Summer at CSUMB
Summer of Science Illustration
Each summer, instructors from the Science Illustration Graduate Certificate Program host condensed summer classes. All levels are welcome - from interested amateurs and professionals honing their skills, to high school and college students who want to sketch the natural environment or learn to draw what they observe.
How to register
Registration for 2023 summer courses opens April 3, 2023.
- Instructor's permission to register with a signature or permission number is not needed to register for Science Illustration summer courses.
Submit your completed Open University Registration Form
- By Email: extended@csumb.edu
- By Fax: 831-582-5376
- Allow 2-3 business days for your registration to process
- You will receive an email from Extended@csumb.edu after your registration is processed.
Once you have completed registration, please continue to check the CSUMB email address that is assigned to you as the course dates approach. Instructors will communicate with you via this email address with any changes to the supply list, course materials, and classroom location.
Cost and payment
Cost: $280 per unit + $39 per term campus fee = $879 per class
- If you are not a CSUMB degree-track student, once you are registered and gain access to your account you have 4 business days to make your payment online in OASIS. More instructions regarding the payment will be sent to you via email once you are registered.
- If you are a CSUMB Degree Track Student, register and make your payment online in OASIS.
2023 courses
Course Number: 31240
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 301 (30)
Dates: July 3 – July 14
Schedule: M-F, 9:00am-1:30pm
Course Supply List: Field Sketching Supply List
Instructor: Andrea Dingeldein (adingeldein@csumb.edu)This field-intensive course will invigorate your sketchbook pages and inspire curiosity about natural subjects. We will cover basic drawing and watercolor techniques for accurate representation of plants and animals, gain a deeper connection to the local landscape through the practice of sketching outdoors, and use a variety of identification tools to learn more about our subjects. Inclass instruction focuses mostly on pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil, but the use of a variety of materials is encouraged.
Course is full. Please email extended@csumb.edu to be added to a waitlist.
Course Number: 31225
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 395 (30)
Dates: June 5 – June 16
Course Supplies: Digital Supply List
Schedule: asynchronous Instructor: Justine Lee Hirten (jhirten@csumb.edu)Explore science illustration using Adobe Photoshop. We will take a focused look into tablet based drawing and painting in Photoshop with the goal of making digital painting accessible to everyone. The asynchronous class format allows for participants to work at their own pace with daily support from the instructor. No digital painting experience necessary, however basic computer skills are required.
Course Number: 31236
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 395 (34)
Dates: June 19 – June 30 Schedule: M-F, 9:00am-1:30pm
Course Supplies: Botanical Supply List
Instructor: Erin Hunter (erin@eehunter.com)Hone your skills of observation, as well as drawing and painting techniques, by sketching flowers and plants. Brief lessons in botanical anatomy will help you identify and understand the parts of flowers and plants. Students will create pages of detailed notes and sketches; learn to match color from flowers and leaves; and practice using various media like graphite, pen, colored pencil, and watercolor. We'll cover some field sketching techniques, and discuss how to create a more formal botanical plate. All skill levels welcome; previous drawing experience is helpful but not necessary.
Course Number: 31241
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 302 (30)
Dates: July 17 – July 28 Schedule: M-F 9:00am-1:30pm
Course Supplies: Marine Science Illustration Supply List
Instructor: Amadeo Bachar (ono@abachar.com)Drawing from online reference material including video, photo and written descriptions we will pursue an intensive study of marine critters and a range of ecosystems. Current science illustration styles and conventions will be covered, with a focus on basic drawing skills and multiple watercolor techniques.
Course Number: 31237
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 395 (35)
Dates: June 19 – June 30
Schedule: asynchronous
Course Supplies: Comics Supply List
Instructor: Reid Psaltis (rpsaltis@csumb.edu)Visual storytelling is a fantastic tool for science communication, and comics are an increasingly popular medium for making complex subjects accessible through narrative. This course will cover traditional and digital techniques for comics creation, including penciling, inking, thumbnailing, and scripting. Through various exercises students will work their way up to writing, drawing and inking a short comic about a subject of their choosing. Students working digitally may use their preferred apps and software, but instruction will be focused on Procreate.
Course Number: 31239
Units: 3
Number & Section: SICP 395 (37)
Dates: July 17 – July 28
Schedule: asynchronous
Course Supplies: Paleo Supplies List
Instructor: Reid Psaltis (rpsaltis@csumb.edu)Paleoart is the practice of bringing extinct animals to life through art. In this class we will discuss some of the techniques and challenges of turning fossils into living animals. Students will get a crash course in vertebrate anatomy, and will learn how to visualize muscles and skin on a skeleton, get tips for rendering fur, feathers and scales in a digital workflow, and will build a small model of a prehistoric animal of their choice. Students working digitally may use their preferred apps and software, but instruction will be focused on Procreate.