Students will start from the beginning, so anyone can start this course, despite their skill level. Some experience helps of course, but it is not necessary! We'll go over how to draw in the charcoal medium, then gain basic drawing skills as we learn how to formally and classically draw anatomy in a photo realistic style. This is a flexible schedule class, so rather than live meetings, students will recieve recorded videos every week with a step by step demo, along with reading materials. Homework, when applicable, will reiterate what the lesson covered that week. I do encourage lots of practice too!  In addition to each week's lesson, there will be a discussion topic posted, as well.   Students will interact and converse on a topic related to what we learned that week, as a followup. Students will also be encouraged to post their work each week, so we all have a chance to learn from each other and provide even more discussion and positive feedback opportunities.
     Students receive personalized feedback upon request, and are evaluated on participation, comprehension, execution, and creativity. 

Here is the itinerary for this 12 week course: 
     Week 1: Intro to Charcoal / Plotting Basic Shapes - (We will learn how to use all the tools for this class properly, then learn about the importance of basic shapes in art, and how to plot them correctly and in proportion - just like the masters did.) 
     Week 2: Intro to Value and Form / Light and Shadow - (This week will introduce giving 3D form to our basic shapes through the use of value. We will discuss light and shadow and their importance in an interesting composition.) 
     Week 3: Creating a Still Life - (Now we will turn those basic shapes into more complex forms, and learn how to set up an interesting still life and light setup. We will also discuss the use of thumbnail sketches to determine what is a good setup for us. Students will complete a still life drawing.) 
     Week 4: Drapery Study - (To understand better how clothes, blankets, and other fabrics work, in particular when falling over human anatomy, we will learn about the different types of folds in drapery and complete a drapery study.) 
     Week 5: Quick Gesture Drawings / Rhythm and Movement - (Learn how to draw quick gesture drawings of the human form, as well as the part rhythm and movement play.) 
     Week 6: The Human Torso - (Study the anatomy of the male and female torso, and learn typical proportions, before completing a torso drawing.) 
     Week 7: The Human Back - (Continue learning human anatomy with the back, and complete a full back study.) 
     Week 8: Legs and Arms - (After learning the anatomy of the legs and arms, both male and female, everyone will complete a series of sketches of each.) 
     Week 9: Hands and Feet - (Some of the trickier parts for students, we will learn the hand and foot anatomy, and complete several sketches of each.) 
     Week 10: the Human Head - (During the first week focusing on the human head, we will be studying the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. We will complete a series of studies on each for practice, since these, too, are tricky for most students!) 
     Week 11: the Human Head - (This second week focusing on the human head, we will put it all together as a whole head, and learn the typical proportions, as well as tips and tricks, for drawing the human head accurately. There will be a complete head drawing for this lesson.) 
     Week 12: Full Figure Study - Final - (For the Final, we will recap and cover all final details as they pertain to the human figure. Students will complete a full figure study for their final piece.) 

Though it depends on the material for that week, each week generally includes: 1. a lesson over that week's subject, in which there will be material to read, watch, discuss, and/or draw together. After the material is learned, it will be reinforced with either a drawing exercise or the beginning of their assigned piece. The students will then complete their full piece or other assigned drawings as homework. This is important, because outside of class they can dedicate the amount of time necessary to complete the type of artwork being learned in this class, and it reiterates what they learned by putting it into practice as well.