Life Drawing

Open to all adults – beginners and those with some experience.

A range of creative, academic and innovative exercises will be covered, with the aim of improving skills of objective observation and understanding of the human form. Participants will work from a range of life models with different body types. There will be a balance of long and short poses, enabling exploration of quick gestural drawing and slower studies focusing on nuanced observation and depicting accurate proportions.

It would be helpful, although not essential, if beginners had a little general drawing experience. Course projects give students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of drawing through regular study of a life model.  Participants will work from easels with a life model present for all sessions.

* This course is open to beginners and those with life drawing experience.

• Objective and traditional observational methods
• Learn how to structure the figure
• Depicting tonal values and understanding the laws of light and shade
• Learn to develop your own creative response and approach

Materials
A range of pencils: e.g. HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, pencil sharpener or scalpel, 2 bulldog clips, masking tape, box of mixed size willow charcoal sticks, putty rubber or ordinary eraser, an A2 (otherwise A3) pad of cartridge paper, minimum of 2 coloured pencils, approx 2 sheets of A3 tracing paper, 2 sheets of A2 or A3 black paper, 2 sheets of A2 or A3 mid-toned paper (e.g. grey, brown, blue, beige) white conte or pastel pencil, brown or black conte or pastel pencil, either a plumbline, slim knitting needle, slim dowel rod or garden stick for alignment, 30cm ruler.

Optional: Cheap paper in any colour for warm-up studies, monozero small wedge-shaped pencil eraser. Any other personally preferred materials e.g. oil bar and zest-it, pastels, paints, inks, pens, coloured pencils, conte crayons or pencils, black paper and white media etc. Repeating or experienced students are welcome to use materials of their choice. Materials will be discussed during your first session with your tutor and you may have already some art materials which can be used.

Tutor: Emily Burton

Dates
13, 20, 27 September 4, 11, 18 October
1, 8, 15, 22, 29 November 6 December