Learn to represent the world around you, or the world of your imagination, through drawing. By representing three dimensional objects and people in two dimensions, you will develop a new way of seeing as you focus on different elements, such as light and shadow, form, perspective and spatial relationships. You can explore drawing with various media, such as pencil, charcoal, pen, markers, ink, crayons or pastel.
We offer drawing classes and workshops, including materials, tools and techniques for beginners and more experienced artists. You will practice honing your visual observation skills and hand/eye coordination by drawing from nature or still life set-ups. Explore contour drawing, various shading techniques, and gestural expression.
We offer introductory ink classes as well as workshops on drawing with ink and making your own inks. Ink may be applied by a brush, a pen, or with non-traditional tools. Drawing inks are water-based media made from various plant and mineral colorants. While traditional inks share certain properties with watercolors, they do not contain solid pigment particles. Inks can be composed of dyes and are of low viscosity, allowing them to flow smoothly from a pen.
Artists’ charcoal and pastels are made of finely ground organic materials that are held together by a gum or wax binder. These dry mediums can be applied to almost any surface from smooth to very coarse. Their texture allows artists to make less permanent marks than with other media and encourages subtle blending and other atmospheric techniques. Charcoal can produce lines that are very light to intensely black, while pastels come in a dazzling spectrum of colors and values; both are available at RGS in various forms with which to experiment. Learn more in Studio classes, drawing classes, and workshops specific to each medium.