Week 1 : Foundations and Creative Explorations

About this class

This is the introductory course to the Summer Art and Design Program 2025. This course cannot be taken separately.

The first week introduces students to the fundamentals of building a strong art and design portfolio, with a focus on creativity, experimentation, and documenting the creative process. Through a series of hands-on activities, students explore a range of disciplines including drawing, sculpture, design, and animation.

They begin by developing imaginative thinking and spatial awareness through unconventional exercises and material exploration, then move into key artistic principles such as perspective, composition, and observational drawing. As the week progresses, students are introduced to illustration and visual storytelling, culminating in an exploration of motion through basic animation techniques.

The week concludes with an introduction to color theory, helping students understand how color influences mood, meaning, and visual communication—laying a strong foundation for future creative work.

Class Outline

Class 1: Introduction and Creative Thinking

Overview of what constitutes a strong art and design portfolio.
Discussion of creativity, experimentation, and process documentation.
Activity: “Draw Everything But the Cookie”: students receive a half-sketched cookie and complete the drawing without depicting the cookie itself.
Material exploration: Clay modeling activity to stimulate spatial and tactile thinking.

Class 2: Reverse Perspective and Composition

Introduction to Peter Hughes’ Reverse Perspective.
Exploration of spatial illusion, perspective, and composition.
Focus: Color composition and principles of interior design.
Outcome: A small-scale mixed-media piece exploring reverse perspective.

Class 3: Observational Drawing

Focus on Drawing and Printmaking foundations.
Students practice observational drawing using everyday objects (e.g., a hand or tissue box).
Emphasis on proportion, shading, and texture.

Class 4: Illustration and Graphic Design

Introduction to Graphic Design and Illustration Principles.
Students create a hand-drawn illustration or poster design.
Emphasis on visual storytelling, typography, and layout.

Class 5: Motion and Kinetic Imaging

Introduction to Kinetic Imaging.
Students animate their previous day’s illustration using either simple coding tools or iPad hand animation.
End-of-Week Session: Mini-lecture on Color Theory and discussion on how color impacts visual communication.

Materials needed

Please note:

All required materials for this course will be provided by VCUarts Qatar.

The following items will needed for this class:

Foam boards
Clay or modeling material
Paint
Pencils
Sketch paper
Blades and scissors
Tapes and rulers/pencils
Access to computers and digital software (Canva, PowerPoint, basic animation tools)
iPad for animation
Laptop with Adobe Creative Suite
Hard drive/ USB drive

Please note that there may occasionally be additional materials required. If so, your instructor will inform you in advance.

Schedule

Start: Sun, July 12, 2026
End: Thu, July 16, 2026
Lessons: 5
Days: Sunday – Thursday
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Location: VCUarts Qatar Campus

Instructors

Moom Thahinah

Moom Thahinah is a graduate of Northwestern University, having earned a BSc in Media and Communications in 2022. She continued her academic journey at VCUarts Qatar, where she obtained an MFA in 2024.

Driven by a passion for interdisciplinary design, she continuously explores the boundaries of the medium of filmmaking, utilizing artistic elements to evoke emotions and convey compelling messages.

Her interests primarily lie in fiction and comedy, where she navigates the terrain of storytelling to evoke specific emotions, such as nostalgia and embracing barriers.

Her expertise extends to strategic communication, to craft impactful narratives and forge meaningful connections with audiences.

Sultana Jesmine

Sultana Jesmine is an interdisciplinary designer and researcher with passion for life-long learning, experimentation and teaching. Her current research interest merges human-centered design, play and neuroscience while utilizing digital and analog technologies. Sultana has a degree in MFA in Design Studies and double BFA degrees in Interior Design & Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience in research , exhibition design. product design , video production, projects and events management, residential and commercial interior design, fashion design and leadership training.