Digital Media Arts

Merging Creativity and Technology

The Winston School’s Visual Arts program encompasses a wide array of engaging, hands-on instruction. The program is comprised of 2-D and 3-D development, including drawing, mixed-media work on paper, and painting.  The second year 3-D course work involves ceramic, slip mold casting as well as hand-built objects and subtractive techniques in carving. Our Visual Arts and Digital Media courses are A-G approved by the University of California and California State University systems.

Digital Media

The Winston School’s Digital Media program introduces students to self-publishing, image manipulation (Photoshop) and multimedia software (Adobe Creative Suite). First-year students learn about various image file types, cropping images, compositing (putting several images together), ghosting images (for use as webpage backgrounds), using layers, creating masks, applying filters, and formatting text with bevels and other effects in basic design.

Digital Media also introduces students to utilizing 2-D and 3-D formats. During the course of completing assignments, students learn to understand scanning, printing, and using an Internet browser to create images and manipulate and communicate digital information. First-year students also gain an understanding of the interfaces between different software applications to produce multi-media presentations, and desktop publishing projects, such as magazine advertisements and music CD covers.

Second-year course work focuses on content development and emphasizes literacy skills in video and sound editing in the Adobe Creative Suite, and basic animation in 2-D and 3-D. Assignments might include Public Service Announcements, short documentaries, how-to videos, and filming the school’s Drama Productions. Along the way, students gain real-world video and sound editing skills in the Adobe Creative Suite. The software programs utilized include Premiere Pro, Final Cut and I-Movie.