, easing, and the toolchain we will use.
Reading
- The illusion of lifeoptional, a few minutes
Set
- Motion studyback Nov 17
Preparing Artwork to Move
Layer structure and anchor points. Setting up a file before animating. Work session.
Timing and Easing
Easing, holds, and the difference between a loop that reads and one that stutters. Studies played at the desk. A study that exports cleanly here is proof the file will hold for the whole piece.
Due
- Motion studyFinal Project. Animated Illustration (4 weeks)
Set
- Rough loopback Nov 24
Loops and Export
Building a seamless loop. File formats, sizes, and what to deliver. Work session.
Rough Loop Review
The whole piece moving, played as a group. Timing is the subject and unfinished artwork is expected. Leave knowing what to fix over the break.
Due
- Rough loopFinal Project. Animated Illustration (4 weeks)
ThuNov 26
No class: Thanksgiving
Final Work Session
Last work session. Desk critiques on the piece as it stands, then export checks: format, size, and whether the loop still holds on the second pass.
Final Critique
Full critique on the final project, and a review of the term's work.
The exam window
Final critique
The final loops screened and defended, in the exam slot the registrar assigns. You talk about what the image is for, what you tried, and what you would do next.