Monthly Courses

The monthly courses offered at SRISA provide independent students an opportunity to study in Florence on a non-credit basis. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of this creative and structured program that provides four weeks of instruction with studio time.

The courses are taught primarily in Italian by English speaking professors.

The Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA) campus is located in a spacious building which houses classrooms, a painting studio, digital lab, wet-darkroom photo lab, printmaking studio, and the new design studio. Students have access to studios in the evenings and on weekends. Gallery exhibitions and cultural events are organized weekly and open to all students.

Courses are offered every month in the following subject areas:

∗ Fashion Design
∗ Interior Design
∗ Painting
∗ Black & White Photography
∗ Digital Photography

MONTHLY COURSES

Tuition Fees
750 Euros

Registration Fees
50 Euros

Not included
Personal art supplies, Field trips and museum entrance fees, refundable key deposits

FASHION DESIGN

Course Description:
This multi-level course introduces students to the industry of Fashion. The structure of the course allows students to have a basic understanding of fashion design and trend. Students will learn to sketch the fashion figure with the correct proportions and in different poses, they will learn to draw garments on the figure and will learn to render different materials using markers and color pencils. Special attention will be given to the understanding of the timing and planning of a fashion collection. Intermediate and advanced students will improve drawing skills and will work on specific market categories such us: High fashion, menswear, accessories and so on.

Course Structure:
Class-time will be a mixture of in-class presentations and practical assignments where students will develop projects and assignments based on lessons given in class. Individual and group critiques are an important component of the program.

Supplies:
Sketch/Marker pad A4 size, Sketchbook, tracing paper, at least 2 pencils (H, HB, 2B, 4B), pencil sharpener, eraser, scissors, glue stick, a set of colour pencils, at least 5 colored markers, 2 black thin markers (0,2 and 0,5), special colored paper for presentation of the projects. While computers are available for students to work on, students are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers.

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INTERIOR DESIGN

Course Description:
This multi-level course introduces students to the world of interior design. The course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of planning and furnishing interior spaces. Students learn both manual drawing skills as well as computer graphics programs. Students study both the history of interior design as well as discussing contemporary trends. Special attention is given to the study of Italian interior design. Students learn to read architectural models, drawings and plans as well developing knowledge of materials. Intermediate and Advanced students begin to develop an individual or group project based on the knowledge gained in the first part of the program.

Course Structure:
Class-time will be a mixture of in-class presentations and practical assignments where students will develop projects and assignments based on lessons given in class. Individual and group critiques are an important component of the program.

Supplies:
While computers are available for students to work on, students are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers.

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PAINTING

Course Description:
Students will be introduced to the technical and theoretical aspects of painting in a variety of medium. Beginning level students will work from still-life, nude models and on-site in the city. Lessons will focus on use of color, value, and composition. Intermediate students will continue to build on the skills learned at the beginning level and will start developing their own personal visual language. Advanced students are expected to have mastered the technical aspects of painting and will begin to build a body of work that reflects a personal style and ideas.

Course Structure:
Studio assignments will be augmented by discussions, critiques, illustrated lectures, museum visits and the analysis of historic and contemporary paintings.

Supplies:
Students in painting courses will need to purchase their own materials, including paper, canvas, paints, brushes and solvents. This will be discussed on the first day of class.

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BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

Course Description:
In this course students will learn basic principles and techniques of classical black and white darkroom photography. At the beginning level students will be introduced to the basic functions of the manual 35 mm camera. And students will focus on producing clean well-developed images and mastering the technical aspects of traditional of the field. Advanced students that have mastered the basic technical aspects of the darkroom will be introduced to alternative process and advanced darkroom development techniques. All advanced students will begin to create a body of work that reflects their personal style and ideas.

Course Structure:
Classes lessons are a mixture of hands-on demonstrations, slide presentations, critical theory, individual / group critique and open supervised lab work.

Supplies:
You are expected to have a 35mm camera that permits manual adjustment of shutter speeds and apertures. You will also be required to purchase your own b/w film and paper for the class.

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DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Course Description:
This course is designed to teach the fundamental skills and basic techniques of shooting color and black and white images with DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras. Special emphasis will be placed upon aesthetic and visual concerns as well as presentation and craftsmanship. The course will base itself on the understanding and operation of the camera, manual exposure, composition, studio lighting and basic image correction through Adobe Photoshop. Advanced students who already have a strong foundation in basic digital photography will be introduced to advance techniques of photo edition through Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom software. By the end of the course, students will have developed an understanding of their own photographic language, and have acquired a more critical eye.

Course Structure:
Classes lessons are a mixture of hands-on demonstrations, slide presentations, critical theory, individual / group critique and open supervised lab work.

Supplies:
You are expected to have a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) that permits manual adjustment of shutter speeds and apertures. You will also be required to have the camera USB cable as well as a memory card (1G is suggested).