Week 1: Introduction to Life Drawing

• Introduction to materials and tools used in life drawing (charcoal, graphite, paper, erasers)

• Understanding the human figure and its proportions

• Gesture drawing exercises to capture the essence of the figure

• Short poses (1-5 minutes) to warm up and practice observation skills

Week 2: Anatomy and Form

• Study of basic anatomy of the human figure (bones, muscles, and joints)

• Techniques for rendering the form of the figure, including shading and hatching

• Longer poses (10-20 minutes) to develop more detailed drawings

• Exploration of different poses and angles of the figure

Week 3: Composition and Expression
(we will use paint this week too)

• Composition techniques to create dynamic and interesting drawings

• Study of facial features and expressions

• Longer poses (20-30 minutes) with emphasis on expression and mood

• Use of props and drapery to enhance the composition

Week 4: Advanced Techniques and Critique

• Advanced techniques for shading, lighting, and texture

• Critique and feedback on drawings from previous weeks

• Final project with longer pose (1 hour) to showcase skills learned during the course

• Discussion on ways to continue practicing and improving life drawing skills beyond the course.

Life drawing is a fundamental artistic challenge. Capturing the human figure in all its infinite, intricate variations requires both a mastery of technique and a thorough understanding of the body. In this  life drawing course, you'll make your figure drawings come to life with guidance with feedback from an expert instructor. Following traditional methods, you'll learn the standard measures and proportions artists use to achieve naturalistic and expressive figure drawings. The course builds progressively from the fundamentals to the challenges of portraiture, three-dimensional form, composition, and expression.

SUPPLY LIST

• Sheets of paper – regular drawing paper should be sufficient for this exercise try to get as large as possible

• Charcoal several sizes 

• Easel clips

• A sketchbook 

• Easel clips (to fasten pages to an easel) and a sketchbook isrecommendd if you like to take notes or sketch in them

• masking tape or frog tape 

• Graphite pencils (2H, HB & 2B are sufficient)

• Kneaded eraser

• Measuring device such as a knitting needle or a thread

• Ruler (only for the initial preparatory steps)

COURSE PROJECTS

• Measurements and Proportions
  In the first week we will establish the fundamentals. You'll begin with an orientation to your art materials: charcoal, pencil, sharpeners, drawing pads, and more. You'll learn standard proportions for the male and female figure and how to measure proportions as you draw, using your eye, your pencil, a plum line, and other guides.

• The Human Skeleton
  The knee bone's connected to the… To draw figures well, you'll need to understand how the skeleton is put together. This session explores the main reference points inside the body that help artists represent the figure: ribcage, pelvic bone, head, shoulder blades, arms, hands, legs, feet, and vertebra. Did you know when drawing a figure, the first thing you want to do is to establish the angle of the pelvic bone? Or which differences in the skeleton differentiate men and women?

• Muscles and Anatomy
  It's time to put meat on your bones. Building on your knowledge of the human skeleton, you'll study the anatomy of the body and learn how to represent muscle structure in your figure drawings. Looking at anatomical drawings, artistic works, and your own body, you'll take a tour of important muscle groups, learning their defining features.

• The Portrait
  In this week's class, you will study the proportions of the human face. You will learn to see the important differences between male and female faces and explore techniques for drawing the forehead, the nose, the mouth, hair, eyes, teeth, and ears. Dos and don'ts will be discussed to help you avoid common mistakes in proportion and perspective.

• Volume, Perspective, and Shading
  Unless you're an ancient Egyptian, your life drawing will involve the representation of three-dimensional figures. This week focuses on the challenge. You'll learn how to create volume in your drawings by breaking down the figure into three-dimensional shapes. You'll discover how concepts in perspective such as the horizon line, eye level, and vanishing point affect your figure drawings, even in close up. Finally, you'll look at how the application of line, value, and shading can influence the appearance of perspective and depth in drawing.

• Composition and Expression
  The final lecture rounds out your figure drawing course by exploring concepts in composition and expression. You'll discover how texture, balance, rhythm, variety, unity, and emphasis can each be used in drawing—or in any art form—to give shape to a piece. Rules of composition such as the Golden Section and Divine Proportion will be discussed along with expressive considerations to help you develop your artistic approach.

What Will I Learn?
Students in this course can expect to learn to:

• Build a foundation in life drawing skills by creating and submitting for feedback several figure drawings.

• Consider and apply in your drawing the standard measurements and proportions of the human figure.

• Identify and apply in your figure drawing the characteristic shapes and proportions of the human skeleton.

• Develop a basic ability to capture posture and motion through gesture drawing.

• See and apply in your figure drawing the characteristic shapes and proportions of human anatomy and muscle mass.

• Gain the ability to capture the shape of human subjects through contour and blind contour drawing.

• Examine and apply in your figure drawing the characteristic shapes and proportions of the human face in frontal, profile, and three-quarter views.

• Explore through your figure drawings the concepts of volume, perspective, and shading.

• Consider and apply in your figure drawing different approaches to composition, including texture, balance, rhythm, variety, unity, and emphasis.

• Demonstrate a basic ability to use expressive drawing techniques in capturing the human figure.