• Intermediate
  • Drawing

Broaden your drawing expression through colour. Working with coloured drawing media opens up worlds of exploration. It can also be a very valuable companion to painting, as a rapid and spontaneous way to explore colour possibilities. In this course you will be working with a few coloured drawing media (predominately 'dry' pastels). Explore the expressive and psychological potential of working with a variety of different colour schemes. The class will start with a monochrome palette, moving into analogous colour and limited palettes, as well as exploring unconventional colour choices. We will also allow time to work with more naturalistic colour choices.


Winter 2021: 5 Weeks: Tuition: $264 + Model Fee: $60 + Materials: $5 = Total $329

PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID 19, special policies and regulations will apply including limits of class size. Students must be in agreement with these health and safety regulations and TSA's policies in order to enrol.

Notes: This course makes an excellent complement to Figure Drawing 2: Drawing Better Bodies. It is intended for any students with prior life drawing experience. It is recommended that students have taken the Introduction to Life Drawing course or have equivalent and recent life drawing instruction.
* This course is not currently open for registration

What you will learn

  • Types of colour palettes and some colour theory essentials
  • Mixing with different coloured chalks to broaden your colour options
  • The role different colours and types of paper supports play in working with colour media
  • Stretching paper and preparing a coloured ground with acrylic
  • The important role of values in organizing colour compositions

Materials to Bring

Materials will be discussed in more depth during the first class.

Please try to bring for the first class:

  • Kneadable eraser
  • 2 large bulldog clips
  • 1 pad of 18 x 24” cartridge paper
  • 1 package of mixed earth tone drawing sticks (Gallery brand or Conte)
  • 1 black and 1 white drawing stick (Conte or Gallery brand)

For later classes:

  • 1 pad of 18 x 24” Kraft paper (brown paper)
  • A modestly priced* set of coloured dry pastels (not oil pastel)
    • Options include: Prismacolor firm pastels
  • Set of 12 or 24 Mungyo Gallery semi-hard pastels
  • Set of 24 or 36 Mungyo Soft pastels

*All of these sets are in the $15 - $30 range.

Generally, the more costly the material, the better quality the pigment is, and the richer the colour. 'Firm' and 'semi-hard' pastel sticks are thinner, allow for more control, and take longer to build up. 'Soft pastels' are creamier in handling, apply quickly but go blunt very rapidly. Steer clear of sets specifically called 'chalk pastels' these tend to have a lot more cheap filler. 'Generals' brand colour media are not recommended as they tend to be too hard. Later in the course, other papers to be bought will be discussed (under $20 total).