Drawing for Beginners

Discover your hidden artistic talent in this 7-week journey from "can't draw" to confident creator. Learn to see the world through an artist's eye, master essential techniques, and unlock the joy of drawing in a supportive environment. Perfect for beginners and those rekindling their artistic spark.

"Drawing for Beginners” is a seven-week immersive course designed for beginners, those who think they “can’t draw a straight line,” and those seeking to reconnect with the fundamentals of drawing. Based on the conviction that drawing is for everyone, not just the “talented,” this course is intended to build a solid foundation for further practice and enjoyment of the visual arts. The curriculum is carefully structured to guide students in a step-by-step manner, gradually building skills and confidence.

Through engaging drawing exercises, students will learn to “see with an artist’s eye”, perceiving things in terms of line, shape, and areas of light and dark. Participants will learn a variety of drawing techniques, developing the skills necessary to draw what they see, whether that is a still life, a face, or a landscape. They will have the opportunity to explore the expressive possibilities of a range drawing media. In addition to drawing from observation, students will also work from memory, imagination and artists’ drawings. Along the way, participants will discover the pleasures of drawing, including its calming effect and its capacity to help us see the world with renewed wonder. Students will be encouraged to share the challenges as well as the joys of learning to draw in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Understand Basic Drawing Techniques: Gain proficiency in fundamental drawing techniques, including line drawing, shading, assessing proportions and relationships, and composition.
Develop Observational Skills: Develop the ability to observe and translate the physical world onto marks on paper with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Explore Drawing Materials: Become familiar with a variety of drawing tools and media understanding their properties and how to use them effectively.
Cultivate a Drawing Habit:Discover drawing as a regular practice, through which students can record their life and continue to grow as artists by learning how to look at their drawings and learn from “mistakes”.
Foster Creativity and Expression: Encourage creative thinking and personal expression, allowing students to develop their unique manner of mark-making
Build Confidence in Art Making: Gain confidence in drawing abilities, overcome apprehension and perfectionism and foster a positive relationship with art-making.

Pad of drawing paper or wire bound sketchbook (at least 9x12” with minimum of 40 sheets of paper). Look for white paper with a slightly rough texture or ’tooth’ that is not too thin - at least 60lbs, such as Canson Universal Sketch, Strathmore 300 series, Strathmore recycled sketch.
2B pencil (Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils are especially nice; Derwent and Faber-Castell are also good brands)
Pencil sharpener and something to catch the sharpenings
White eraser
Kneaded eraser
One flat rectangular stick of graphite, 2B. Look for General’s brand.
Very fine pen with permanent black ink, such as Sakura Sigma Micron or Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.3 or 0.5 or an Extra Fine Sharpie.
Willow charcoal
Blending stump
Flat graphite stick 2B (make sure this is graphite and not charcoal, also not compressed graphite.)