AI for Artists & Designers
About the Course
Students will be provided with supplies for this elective.
Students will explore how artificial intelligence can become part of an artist’s or designer’s creative process. Through hands-on projects, they’ll experiment with AI tools to generate ideas, explore visual possibilities, and develop work shaped by their own interests and artistic choices.
Through guided exercises, students will learn to write and refine prompts, evaluate outputs, and combine AI experiments with their own artwork and design work. They’ll consider how research, reference materials, and revision can help them move beyond initial results toward more intentional creative outcomes.
Students will also examine questions of authorship, originality, bias, and the responsible use of creative work. Through discussion and studio practice, they’ll develop the judgment to decide when AI will support their ideas and when other approaches will better serve their goals.
What Students Will Create
Students will develop a creative project that combines AI exploration with their own artistic or design practice. Supported by experiments, process documentation, and a reflection on their choices, their work will demonstrate how they’ve directed, evaluated, and transformed AI outputs into a personal creative outcome.
What Registration Will Include
This registration will cover one afternoon elective only. A morning intensive, a second afternoon elective, and housing will require separate registration.
Students will be able to take this elective on its own or combine it with other Summer@Cornish courses. No morning intensive will be required.
How Students Will Build Their Schedules
Full-Time Program
Students will register for a morning intensive and two afternoon electives, one from each schedule. Morning intensives will meet Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–noon, with a lunch break from noon–1 p.m.
One Afternoon Elective
Students will register for this course and attend on the days listed in its schedule. Afternoon electives will run from 1–4 p.m.
Afternoon Electives Only
Students who wish to attend every afternoon will choose two electives: one that will meet Monday/Wednesday/Friday and one that will meet Tuesday/Thursday.
Students will be able to pair this elective with the Digital Design Intensive + Portfolio Development or the Art & Design Intensive + Portfolio Development. They’ll also be able to combine it with another morning intensive to explore interests across disciplines.
Students will need to add each course to their cart separately.
Browse Summer@Cornish courses →
Housing Options
A residential option will be available to full-day students and will include supervised housing, evening and weekend activities, and extra studio time.
Students who plan to stay in housing will need to begin with the residential application before registering for courses. They’ll receive instructions for selecting a morning intensive and two afternoon electives as part of the residential package.
Learn about the residential program and how to apply →
Questions?
Students and families will be able to get help choosing courses and building a schedule by emailing cornishplus@seattleu.edu.
Related Art Classes
Art & Design Intensive + Portfolio Development
The Art & Design ExperienceExplore your creative interests through hands-on studio work in drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed materials. This four-week intensive builds foundational skills in visual art and design while helping you develop your own artistic voice.Working in 2D and 3D, you’ll experiment with materials, develop original
Comics Studio
The Comics Studio ExperienceExplore storytelling through words and images in this hands-on elective for all skill levels. You’ll learn how writing, drawing, and visual language work together to communicate ideas, build worlds, and connect with readers.Through guided exercises and projects, you’ll develop expressive characters, craft compelling
Illustration to Animation
The Illustration to Animation ExperienceBring your drawings to life through traditional and digital illustration and animation. You’ll explore pose, movement, and expression while learning how artists use rhythm and timing to communicate emotion and tell stories.Through hands-on projects, you’ll experiment with digital tools that transform still
Darkroom Photography
The Darkroom Photography ExperiencePut aside digital devices and immerse yourself in alternative and experimental film photography. You’ll explore the hands-on possibilities of analog image-making, from creating photographs without a camera to transforming your prints into handmade art objects.During the first week, you’ll learn the fundamentals of
Analogue Printmaking
Explore the expressive possibilities of printmaking through hands-on work with traditional printing processes. You’ll discover how artists use ink, pressure, texture, and layered imagery to create prints with distinctive visual qualities.Over the four-week session, you’ll be introduced to screen printing, woodblock relief, monoprinting, intaglio,
Tabletop Game Art & Design
Students will bring imagined worlds to the table through the art and design of analog games. They’ll explore how images, materials, and rules work together to create games that invite people to play, from card games to board games and other tabletop experiences.Through guided exercises and studio practice, students will develop ideas for game
Digital Design Intensive + Portfolio Development
Digital Design ExperienceStudents will bring together creativity and technology through digital and interactive design. Through guided exercises and studio projects, they’ll explore user experience and interface design (UX/UI), interactive media, motion, and game systems while considering how design shapes the ways people experience technology
Game Art
Students will explore the expressive possibilities of video games and the role of game art in shaping player experience. Through guided exercises and studio projects, they’ll discover how visual design, storytelling, and interaction work together to create atmosphere, emotion, and identity within a game.Students will examine existing games as both
Graphic Design
Students will explore the foundations of graphic design and visual communication through hands-on projects using Adobe Illustrator. Designed for students with limited design experience, this course will introduce the tools and creative processes they’ll use to turn ideas into original digital artwork.Through guided exercises, students will learn to
Motion Graphics
Students will explore how graphic design comes to life through movement. Through hands-on projects, they’ll discover how animated text, images, and shapes can communicate ideas, tell stories, and capture an audience’s attention.Through guided exercises, students will explore timing, rhythm, transitions, and composition. They’ll learn to plan
UX & UI Design
Students will explore how user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design shape the ways people interact with websites, apps, and other digital tools. Through hands-on projects, they’ll discover how thoughtful design can help people find information, navigate choices, and complete tasks.Through guided exercises, students will consider users’
Digital Fabrication & 3D Design
Students will explore how digital designs can become physical objects through 3D modeling and digital fabrication. Through hands-on projects, they’ll discover how artists and designers move between virtual models, material experiments, and constructed forms.Through guided exercises, students will learn to develop three-dimensional designs while
