Majors

Students will bring inanimate objects to life using a mix of hand-crafted and computer-aided techniques. Create unique characters and experiment using motion, exaggeration and sound to tell compelling stories. Study noteworthy animated films and discuss how they relate to your own work. You’ll define your own original characters and scenes as you begin to build your own animated universe. This course emphasizes techniques for making by hand, such as hand-drawn, cutout, and stop-motion animation. It does not cover 3D digital animation software.

Animation majors may have a slightly higher workload than other majors.

In this introductory course you will learn to think and make like an architect. Begin by learning about different philosophies that inform how spaces are designed. Gain technical skills to diagram, map, and draft your designs. Play with scale, proportion, form, and spatial relationships to create different impacts. For the final project you will synthesize everything you learn into a physical prototype of your own design.

Architecture majors may have a slightly higher workload than other majors.

Throughout history, artists and designers have served as cultural magnifiers. They use creative methods and tactics to bring awareness and change to socioeconomic disparities. Discuss topics such as identity, resistance, and environmental justice. Then create your own mixed media or performance-based artworks that examine and respond to themes of social justice.

Art and Activism will provide a space for experimentation rather than a focus on one particular medium. As with all majors, you’ll be challenged to produce artwork that shows a command of materials and a depth of meaning.

In this class the creative process meets the scientific method. Investigate how nature can inform art and design and, conversely, how art and design can solve environmental and other problems.

Follow your curiosity as you examine and find inspiration from natural specimens in RISD's famous Nature Lab. Use 2D and 3D construction skills to build prototypes of your designs in this inquiry-focused class. Art and Science will provide a space for experimentation rather than a focus on one particular medium. 

Clay is a medium beloved for its plasticity and versatility. It is a time-tested material for vessels, and transcends function in contemporary sculpture. Gain an understanding of the science behind the medium while pushing your work conceptually. Construct with hand-building and wheel techniques and finish your pieces with surface treatments. Experiment with functional and sculptural ideas while you learn hand-building and wheel techniques. 

The drawing major allows you to expand upon the skills and techniques you'll learn in Drawing Foundations. Further develop your observational skills as you describe form using gesture and proportion. Use a mix of additive and subtractive processes to build up an image using shadow and light. Leverage the design elements and principles to create a composition that responds to your subject. Drawing majors will enjoy the challenge of technical exercises as well as imaginative prompts.

Discover the apparel process from design to market. Gain an understanding of how color, form, and proportion relate to the body. Learn how fashion reflects and influences contemporary culture as well as technical skills. Exercises begin with concept development and fashion illustration before moving on to construction. Fashion majors will spend their time developing a garment for the closing exhibitions.

Fashion majors may have a slightly higher workload than other majors.

Learn the fundamental language of motion pictures, from concept to final edit. Practice using basic digital filming techniques and nonlinear editing software to create a series of short films. Experimental, documentary and narrative genres will all be explored.

Video cameras are provided for use during class hours. You may bring your own camera provided it shoots manually, records digitally, and has a USB port.

Furniture lies at the heart of human-centric design. Use drawing and modeling to develop your own piece of functional furniture. You will begin with a starter project that will introduce you to the tools and materials. Then, bring your own full-scale design into reality using skills such as milling, shaping, and joinery. Get inspired by the overlap of aesthetics and utility through investigations of material and surface finishes. 

The game designer is a jack-of-all-trades: artist, engineer, psychologist, storyteller, and a creator of fun. This course provides aspiring game makers with practical experience creating tabletop games. Learn about the inner workings of historical and contemporary games. Then, design your own games and refine your characters and game mechanics with testing and critique. All projects are created with a combination of illustration and modeling materials. 

Graphic design is everywhere, from corporate identities to posters and packaging. Integrate your knowledge from Design Foundations as you combine text and imagery. Explore hand-made methods as well as digital design tools in a series of design challenges that will help you think outside the box. Leverage type, color, abstraction, and composition to communicate messages and ideas visually. 

From superheroes and memoirs to historic events and political satire, graphic novels are powerful devices for conveying messages and telling impactful stories. Read selected publications, learn the basics of scriptwriting, and dive into illustration techniques. Then combine your original characters with text and sequencing to make your own comic. Implement what you learn in Design Foundations to create emphasis and hierarchy. This course focuses on hand drawing; digital illustration is not covered.

Illustration is an ideal major for those with a strong interest in drawing and visual communication. It is a field in which drawing and design combine to express an idea. Learn how to create effective compositions to build compelling narratives. Give stories life with original characters and convincing scenes. Use what you learn about color theory to create palettes to invoke specific moods. Experiment with painting and drawing combinations to develop your own language of visual storytelling. 

Industrial design influences every aspect of our daily lives, from electronics to satellites. It is a human-centered field that always begins with a problem to be solved. Practice creative problem solving through the design process. Begin with a social, physical or ecological need. Brainstorm solutions, build prototypes, and test your ideas. Then continue to iterate your designs based on user insights. This course provides a foundation in three-dimensional drawing and model-making using inexpensive materials.

How do the elements and principles of design apply to immersive environments such as interior design? Discover how these apply at the human scale. Use color, texture, and scale to develop solutions for your clients. You will consider movement within interiors as well as spatial relationships. Begin with concept development exercises before mapping out your plan. Then learn the basics of preparing interior designs in two dimensions and three dimensions, just as professionals do.

Interior design majors may have a slightly higher workload than other majors.

Bend metal to your will using hot and cold metalworking techniques. Begin by getting acquainted with the jeweler's toolbox. Discover how to saw out shapes, file them to perfection, and finish them with surface treatments. Then move on to cold connections and, eventually, work in 3D and make hot connections. You will leave this class with a small collection of both wearable and sculptural small metal works.

Create impactful paintings using the building blocks of design. Sharpen your observational skills by painting from still lifes, models, and landscapes. Learn how proportion is essential to each of those, and how it works together with color, form, and value. Along the way you will get familiar with painting movements throughout history and learn how your work relates to them. You will complete most of your work in oil paint and learn about its unique properties. 

Develop technical and aesthetic skills in digital photography. Learn how to control your camera using its manual controls, and how to light your subject to capture your intended mood. Edit your images using Adobe Photoshop and get hands-on experience with printing photographs. A limited number of cameras will be available. If you own a DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual controls, we encourage you to bring your own.

Printmaking is a fun and practical medium that allows artists to create several copies of a single image by hand. Beginning with a drawing, you will learn how to transfer and replicate an image. You will start in single color prints and work your way up to multi-color prints. In addition to learning processes such as registering an image and preparing a stencil, you will continue to refine your designs. This major is an excellent choice if you enjoy drawing, illustration or graphic design. You will leave with a portfolio of prints that demonstrate a variety of approaches. 

Get inspired by contemporary and historical sculpture from clay building to site-specific art. Analyze how the design elements and principles apply in three dimensions and use a selection of materials to describe a form. Gain experience with a variety of construction methods as you work from small scale to large. Projects may include a mix of representational, abstract, and conceptual approaches.

Color and texture combine into luxurious results in this tactile medium. Manipulate fabric and fiber to produce unique and expressive tapestries. Master the basic elements of textiles such as layering, pattern, and dyeing. The RISD Museum’s Costume and Textile Collection will provide inspiration that you can bring back to the studio. There you will express your personal vision through meaningful patterns and motifs.