This class was designed with your learning in mind. We will talk about all things figure drawing! Students will use graphite pencils to draw the figure. Lecture and demos will accompany drawing time to give the student a strong foundation from which to work. The class information will build systematically. For the first few classes, students will work from a new pose each night with emphasis on accurate proportion and a strong start. Poses will progressively lengthen from 1-4 nights as students learn to render the figure with a step-by-step approach. Topics covered will include gesture, anatomical bone structure, accurate shapes, perspective, and using light and shadow to render form.

Supply list

Life drawing is at the core of any serious program of fine arts. In these classes, students draw from the figure in pencil, charcoal, including an option of painting. Each drawing or painting is created over a period of sessions, developing the student’s eye for accurate gesture, proportions, and anatomy. With a single sustained pose, students will have the option of either taking one drawing/painting to a high degree of finish or completing several drawings from different positions around the model.

In this class we will explore how to portray clothed figures and different materials, combined with a little imagination. Learn about underlying anatomy and how it affects folds, characteristics of fabrics and folds, and ways to use your artistic license to edit what you observe to serve your picture. These are useful things to consider when you need to invent or recreate the look of a costume for a picture. Students are encouraged to explore their imaginations and creativity to embellish their studies with imagined details or a scene.

This 9-week class will be broken into two segments, each with a different costume and pose. Using a combination of sight-size and comparative methods, students will develop a minimum of two costumed figure studies. Depending on experience, students are welcome to work in pencil, charcoal, or oil paint.

Life drawing is at the core of any serious program of fine arts. In these classes, students draw from the figure in pencil, charcoal, including an option of painting. Each drawing or painting is created over a period of sessions, developing the student’s eye for accurate gesture, proportions, and anatomy. With a single sustained pose, students will have the option of either taking one drawing/painting to a high degree of finish or completing several drawings from different positions around the model.

One-day figure studies

Students will paint a new study each week working from the figure. Working from a new pose each week will give students many opportunities to study gesture, anatomy, proportion, value and color! Instructors will guide the student to achieve a complete figure, starting by drawing and progressing to blocking in with paint while striving for accuracy in proportion. All students will begin in black-and-white value for the first two classes progressing to color based on skill level and student preference. Throughout the class topics to be discussed will include value structure/form, some anatomy, color mixing/relativity, and understanding temperature. Different exercises will be presented throughout the class to focus on these topics.

Life drawing is at the core of any serious program of fine arts. In these classes, students draw from the figure in pencil, charcoal, including an option of painting. Each drawing or painting is created over a period of sessions, developing the student’s eye for accurate gesture, proportions, and anatomy. With a single sustained pose, students will have the option of either taking one drawing/painting to a high degree of finish or completing several drawings from different positions around the model.

Life drawing is at the core of any serious program of fine arts. In these classes, students draw from the figure in pencil, charcoal, including an option of painting. Each drawing or painting is created over a period of sessions, developing the student’s eye for accurate gesture, proportions, and anatomy. With a single sustained pose, students will have the option of either taking one drawing/painting to a high degree of finish or completing several drawings from different positions around the model.

The most crucial part of any artwork is its preliminary stages. In this class, Sawyer will emphasize the most necessary of these stages: the block-in. The goal for this class will be describing the figure as efficiently—and accurately—as possible. Through a series of demonstrations, explanations, optional assignments, and primarily model time, students will be eased into complex topics. Gesture, rhythm, proportions, shape simplification, structure, and notan statements will be discussed and practiced in an approachable manner. There will be no intimidating rendering. This is the meat and potatoes of drawing!

Materials:

• a small drawing board
• medium sized binder clips
• HB pencils (yellow school pencils work fine)
• a pencil sharpener, or blade, and sanding board
• kneaded eraser
• legal-sized bond paper (8.5 x 14 inches) not letter-sized
• Strathmore 400 drawing paper (11 x 14 inches)