Drawing a Person with Wendy Aldwyn

Ages 14+

Thursdays, January 12th - February 16th
6:00 - 8:00 PM
$180 for 6-weeks

Class Description
Have you ever heard anyone say that they could draw a tree, but not a person? Or that they could draw a body, but not hands, face, or feet? It takes observation, practice, and compassion to change the rigid ways we are imprinted on ourselves, to actually see and express the human figure, the person, for who they are, or for the character we are developing from them. Develop this critical skill for animation and fine art, or study the figure just to get more personal insight. Exploring a variety of media and methods, this course will meet once a week for six weeks.

Week 1: Still-life: Geometry, Line and Expression. Exploring basic shapes that one might also find in the human body, and “eyeballing” - getting the measuring right.

Week 2: Nobody’s Perfect Basic Anatomy. Connecting the parts. From various projected virtual images, including a skeleton ready for action.

Week 3: Face, Hands, and Feet: structure, expression, and how these most important features dynamically connect to the body.
Week 4: Wire-framing the Body in Motion. Animators do this.

Week 5: Drawing People in Environments, real and imagined. Where does your person/character live?

Week 6: Life Drawing (clothed model if class members are under 18)* Expression, shape, light and shadow. Gestural and some longer poses. Developing flexibility and imagination. How does your drawing of this person connect with your audience?

Please note:

Week 1: Will work from still-life

Week 2-5: Projected dynamic images from Poseit 2.1 Pro

and BodiesinMotion.photo (my Pro account)

Week 6: *Will use a live model for Week 6. Clothed, if class members are under 18.

Suggested basic materials

Pencils, mix of hard and soft leads (from 6B to 2H)

Charcoal sticks and pencils

Soft white chalk (and other pastel colors, if you like)

Cheap drawing paper - large newsprint or brown packaging paper

Good drawing paper or bristol board - Strathmore is a good brand.

Drawing board

Erasers: Pink pearl and/or kneaded

Apps

Poseit 2.1 Pro, from Google Play (cost under $6)

Google Arts and Culture (free)

Optional:

Sable brushes and ink, for ink washes

Watercolor brushpens

Fine point markers, various colors

Conte crayon, assorted colors

Pastels

Tracing paper for corrections, if you’d like me to make an overlay instead of drawing directly on your drawing.

About the Artist: Wendy Aldwyn

"I have always held a pencil in my hand – like a bird with a twig, it is my instinctual tool.

With a degree in fine art from University of Houston, I've forged a living as a graphic designer, but have always kept a hand in fine art. Drawing, doodling, face painting, animating, playing in mud - I find diverse ways to keep creatively alive. I hope to inspire a life-long drawing habit in my students by creating a mutually supportive creative space while exploring the construction and expression of the human body."

See more of Wendy's artwork by visiting her website.
Wendy's LinkedIn profile
Watch Wendy's animations on her YouTube Channel.