Memphis College of Art
1988-1990 Undergraduate Instructor
1989-1990 Graduate Instructor
1988-1990 Assistant Lab Technician

Memphis College of Art
1990 Master Fine Arts Computer Arts
1988 Bachelor of Fine Arts Illustration
University of Arkansas
1981 Audit courses
Rhode Island School of Design
2002-2003 Maya Certificate Program

Visual Concepts for Game Design CIT41 Bristol Community College This course is an introduction to visual concepts and the software that supports their development. Students will learn what game developers need to create the realistic visuals seen in many popular games titles. Emphasis is placed on concepts needed to create actual assets for use in actual games. Uses Studio Max.

Visuals that Change our Lives: From Harley Earl to Tommy Hilfiger VA910-3 Brown University Design is a global language that has an ever present influence on our daily lives. We will explore industrial design, graphic design, architecture, illustration and fashion design via slides, movies and design objects themselves. Ever wonder who designs the car you drive, your favorite TV ad or the logo on the shoes your wearing? This course will give you an introduction to Design as a career and way of life. The course will primarily be lecture/seminar based but will include some hands on activities, brainstorming workshops and "creative juice" generating exercises. As a group, we will be creating visual design phenomena that will challenge your perception of things visual & commercial. Through Design's rich history and current trends, you will learn to think and see the everyday things around you in a different light.

Mark Thomas Chair of Communication Arts
Art Academy of Cincinnati
1125 St. Gregory St
Cincinnati, OH 45223
513.481.8529
mthomas@artacademy.edu

Alan Brown • President Photonics Graphics Photographer/Computer Illustrator
2244 Park Ave.
Cincinnati OH 45206
www.photonicsgraphics.com
Phone 513.281.5000
abrown@photonicsgraphics.com

Seth Founds Senior Lab Manager
Pratt Institute
58 Grand St.
Brooklyn NY 11211
718.636.3793
sfounds@pratt.edu

Unlike learning in daily life, formal education takes place in a protected learning environment. The method of teaching can determine for the student whether the educational environment is hospitable or safe. Strong foundations in training students of visual arts are necessary, while memorization drills only serve to intermediate. Encouraging an active participation from class members instills more meaning in the information to be learned, and the more meaningful a piece of information is, the more likely a student will retain it. Responsibility for learning is placed upon each student rather than allowing each to be passive. Being lectured “at” is less appealing than being lectured “with.”
Each class member should be viewed as an individual within the learning group. Instructing each individual requires awareness from the teacher of students’ different learning styles and their various ways of communicating. Variations in the pace of learning should be observed when instructing, while interests are validated and ideas stimulated by the teacher. This is done by acting as a mediator for the group rather than a dictator. The teacher organizes direction and keeps an appropriate overall pace for each assignment. Each student is also a member of a classroom society, and rules of courtesy, punctuality and communication should be shared by both teacher and students.
Today’s educators are faced with a new learning audience; a generation in which audio/video/internet communication is familiar. While print is not entirely outdated, the learning of traditional design methods should be taught more carefully and charged with a more “hands-on” approach to technology. Devices, such as computers, that create learning environments should be used as tools and not relied upon for educational content.
While formal education can emulate learning in the real world, the knowledge a student retains should spill over to act as a resource. Interests stirred and impressions made within the learning setting should lead students into the directions of their career realities. Education should be shaped by the wants and needs of the students, and tempered by the skills and knowledge of the teacher.