Level 3: Drawing From Life: Exploring Composition, Contours, and Materials

Our Level 3 group focused on drawing objects from life during the 4-week course at Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center. We started by studying contours and textures of single objects, followed by a few very productive still life sessions. Students learned to map out big shapes and positive/negative space on their compositions; then they explored ways to use different materials in shading and showing textures.

Above left, SCM Art Center Sketchers exchange ideas about sketching objects; above right Helen maps out her still life composition.

Above are Matt's studies of a canine skull. By observing details of specific areas of the skull he was able to create a series of dynamic compositions.

Above left, Kirsten sketches contours on her drapery study; above right, intrepid sketchers "get into the Zone" as they create large-format charcoal and conte crayon compositions.

Matt's surface and drapery study is shown above left and Kirsten's still life sketches are above right.

Clockwise, starting upper left: contours and textures of a shell by Allison; Still life studies by Michele; Still life drawing by Allison; study of antique iron by Michele

Click 'Read more' below to see more pics of Level 3 sketchers in action...

Level 1: Week 4: Contours, Form, Textures, Light & Shadow

Fall is in the air! What better way to learn about drawing contours and form than to sketch pumpkins, Indian corn, and apples. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with the group of sketchers the past four weeks. They swiftly moved through lessons on drawing with lines and shapes (click to view); then positive/negative space and drawing after Van Gogh (click to view). I look forward to drawing with everyone again soon!

 








For our final lesson we started with sketches showing roundness and contours. We continued through the evening by drawing texture and studied light and shadows. Tonya's pumpkin and squash (upper left) and Susan's studies of a pumpkin (upper right) are superb examples of quickly capturing the form of things. The sketch by Adam (lower left) shows his study of texture and cast shadows.

Click "Read more" below to view everyone's drawings and more pics...

Level 1: Weeks 2 & 3: Form, Contours, Perspective, Sketching Like Van Gogh

Lots of focused work has really paid off for this stellar group of sketchers! During the past couple of weeks each student has shown tremendous progress in their skills. Last Wednesday we warmed up with lessons in 1 and 2-point perspective; then we launched into studying composition and the energy of Vincent Van Gogh's pencil strokes. Using a sketch by Van Gogh for reference, Tonya (upper left) and Susan (upper right) pulled together brilliant drawings. It was a great session as everyone learned about depth of space and how to suggest different textures.

The intrepid sketchers took on the challenges of drawing the realistic form of a dragonfly. Students made several study sketches to find positioning and angles of the wings and body. The focus of their final drawing was accurate proportions and contour edges. At left is Adam's wonderful final drawing in progress.

Learning about positive and negative space is one of the most important skills in drawing. It's exciting to watch students map out the rough proportions of the egret. During the process they begin to realize the power of seeing positive and negative space while finding the contour edges of form. One of Susan's study sketches (upper left) shows her effort in measuring the 's' curve in the neck. In her final drawing (upper right), she confidently shows the negative space that forms the neck.

Click 'Read more' below to view everyone's work...

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn: Faces and Proportion

Recently, a few of our Level 2 students got together for an evening sketch session. With music playing, everyone got into the Zone to produce fantastic portraits. Kirsten (above, left) maps out guidelines for facial features while working from a sketch by Degas. Helen (above, right) lays down guidelines for the proportions of her daughter's face.

Working from a drawing by the painter Corot and one of my How-to-Draw books, Allison (above, left and right) sketches the facial features of the Girl With a Beret.

While I was out of town some of the Level 2 sketchers (Val, Helen, Kirsten, Allison) got together a few times to prep for our upcoming Level 3 session in October. Below are pages from Kirsten's sketchbook showing careful studies of a skull made during those meetings.

After an intense evening of drawing, Allison finally laid down her pencil and breathed a gratifying sigh of relief... the Girl With a Beret (left) was finished at last! Excellent contour lines and proportions.

View more pics from this very productive eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn...

Level 1: Week 1: Lines, Shapes, Patterns, Overlapping

It's always exciting to start with a new group of sketchers at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center. Welcome to Tonya, Susan, and Adam! Everyone jumped on the fast track in measuring accurate proportions and controlling the pencil. Moving through a series of fast-paced lessons, everyone learned how to hold the pencil on its side, using the whole arm while drawing.

