questions on starting a comp. graphics class

[khal67]

Greetings all, first post. :P
I am an art teacher by trade and looking into the possibility of starting up a computer graphics class that would be essentially the equivalent to a High School Art I class, but taught through comp. graphics. What would be the best programs to use? I'm thinking Photoshop for sure, but what best to combo it with? Illustrator to go the graphics route or a 3D modeling program?

Please put what programs you think would be best for a basic art/comp. graphics class to teach basic art skills to students more comfortable with a computer than a pen and pencil. Pros and cons would also be helpful.

Also, this will be a laptop based class. Hopefully with graphics tablets.

Thank you all for your time, your input and your valuable experience.

-khal67

[Mirana]

I took a Computer in Art class the first semester this prof had taught at the school. She taught Photoshop and Flash, but it became clear very quickly that one program alone could last a whole semester/quarter. ;) There are a whole host of programs you could teach, with each targeting a specific group of artists.

Maybe the better question is what major(s) are at your school and what will the students need? Illustrator is not such a huge jump from Photoshop (nor is InDesign), but 3D programs (and Flash) can take up a much longer amount of time. How many classes are you going to have(quarter/semester)? How many projects?

[Storyboard Dave]

For simplicity's sake I'd stay with the Adobe CS3 software. I'd most definitely stick with the basics such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and touch upon Acrobat. They're still the basic industry standards for a lot of businesses. The fact that it's cross platform doesn't hurt either.

Another bridge for them to step into is possibly get them going on Painter- and the only reason for that is the intuitive feel of the program. It still feels an reacts like traditional mediums especially when coupled with a stylus & tablet.

One thing to be aware of though is whether you're going to be using Mac or PC based laptops. You might need to remind them that some of the controls might be a bit different from one system to another.

Bravo to you and good luck with exposing your kids to technology as well.