NEW CLASS: Human Figure Drawing

[snager]

Hi, Everyone!

I’ve gotten feedback that there is interest from members for a human drawing class, and I’d like to step up to teach! This would be the figure, portraits, or specific areas the class requests to learn for the day.

I found that learning to draw from life helps me with all aspects of my drawing skills: humans being just psychologically one of the stumbling blocks of art. They are both architectural and organic, emotionally familiar but hard to observe in a detached way for study. Learning to draw a human can teach you to draw anything! AND you’ll have a nice drawing to take home at the end of class!

During college, we used live models in our classes, but our DMS setting will be more casual (read: clothed models only due to logistics). When I meet the day’s students, I can flex to using photos of people on a projector, but I believe drawing from life is at least 50% better for learning. so the options would be:

a) bring a guest to sit for a portrait
b) I find a volunteer or two to model for 30 mins to an hour at a time
c) form pairs and draw each other
d) bring a standing mirror and do self portraits

I need feedback to know what my first class would be most interested in learning, if they want to learn how to fill a sketchbook (my sketchbook is loose leaf printer paper) vs. want to make one single piece to take home. but also what days and times most people are available.?

provided supplies: A good sheet of drawing paper, #b and #h pencil sets, some pastels, a table easel and clip board, kneaded erasers, art erasers

other things you can bring: any dry media like charcoals, markers, any sketchbook you want, any size any paper quality. imo lower quality is better because while learning, we want quantity over quality.

I’m also on the DMS discord all the time, and my name is Snager! I’d love to hear feedback, no matter how negative or random, I need to hear it. Concerns, hopes, dreams, anything!

tl;dr- this is a guinea pig digital session 0
My hope is to teach this class quite often and for free so people can meet up and watch each other’s art grow.

[mrjimmy]

That sounds great, I’d be very interested in attending.

Back before the pandemic we used to do an event called “Artists are models too” where each person who attended would take turns being the model. People brought props they made and stuff. It was a lot of fun. So that might be a good option E for you if you like the idea

[snager]

this sounds fun, Jimmy! I will def offer the chance to model for the class for anyone interested. I just was remembering in school, my classmates were extremely shy. XD

[mrjimmy]

People here are too, but a lot of them would bring cosplay stuff and model in character. It really was quite fun and very much a judgement free zone.

[Polyphonic]

I’d love a human drawing class!
I like the idea of filling a sketchbook and doing a lot of quick drawings to get skills down - I’m also partial to classes at 6:30 - 7 on weekdays, but weekends are pretty free

[snager]

alrighty, guys.

be picking out your sketchbooks (I use loose leaf printer paper in a clip board) and going through your inspiration books you might want to bring to show and tell. Be thinking about how you want these studies to be put to practice and what style you want to apply this knowledge to!

I submitted the class for Thursday the 21st at 6:30. I’ll be around earlier and if enough people get there early we can have discussion or hang out time!

If the first couple classes are a success, I’d like to teach it at least twice a month, but we shall see!

[snager]

Pinging you to let you know: I selected Thursday the 21st at 6:30pm.

XD if anyone knows someone who is interested, spread the word for me, please!

[snager]

Events |Dallas Makerspace Calendar here’s a direct link to sign up, for yall who use talk more than discord!

note that I can custom tailor the class to the needs of the members who take it from me! If you want to do just portraits or hands, we can do that!

I just think gesture drawing is neat

[Anachronite]

ooo I am interested and actually just bought a sketchbook and pencils, etc… I am a horrible 2d artist but would like to learn to be better. Haven’t had a drawing class since high school. I also have some really nice medieval garb and armor I could dress in as a model to be drawn. I am not sure that I can make the first class, but if that changes I will sign up if there is a spot. I will also keep an eye out for future classes.
Sounds fun!

[snager]

update: I wish I could tell you all the first session went according to plan, but I actually had to cancel it. I had the cold I’ve nicknamed ‘shadow covid.’ I was no longer infectious but it knocks you down a few pegs and I needed more time to recover. I wanted my first class to be my absolute best effort!

That all said, there is still time to sign up for the sunday class at 2pm!
https://calendar.dallasmakerspace.org/events/view/21601

We should be able to use the light from the windows for some interesting effects at this time of day! I’ve had fewer sign ups for this time slot so far, so I will probably put the next class back on a Thursday evening.

also note that after figure drawing there is the Creative Arts meeting after figure drawing, so if you can go to both if you want! Events |Dallas Makerspace Calendar

also in the future, I may consider breaking the class up into parts, in which i teach the different steps shown in this image:

like part 1 observation, part 2 anatomy, part 3 rendering?

let me know what yall think!

[snager]

Sunday’s class was a complete success!

I have a new class listed for next Thursday evening
https://calendar.dallasmakerspace.org/events/view/21693

The book I used in highschool is called Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck. It was first published decades ago and a used copy can be found for pretty cheap. Some of the language is painfully outdated but it’s still a great reference book that covers the variety of human body types, sexes and ages.

this one is on my wishlist: Anatomy For Sculptors, Understanding The Human Figure
by: Uldis Zarins - Sandis Kondrats

it’s pricey but can apparently be bought as a PDF

OPTIONAL
If you’d like some homework to help prepare for my next class, download and trace or print and trace these skeletons

Skeleton Anatomy Poster PDF

Skeletal System Human back view outline clipart

You can also try some value excercises:
draw 7 squares on a sheet of paper in a row. in the right most box, fill it in solid black with your darkest drawing tool you have. leave the left most box white. make the middle box the exact mid ground between the two. then fill in the other boxes to create a gradient. if you want to do extra, do the same exercise again but look up ‘stippling’ and ‘cross hatching’ and do a line of boxes for each.

examples:

.
.

You can also practice sketching these geometric shapes on paper. They are used to help you think about the form of the body in space. Cylinder, Cone, Sphere, Cube, Rectangular Prism, Triangular Prism, Pyramid, and plain planes. If you anna be extra, you can find some of them in real life to observe and draw them on paper. and by ‘draw on paper’ I also mean ‘render by hand in your graphics program of choice.’

3D Shapes Poster Cone Cylinder Prisms Sphere

ALL of this ‘homework’ is totally optional and basically just for fun and to save you time on drawing day. I just noticed some of my people doing these exercises during the class. But it’s stuff you can do in your leisure!

Sorry I didn’t think to give out optional homework sooner, I’m still new at this!

If you took my class last Sunday, please share your work here if you’re comfortable! I didn’t get pics of everything!

-Snager