Advance your life drawing
Choose a start date
- Course Code: VA651
- Dates: 15/05/24 - 03/07/24
- Time: 18:00 - 21:00
- Taught: Wed, Evening
- Duration: 8 sessions (over 8 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Andrea Voisey
Course Code: VA651
Choose a start date
Duration: 8 sessions (over 8 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Every session will consist of working from observation of the nude model in one of our art studios. The main focus will be on activity.
Different drawing exercises will sharpen your vision and build your confidence in using a variety of materials, contrasting traditional ‘academic’ life drawing with experimental approaches.
This course provides an opportunity to explore and develop elements of figure-based work in an existing practice, to build your observational skills or develop a portfolio of objective drawing.
What will we cover?
- Observation and accurate rendering of the human form.
- Uniquely human anatomical characteristics, particularly in relation to proportion.
- Situating the model in space.
- Consideration of composition and scale.
- Appropriate use of material, speed and texture.
- Identify gesture and direction to bring life to your drawings.
Each class will begin with a series of quick poses and challenging drawing exercises using different materials to sharpen your hand-to-eye coordination and visual skills. These will be followed by a longer pose, where you can spend time looking more slowly to produce a more resolved drawing. Towards the end of the course we will have a longer pose that spans two sessions.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Approach life drawing and representation of the human form with more confidence.
- Recognise unique human characteristics and the role they play in proportion, rotation and tilt.
- Add context by relating the model to the surrounding space.
- Draw one thing in relation to another within in the pose.
- Have onfidence in choice and use of materials.
- Produce life drawings with a more informed eye that will become more evidential as the course and your practice progresses.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is for:
- Students who have done a lot of drawing outside of the life room and feel ready to apply their existing skills to drawing the human figure from life.
- Those who have attended many untutored drop-in life drawing classes who feel ready for some concrete direction to advance their practice.
- It will be of particular value to students on our Foundation and Pre-Foundation courses whose practice consists of figurative representation, who want to develop their observational and visual skills, or who are developing a portfolio.
- Equally, it is intended for advanced students who simply enjoy life drawing.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
In class, practical demonstrations, one-to-one tuition and group discussions as appropriate.
Sketchbook work outside of class is optional but will be encouraged: particularly drawing from figurative paintings in galleries, and drawings of people in the real world, e.g. in cafés, on public transport, etc. Applying skills gained in the life studio to advance an ongoing artistic practice outside of class.
A little time will be made for students to share their recent sketchbook work if they choose to show it. Students will also be encouraged to share with the group any relevant exhibitions they have recently visited.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
All basic materials are provided. This includes paper and drawing materials such as pencil, charcoal and chalk. Sketchbooks are not provided, but all students receive a 15% discount from the London Graphics Centre which is a short walk from the college. Your tutor can advise you.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offers a range of courses in drawing, figure drawing/painting and portraiture, including:
Extended drawing for artists and makers (VH835/VH796); Advanced figure and portrait (VH953); Life drawing into life painting (VH449); Anatomical life drawing (VH778).
Your tutor will also be able to recommend the most suitable courses, based on your level, progress and interests. Check the drawing section of our website for full details.
Andrea studied Drawing at Camberwell College and textiles at Morley College, where she also did her teacher training. She has a passion for the macabre and much of her recent practice has focused on drawing animal skulls and skeletons. She has a particular interest in comparative anatomy which led her to devise the Anatomical Life and Portrait Drawing courses at City Lit. Observational drawing is at the core of her practice and she uses it as a means of recording the world around her, be it the clutter of the studio, a music gig or a specimen in a museum. Andrea has an energetic approach to teaching. She is highly communicative and strives to create a positive group dynamic whilst being sensitive to the needs of individual students. This has been enriched by her extensive experience as a life model which she has used as a unique opportunity to observe first-hand the teaching methods and creative processes of many artists and has applied this knowledge to develop her own distinctive teaching style. Examples of her work can be found at www.instagram.com/voiseydrawing
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.