By: Daisy Solis
When it is time to think about what classes you want to take next semester, it can be hard to decide what to take and where to even start. As an art major or minor, finding out what classes to take can be difficult but with some help you can find classes you will enjoy and learn from.
My first suggestion to classes is to meet with an advisor. You can meet with Harpur Advising but I highly recommend you meet with the specific art advisors who can be found here. You can email them to schedule a meeting or you can go to their offices in person. During advising, you can expect to be asked questions relating to your interests, your major/minor, and year. Don’t be afraid to bring up any concerns you may have such as not being able to get into classes or concerns with graduating on time.
Art classes are typically very small with 20 people or less in them. This makes getting into these classes difficult and can be frustrating sometimes when you don’t get the classes you want. Don’t worry! There are always many art classes and each one teaches you important things that will help build your skills and creativity.
Some art classes I have taken and highly recommend are as follows
- Drawing I
- Painting I
- Sculpture I
- Mixed Media
- Printmaking II
- Graphic Design I
Each of these classes were very fun and offered challenges and projects that really made me think. Most of these are introductory classes, some of which may be required for your degree and some not. Drawing I and Painting I really helped me build fundamental skills in art. I learned how to draw better and learned about art elements such as line, shape, value, etc. Painting I opened the world of color theory. We worked with oil paints to create beautiful paintings while also learning the basics of painting and color.
Sculpture let me bring things to life with my hands and mixed media quite literally mixed all different kinds of media to create something new. In this class, I made frames out of wood and plexiglass, something I never thought I would learn. Graphic Design is my major, and the introductory class helped me gain a sense of what my upper level classes would look like.
I also highly suggest that you speak to students who may be taking the classes you are interested in currently. This way you can get a student’s perspective on the class and get a sense of the work you will have to put in.
If you are interested in switching your major to art, I highly recommend scheduling an advising session with Harpur Advising. They are extremely helpful and gave me advice when I was switching my major my freshman year. You can make an appointment online with them or you can go into their office to schedule one. They are located in Old Champlain Hall Room 110. They will also suggest you meet with the art advisors as mentioned before.
Good luck with registration!
