drawing 1

heather accurso

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fundamentals of drawing / drawing 1

this was one of the first mandatory classes every student at the illinois institute of art would take. naturally, there were no required skills to enter the course. while a few students came with considerable training, most had never seriously tried to draw before.

we met twice a week for almost three hours per class over an eleven week quarter.

skills taught

  • understand the importance of skilled quick drawing / sketching as the essential foundation for detailed work
  • learn to accurately draw objects and figures in space with pencil, charcoal, conte crayon, pen and erasing techniques
    • gain representational drawing experience in gestural line, contour line and tonal approaches, and hybrids thereof
    • utilize sighting techniques to further understand proportion, scale, figure - ground relationships, angles and perspective
    • grasp the basics of linear one, two and three point perspective
    • observe and translate value, light effects and texture
  • recognize and exploit narrative potential within the confines of representational drawing
    • set up and light dynamic still-life arrangements
    • apply knowledge of design concepts (composition, contrast, balance, repetition, ...) to drawings
    • begin to interpret drawing as a visual language
  • acquire critique skills within the class / team environment using professional drawing vocabulary