You have been highly recommended to me as someone seriously interested in art. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked you to be part of our group. I hope this will be a very exciting time in your life. I will do my very best to insure that you will be given a good foundation in art that will enable you to carry your creative talent as far as you would like to go in life. When you get the basics in all medias down we can concentrate on the areas of art you are most interested in. It's my desire to help you to use your wonderful God given imagination to create artwork that can speak for you and tell the world, in an interesting and beautiful way, something about yourself and how you feel. You may be interested in portraits, fashion, commercial art, animals, landscapes, no matter what area of art it is; I am willing to help you reach your goal. I know with your talent and hard work, you can achieve anything!

PHILOSOPHY OF ART
We will explore charcoal, pencil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, and/or oil. If you have interests in pen and ink, mixed media or any other media, we can work in those, too, once you get your basics. With each media you will be expected to show me you have mastered the techniques by doing assigned exercises and successfully completing several live studies, before you advance to the next level. Special resource material can be used briefly later on to provide finishing detail and interest, but, in general, total COPY WORK WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.  Copying is very detrimental to the creative process. Your artwork should be about your abilities and not anyone else’s. I refuse to do your paintings for you, I will give you demonstrations or advise, but I want you to do the work. I want YOU to be deeply involved and totally secure in YOUR art skills, not someone else’s. I know it's hard to make it look the way you want to in the beginning, but that's why I'm here to teach you!

CHARCOAL 
We will explore shadow and light and composition of still life using basic shapes, such as cubes, spheres and ellipses.

PENCIL
An understanding of line is uppermost in this media, what it is and what it is not. You will study negative space and where to find it. Different shading and stroke techniques will be mastered. We will delve into the mysterious world of perspective until it becomes a natural and easy thing for you.

PASTEL
This will be your first introduction into the realm of color. You will come to know the color wheel and how to blend new colors. We will learn about cast shadows, reflected light and color composition.

WATERCOLOR
When you get into watercolor you must learn to plan ahead and you will definitely learn what it means to be patient and careful. Watercolor is a difficult and demanding media, it requires a lot of skill, practice and timing. By the time you've mastered watercolor, your confidence will have grown tremendously! Each new medium will be harder than the one before, but the rewards are great!

ACRYLIC
If you decide to choose this medium you must be bold, fast, and organized. You must have a good knowledge of color, form and design at this point. You must begin to be very conscientious about cleaning up your brushes and tubes of paint. You will be totally responsible for the cleanup and storage of your art supplies after every class. A mature attitude is a must from here on. (If you fail to show me you are capable of responding in a responsible way, you will be put back in a less demanding medium at once.) You will have input in your studies and the selections of props, lighting and backgrounds. Special studies are encouraged at this level, you might want invite a friend to come sit for you to try your hand at portraiture. You might want to set up your entire study with things from home. I will begin to really encourage your creativity at this time. To paint a dream, or paint what a chapter of a book or a poem or what a Bible reading might suggest to you.  It's going to be exciting.

OIL
To be successful at oil, should you want to tackle it, you must be able to concentrate for long periods of time. There are many tried and true rules required for this medium. You spend a lot of time waiting for oil to dry, and thinking how to do something … slow steady careful and brave. Oh, yes! Bravery, the final glistening touches of paint that highlight the eyes or puts sparkle on water or one lone bird in the sky, take a mountain of bravery, because you know that tiny dab of paint can make or ruin the entire painting you may have worked weeks on.

GOALS, SHOWS AND COMPETITIONS
I don't think competition in art shows is as important as reaching your own personal goals. It is important to be able to accept constructive criticism. The most important gift an artist can be given is a good critic (someone who knows art and views your art in a friendly, honest, and helpful way).  As we become more comfortable with one another, I hope we can come to share constructive criticism in a mature and encouraging way. That is very, very important to everyone as they grow in art. At least once a year we will have a studio show for our families and friends, there will be refreshments and prizes. Bear in mind this will not be a competition, it will be an exhibit to show how we have grown. You will be encouraged to participate in local and area art shows, but I will not require it. I am here to teach you and encourage you in every way I can.

FIELD TRIPS
As we explore landscape drawing and painting, live animal sketching, perspective drawing, etc., we will take sketching trips and painting excursions.

ART HISTORY
We will occasionally study art history to learn how the masters painted to find out what techniques we might want to use in our own paintings.

MUSIC
There will be music playing during every class to help stimulate your imagination and help create a calm and relaxed mood, which is very important to proper concentration. Suggestions will be considered, but rest assured, I will make the final decision on which music will be used.  NO EXCEPTIONS, and no complaining … that would mean a demerit.

DEMERIT RULES
I respect you and the hard work you or your parents had to do in order to pay for this class. I will do my best to make sure no one wastes that money by disturbing you while you are working. I am asking you to show the same respect towards others.  If you do any of the following, you will receive a demerit.

1. Failing to call if you are going to be absent or tardy.
2. Loud talking or complaining.
3. Throwing objects across the room and at other students.
4. Running or rough housing.
5. Stealing.
6. Failing to bring supplies to class.

With any violation of the demerit rules, you will receive a mark against your name. I will notify your parents, every time you receive a mark, to make sure they are aware of what's been going on in class. If three demerits are received in a month’s time, you will be asked to leave the class. If I think it's necessary to move you to another class to prevent expulsion from happening, I will do it.  I want you to excel in art.  I want you to be able to control yourself to the extent it takes for you to get maximum benefit from this class. The demerit slate will be wiped clean at the beginning of each month. I will be fair with you and I expect you to be fair with me.

FEES
Class fees will paid in advance at the beginning of each month. At the last class each month, a bill will be provided for the coming month. Class fees will be based on an hourly fee of $6.00 per hour.  We will work for two hours per class, making the cost of each class $12.00. Some months will have four class days and some will have five, so the monthly charge will vary.

MAKEUP CLASSES
I know it is unavoidable to miss a class, now and then. If you must miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, when possible, so I won't have to set up your study and take it down again. There will be one makeup class provided every month for those who have missed a class. I will set it at a time that will be convenient for the most people. If for some reason the makeup class is not a good time, please call me and we will try to find a more convenient time.

SUPPLIES
For the first classes, we will need only a large spiral pad (at least 16x20, medium smooth), vine charcoal and a kneaded eraser. These items should be found at Hobby Lobby in Abilene, or other art supply store. You can store your charcoal and eraser in a Ziploc bag. Eventually, you will want to get a cheap plastic storage box with a handle in the middle or an artist paint box, if you prefer, to hold your painting and drawing materials. I will furnish studio easels, a stool and a table to put your supplies on. When you get to pastel and water color you will need a drawing board (any substantial smooth board that you can tape and/or tack watercolor or pastel paper to). I will give you a complete supply list when class starts. You can get your supplies from me (if you let me know in advance) or you can buy them from Hobby Lobby or other art supply store. You will want to take your painting supplies home with you at the end of each class, to ensure they will not get lost or spirited away.

FRAMING AND DISPLAY
Any finished artwork should be properly framed to preserve it. Terry Studio will offer a 10% discount on framing to all of my art students.