How to Draw Basics: Figure Drawing
In this eight week course young artists will learn the basics of figure drawing including essential anatomy, gesture drawing, and how to draw hands, feet, and portraits.
Adria W.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(323)
What's included
8 live meetings
12 in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. No formal homework will be assigned, but learners are encouraged to review and practice concepts taught in class. I recommend at least 30 minutes of art practice daily.Assessment
To remove the stress of what is sometimes a very daunting course of study, your learners will not have tests, quizzes, or formal grades in the class. Instead, I utilize positive verbal critiques to provide feedback and encourage improvement. However, if grades are requested I will provide them via rubrics that will suggest a grade. Learners progress will be gauged by the completion of their assignments, execution of techniques, contributions in critique sessions, and their class presence (being on-time, listening when I am speaking, and how they communicate with peers).Grading
includedClass Experience
How to Draw classes are art courses based of the fundamental techniques of art and drawing. These courses are designed to teach young artists how to draw anything by building important skills such as mark-making, line drawing, shading, proportions, and more though the lens of observational drawing. Observational art is a method of drawing that emphasizes visual perception with three principles in mind: understanding of the subject, building looking skills, and practice of artistic technique. These classes combine lecture periods, worksheets, and free-hand drawing time to ensure learners understand the material and get ample practice time. HtDB:200 Figure Drawing includes eight classes that will teach young artists observational skills, basic human anatomy, how to draw a gesture drawing in sixty seconds, portraiture and more. They should come away with several pages of sketches, an ability to observe human proportions accurately, gesture drawing tools, and between one to three full-body figure studies. Learners will be encouraged to work with both graphite and charcoal mediums, but may choose to work with the medium that they like best. No background knowledge is required for this course, but students who are younger or not as experienced with art may want to consider starting with How to Draw Basics: Still Life Drawing.
Learning Goals
Observational skills, basic human anatomy, how to draw a gesture drawing in sixty seconds, portraiture and more.They should come away with several pages of sketches, an ability to observe human proportions accurately, gesture drawing tools, and between one and three full body figure studies.
Syllabus
8 Lessons
over 8 WeeksLesson 1:
How to Draw Basics: 201 What is a Body
his class will include a PowerPoint lecture that describes three basic parts of the human form: bone, muscle, and joints. I will guide learners through a simple skeleton drawing during our lecture. After we have covered why those elements of the body are important to us figure artists, we will move on to honing our observational skills through blind-contour drawings. The rest of class will be spent working on feature sketches or studies. 90 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
How to Draw Basics: 202 The Plunge into Gesture
Our PowerPoint lecture for this class will explain what gesture drawing is and break down gesture drawing into five steps in a tutorial-style format. As each step is thoroughly explained, learners may draw along, take notes, or just listen to the instructions given. Once the lecture has concluded, we will move to Line of Action, one of many online tools designed to help artists practice figure and gesture drawing. While screen-sharing the website, we will practice gestures. 90 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
How to Draw Basics: 203 Gesture Drawing “HIIT”
Class will start with a brief review and question asking period where we will reexamine the five steps of gesture drawing together. After, we will move back to Line of Action to practice gesture drawing. The intervals at which we do gestures and the amount of gestures done will vary from class to class depending on the needs and wishes of the students. However, intervals will not be timed over eight minutes or under two. Students will be encouraged to experiment and have fun with these gestures 90 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
How to Draw Basics: 204 Building Form
This lesson combines a brief PowerPoint lecture with even more in-class practice time. This lesson, our lecture will cover a couple of issues students may have encountered and not yet figured out how to solve. I will provide tips on how to tackle foreshortening, maintaining accurate proportion through measuring, and maintaining volume. We will also discuss the three shapes that all figures are made of: spheres, boxes, and cylinders. Artists will learn alternative gesture drawing methods. 90 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Please note that this course uses online photo references for figure drawing purposes. These references are pulled from one primary photobank, Line of Action, that may include content that is inappropriate for your learner. All models shown in the class are clothed. It is up to YOU to decide if this content is appropriate for your learner. I strongly recommend investigating Line of Action.com for yourself before signing up for this course.
Supply List
***MATERIALS*** Your learner will need: -A range of graphite drawing pencils including 4H, 2H, HB, B, 2B, 4B, and 6B -Two erasers: Polymer/Vinyl and kneaded -A sketchpad Optionally your learner may like: -Charcoal -Blending Stumps The needed materials should cost less than $30.00 USD and are multi-purpose. They can be used outside of this course. I provide five PDFs for this course: -A syllabus with lesson plans -A Policy and requirement packet -A materials guide -A glossary for terms -A worksheet packet
5 files available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am delighted to be able to offer classes that emphasize fine art techniques through the lens of observational drawing. Observational art is a method of learning to draw with three principles in mind: understanding of the subject, building looking skills, and practice of artistic technique. Through this method and practice, learners can draw anything. Completion of my courses will result in a learner who is engaged with art and understands basic art technique. Even students who are not aspiring artists have much to gain from drawing, including improvement of hand-eye coordination and hand dexterity skills.
Along with my bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art from a premier liberal arts institution in Ohio, I also have been teaching since 2016. My online teaching career began on Outschool in 2017. I have taught homeschoolers, unschoolers, and undergraduate students of all ages. My background in art history means that my classes are created with an understanding of historical precedence- I’m teaching what I know works! Many of my classes include examples of important artworks from masters for students to examine and learn skills from. In addition, my many years of teaching art have helped me curate concise and logical drawing curriculum that young artists can easily pick up and apply to their work. Every art class I teach hopes to provide learners with all the knowledge and support they need to grow as an artist.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$25
weekly or $200 for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
90 min
Completed by 133 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-16
3-9 learners per class
