Learning to Draw the Landscape with Traditional Mixed Media


This class will show you how to employ a range of traditional artist’s materials in combination with one another. Improve your drawing skills while also discovering and analysing the possibilities these materials offer an artistic practice, both individually and in unison. Materials studied will include chalk pencils, pen and ink, pen and wash, white chalk and gouache; together with a variety of coloured and watercolour papers. The theme for this term will be landscape. Classes will include an historical analysis of conventions for drawing the natural environment with a landscape excursion in week 7. Suitable for beginners to intermediate.

COURSE OUTLINE
 
  • Week 1/2: Pen and Ink on paper – Pen and Ink will be employed over an initial black chalk pencil drawing
  • Week 3/4: Pen and wash on watercolour paper – Over an initial chalk drawing, students will learn how to broadly depict the fall of light and shadow and accurately describe the shadows shape with an ink wash
  • Week 4 and 5: Black and white chalk pencil with paper stump on blue-grey paper – How to employ black and white chalk on a mid-tone paper
  • Week 6: Black chalk, ink wash and gouache on blue-grey paper – Over a black chalk drawing, an ink wash will be added to further describe the shadow shape of the form. White gouache will be employed to describe the higher values and highlights
  • Week 7: Excursion
  • Week 8: Black and sanguine red chalk with gouache highlights on buff paper – On a dark buff paper, students will build up a drawing employing the above materials

PLANNED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:
  1. Gain an introduction to the use of mixed media materials employed by artists of the past.
  2. Make use of a variety of coloured papers in mixed media drawings.
  3. Learn to borrow and develop the shorthand means necessary for describing complex and ephemeral natural forms.
  4. Make practical use of historical drawings and landscape conventions

MATERIALS LIST

  • Oil-based black chalk pencil
  • Oil-based red chalk pencil
  • White chalk pencil
  • White gouache paint
  • Stanley knife
  • Kneadable eraser
  • A3 sketchbook
  • Two paper stumps
  • Nib holder
  • Speedball or other brand of lettering & drawing round pen nib B Style B-5 ½ (and two other nibs of slightly smaller and larger sizes).
  • Watercolour brush
  • Three A3 sheets of blue-grey paper or a larger sheet divided to size.
  • One A3 sheets of buff paper sheets or a larger sheet divided to size.

When:
Thursday 17 October - 5 December 2019
9.30 AM - 12.00 PM

Where:
WEA Sydney
72 Bathurst Street