Foundations of Drawing

Foundations of Drawing

How do I shade a shape? When do I use which pencil? How do I draw hands?

As a boy, I wandered the museums of New York and viewed beautiful works by the Old Masters, and with a longing I wondered how I could ever enter into the world of drawing and painting. As a young man, I moved to Italy and soon came to learn that the basic concepts in drawing and painting are the most important concepts one will ever learn. In this drawing course, you learn how to reduce the complexity of the world around you to refreshingly basic concepts. This course will also give you a wonderful immersion in the practical side of drawing, such as thorough discussions of materials. From pencil selection, to sharpening tricks for extra long pencil points; from thinking in terms of light and shade, to actually shading in the paper quickly with your fingertips; from the basic building blocks used in the Renaissance, to the best types of paper for each exercise, this course is designed as a door into the world of drawing and painting.

And into these and upcoming courses, art history is woven in. I love the stories of artists who came before me, with the lessons they have to offer me. As the saying goes, “If I see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants who came before me.”

You will Learn:

1. Which materials you need to begin drawing
2. How to use and care for the materials
3. Pencil Gradations- when to use the right pencil
4. A new way of holding your pencil while drawing simple shapes
5. Geometric Essence concepts- the building blocks for all art
6. Relative Values- the interplay of rich darks, delicate greys and brilliant lights
7. Deciding on your light source while drawing a cube
8. A system of transitions that help you “see” the light and shadow patterns on any form
9. How light flows over a cylinder
10. How light flows over a cone
11. How to see the Geometrical Essence Shapes that make up everything in your world
12. Lastly, you will pick two items from your kitchen pantry to draw from life, so that you can put these skills into practice.

Each lesson consists of:

1. Watch: Each lesson begins with an instructional video demonstrating the concept being taught. Leading by example, Kevin draws the concept out for you to see while also explaining the reasoning, vocabulary and concepts behind the method. You will find the lesson both approachable and filled with useful information.
2. Art History : Many lessons have art history lessons interwoven into the instruction, and so an Art History Reference page is provided for you to remember all the artists and images. This is intended to give you the context for the concept being taught, in order to provide a well rounded understanding as well as to help you develop. The ability to draw and paint from life is built on the shoulders of the giants, ranging from Michelangelo to Sargent. By incorporating Art History into every lesson you will begin to learn in a very natural way how something as simple as drawing shapes connects to the most influential artwork of the past and also the present.
3. Vocabulary: Each lesson either introduces new vocabulary, or refers to vocabulary used in prior lessons. The Vocabulary page helps you remember these key terms and concepts
4. Activity: At the end of each lesson an activity is presented for you to practice what you have just learned. If helpful, you can do the activity while re-watching the lesson. Keep in mind that your activity should take longer than the video length of the lessons I offer. Each activity can take from twenty minutes to two hours, depending on you as an artist, and the speed at which you work. In the art world, there are no points for speed, only for mastery.

Materials needed for this course

The art materials needed for this course can be very simple. Just a typical #2 pencil, and a piece of paper.

For those who wish to have a better setup, the “Fundamental Drawing Supplies List” link is at the button below. Bear in mind that you do not need to buy all the drawing materials at once, but if you do choose to do so, we have two convenient options: we have bundled all the supplies so that you can simply access the Amazon Shopping List, or you can select items individually from the table.