Advanced Artistic Techniques

The goal of this class will be to support students in producing very fine, high quality, polished drawings and paintings studied from life.

Classes will include drawing and painting, and will have a variety of subjects to study.

The purpose of academic observational drawings is similar to learning scales or studying music theory is to musicians.

Although it may be a cold and less creative process to begin with, it has many significant benefits: 

• To give the artist the opportunity to explore the limits of their observational powers; 
• To train and further develop their eye; 
• To encourage thoughtful discipline and patience in producing work, where necessary; 
• To build a mental portfolio of understanding when it comes to form, tone, proportion, perspective etc which can be applied to imaginary objects or when interpreting photographic reference; 
• To develop consistency and truth in observation; 
• To develop muscle memory and the unconscious expression that comes from repetition.

Academic drawing and painting are the foundations of many forms of fine art, but they are also the foundations for a lot of commercial work. The ability to interpret from life or reference, to produce work that is consistent and accurate, that clearly demonstrates an understanding of tone, proportion, form, perspective etc is highly valued in commercial art fields. These skills can all be achieved from the long term study of objects from life, and pushing the limits of analysis and understanding until it becomes intuitive.

For the student, this may be at times a difficult and frustrating process, because it will require rewiring and training the mind, eye and hand, which are all exhausting. However, with dedication and hard work the results will be spectacular and will benefit the students in a multitude of ways. Topics covered: 

• Artistic terminology 
• Tone 
• Form 
• Proportion 
• Perspective 
• Training the eye 
• Colour theory 
• Lost and Found 
• Finishing and polishing work