You’ll learn how to use charcoal and graphite on newsprint, work with a live model, and capture the figure using contour drawing and the three main gesture types: Mass, Line, and Squiggle. By the end of class, you’ll combine these techniques into more developed drawings and review your progress with the instructor.

Details

• Arrive 15 minutes early so you have time to set up and prepare. Doors will close promptly at 10:00 AM, and we'll have a brief introduction to studio culture and the class model.
• There will be a brief summary of the figure throughout Art History, use and care for your materials, how to work with a live model, meaning and use of line quality and a conversation about sight.

• We’ll warm up with contour line drawing, a technique that cues the brain to focus on detail, grounds the nervous system, and trains eye hand coordination. 

• With step by step instruction, you'll spend time practicing mass, line, and squiggle gestures, each capturing a different element of the figure.

• After break, you'll have time to experiment with combining the various gesture types to build the figure into a more developed stage. This further develops your intuitive drawing skills and strengthens emerging styles.

• We’ll wrap up by comparing your first and last gestures to see how far you’ve come, share your experience with the group and get one-on-one time with the instructor.

Materials

• A $50 materials fee, included in the class price, covers newsprint pad, charcoal sticks, water soluble graphite stick pack and kneaded eraser.
• Easels are provided for use.

Class Policies

• Ages 18 and up are welcome.

• Models should be treated professionally and with respect.
• Silence cell phones during class.
• No photography, video recording, or image sharing via text, online, or in print.
• No personal questions or remarks directed towards or about the model.
• No inappropriate gestures, touching, or repositioning the model.
• Only registered participants can be present during class.
• Only enter and exit the studio room when the doors have been opened by the class moderator andthe model is robed.