Student Gallery: Introductory Drawing and Painting Classes

DRAWING HIGHLIGHTS. All drawing classes begin with an exploration of drawing "keys" — methods artists use to see more accurately: line, gesture, angles and proportion, measuring, negative space, and value. Students are also encourged to think about composition from the start. They "take charge of the picture plane" by using the entire sheet of paper and engaging what's in the background.

PAINTING HIGHLIGHTS (jump below). In "Drawing into Painting" students do two 3-week paintings. The lessons of value and composition learned in drawing are carried over to the paintings. Each painting begins with an underpainting, an atonal version of the composition that works out issues of value, composition, and drawing. The subjects are kept simple so students can focus on color and paint handling.

Donna Combs

Donna Combs, Study: Angles and Measuring, vine charcaol on paper.
Class: Drawing for Beginners.
In the first weeks students work exclusively with line — what we call "the indispensible abstraction." Above: "before" and "after" drawings completed in the first class show how quickly perspective can be improved (right) by using the keys of "angles" and "measuring.

Kitty Alaily
Contour/plane drawing, graphite on paper.
Class: Drawing for Beginners. Students explore variable line weight as they look for the planes found in a green pepper or a garlic.

Cathy Bechtel
Value Drawing, graphite on paper.
Class: Drawing for Beginners. The first value drawing done in graphite explores organic forms. Students learn how to see the value steps from light to shadow.

Gael Ford
5-Value Drawing, charcoal on paper.
Class: Drawing into Painting. The first exercise in value uses an additive an subtractive method, and achieves a full range of value with only five distinct values.

Shellly Farber
Shelly Farber
Value Drawing, graphite on paper.
Class: Drawing for Beginners.

Lauren Wickman
2-week Drawing, charcoal on paper.
Class: Drawing for Beginners. Toward the end of the class, students spend two weeks on a single drawing. The addtional time allows them to fine tune the value relationships and explore working in charcoal.

Brigid Slinger
Ink Drawing, ink on paper
Class: Drawing for Beginners. Gesture is one of the most essential "keys." The goal is not accuracy, but to capture the underlying energy and movement of the forms.

Kate Thompson
Gesture Drawing, pencil on paper.
Class: Drawing into Painting

Instructor Example
Underpainting
Students learn how to begin a painting with an "underpainting" — an tonal version of the painting done with one color. This resolves issues of composition,value,and drawing before advancing to color in the second week.

Susan Matalon
Underpainting (week 1 of a 3-week painting), oil on canvas

Linda Rempel
3-Week Painting, oil on canvas
Class: Drawing into Painting

Mandy Shoger
Many Shoger
3-Week Painting, oil on canvas
Class: Drawing into Painting