This document provides an overview of an introductory drawing class. It discusses the instructor's approach, which focuses on finding the right balance between drills, coaching, watching, and doing. The class will cover drawing basics, techniques like shading and perspective, and a 5-step method for drawing landscapes. Students are encouraged to bring photos to draw from. The next class will review lessons from the first class, provide an exercise for improving drawing skills, include a guided landscape drawing, and time for students to work on their own landscapes.

1. More Drawing
for Fun
with
Bill LaRocque

2. Introductions & Objectives
• Yours:
– What you’d like to learn?
– What other artistic activities? Music, writing, acting,
cooking, etc ?
• Mine:
– Get each of you to a “sweet spot” where you actually
enjoy drawing – enough to keep doing it.
– If you already enjoy drawing, to get you past your
current “sticking point.”

3. Drawing Landscapes and Portraits
Drawing by
Jan Op de Beeck

4. Basics
• Why we don’t draw.
• How to improve.
• Photography?
• Sketching
• Drawing an Interesting Picture
• Painting
“Basics are important, but not always fun.
Scribbling can be fun, but is usually not art.”
Rembrandt LaRocque. 1669.

5. Drawing

6. My Approach
• Finding the right balance between:
– Small step drills and more challenging assignments,
– Drawing the same thing together and coaching you drawing your own
subjects.
• Learning from:
– Listening (to my blah, blah, blahs, and critiques)
– Watching, (me and others draw)
– Doing (your own drawing.) most beneficial
• These slides are posted online. I’ll email URL.
• Bring photos or objects you want to draw.
• Reviews and previews.

7. How to Improve?

8. Materials?
• In this course – are immaterial.
• Still, they are often a lot of fun – Catherine
Battle’s course on drawing materials is terrific.
• Pencil (graphite,) ink, charcoal are all fine. The
bigger and blunter the better.
• Paper, a sketch book or journal
• Erasers are for when you change your mind.

9. Sketch this!
• Making a loose, light drawing…
– 3 skills: form shapes, angles and measurements.

10. Take a 600 Second Break
• class restarts in 10 minutes…
“Intermission”
By
Edward Hopper

11. Draw (some of) this!
• Making a 2D (flat) drawing look 3D (with depth)
– 3 tricks: Shading, Perspective and Detail.

12. Landscapes*: 5-Step Method
• Idea! Find an interesting scene and objects.
• Play! Imagine, organize and play around an
composition foundation - assemble the parts
you like (forget the rest)
• Shapes! Sketch outlines.
• Fill in the tonal areas.
• Add details.
* Works for still-life as well.

13. Plan and Play

14. Outline selected objects

15. Tonal Areas

16. Add Detail
• For depth and to direct the eye

17. Preview of Class #2
• Review of Class #1
• Improving our drawing
• Drawing upside-down exercise
• Landscape – draw along
• Landscape – yours (remember to bring some
pictures.)