From scratch to shape

Basic drawing is the foundation of the basics for an artist of any discipline. The course is aimed at forming volumetric-spatial and conceptual thinking, studying and drawing volumetric primitives, compound objects and plant forms.

Drawing Middle – on it we consolidate the skills of volumetric construction, in-depth study of perspective, light and shadow elaboration of forms, plasticity in the inorganic, plant and animal worlds.

Sketching is the basic step in drawing the human figure. During the course you will learn how to quickly convey all the dynamics of the figure in a sketch and learn how to draw from a spot, work with silhouette, form, plasticity, basic volume and proportion.

The Human Brush course is devoted to the study of the basic proportions and shaping of the human brush. You’ll learn how to introduce plastic into your brushes without losing the construction, and you’ll learn how to paint them from different angles.

On the Human Figure course you will study the basic structural and anatomical features of the figure, learn to work with plasticity and identify characteristic forms, to see movement and rhythm in the figure, the interrelationships of muscle masses and the skeleton.

And the final course, Figure in Dynamics, is devoted to an in-depth study of the human figure. Grotesque, perspective cuts, dynamic angles, depiction of flight, blows – let’s understand the basic principles of drawing a figure in motion.

Week 1

Analytical sketches of objects in frontal view (key/ornament/weapon)

Copying textures

Weeks 2-3

Drawing three-dimensional geometric bodies (cube, mortises, chamfers)

Week 4

Drawing bodies of rotation (cylinder, ball, combining shapes)

Week 5

Complexly composed object with texture (chest, casket)

Week 6

Architectural object (house/beacon/tower)

Week 7

Sketching plants (leaf, houseplant)

Month 1

Theory:

• Basics of perspective
• Light and shadow
• Painting techniques
• Plasticity in the inorganic world, smoothing on geometry (using industrial design as an example)
• Complex construction. camera

Practice:

• Exercise warm-ups on linework and textures
• Cuts on a cube, sphere, cylinder
• Smoothing on simple and complex geometry, real objects (household appliances, office supplies)
• Camera: projections, construction, final rendering

Month 2

Theory:

• Plasticity in animal and plant life
• Structural details of fish, basic geometry
• Composition, movement, counterforms, working with sketches
• Learning how to work with texture
• Silhouette work
• Beetle structure, study of proportions

Practice:

• Fish parts disassembly, volume disassembly
• Working with textures
• Creation of several preparatory sketches
• Final rendering of the fish
• Beetle projections, sketching.

Month 3

Theory:

• Continued study of beetle design
• The structure of the beetle parts, the textures
• Construction, volume on the example of beetle parts
• Working with perspective

Practice:

• Beetle parts sketches
• Sketches with perspective angles of the beetle
• A bug dummy
• Final work, finalizing the image

Bonus Lectures:

Working with modular grid in drawing

Week 1

Figure to counterpoint. Working with simplified silhouettes, internal rhythms, stability and basic figure masses

Week 2

Drawing a male figure from a stain. Working with the expressiveness of the silhouette

Week 3

Drawing a female figure from a stain. Working with the expressiveness of the silhouette

Week 4

Drawing parts of the male figure separately: chest, pelvis, legs, arms. Talking about basic volumes. Working with outreach

Week 5

Drawing parts of the female figure separately: chest, pelvis, legs, arms. Talking about basic volumes. Working with outreach

Week 6

Sketches of the male figure from the front and back (by representation and references)

Week 7

Sketches of the female figure from the front and back (by representation and references)

Additional tasks for those who have time: drawing sketches of female and male human figure (based on references)

Week 1

Skeletal structure of the hand: phalanges of the fingers, metacarpal, wrist, forearm. The silhouette, the rhythm, the brush sign

Week 2

Formation of the hand with soft tissues. Mechanics of joint function. Silhouette, rhythm, brush mark, volume

Week 3 and 4

We study the brush in different states of action. Hand gestures

Month 1

• Graphic technique. Practical exercises
• Formation of the thorax
• Basic structure of the clavicle and scapula
• Basics of pelvic construction
• Formation of the skeleton of the legs and arms
• Basics of skeletal construction
• Skeleton and Forming Muscles

Month 2

• Women’s shoulder girdle
• Men’s shoulder girdle
• The basics of leg structure
• Male figure (contrapposto)
• Female figure (contrapposto)

Month 3

• Sketches of female figure (based on references)
• Sketches of the male figure (based on references)
• The figure in dynamics
• Reinforcement of the material learned

Bonus Lectures:

• Applied drawing for creativity and professional development
• Speedpainting: from the general to the particular

Week 1

• Warm-up exercises: constructing modular geometry in perspective
• Constructing the thorax dummy in dynamic perspective
• Constructing a pelvic dummy in dynamic perspective

Week 2

• Alignment of pelvic and cage geometry
• Constructing a foot dummy in dynamic perspective
• Building a brush dummy in dynamic perspective

Week 3

• Building legs in dynamic perspective
• Building hands in dynamic perspective
• Head cropping in dynamic perspective

Week 4

• Proportions of the male figure
• The proportions of the female figure

Weeks 5-6

• The female figure in hypershortening
• The male figure in hypershortening

Weeks 7-8

• Sketches of a male figure (heroic character, grotesque)
• Sketches of a female figure (heroic character, grotesque)

Weeks 9-10

• Male Action figure (flight, impact)
• Female Action figure (flight, impact)

Week 11

• Refinement of 1-2 angles of the figure, work with details

Week 12

• Making final edits
• Formalizing the project submission