Life Drawing (Beginners)

This is a structured course suitable for those new to figure drawing or who would like a “refresher” course, those who have done A level art at school or have art school education to foundation or BA level, but with little previous experience of life drawing.

What The Course is About:

The course can be started each term or continued from term to term for the year. The emphasis is on visual enquiry and close observation but with an appreciation of other senses which come into play when drawing. Some general drawing experience is preferable. Through a variety of exercises and use of different media, and with short and longer poses, you will explore different ways of looking and approaches. You will be taught on a whole class basis as to the theme of each session, but with one-to-one feedback during the class and regular informal group discussion and review of the morning’s work. We will look at work of other artists as relevant to the theme of the session.

Materials Required:

What to bring to the first session: Bring to the first class any drawing materials you possess; paper and extra materials can be purchased from the School shop. Basic kit might consist of HB, 2B and 4B pencils, an eraser, willow charcoal, some soft cloth, a sharpener or knife, a couple of bulldog clips or masking tape.

Previous Experience:

Suitable for those new to figure drawing or who would like a "refresher" course.

End of course:

What will I achieve? You will learn how to convey the character and energy of a pose, through understanding the importance of direction, angles, shape and proportion. You will learn to appreciate and represent volume and to consider the figure in space. The use of line and tone to model the form will be explored in various ways. You will work with a variety of drawing materials – e.g. pencil, graphite, charcoal, conté crayon, brush and ink.