THERE are a variety of ways to spend summer vacation, and one of those ways could be learning about an art medium that peaks your interest.
Every year, the Cordillera School of Digital Arts, Inc. (CSDA) arranges a workshop called the Summer Arts & Animation Workshop (SAAW). Thankfully, CSDA has grown over the past ten years and developed their workshops, and therefore is now able to teach a wider variety of the arts. It consists of four classes: drawing, animation, digital photography and painting classes.
First off, in the drawing class, students were taught basic techniques and fundamentals. It starts with drawing simple shapes and then progresses into more complex subjects such as figure and landscape drawing. One of the joys of working in an animation school is that we feel fulfilled and delighted when we see our students begin to be confident in drawing because of the fundamentals that were taught to them. Aside from that, one of our goals is to guide the kids so that they can build confidence in themselves for creating their art works.
Second, for the animation class, the students were enthusiastic and excited to see their characters brought to life! These creative students were guided to animate their own original characters. It was a great help to them that they were taught the twelve principles of traditional animation. Another concept and skill that they were introduced was 2D digital animation using Adobe Flash Software.
Third, for our digital photography class, students were taught how to use a DSLR, its different functions, and a wide range of photographic techniques. They also did other activities like: a photo-shoot in a car show at the Baguio Convention Center, take photos of delicious food and of the scenic outdoor sites of Baguio City, studio photography wherein they get to learn the different techniques of lighting.
Interestingly enough, the students woke up early in the morning to take pictures of the scenic sunrise. Not to mention, professionals Mr. Carl Cariño Taawan, a local photojournalist, gave them some tips and Tiff Bahni, a professional photographer, came in as well to instruct our students. Another guest lecturer presented them with a variety of vintage cameras, like the plate camera.
Finally, for the painting class, a student was taught the color theory and also a variety of painting mediums such as: watercolor painting, coffee painting, acrylic painting, and oil painting. Gabrielle Jude Lizada had exquisite paintings that ranged from the scenic views of nature to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away to still life to a Van Gogh-esque night city skyline to a detailed portrait.
With all that said, we as a school are more than happy to witness our students translate their intangible concepts and raw ideas on different kinds of media. Moreover, we are thrilled to see our students be able to express themselves in a way that they love.