Drawing Fundamentals: Getting Started


Drawing Fundamentals: Getting Started


Lesson Info

Class Introduction

We are going to be experimenting with drawing materials, I just want to talk a little bit about what we're covering, just to give a little groundwork for what we'll be exploring. Just some of the things we are going to be talking about are, we're going to be exploring the potential of varied drawing media and surfaces. So we're going to do a lot of playing. We're going to do a lot of experimenting. You can see in front of you and you can see in front of me here, there's a lot of fun things, it's sort of like setting up for dinner party, but it's drawing materials and, I'm going to be taking you through each material, we're going to play with it, we're going to see what it does, see how it feels, because sometimes we get into ruts with certain materials we think of this is what we always use, so to expand a little bit, maybe come out of your comfort zone a little bit would be kind of fun to try. So, exploring materials we're definitely going to do, and we're also going to be, this is pr...

obably one of the most significant things in this course is really building a connection between your eye, your mind, and your hand. So I'm going to be taking you through some really fun exercises to sort of help us get that connection going in a fluid way, and sort of, relax around some of the things that we go through mentally about obstacles to getting ourselves drawing. And then we're also going to be practicing sensitive line quality. We're going be talking about making marks and you might think, oh, I'm just putting a little line on a piece of paper. But there's a lot of ways to make that line so we're going to talk about line sensitivity, and depending on whether or not we're drawing an organic material, or let's say, an industrial object, our line sensitivity might change. And that's a very organic thing that we'll be talking about, and sort of feeling, sort of felt line. So we'll definitely be working with that. So, this class, really anyone could benefit from it, people who are graphic designers, illustrators, weekend sketchers, absolute beginners, it's totally appropriate for everyone. Because, I feel like what I really want to do is connect people, with that sort of, the essential quality of drawing, which is, I believe, a real tactile experience. It's really connecting you with your visual world, and really building your ability to see. Regardless of whether I'm using a pencil or a piece of charcoal, or whether I'm drawing a flower or a bottle opener. It's really about centering, connecting, slowing down, and also, trying to get through some of those obstacles that we put in our way. Those things that sort of well up, whether it's fear about drawing or fear of self-judgment. I've been a working artist now for a few years, for quite a couple of decades, and I still get to my studio sometimes, and I set up and I have this sort of like, (deep breath) bubbling up of a little anxiety about like, Am I going to succeed? Is it going to be good? And how do we get past that? Well, one of the best ways to get past it, is really to play and experiment, and be in the process. Versus trying to envision this outcome. Where is this going to go? Maybe we don't know where it's going to go, and that's the beauty of creating, right? And opening up to create. So, this really, I feel, as an artist and an educator, I feel like my cause lately is really about, just sort of having the incredible... I just feel like I'm so lucky to be able to be here with you all and provide a space to experiment and provide a space to slow down. Our world is so fast, right? We're speedy, speedy, speedy everywhere. On our devices, but like, what about sharpening a pencil? What about that? How does the wood smell? What do the shavings look like, right? So this your giving yourself this gift to be here and so I really hope that we'll have fun and we can enjoy just the process together. What stands between you and picking up a pencil to draw, right? These are some things that we can think about. My daughter, Celeste, when she was three, drew this. If we think about children drawing, if you've ever seen a kid working, there's just this unbridled creativity, and there's this sense of freedom and liberty. And there's not a self consciousness about it, right? It's just, you're putting it down. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. What is good or bad, right? So, can we, kind of, bring this back into the way that we think about making marks? Can we get back to that sort of fluidity and that playfulness and that authenticity of mark making that children's drawings really, kind of, show. And of course, people have been drawing for quite a long time, right? This is paleolithic cave painting. This is in France, thousands of years ago, people were making marks with charcoal that they found, burnt stumps of logs on the wall, and this is the real stuff, right? So this has been going on for a really long time. And I love this quote from Picasso: "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." So, if we can have that as our mantra, how do we bring that life into our work?

Class Description

This beginner-friendly class will teach you essential techniques for drawing realistically. Understand the concepts of line quality, contour line, and mark making. You’ll also learn about the materials used in drawing and art so you’re not intimidated by the art store. And you’ll understand how to slow down and ‘see’ things to better draw them. Instructor Amy Wynne teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design and exhibits her work nationally, winning numerous grants and awards.

In this class you’ll learn:

  • The expressive potential of a variety of drawing media on varied surfaces
  • How to build a connection between eye, mind and hand
  • To practice sensitive line quality as it relates to mechanical versus organic motifs

By the end of the class, you’ll have created a series of contour drawings of organic and mechanical objects in varied materials.