Introduction to Figure Drawing

Classes

Introduction to Figure Drawing at 3 Square Art is an intensive six-week intensive course designed to equip artists with essential skills for drawing the human form. Starting with dynamic gesture drawing and volumetric bubbling, it covers proportions, simplified anatomy, and detailed studies of the head, hands, and feet. Students learn techniques like gesture sketching, basic shape construction, contour drawing with cross-hatching, and shading, culminating in a long-pose drawing that ties all skills together.

Class 1: Gesture Drawing, Capturing the Essence of Movement
Dive into figure drawing by exploring gesture drawing to capture the energy and flow of a pose with quick, fluid lines and volumetric bubbling. Using the side of a conte crayon, you’ll build expressive mass and form. Through rapid, iterative sketches, you’ll develop confidence in creating dynamic, lively drawings that convey movement and volume, setting a vibrant foundation for the course.

Class 2: Mastering Proportions, Balancing with Basic Shapes
Unlock the secrets of balanced figures by learning to measure proportions using the head as a unit. This session focuses on constructing the body with basic shapes to ensure accurate placement of limbs and features. Through hands-on practice, you’ll refine your ability to create harmonious, well-proportioned drawings that feel true to life.

Class 3: Anatomy for Artists, Simplifying Structure
Bring your figures to life by understanding the body’s core structure. This class combines key skeletal landmarks (spine, pelvis, limbs) and major muscle groups into a simplified, artist-friendly approach. Through sketching exercises, you’ll learn how these elements shape the figure’s form and movement, building a practical foundation for dynamic drawings.

Class 4: Contour Drawing, Refining Line and Volume
Elevate your drawings with expressive contour techniques, including blind and modified contour drawing, and introduce cross-hatching to suggest volume. This session explores line quality—varying thickness and flow—to define form and depth. Through focused exercises, you’ll sharpen observation skills and create refined outlines that enhance the figure’s structure and three-dimensional presence.

Class 5: Head, Hands, and Feet, Mastering Complex Details
Conquer the challenge of drawing the head, hands, and feet by breaking them into simple shapes and building up their forms. This class focuses on their structure and proportions from multiple angles, using contour and light cross-hatching to add depth. Through practice, you’ll gain techniques to tackle these intricate details with confidence, bringing polish to your figure drawings.

Class 6: Drawing from the Model, Bringing It All Together
Bring all your drawing skills to life in a final session with drawing from a live model. This last class puts to use your knowledge of gesture, proportion, anatomy, contour, and shading to use. Our live model will join us for dynamic short action poses and longer determined poses including a motion study. Additionally, students will be introduced to the challenge of perspective and foreshortening.