Instructional Figure Drawing

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this class will guide you through the art of expressive figure drawing with live models. You’ll develop the ability to see angles, shapes, and distances, and train your eye to translate them onto the page. 

Throughout the course, we’ll work from general forms to more specific details, honing your understanding of proportion, anatomy, and how light and shadow create depth. With both short and long poses, you’ll have the chance to capture dynamic gestures as well as develop more refined studies. 

• Class 1: Introduction to Drawing the Figure – Gesture, angles, and light/shadow mapping. 

• Class 2: Charcoal Techniques – Building on Class 1, we’ll use vine charcoal for gesture, angles, and shadow mapping, plus charcoal pencils and a kneaded eraser for added precision. 

• Class 3: White Paper and Vine Charcoal – Gesture, angles, and mapping with a focus on darkening shadows and creating highlights through subtraction with the kneaded eraser. 

• Class 4: Toned Paper and Chalk Highlights – Gesture and angles with vine charcoal, darkening shadow areas with charcoal pencil, and adding highlights with white chalk. 

• Class 5: Figure Drawing Practice – Apply everything you’ve learned so far to create more developed figure drawings. 

• Class 6: Figure Drawing Practice – Continue refining your techniques and apply them to more complex drawings. 

This class is open to beginner to intermediate students ages 14 and up.  

Live models of all ages and genders will be posed for observation throughout the course. 

Please use the Notes section on the registration form to list needed accommodations.

Classes require a minimum enrollment of four students. If classes must be cancelled due to low enrollment, students will be informed one week prior to the start of the class and issued a full refund.