Art Classes Receive a High-Tech Upgrade

Westmont is the first Christian liberal arts college in the country to have a fully-equipped Wacom Cintiq lab, giving art students access to professional-level equipment. The 22 Cintiq 22HDs, graphics tablets that allow users to draw directly on the LCD display surfaces, will be used in Westmont’s digital painting, design and graphic design courses.

Scott Anderson, associate professor of art, began the process of acquiring the new equipment five years ago. A $25,000 gift from the June G. Outhwaite Charitable Trust, a $22,000 grant from the Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation and $5,000 from the Emelco Foundation made the purchase of the Cintiqs a reality.

“While I knew it was possible we could find the funding, there was still that rush of adrenaline that comes with seeing a long-held dream come true,” Anderson says. “The students are also extremely excited — I am guessing that enrollment for Digital Painting this spring will be at an all-time high.”

The Cintiqs allow students to draw and paint imagery directly to the computer, using professional-grade software such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter.

“It has become the hardware peripheral of choice for professional illustrators and digital artists across the globe, and is used heavily at animation studios such as Disney and Pixar,” Anderson says.

“A bonus element is how it impacts recruiting for our department — the equipment speaks for itself, but it also shows Westmont as an innovator in technology, and prospective students respond very positively to that.”