In this 6-week course, we will explore a variety of drawing techniques, copying the works of 6 great artists of the past. The techniques I chose will give you occasion to practice the essential methods and materials historically used for portraiture, develop your technical skills, experiment with new materials and drawing methods, improve your drawing accuracy in depicting the human face.

Charcoal and chalk, graphite, toned paper, pen and ink, pastel, reduction technique, trois crayon, silverpoint, are all methods we will use in this course, making it also a survey in classic drawing methods and materials. You will have access to the recordings of this course for about a year, giving you the possibility to continue practicing these methods at your leisure.

Materials for the first class:

• White paper: a pad of Strathmore Drawing in vellum or medium finish, about 11”x14”; or a pad of Strathmore Bristol, same size and same surface; or a pad of Stonehenge Legion in white, same size.
• Graphite pencils: traditional wood casing pencils or lead holders in gradations HB, B, 2B, 4B.
• Erasers and pencil sharpeners.

Materials for the following classes:

Wait to purchase the following material, we will discuss it duringthe first class, but the following is a list that can give you an idea ofthemaerial we will be using during these 6 weeks.

• Toned paper: a pad of Strathmore charcoal, 11” by 14” or bigger; or a few sheets of Fabriano Roma, Fabriano Ingres, Canson Mi-Teintes.
• Charcoal and chalk: you can wait to buy these materials as we will be discussing about these in class, but if you already have some of these, you are set: Nitram charcoal sticks and General’s compressed charcoal pencils, in B, 2B, 4B and 6B gradations.
• White chalk in pencils or sticks, red earth pastels (Conte, Cretacolor or General’s).
• Pen and ink, silverpoint: we will discuss pen, nib, ink and silverpoint in class. Creatacolor makes a pencil for silverpoint that will be perfect for our needs, about $13.