Drawing II: Developing Techniques and Styles

Instructor: Robin Adair
Thursdays 1-4pm
8 weeks: April 18 to June 6
Location: In-person Williams Building room 306
$310 supplies extra
Prerequisite: Drawing I or equivalent experience

This course is designed to help students develop the material, perceptual, and conceptual processes of drawing through projects that encourage investigation, experimentation, and critical thinking. This course is recommended for those who have experience creating two-dimensional images with dry media, as well as those who are returning to drawing after a long hiatus. In each class, Robin will lead you through prompts and exercises that hone fundamental skills while fostering personal expression and the development of an individual style in a safe and empowering environment. 

Syllabus

  • Course introduction and warm-up exercises
  • Mixed-media reductive drawing
  • Abstraction series using vertical balance, figure ground reversal, endotopic/exotopic treatment, and hard and soft edges
  • A Vanitas of Style: exploring various styles and methods in art history using a chosen subject
  • Symbolic representation: creating visual analogues and narratives with gestural line, value, shape, and pattern
  • Hybrid creature drawing: exploring shape, value, and textures with various media
  • Still-life portrait drawing: utilizing a sighting grid to construct a complex drawing
  • Independent work

This outline is subject to change in response to class dynamics and development.

Supplies

  • Vine Charcoal
  • Graphite Sticks
  • Pencils (2B to 8B) Staedtler Mars Lumograph brand is recommended
  • Erasers: 2 kneaded and 1 gum
  • Blending sticks (assorted sizes)
  • Conte (brown, black, and white)
  • Blending stumps (various sizes)
  • Metal ruler
  • 2 bamboo ink brushes
  • Nib pen holder
  • 1 fine tip nib and 1 large line nib
  • Container of India Ink
  • Roll of rice paper
  • Pad of newsprint (18” x 24” or larger)
  • Pad of white bond paper 
  • Bulldog clips (two)

Note: During the first class, we will discuss options for other drawing papers.