Foundation in Graphic Arts

Foundation in Graphic Arts is a 1-year program covering the principles, techniques, and methods of graphic arts. Through skilled techniques and creative exploration, students are guided into a captivating journey of artistic expression. Delving into the beauty of drawing and design, they work daily from the figure, cast and portrait while attending lectures in Anatomy and Art History, shaping their understanding and practice of the craft.

The Foundation in Graphic Arts Program is offered in Florence, Italy.

Foundation in Graphic Arts is a full-time program covering the principles, techniques, and methods of graphic arts.

This is a comprehensive 1-year program giving students an in-depth preparation in drawing, as well as etching techniques and materials. Projects are of mixed length to develop core manual and observational skills alongside developing individual intuition. Pencil, charcoal, sanguine, and ink (drawing and printing) are all explored. Classes are predominantly practical and studio based; the course also incorporates seminars, lectures (anatomy and art history) and guided museum visits. This course teaches basic skills and techniques in order to gain visual literacy and hand-eye coordination. The course is taught by FAA Principal Instructors and supervised by the Program Director.

The overall aim of the program is for students to acquire key techniques to support individual artistic development in drawing; a skill considered fundamental to reach excellence in painting, sculpture, or other art forms. Students explore three-dimensional form and confront the human figure (life drawing, portrait, self-portrait) to produce varied works from short sketches, through to fully resolved representations using different media. They are taught to break down the complex task of learning to draw from life into gradual steps through the completion of several projects, and are required to attend an Anatomy course throughout their study to deepen their understanding of the structure of the human form. These weekly anatomy classes are part of the Florence Academy’s accredited curriculum for the 3-year Certificate Programs.

A series of guided visits to museums in Florence allow students to understand the value of the city as an extension of the classroom. They gain an understanding of the role and meaning of disegno as a living characteristic of Florence and learn how to interact with historical works of art to guide and inspire their own practice.  

As well as supporting individual artistic development, the course is also suitable as a foundation study program to support further progression at undergraduate level, or more advanced atelier level training.

1-year Program

Graphic Arts

“The most elaborate manual cannot replace the experience in the studio. The concepts can be written down, but the practice of a guided experience matters more. Being in the environment.” – Daniel Graves, Founder

Studio Projects

An established set of exercises focuses on outline, proportion, and shadow shape, on a step-by-step progression through the program’s curriculum. Studio exercises are designed to strengthen the student’s visual literacy to help them confront three-dimensional subjects in nature and translate them onto two-dimensional surfaces using a broad range of media.

Students begin by learning about the sight-size method of drawing, clarifying their understanding of the drawing procedure through master copies and life-drawing exercises. They develop skill in reproducing the outline, blocking out shapes, and refining line quality.

They also begin to understand the importance of values in turning form. Students begin to learn how to see their subject and gain precision through practice over many weeks, as well as skill in handling their materials and tools. The studio curriculum develops to explore figure and portrait drawing in greater depth; the student is taught to keep in mind three principal concerns when looking at the live model: proportion, body type, and gesture. As students’ drawings progress from a simple outline and shadow line, to mass, they draw on their knowledge of anatomy to give the figure a greater sense of weight and balance, and the portrait a greater likeness. 

In the spring, students go out into the landscape to explore fundamental concepts of landscape drawing, including linear and atmospheric perspective. This expands their understanding of how studio-based methods can be used to translate nature under a range of conditions. The goal is not to learn how to draw a single subject under a single ideal circumstance, but to develop a method for describing whatever they encounter in nature.

Materials & Techniques

This program is unique in its broad exploration of media and materials. Over the course of the academic year, students work with pencil, charcoal, sanguine, and ink used in both drawing and copper-plate etching, alongside other materials relevant to their projects. Each medium has its own character, shaping not only how it is handled but also the type of subject it best serves. It influences how a subject is described, as well as the pacing, duration, and intention of a work; in turn, the intention of a drawing often determines the medium chosen, whether for a fully developed piece or a preparatory study. While many exercises are structured to address specific concepts or skills, students are also encouraged to experiment independently.

