Drawing Class Online

learn to draw online

Intro to Drawing The art of drawing is not a "gift." It's a skill that can be cultivated and improved over time. It's about seeing and creating form and space.

In this 3-lesson course for beginners, you'll build a foundation in drawing, the discipline of representing the world on paper. You'll move from basic contours and lines to drawing three-dimensional shapes, developing a deeper understanding of the forms you are observing. Let illustrator and class instructor Michael Hamm help you tap into your inner Michaelangelo.

On this page: enrollment details | instructor | class projects and objectives | prerequisites

Class Title: Intro to Drawing Start Date: Classes start daily. Enroll today and gain immediate access. Class Length: Three months of access to class materials and instructor feedback. Instructor: Jordon Schranz Other details: Self-paced, online, 24 access to online learning environment

THIS CLASS IS OFFERED AT SESSIONS COLLEGE: get the details (Check the syllabus at Sessions College for updated class information.)

Class Instructor Bio:

Jordon Schranz is a New York-based fine artist and designer whose work has been shown at various New York City exhibits such as "Art World," "Small Works," and "The Unseen." His solo art exhibitions include "Punk Rock and Riots," EXPGallery, Chicago, IL (in collaboration with Marie Evelyn) and "Arrivals and Departures," at the Black and White Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, where he is a featured artist. His artistic direction is on working with recreated memories and perceived images. Jordon is currently leading the development of a Fine Arts program at Sessions. When not creating visual art, he is also a member of a touring free jazz trio. Jordon earned his BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art.

Class Projects and Objectives:

This online class is packed with projects and tips. Students can expect to: 

• Learn the tools used in both traditional and digital drawing.
  
• Learn how drawing is as much about a way of seeing form and space as it is about physical artwork.
  
• Learn the meaning of a contour and how it applies to drawing.
• Find organic subjects for several drawings with complex edges and surfaces.
  
• Study the form of an object and draw its contour without looking at the paper at all.
  
• Study the form of an object and draw its contour, looking at the paper only slightly.
  
• Study the form of an object and draw its contour, looking at the paper as needed.
  
• Build up the texture and subtle areas of the drawing to create a complex finished piece.
  
• Work carefully on these contour blind drawings.
  
• Explore real life examples of contours.
• Learn how to view an object's shape in a number of ways.
  
• Differentiate between the space around a subject and its actual shape.
  
• View examples of negative and positive areas of a drawing.
  
• Learn the concept of negative shape when viewing and drawing a subject.
  
• Learn to integrate the positive and negative areas to create a finished piece.
• Find mechanical subjects for several drawings and place them so its shapes are as clear as possible.
  
• Create a drawing of just the negative shape that surrounds a subject.
  
• Create a drawing accurately representing the negative shapes found within a subject.
  
• See the relationships between negative and positive space so that any positive lines are implied but not drawn.
  
• Create a drawing in which the negative and positive areas are integrated.
• Study areas of light and dark tones on a subject.
  
• Learn the basic forms that almost all subjects are comprised of.
  
• Explore the contours of each basic form.
  
• Learn how light and dark tones illustrate the complete shape of each form.
  
• Create a drawing of a sphere-like subject of that illustrates the tones of the light and its form.
• Create a preliminary sketch of a complex form, showing its contours and simple areas of light and dark.
  
• Build up the drawing by adding more variations in tone.
  
• Finish a drawing by discovering and working with the more subtle areas of light and dark.
  
• Assemble a still life of simple or complex forms and model it applying the theories of light and structure.