10/15 Intro to Figure Drawing
This class offers a welcoming and supportive introduction to the fundamentals of figure drawing. Perfect for beginners, yet engaging for intermediate and advanced students, this course is designed to build your skills step-by-step while allowing time for deeper study and personal growth.
Description
This class offers a welcoming and supportive introduction to the fundamentals of figure drawing. Perfect for beginners, yet engaging for intermediate and advanced students, this course is designed to build your skills step-by-step while allowing time for deeper study and personal growth.
On the first day, we’ll focus on foundational drawing exercises without a model, emphasizing the block-in process, proportion, and structure of the human form. These core skills will give you the tools to begin your figure drawing practice with confidence.
On the second day, we’ll transition to working from a live model, concentrating on gesture drawing and capturing the essence and movement of the pose. This will lead into a short pose study to help you apply the concepts we've practiced.
The remainder of the course will be dedicated to a sustained, multi-day long pose from a model. This will give students the opportunity to slow down, observe more deeply, and develop their drawings with greater accuracy, refinement, and expression.
Whether you're just starting out or looking to refresh and deepen your figure drawing practice, this class is open to all levels and provides a relaxed, inclusive environment for learning and creativity.
About the Instructor
Dustin Adamson (b. 1987) is an emerging American artist trained in the classical tradition of painting and drawing. Dustin has a strong interest in the art and techniques of the old masters, from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. After graduating in 2010 from with Distinction from San Diego State University, he began to study figurative drawing, painting, and sculpture with Justin Hess and Alicia Ponzio and human anatomy with Noah Buchanan. After studying for several years in the Bay Area he moved to New Jersey and studied at the Florence Academy of Art US. There he studied intensively an academic curriculum grounded in the 19th-century classical-realist tradition.
During his studies at the Florence Academy of Art US, Dustin received numerous awards and scholarships; including an award for Painting of the Year and the position of teaching assistant.
Supply List
We will be using graphite pencils for the first day of class. The rest of class we will be using the NItram Charcoal Sticks.
Drawing Materials
- 2 sheets of Strathmore Charcoal 500 paper Fog Blue (Available at Cal Art Supply) or similar paper
- 9x12 or larger Spiral-bound Sketchbook for Gesture drawings and Notes
- Graphite Pencils: 2H, HB, 2B, 4B
- General’s White Charcoal Pencil
- A simple pencil sharpener
- Nitram Charcoal HB and B (Available at Cal Art Supply)
- Sanding Block to sharpen charcoal
- Small Kneaded Eraser
- Tombow Mono Zero, Round
- Artist Chamois
- Hog Bristle Fan Brush Size 3 or 4
- Drawing board large enough for your paper (Toteboard with clips or foamboard with bulldog clips)
- Masking tape to tape your paper to the board
Recommended Art Stores:
California Art Supply, San Mateo
University Art, Redwood City