OVERVIEW
Does the thought of “perspective” fill you with visions of sitting alone in a dark room, with a ruler and calculator as your only companions? Do you worry that you’ll have to perform mathematical magic tricks before being able to create drawings and paintings that tell a story?
If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place!
This workshop is designed to take one of the most complex and anxiety-inducing aspects of drawing and painting and offer a fresh *perspective* on it. The goal is to turn perspective into something fun and interactive, to evoke the same feelings of curiosity and joy that we felt as kids playing with Legos and other toys.
Sounds great, right? But how?? We’ll do this by leading with storytelling and seeing perspective as a tool that we can use to different degrees, NOT as an absolute set of rules. As we begin to grasp that perspective is about understanding the space that our characters inhabit, we’ll start playing with maquettes, tracing paper and other non-math tools that will help us to visualize all kinds of scenes.
We’ll also learn about topiary dinosaurs, chess, stars and noodle people and ghosts, and how we can use them to make our lives even easier!
By the end of this course, you’ll understand how plan a complex scene in manageable steps, using the least amount of tedious labor possible, so you can concentrate on the stories that you want to tell with your work!
Artists of all levels are welcome!
SCHEDULE
Week 1 The bare necessities- drawing straight lines, finding horizons, the idea that *everything* is space, the importance of chess and your smartphone
Week 2 Noodle people and topiary dinosaurs, how to use them and creating groups using containers
Week 3 Using clay and cardboard to build sets- how to measure and project complex shadows
Week 4 Putting it all together, how to deal with complex scenarios like flying figures
Week 5 Feedback and discussion
Week 6 Feedback and discussion
FORMAT
We’ll meet via Zoom on Saturdays from 11am to 3pm PST (Los Angeles time) for 6 weeks. All classes are recorded and emailed the following day, so you’ll be able to follow the lessons even if you have to miss class or you’re in a different timezone!
HOMEWORK
The first 4 sessions will consist of guided Bob-Ross-style demonstrations, which you’ll able to follow along with at home. That way, you’ll be able to draw along and finish projects during class!
During the final 2 sessions, we’ll review homework and offer feedback. Only critique students will submit their work for critique, but everyone is welcome to watch, ask questions and draw along.
REFUNDS
10 days before class starts 100%
5 days before class starts 50%
1 day before class starts 0%
Transfers to another current class may be available, contact me for details.