Norristown Area High School

Student Teacher: Ms. Erin Harcus
Cooperating Teacher: Rachel Knopf

Lesson #1: Character Design.

This lesson is intended to teach students the basics of character design. Being able to give your characters distinct, memorable looks and personalities is huge for lots of working illustrators, whether it be in books, movies, comics, etc. You want your characters to be recognizable and easily understood by your audience. This lesson teaches students how to enhance their visual communication skills and being able to get specific ideas across to their audience through visual cues alone, which plays into better general communication skills at large that are incredibly important in all aspects of the real world.

Lesson #2: Color Palette Challenges.

This lesson is an ongoing exercise in which students are repeatedly tested on their knowledge and understanding of what makes a good color palette, and how limiting that color palette forces you to think outside the box as an artist for how you're going to approach your drawing. Students can be given a number of different prompts to digitally illustrate (their names, a food, a landscape, etc.), but are limited to completing that drawing in 5 colors or less. The purpose of these challenge activities are to improve the students' understanding of color relationships, as well as giving them smaller tasks to get them more comfortable working in a digital medium.

me!! (2) - Erin Harcus.jpg — **Ms. Erin Harcus**
TYL ‘21, Art Education

Teaching art has become, in my view, a sort of sacred experience, because the art room is a space where we can all have fun, be vulnerable, and be expressive as a community. That is my ultimate goal as an art teacher - to make sure my students know they are safe, respected, and free to use their voices in whatever way they may need to (and to have some fun while they’re at it). I have a particular passion for illustrating and digital art, so working with my Intro to Graphic Design students this semester has been an absolute joy!
IG: @elysienn
FB: Erin Harcus Illustration

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