Classical Charcoal Drawing Course
Topics
Course Description
This course will teach students how to use charcoal to create classical realistic drawings. Charcoal is an incredibly versatile medium for creating either sketchy or smooth, polished drawings that resemble paintings.
This course will explore different types of charcoal, a variety of papers, and tools for manipulating charcoal.
Learn how to light and compose subject matter, create three dimensional forms on a flat surface, and create various effects. Students will work from still lifes and nude models.
The instruction is one-on-one and will enhance the skills of both beginner and advanced students.
Classes are private at your home or studio. The price is $60 per hour with a minimum of 3 hours. Classes can have up to 5 students. Workshops in painting and drawing are also available. Please contact me to schedule a class or workshop.
Syllabus
This is a comprehensive 8-week class designed to teach the student how to use the charcoal medium to create a realistic interpretation of what they see in nature.
Weeks 1 and 2:
- Students will learn how to use all of their materials.
- We’ll be learning about lighting, composing and drawing the still life.
- The Block-in and modeling the still life to create three-dimensional forms will be demonstrated by the instructor.
- Students will practice drawing and modeling the still life.
Weeks 3 and 4:
- The instructor will demonstrate a drawing from the nude model.
- Students will practice quick 3- to 15-minute gesture drawings from different poses.
- Longer poses from 20 to 30 minutes will be studied.
- Students will learn how to get the full figure and block-in down.
Students will work from photographs or still lifes if a live model is not available or if class enrollment is low.
Weeks 5 and 6:
- Students will practice a few short poses and then work on one longer pose for the rest of the class.
- Students will learn how to use their charcoal and white chalk to model three-dimensional form and bring the model to life on paper.
Weeks 5 and 6:
- Students will practice a few short poses and then work on one longer pose for the rest of the class.
- Students will learn how to use their charcoal and white chalk to model three-dimensional form and bring the model to life on paper.
Weeks 7 and 8:
- Students will work from a live model, still life, or photograph to execute a more complete drawing using all the materials and methods that were learned in previous sessions.
Note: The use of live models is not guaranteed and is based on a cooperative agreement among all students attending a class. Models get paid $20 per hour, and the model fee needs to be split up among all students participating in the class. If there is a class with 6 students, the model fee for that day would be $10 per student for the 3-hour class. A class with 10 students would be $6 per student for the 3-hour class.
Charcoal/Chalk/Graphite:
- General’s Charcoal pencils: (2B, 4B, 6B)
- General’s Charcoal White
- Vine Charcoal (Hard, Medium, Soft)
- Stabilo 8008 Pencils
- Conté Sanguine Pencils
Sanding/Sharpening:
- Sanding Sponge (Buy it at Home Depot or Loews)
- Industrial Single Edge Razor Blades (Buy them at Home Depot or Loews)
- Small Pencil Sharpeners (Dollar Store)
Erasers/Blenders:
- Kneaded Erasers
- Paper Blending Stumps
- Chamois Skin
Brushes:
- Soft Mop Brush
- Sable or Mongoose Filbert Brushes (different sizes)
Drawing Surfaces/Supports:
- Charcoal Paper (Strathmore 500 Series Pad 24 sheets - Assorted Tints)
- Biggie Newsprint pad 18" x 24"
- Portable Field Drawing Board 23" x 26"
- Masking Tape
Classical Oil Painting Course
Topics
Course Description
This course teaches students to translate what they see into a realistic painting on canvas.
Creating an accurate preliminary drawing, value, composition, lighting, underpainting, and accurate color mixing will all be covered, resulting in the ability to create successful paintings.
This course will also cover different painting materials such as brushes, oil paint, mediums and preparing painting surfaces. Students will work from still lifes and nude models. The instruction is one-on-one and will enhance the skills of both beginner and advanced students.
Classes are private at your home or studio. The price is $60 per hour with a minimum of 3 hours. Classes can have up to 5 students.
Workshops in painting and drawing are also available. Please contact me to schedule a class or workshop.
Syllabus
This is a comprehensive 8-week class designed to teach the student how to use the oil painting medium to create a realistic interpretation of what they see in nature.
Week 1 and 2:
- Oil painting materials will be discussed.
- The student will learn about priming a canvas and preparing the surface to be painted.
- A still life will be set up and lighting and composition will be discussed.
- Mixing mediums into the paint will be discussed.
- The students will watch a demonstration by the instructor.
- Students will prepare their own canvases and begin learning how to create an Imprimatura underpainting from the still life.
Week 3 and 4:
- Students will learn how to translate the still life by drawing simple shapes into the wet paint on their canvas.
- Finding and drawing the simple shadow shapes, massing big shadows and lights will be discussed.
- Students will learn how to use their brushes to create hard and soft edges.
- Students may work from the live model.
Week 5 and 6:
- The instructor will give a demonstration.
- Students will draw and paint the Imprimatura or Wash-in underpainting from the live model.
- Students will learn how to draw the model's gesture onto the canvas.
- Finding and drawing the model's simple shadow shapes and massing big shadows and lights will be discussed.
Week 7 and 8:
- Students will use the methods and techniques they’ve learned in the previous weeks to create a living, breathing representation of the model on canvas.
- More advanced students or students with previous painting experience may start learning to mix neutral greys and color paints.
- A limited color palette will be discussed.
Materials
Brushes:
- Wide Bristle Primer Brush: 3 inches wide
- Flat or Filbert Bristle Brushes: Sizes: 1 to 10 (Robert Simmons Signet)
- Flat Synthetic Brushes: Size 10 and 12
- Sable or Mongoose Brushes: Flat, Filbert and round various sizes (optional)
- Palette Knives
- Brush Cleaner Tank
Mediums:
- Terpenoid or Gamsol
- Refined or cold pressed Linseed Oil
- Stand Linseed Oil (optional)
- Walnut Oil
- Clove oil: Can be found at Walgreens, CVS or a health food store.
Primers:
- Acrylic Gesso (Liquitex)
- Matt Medium (Liquitex)
- Smooth Sponge Roller and Tray can be found at Home Depot or Loews.
- Sand Paper 220 Grit
Paint:
- Large Tube of Raw Umber (Winsor & Newton, Rembrandt or Grumbacher) No student brands. I will add more colors later on when students are ready to mix colors.
Surfaces:
- Canvas: Sizes "11 X 14", 12" X 16", 16" X 20" or larger. (Buy several stretched canvases, as we use a new one for each class.) No canvas boards.
Pencils:
- Different types with smooth wood backs and pencils with eraser backs.
Palette:
- Palette Paper Pad, Wood or Glass.
Paper Towels:
- Viva Paper Towels
