Description
In this Yearlong Course, you will learn how to set up a drawing of both the head and face, the figure, the draped figure as well as multi-figure compositions in a manner and approach which conveys emotion, drama, light, narrative, form and space. We approach the drawing process in the manner of the artists of the Renaissance with loose, cursive lines and build up to fully modelled finished drawings.
Suitability:
To enrol you must have completed at least one full year Apprenticeship Course with The Renaissance Workshop.
Extra Benefits:
Free Life Drawing Online when it resumes (while enrolled)
Free Access to repeat Year 1 (while enrolled)
50% discount on Maestro and Artista Silverpoint Styli (while enrolled)
Term 1: Portraiture | Drawing the Head and Face
In Term 1 we explore drawing the head and face in the manner of the artists of the Renaissance. In the Renaissance the head and face was an important subject of visual art because it conveyed the moods, morals and situations of, Holy Subjects, nobility, as well as everyday people and ecclesiastic and secular patrons. We use the foundational knowledge acquired in Year 1 and go far further into how to draw each part of the face and develop our drawings into finished and resolved designs. We learn how to capture a likeness of an individual subject and how to use tone effectively to illuminate and model the drawings.
Beauty is a big focus of this Term and we look at and learn how Renaissance artists used their knowledge of the structure, proportion and dynamics of the head to enable them to draw more freely. The aim is to capture likeness, feeling, narrative and identity. We use Renaissance drawing methods to achieve this.
Term 2: The Nude Figure | The Body in Action
In this term we focus on drawing the nude human body using a process wherein we build on top of a simplified sketch of the whole figure and draw in layers to achieve convincing naturalistic results.
You will be taught how to begin the drawing with a light sketch of the whole form whereby you identify the seven primary parts of the body and how they are related. You will learn how to draw their outer shape and their internal design in a way which represents their dynamic and inclination. On top of this sketch, you will be guided in the process of comparing the primary elements on the body’s central line in order to accurately convey the action of the pose. You will learn about the role of proportion and perspective in the drawing of the body as well as learning an advances and painterly technique of shading the drawing to create a sculptural sense of light and relief.
Term 3: The Dramatic Figure | The Draped Body in Action
This term we go further into the effects of dark, light, relief, depth and volume in an exploration of the nude and draped figure. We continue working on paper with dry media and gradually introduce mixed media and toned grounds. In this module our main aim is to acquire the ability to combine figurative naturalism with the expressive and dynamic aesthetics of drapery and costume.
Term 4: The Composition of Narrative | Drawing as artisti
In this term we accelerate your development by teaching you to combine numerous figures within a visual scene on paper. You will draw from the subjects you have found most inspiring across the previous three modules and begin inventing compositional sketches and designs to convey a narrative. You will learn how to use linear perspective in the manner of outlined Alberti to frame and construct your compositions after exploring your subjects intuitively.
In this term you will learn the principles of composition by starting the module by studying compositions from the Renaissance and acquiring the ability to draw scenes from reference and out of doors. You will then be shown experimental drawing techniques which allow you to explore various ideas and variations before integrating your ideas into a representation of three-dimensional space ordered with linear perspective.
