Still Life Drawing (Ages 16+, Beginner Level)

This Intro to Still Life Drawing Class will explore the composition, positive and negative space, light and shadow, and other techniques and concepts related to drawing.  Each class will build and expand on the previous class, beginning with fast gestural marks and end with long detailed drawings.  At the end of each class, we will discuss the pieces created, building on the concepts we discussed at the beginning of class.

Week 1: Discussion on the Relationships Between Light, Shadow, and Composition. Discussion on using negative space to build your drawing.  We will study basic shapes and heavy shadows by drawing with thick pieces of charcoal in 1-3 minute sessions and end with one long drawing session.

Week 2: Fabric and Texture in the Still-life. Building upon the concepts from the first class, we will challenge ourselves by adding fabric into the still life.  We will introduce, discuss, and experiment with new materials and techniques to build texture and smoothness in our expression of fabric.  We will add white chalk into our materials, bringing more dimension and complexity to our drawings.  Drawing sessions will be longer, and students will go into more detail on their pieces.

Week 3:   Introduction to Color Theory and the Limited Color Pallet.  We will discuss basic color theory concepts and experiment with applying them to still life drawing.  We will start off with short drawing sessions using gestural strokes and work our way up to longer drawing sessions with more detail.

Week 4: Expanding Color in Still Life.  Here we will apply everything we have practiced so far in expanded color pallets.  We will focus on using color in shadow and light in medium length drawing sessions.

Week 5: Applying Everything.  This week we will apply everything we have learned into long drawing sessions with a full spectrum of materials.  Still life objects will be determined based on the creative ideas of the students.

Week 6:  Final Drawing. Students will spend time completing previous drawings.  We will save a good portion of this class for a final critique with snacks and refreshments to celebrate everything we have learned. Family and friends are invited to come and see our work.

Supply List:

• 18” x 24” 24 sheets Large drawing pad
• Clips for your drawing pad
• Soft Charcoal
• Charcoal Pencils
• Kneaded Eraser
• White chalk
• Soft color pastel set
• Optional oil pastel set
• Blending stumps