How to Draw.... Everything! Realistic Drawing Techniques for Beginners

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Nearly everyone can who can hold a pencil can learn to draw well... with lots of practice and good instruction! If you are willing to try something new and learn to "see" in a new way, your drawing abilities will improve.

This is a beginner drawing class for students who are interested in drawing realistically, but have no previous knowledge. In this class, students will learn to "see" as an artist, focusing on positive and negative space, details, values, and textures that others may never notice. Many of the exercises in this class are based upon Betty Edward's book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain;" these methods have served me well in teaching others to draw realistically for nearly 20 years. We will draw from reference photos, drawings, and from life. 

Each class will focus on learning a new drawing technique. This list of techniques will rotate back around again with a different subject matter each time, so you can continue to take the class and review techniques with a unique drawing at the conclusion of every class. 

Students who continue to repeat the class will improve their mastery of techniques and can start to develop a body of portfolio-quality work. Students often attend this class for years, developing their skills and expanding their portfolios and sketchbooks. 

Throughout the class, students will be encouraged to share their artwork with me so that I can help them improve and better tailor my instruction to the class. At the end of class, I save time for students who want to share their personal artwork made outside of class time.

Schedule of Topics:
Week of 4/14: Vase / Face Illusions, Tessellations (Positive/ Negative Space)
Week of 4/21: Gesture drawing (Human figures in action!)
Week of 4/28: Shading simple 3-D objects from life (Bring a rectangular prism (a BOX) & a ruler to class. 1-point perspective 
Week of 5/5: Still Life (Arrange & draw a real object in YOUR house!)
Week of 5/12: Quadrant Upside-down drawing (Teacher provides image-- students MAY bring their own!)
Week of 5/19: Value: Shadow-shape drawing - animal (Print and/or trace before class!)
Week of 5/26: Human proportions (How big are those feet anyway?)
Week of 6/2: Shading simple 3-D objects from life (Bring a sphere to class!)
Week of 6/9: Drawing beginning with Negative Space & Contours (Teacher provides image)
Week of 6/16: Sketching animals using Shapes (Class chooses animal/creature!)
Week of 6/23: Shading simple 3-D objects from life (Bring a rectangular prism (a BOX) & a ruler to class. 2-point perspective
Week of 6/30: Upside down line drawing
Week of 7/7:  Eraser Still Life drawing (Color your whole page with pencil, then erase out the highlights
Week of 7/10: Grid drawing (Bring a *real* ruler!)
Week of 7/14: Contour drawing (Blind contour, Modified!)
Week of 7/21: Value: Shadow-shape drawing - still life (Print and/or trace before class!)
Week of 7/28: Portraits - Ryan Reynolds! (Using a diagram & photo of a celebrity like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, etc.)
Week of 8/4: Shading simple 3-D objects from life (Bring a Cylinder to class!)
Week of 8/11: Landscapes - Drawing from a photo
** This topic list will repeat with different images so you can repeat the topic cycle. **

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Love this class? Join one of my other realistic drawing classes, linked in my profile:
🖌️  Color & Mixed Media - Fun Tools & Techniques
🖌️  How to Draw Realistic People - Proportions, Hands, Feet & Other Tricky Features
🖌️  Drawing and Sketching Animals for Beginners
🖌️  Drawing & Painting Landscapes

Looking for vacation fun or cranking out a portfolio for a deadline? Join a camp:
✏️  Drawing Animals for Beginners CAMP
✏️  How to Draw EVERYTHING Boot Camp
✏️  How to Draw EVERYTHING Boot Camp 2

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Full-curriculum and assessments are available for home-school students! Classwork is equivalent to a middle school or high school Drawing 1 class but is easy enough for upper elementary students or as a fun after-school activity. Grading and critical feedback will be provided privately through Outschool student messages. The class may be repeated for continued credit (Drawing II, etc.); I will provide leveled-up assignment variations in class for intermediate students and teen learners.