Beginning Drawing II

Drawing can be a fun way to creatively explore the world, and it is also fundamental to many art and craft practices. This class continues the exploration of realistic line drawing begun in the Center for Lifelong Learning’s Beginning Drawing class, expanding on each of the practices introduced to serve both descriptive and expressive goals.

As in Beginning Drawing we will work from observation of still life, connecting eye to hand as we aim to capture something of what we see in drawings. To do this we will experiment with a limited range of graphite pencils and erasers and a flexible brush marker to further explore the ability of line to capture the essence and appearance of visible reality.

Along with exploring individual forms in drawing students will be introduced to and get some practice working with several fundamental principles of composition and design. Considering the arrangement of multiple elements in a composition, based on observation but potentially including imagined elements, helps communicate effectively in a drawing. In class we will look at and discuss artwork to consider reactions and original intentions, with an eye to possibly adjusting composition to change perception of work in progress.

PREREQUISITE: As a continuation of the Beginning Drawing class, this class may be useful for students with either modest or ambitious aspirations for making artwork, and who possess any degree of previous art making experience.

SUPPLIES: The following supplies or their equivalent are recommended for this class. If you have questions or concerns about purchasing supplies, please let us know prior to the class start.

Note: Bloomington Fine Art Supply, a local, independent art store located at 207 S. Rogers Street near the corner of 4^th and Rogers Streets, has a copy of this supply list and is a recommended resource for supplies for this class. Bloomington Fine Art Supply’s website is bfasupply.com, their phone number is 812-369-4013, and their email is bfa.supply@gmail.com.

Required
- Graphite art pencils: 6B, 4B, 2B – Staedtler-Mars or brands other than Faber Castell preferred (Faber Castell pencils are of good quality but are relatively harder than other brands)
- Flexible tip brush marker, black and/or color(s) of your choice (Tombow Dual Brush Marker, Tombow Fude or other)
- Colored pencil set or individual pencils, 6-12 colors, or single colored pencil
- 18”x24” Strathmore 400 Series drawing pad, or other 18”x24” drawing or sketch pad (not newsprint)
- Snap blade cutter (if you already have a sharp box cutter or utility knife that will work)
- Kneaded eraser
- Pink eraser

Optional
- Drawing board with clips and large rubber band approx. 20”x26” (This is useful for drawing on the 18”x24” pad at home. Drawing boards and clips will be available for use in class.)
- Sketchbook - 9”x12” suggested. We will discuss selecting and using a sketchbook on the first day.
- Mechanical pencil style eraser – Tombow Mono round or rectangular
- Vinyl Eraser