Course Syllabus

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Southern Utah University

Spring Semester 2026

Introduction to Illustration (Face-to-Face)

ART 2500-01

Course:	ART 2500-01
Credits:	3
Term:	Spring Semester 2026
Department:	ARTD
CRN:	10245

Course Description

An introduction to the concepts, issues, and professional standard practices of contemporary illustration through instruction in the use of digital and traditional media for the production of art and illustration. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): ART 1110 and ART 2110 and ART 2210 and ART 2410 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 6

Required Texts

There are no required texts.

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain a broader understanding and appreciation of the field of illustration.
Students will develop skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professional illustrators.
Students will develop creative capacities in visual communication and storytelling. They will build skills in creating effective compositions, quality draftsmanship, and clear, expressive visual communication.
Students will meet deadlines and developmental milestones.
Students will respectfully analyze and evaluate their work and the work of their classmates according to professional standards.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Not Allowed

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT and Adobe Firefly, are not allowed to be used in this class. Although the use of these types of tools may be allowed in other classes and are used professionally, this class will focus on strengthening your artistic skills without the aid of generative AI. Any perceived use of generative AI will be investigated for possible submission to the university as cheating.

Course Requirements

A. Attendance, participation and effective use of class time have a direct impact on your artistic skill-building and final grade. As a general rule, I do not post my presentations on canvas. Please come to class.

B. Timely completion of all assignments is mandatory.

Your grade for this class will be determined by your average of your score on the following in-class and independent assignments weighted as follows:

20% — Studio Component
20% — Visual Development Unit*
20% — Narrative Unit*
20% — Sequential Unit*
20% — Conceptual Unit*

Grading System

OUT-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND MILESTONES:

Out-of-class assignments will have two key dates: a milestone (critique) date and a final due date. Assignments will be reviewed and critiqued at various points throughout the semester; however, a final grade will only be assigned once all course materials are compiled and submitted in a PDF portfolio at the time of the final exam.

MILESTONES

Meeting deadlines and adhering to milestones are crucial skills for success as a creative professional. All assignments must be submitted for review by their respective milestone dates. Failure to meet the milestone deadline will render an assignment ineligible for a final grade.

You are expected to engage with feedback provided during interim critiques and apply it to improve your work. If a student does not revise or respond to critiques by the end of the semester, the final grade for the assignment will be subject to a 10% penalty.

STUDIO COMPONENT

Throughout the semester, many in-class assignments will not have specific point values assigned to them. These assignments are mandatory and essential for the development of the skills necessary to complete graded assignments. In addition, your preparedness and engagement in studio activities will contribute significantly to your learning process. The studio component, including in-class assignments and overall preparedness, will account for 20% of your final grade.

Methods of Instruction

Face-to-face instruction, presentations, demonstrations, videos, readings, exercises, instructor-guided drawing time, group activities, critiques, and individual consultations.

Course Outline

Week 1: What is Illustration?
Week 2: Professional Practices and Illustration Process
Week 3: Sketching strategies and ideation
Week 4: Launch: Visual Development Unit
Week 5: Character design principles and methods
Week 6: Launch: Narrative Unit
Week 7: Review environment and prop drawing principles
Week 8: Launch: Sequential Illustration Unit
Week 9: Textual and narrative analysis
Week 10: Spring Break
Week 11: Launch: Conceptual Illustration Unit
Week 12: Visual puns, metaphors and calls to action
Week 13: Strategies to use feedback to elevate your work
Week 14: Instructor-guided work time
Week 15: Instructor-guided work time
Week 16: Final Artwork Due (see course Calendar for time of Scheduled Final)
*This is a general outline of how things will be covered. However, topics may take more or less time depending on student needs. Expect some adjustments to the outline as the course progresses through the semester.

Attendance Policy

Roll will be recorded on Canvas each class period, but will not automatically figure into your Canvas grade.
At the end of the semester, the Canvas roll record will be used to calculate deductions, if any, to your final grade.
Check your attendance in Canvas often to keep track of how you are doing!

- Up to 3 absences and be excused with appropriate documentation and/or honest appeal.
- Each unexcused absence will reduce your final course grade by 5%.
- Tardiness and leaving early will effect your grade—Canvas calculates it as “80% PRESENT.”
- Students that come over 30 minutes late or leave class over 30 min early, will be marked “ABSENT”
- Students who miss 25% of class time, equivalent to 6.5 class periods or 18 hours of class, will fail the course.
- Scheduled “Work Days” reported and used effectively “PRESENT”
- Cancelled classes due to instructor illness or extenuating circumstances will be marked as “PRESENT”

Statement from FAD Department Chairman: Studio courses are experiential in nature and rely heavily on in-class
instruction, collaboration, and critique. As such, attendance is mandatory. A student who misses more than 25% of scheduled class time (including unexcused absences and tardiness) will receive a final grade no higher than a “C–”, and may fail the course, regardless of performance on assignments. Excused absences—such as those due to documented illness, university-sponsored activities, or other legitimate circumstances—may be made up with appropriate documentation (e.g., a doctor's note or official university communication). It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor before the absence when possible and to make arrangements to complete missed work promptly. Consistent attendance and active participation are essential to your success in this course and in your development as an artist/designer. The Department Attendance Policy for studio classes can be found here: https://catalog.suu.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=26&ent_oid=1489&returnto=

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments must be turned in *ON TIME. Assignments turned in on time can be reworked and resubmitted to try to improve the grade. Assignments turned in after the scheduled deadline will be considered late and will receive one grade reduction per day late. Example, an assignment turned in 1 day late can only earn up to a B, 2 days late a C and so forth. All days, including weekends, count toward late deductions

*ON TIME means that assignments must be turned in by the specific time they are due 1:00 PM. Work brought into class at 1:05 PM will be considered a day late.

Classroom Management & Maintenance
1. Clean up after yourself at the end of each class.
2. Keep phones on "silent mode." Please take calls and texts outside of the classroom.
3. Off-topic movies and shows may not be watched during class.
4. Headphones may be used during “work-in-class” time, as long as you use only one ear-bud and/or low volume.

Academic Integrity
Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current issue of the Student Handbook (published by Student Affairs) regarding student responsibilities and rights, and for the intellectual property policy, information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.
What is dishonest activity in an art class?
• Turning in artwork created for other classes.
• Copying another artist’s art (painting, drawing, photo, etc.) and passing it off as your own—Plagiarism.
• Unauthorized use of copyrighted material such as images from magazines, books, or the internet. Ask your instructor how to use copyrighted images appropriately.

Course Fees

Studio courses require a $19.00 fee per credit hour.

Office Hours

Office BH 127F: T 9:00am-2:00pm Please schedule an appointment using Calendly.

https://calendly.com/ben_sowards/office-hours

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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