This course is intended for students wishing to develop their figure drawing beyond simple representation. Using a variety of media, students will learn to take chances and create lively and thought-provoking works. Consideration will also be given to different ways of reacting to and representing the figure - as a piece of design, a metaphoric symbol and within a conceptual framework. Examples of relevant artists' work will be shown. It is designed to get students with a basic familiarity with depicting the human form to stretch themselves, both technically and conceptually.
Explorations will be divided into two principal parts. The first part of the course will concentrate on the foundations of figure drawing: proportion, shape, gesture, line, value - but in ways intended to open possibilities rather than to arrive at a fixed method. Using models as a starting point, the second part of the course will allow for a variety of investigations of context, content, compositional design and materials within figurative compositions.
For less experienced students, the course provides an opportunity to gain confidence through taking creative chances in a supportive environment. For students with more developed drawing skills, it offers an opportunity to explore new possibilities in terms of conceptual approaches and alternative material use.
The course is not concerned so much with accurate depiction of the figure or proportions. Instead, emphasis is placed on taking chances, seeing the possibilities in the human form and having fun.
The class will work from nude or costumed models. The poses will range in length from gestures to 3 hours. It is recommended that students have taken an Introduction to Drawing course, or have some drawing and/or figure drawing experience.
Spring 2021: 8 Weeks: Tuition: $355 + Model Fee: $90 = Total: $445
PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID 19, special policies and regulations will apply. Students must be in agreement with these health and safety regulations and TSA's policies in order to enrol.
Notes: Gillian Iles' practice consists of painting, sculpture and video/projection. She has exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Brooklyn, Chicago, Miami, Montreal and Toronto in public institutions, university galleries, artist-run centres and commercial galleries. Her work has been highlighted in Canadian Art, Mix Magazine, Toronto Life Magazine, as well as the National Post and The Globe and Mail. She is featured in the book Carte Blanche Volume 2: Painting. Gillian was a founding member of two artist-run galleries in Toronto - Propeller and Loop, and is currently a member of the Red Head Gallery in Toronto. Her environmental scale installations include combinations of paintings, sculptures, constructions video and projection, creating installations incorporating both real and illusionary space, transforming exhibition spaces into a composite of alternate realities. The composite imagery presents an array of contradictions as a sensory collage of fleeting instants that shape greater social identity & individual perception. Gillian teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Sheridan College and the Toronto School of Art in Canada.Please keep your receipts in case you need to return any materials.