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Drawing as a Contemporary Practice

  • Intermediate
  • Drawing

This course is designed to give students a better idea of a wide spectrum of the possibilities of contemporary drawing. What are artists doing with drawing today? Projects are geared towards expanding students’ notions of drawing, both technically and conceptually. Traditional and technique-driven approaches will be de-emphasized in order to find other sources for making works that are more self-directed. Using ink as a primary medium, there will be assignments to create drawing from a photograph, and layered images using transparencies. We will also engage in experiments with seriality and paper manipulation. Slide presentations and discussions will show students how other artists use drawing in challenging formats.

Winter 2020:

12 Weeks: Base Tuition: $495 

Spring 2020:

10 Weeks:  Base Tuition: $422

Notes: Students should have some experience in drawing or have taken coursework in Beginner and/or Intermediate Drawing, Mixed Media.
* This course is not currently open for registration

What you will learn

  • Utilizing ink material techniques in contemporary drawing
  • Interpreting project parameters to explore personal drawing interests
  • Exploring themes and issues prevalent in contemporary drawing, and contemporary artists
  • Learning to evaluate one’s own work through group critiques and finding one’s own voice in the field of contemporary drawing

Materials to Bring

Please keep your receipts to all purchases in case you need to return any materials.

Materials:
Each section of this course will have a slightly different focus.

We have 3 main projects so consider that while you gather materials.

  • Ink: Black. You can also choose some colour, but begin with black. It is your choice as to acrylic, india etc.
  • Sketchbook: At least 11 x 14 inches but if transport convenience is a factor you could go with the 9 x 12 in. Try to get 90 lbs or higher to take inks
  • Paper: Stack of paper for both wet treatment and dry treatments. If cost is a factor, consider buying in pads. Should be at least 15 x 20
  • A drawing pad that can take some wet media (something heavier than cartridge & a pad of cartridge/newsprint for rough process work). Stonehenge, Canson, Arches and Strathmore are generally good bets- I usually go for whatever is a slightly heavier weight and acid-free and on sale. Canson has a very reasonably priced “Student” watercolour paper and it is often psychologically easier to work freely on less expensive paper- you are less precious in approach then.
  • Wet media: Stonehenge is a great drawing paper that will take ink well, is forgiving, and is less expensive than a watercolour or arches. You will need at least 3 sheets of Stonehenge (22x30”) for the course if you are not using another type of (watercolour) paper
  • Canson has a 15 sheet watercolour pad in ~15x20 and Arches has a 20 sheet watercolour blocks in 14” x 20 and 18 x 24 in both cold and hot press (cold press is textured, hot press is smooth).
  • Dry media: Canson now puts out very cheap recycled paper pads. If economic concerns are not a factor, consider trying lots of different paper or paper-like surfaces- vellum, glassine, various Japanese papers, Mylar, Terra skin, Yupo
  • Mylar or Dura-Lar film *Frosted (the name will depend on who sells it) Please have 2 large sheets: 24x36"
  • A variety of inks, brushes and nibs - we will discuss materials more in class
  • Optional: Conte, charcoal, graphite sticks (larger size preferred) and likely a choice of pastels