Drawing I Drawing I is a foundation course in drawing skills and observation. Additionally it is a prerequisite for many advanced art classes. Students work with a variety of media and create a diverse portfolio of work while developing creative and technical skills in drawing. A materials fee is required.

Students begin the term by looking at directional lighting on basic volumes. They sketch and then and practice the art of drawing this kind of lighting paying special attention to the subtleties of it.

A study in texture and value is done by choosing a basket and rendering part of it with the full range of values.

As observational drawing continues the students work collaboratively and set up a variety of still life arrangements. They concentrate on the theme, composition, and lighting of the piece as well as developing the technical skill in translating it to paper.

The ancient art of Illuminated Letters is used as inspiration for these initials that represent the student and / or their family in a personal and very visually interesting way.

Contour line self-portraits allow the students the opportunity to Contour line self-portraits allow the students the opportunity to capture themselves by really look closely at the features that make them unique.

Self-portrait work continues in pencil Self-portrait work continues in pencil. Students work with expression, proportion and use of the full range of values in rendering the work in a realistic way.

Pastel portraits are often done of family or friends. The students may choose, however, to work from photos of famous and or other visually interesting people. Studying skin tones and the use of value and color helps students achieve interesting and realistic and results.

Experimenting and developing a style in the use of pastels allows students to work with color, and value in sophisticated and interesting ways.

Moving from a pure landscape to a composition with birds, animals or insects is a personal choice that some of the students have made.

Grant Wood’s American Gothic recently celebrated it’s 75th birthday and is used by the students as inspiration for colored pencil “spoofs” on his painting.

Artistic license is used as animals are created by using an unusual combination of body parts in the design of new animals. The work is done in black and white and primarily as an exercise in pointillism.

Studying Surrealism the students create dream-like images in color or black and white in the style of artists like Salvador Dali.

As one of the culminating pieces of the term students choose a favorite garment to use as subject matter and work in a very traditional crosshatch style with black ink.

Sketchbook assignments often revolve around a personal passion or love of something. In this series of graphite drawings you see a group of pieces based on the family pet and the mother of the family.