Drawing

These lessons are designed for teenage and adult students who want to:

• Develop visual perception and drawing skills, focusing on a realistic approach and structural drawing;
• Advance their artistic skills and move on to higher levels, including watercolor and oil painting, mixed media, and figure drawing;
• Learn about various painting and illustration techniques by studying the works of both old-school and contemporary artists;
• Develop an art portfolio.

Drawing is a skill everyone can learn and master. However, the learning process requires patience, practice, and sometimes the willingness to be not a creator but an analyst and an engineer. Drawing is not just about the product; it’s a complex process of transforming reality and seeing the world around us so that it can be represented on a flat sheet of paper with such a humble tool as a charcoal or graphite pencil.

The curriculum of the lessons combines a realistic approach and an opportunity for creative expression. Students are exposed to various drawing techniques and mediums, using professional materials and working from observation, memory, and imagination. They will also work from plaster casts and mannequins, as in a traditional French atelier. The subject will include landscapes, still life, portraits, life and gesture drawings, and animalistic and botanical art. Students will be encouraged to develop their style and creative approach and advance their draftsmanship and observational skills. They will receive individualized practical instruction. Part of the learning will be an assigned homework that includes sketching, finishing the current project, or reading. The curriculum does not include 3D art. An artwork review is recommended before starting the lessons to develop a plan.