In addition to regular class instruction on materials and techniques, each term, technical demonstrations introduce students to drawing techniques and the properties of individual materials.  This exploration allows students to directly engage with drawing as both an academic practice and a foundational tradition.

Seminars

Throughout the academic year, studio projects are taught in combination with a range of seminars designed to help students build a broader and more integrated understanding of drawing fundamentals. These activities are a combination of lectures and practical exercises which encourage students to move beyond the structured studio environment and develop a more independent, personal practice. A key aspect of this work is the cultivation of habits that support long-term artistic growth, such as maintaining a sketchbook as a space for observation, experimentation, and visual thinking.

Students are also taught to simplify the complex structures of the human form into simplified masses, building a constructive understanding of drawing with which they can supplement their understanding of the visual impression of nature. They are introduced to fundamental concepts of both linear and atmospheric perspective. Theories of composition are explained through lecture series and a variety of exercises, developing students’ understanding of drawing as a means of picture-making and storytelling.

Together, these studies support a wider set of skills applicable across many areas of the graphic arts. Emphasis is placed on understanding the underlying principles of how the three-dimensional world can be translated onto a two-dimensional surface, not as a set of isolated techniques, but as a coherent visual language that can be adapted across subjects and contexts.

Art History & Museum Visits

The Foundation in Graphic Arts curriculum includes guided tours of major museums led by its resident Art Historian, with all activities and entrance fees included in the tuition. Museum visits are scheduled on Thursdays, three days per term, followed by independent studio time. Students are also encouraged to participate in the Academy’s Art History lectures throughout the academic year, designed to introduce students to a select group of topics chosen from the vast field of art and art-related subject matter. It uses the resources, knowledge, and inspiration of the FAA student body to create an engaging debate in a supportive and educational atmosphere.

The study of Art History at The Florence Academy of Art is focused on the process of picture making: How does an artist use line, value, color, brush-work, narrative, and symbolism? What images or techniques did he learn from his teacher or other masters? How did his style and subject matter develop? What is the relationship of form and content in his work? A basic historical framework and relevant biographical details are included; however, names and dates matter less than inspiration. Students are asked to consider what is beautiful in the works they admire and are encouraged to debate the place of naturalistic painting and sculpture in the world today. Hopefully, this will enable them to take the best of the tradition and use it to support their personal visions when they become professional artists.

Anatomy

Weekly lectures begin with a discussion of the skeleton and myology, the study of the muscles, then move to drawing exercises with the model. “The Living Form” is a phrase taken from the 19th century anatomist, Dr. Paul Richer, in his classic text, “Artistic Anatomy”. It describes our goal as draftsmen, painters, and sculptors who study anatomy in order to see the shape and structure of the human form as it exists in life, as opposed to the altered and fragmented forms of the cadaver, or the static nature of charts and diagrams. Richer believed that the key to understanding form is to draw from life regularly, and to complement this visual method of study with a solid intellectual understanding of the structures of the human body.

With its strong emphasis on drawing from life in both the painting and sculpture programs, students at The Florence Academy of Art study anatomy daily. It is the goal of the Anatomy course to complement these studies and offer students new tools to help them understand the connections between exterior forms and deeper structures.

Weekly lectures begin with a discussion of the skeleton and myology, the study of the muscles, then move to drawing exercises with the model. Throughout the course a strong emphasis will be placed on morphology, the study of the forms of the body pertinent to artists. The drawing portion of the class is designed to help students think more constructively about their approach to the human figure and to offer techniques that help commit the forms of the human body to memory. Students will be encouraged to study from various sources that include selected texts, life casts, 3 dimensional models, the works of master painters and sculptors, live models, and local resources in Florence. Extra work outside of the class is not required but encouraged. Those who attend regularly and participate in class exercises will be given priority for admission to the Ecorchè Sculpture course.