Studio Courses in Drawing

Responsive Drawing I

Basic to all other courses, Responsive Drawing I uses a teaching approach unique to our school which enables students to draw remarkably well regardless of experience or talent. Our method uses a disciplined approach whereby students are taught how to perceive and are given specific skills for using materials, so that it becomes possible to draw what the eye sees rather than what the mind assumes. The course explores multiple and exciting methods for using graphite as a drawing medium with emphasis on learning to control line , tone and value as well as identifying shapes accurately.

Responsive Drawing II

A continuation of the responsive approach, class studies include a combination of directed exercises geared around the students' subject choices. Finished drawing subjects are then chosen by the individual student. The objective of this course is to guide one towards making independent decisions in drawing. One must have a good working ability to draw with expressive intent and show ability to control line and value.

Intermediate and Advanced Drawing

Assuming participants have some mastery of drawing skills, these two courses place emphasis on spontaneous drawing where speed and accuracy are developed concurrently along with specific exercises with graded pencils. Using gesture drawing, and short studies stressing proportion and angles, perspective and attention to value and details, this course is must for those wishing to have really competent drawing ability for painting.

Drawing: Introduction to other Drawing Medium

This course requires a minimum of one of our other drawing classes, or proficiency in drawing with graphite or colored pencils . Class will be an introduction to techniques for handing a variety of other drawing materials including such choices as: Pen and Ink, Rapiodiograph, Charcoal, Conte; Colored Pencils, Markers, graphite and others.

Drawing in Perspective :

Drawing perspective is one of the crucial skills necessary for all drawing and painting mediums focusing on representational realism in landscape or close up subject matter. Foreshortening and points of perspective are skills that are often overlooked or poorly learned. Take this class to enhance your skills in drawing a more realistic and accurate representation. For beginners and advanced alike. everyone can benefit from understanding this area of drawing. Easily manged segments make learning this topic fun and doable.

Drawing the Figure:

Section I

The first class series will focus on understanding and correctly rendering form, value and texture of the human anatomy, with a concentration of various independent aspects. Using and studying the masters techniques of sketching as well as the concentrated and detailed study of body elements the drawing of the figure will be broken down into easily discernible and simple to master parts of the whole.

Section II

Using live clothed models, figure drawing is an intensive study of techniques and methods which can be used to draw the human figure effectively and quickly. The sessions begin with hand-eye coordination exercises proven to enable the artist to draw what the eye sees; then the instruction explores various methods for expressively studying and rendering the human figure. Gesture drawing from life will begin the warm up, and various materials will be used such as charcoal, conte', inks, pastels, and graphite to render the body form. The instructor demonstrates all the drawing techniques and procedures being taught.

Pen & Ink Techniques

Requiring a prior working knowledge of values and textures that has already been achieved, this course shows how to use the Rapidograph pen and permanent fine line markers, as well as experimenting with traditional pen and ink work. Emphasis on how to make the various types of marks employed in pen and ink drawing, and how to apply those marks sequentially to achieve a build up of textures and values toward making a finished drawing. Various paper types and surfaces will be explored as well.

Charcoal Techniques

Relying upon a working knowledge of values, this course shows methods for using vine and compressed charcoal to do quick studies and to execute a finished drawing. These works can be thought of as underpainting studies for oil and pastel work, or be finished as works of there own.

Color Pencil Techniques I, II

Assuming a good working knowledge of drawing skills, this course guides one through basic techniques of layering, blending, burnishing, juxtaposing color, lifting color and developing a finished work using Prismacolor and other color pencils. Level one teaches basic pencil control with shorter exercises and smaller work to finish; level two takes this to an independent level where the student designs the project for larger finished works.