 Drawing guidelines for basic shapes and measuring proportions from fun reference lesson pictures was our focus for the evening. Adam's second sketch of the crab (above, right) shows corrections in the size of the body, claws, and eyes (compared to the reference). Great job improving the angled lines for the legs.

It's important to draw on top of your mistakes. Tonya's drawing of the puffer fish (above, left) shows how she kept her pencil to paper, drawing light guidelines for the overall shape of its body. Excellent job in drawing accurate, darker outlines for the final shapes.

Susan's sketch of the lizard (above, right) shows a keen eye for accuracy and details (notice the corrections to guidelines on the tail). Overall, the body and head are drawn accurately compared to the reference. Her wonderful style of sketching shows the texture of the skin and wood.

 We also got into overlapping shapes to show depth of space. Tonya's frog (above, left) shows how she overlapped the front legs. Notice her corrections to the left side of the face :-) The last part of the evening we switched from observation to imagination. Working on larger paper, everyone combined shapes shapes and patterns from their sketches to create wonderful compositions.


View everyone's sketches and reference pictures...

New Drawing Classes in September and October, Plus More Student Work

Attention: past, present, and future adult students! I'm planning for Fall classes and am excited that so many of you wish to continue exploring ways to Draw the Moment! It's also WAY cool that a lot of people are interested in taking our beginners Level 1 class. A special thanks to Gretchen, Linda, and Rhea at the Art Center for helping with scheduling and providing such an awesome facility for our sessions. I look forward to drawing with everyone soon! --Rob



New! Beginners Class (Level 1) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center

Explore drawing for enjoyment, work, and school. Draw the Moment is a fun and informative series of 4 adult workshop/classes for beginners, especially those who think they can't draw! Students are encouraged to express their own styles as they build confidence in spontaneous doodling, sketching ideas, and drawing realistically.

•Wednesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29, 7:00-9:15 p.m.

To register: Click here

New! Advanced Class (Level 3) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center

By popular request, I'm combining the previous Level 1 and Level 2 groups (Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon, Matt, Michele, Penny, Allison) for an advanced Draw the Moment session. We'll further explore techniques and principles including composition, form, and light and shadow.
Here are the schedule options:

• Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 7:00-9:15 pm
• Fridays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 7:00-9:15 pm

Wednesdays are probably the preferred evenings to meet, but please let me know what works for you. This session with the Santa Cruz Mountains Sketchers will be a lot of fun! Cost is $100 for members, $125 non-members; $10 material fee

Please let me know asap if you can join us and which schedule works better for everyone: email

Attn: Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon
I'm offering 2 special classes to help you prepare for Level 3. We all decided that it would be nice to have a couple of lessons to catch up with the Level 2 group. If you're still interested, here are the evenings available at the Art Center: Wednesday, August 25, 7:00-9:15pm. Wednesday, September 1, 7:00-9:15pm. Cost is $50

Please let me know asap if you can join us: email

Please scroll down (including 'older posts' at bottom of page) to view student work from both Level 1 and Level 2 classes.



Clockwise, starting upper left, drawings by Michele, Val, Matt, Kirsten

Level 1: Week 4: Contour Lines, Form, Roundness

Our study sketches of squash and artichokes from real life was a great way to finish up with our 4-week course. Great to draw with all of you!



Kirsten



This is a great set of study sketches, Kirsten! During our 4-week session I think the strongest aspect of your work has been your willingness to draw on top of mistakes while mapping out construction lines and contour lines. You started these sketches with confident, curved strokes; then added layers of tones and textures showing the roundness of the squash. The contours of the area where the stem attaches are very well drawn. And the contour shading is a nice touch.

Helen



Helen, you've made steady progress during our weeks of drawing together!!! From basic lessons with lines and shapes, to sketching realistic form and contours, you've continued to build confidence in your line work. Your observational skills skyrocketed with the study sketches of the squash and artichoke! The natural looking contour edges and textures show solid skills in depicting realistic, accurate form.

Val



Your observational skills have steadily improved with each new drawing that you made during our classes. I really enjoyed seeing your confident line work emerge in the Van Gogh drawing, followed by the contour sketches of the squash and artichoke. Your final study sketch of the squash was a big step in showing curved surface planes and realistic 3-dimensional space, especially where the stem attaches. Val, your knowledge of the visual arts has been a wonderful addition to this group; hope you'll join us for the new Level 3 session. :-)