“August Apples”
Class is back in session! Yes, much to the relief of every parent ever, school is back and all is once again right with the world. Or should I say quiet…?
But there’s more than the sudden corralling of the younger generation. Leaves will start changing soon. And everywhere…apples.
On teacher’s desks. In student lunchboxes. Starring in all harvest festivals! Apples, apples everywhere! Which made them the perfect subject for August’s art class. The alliterative part of me keeps calling it the ‘August Apples’ class, but I figured prospective students wouldn’t know what to expect if they saw that on a title page. Now it’s…
After my beast of an eye class last month (which was supposed to be short and sweet…) this class emphasizes practice over the theory I’ve already taught in two of my previous Learning to Draw classes – The Basic Forms and Art’s Most Valuable Lesson in Black and White, as well as Thinking with Your Hands: Improving Your Sketchwork with Simple Exercises.
And I’ve got lots of reference photos for my students as well, both for Skillshare and my Patrons as well! 😉 Now, let’s break down the class.
Lesson 1 – Sketch It Out
We begin by taking another look at the sketching process. This is an important part of any drawing, and one that some of my younger students resist. We’ll test different compositions before choosing the strongest one to build our final piece on.
Lesson 2 – Adding Form
Next is form. Form is one of the seven elements of art, and what defines a 3-D object over a 2-D shape (like a circle or square). But how do we add it to a drawing? The answer is moving with the object. We look at that in this lesson, including why it works and the practicalities of actually doing it.
Lesson 3 – Building Value
Here’s where we will build up the main portion of our painting. Values, added to form, lend so much to an artwork. Contrast in a composition. Highlights and shadows that in turn strengthen the form of your subject. We build them up together, first in black and white and then in color in the second half of our valuable lesson. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
Lesson 4 – Touch Ups & Troubleshooting
I’ve found there are three main mistakes that crop up near the end of a painting – lost highlights, water stains, and gaps between your subject and your background. In this last lesson I go over the simple ways to correct these mistakes so we can finish our painting with a signature flourish.
Fittingly, this class will require some homework on your part, but art always takes time. The techniques I teach in this class are simple and with so much repetition, simple enough to learn as well. Barring real life mayhem or technical catastrophe, Putting Art into Practice will be live on Skillshare this Friday, August 30.
And, more good news! Free Class Friday returns this Friday as well! If you’re looking to learn more about eyes, this weekend’s free class will be Learning to Draw: It’s All in the Eyes. If you’re worried you’ll forget, follow me on instagram @bookwyrmbeth. I share works in progress, info about new art classes, and much more.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Bethany R.
